That list is odd. Powell was virtually retired when we signed him, and Farrell and Fleary weren't young either. Sheridan was a reasonably big signing at the time, and the list also ignores Harris, one of the biggest signings we've ever made. The squad was an utter mess when they took over, as we'd almost gone bankrupt, and GH also brought in a number of players who might not have been big signings but were desperately needed to boost the squad (including a bunch from Sheffield). I'm not sure what point they are trying to make?
Fact is when GH and Caddick took over in 1997 they started spending big, and also focused on junior development. At the same time. We continued to make big signings throughout most of the Golden Generation era, particularly from overseas.