| Midfielder Neil Danns moved to St. Andrew's from Colchester United midfielder in June 2006 for an initial fee of £500,000, which could rise to £850,000 with add-ons. Ironically his Blues debut came against his former club in the opening League game of the season. Danns was at home city club Liverpool as a schoolboy but opted to join Blackburn as a trainee. He went on to appear in seven first team games for Rovers, including three Premiership matches. He spent time on loan at Blackpool and Hartlepool during 2003/04 and the following season saw him join the U's on a similar temporary deal. He made a good impression at Layer Road, scoring four goals in 13 appearances to earn a permanent move to the Essex club. Danns played a pivotal role last season as Phil Parkinson's side won a first ever promotion to the second tier of English football. The 23-year-old left Colchester with an impressive record of 28 goals from 87 games in his two years at the club. |
