Birmingham City thought they hit the jackpot with £2.5m transfer - Blues were so wrong | OneFootball

Rowan Vine failed to make an impact at St. Andrew's under Steve Bruce

Rowan Vine is a name synonymous with EFL football within the decade of the 2000s, although he failed to leave any real form of legacy at a handful of many of his 22 clubs.

The Basingstoke-born forward was often described as a stereotypical 'journeyman' as a result, which is the rather harsh reality of how certain footballers are viewed in the modern game beyond the attributes which they possessed on the field.

In truth, Vine is best known for his exploits at Luton Town, which came during a remarkable period for the Bedfordshire side between 2004 and 2007.

After initially progressing through the ranks of Portsmouth but failing to make a Premier League appearance at Fratton Park, the striker became a rather underrated part of the Hatters' League One title-winning season of 2004/05, during which he was best known for racking up a total of seven assists on top of nine goals, before helping Luton re-establish themselves at Championship level the following season.

Teams higher up the food chain than the Kenilworth Road outfit at the time, became alert of his progress after hitting a double-figure goal return for the first time in his career in 2005/06 as Mike Newell's side finished in a remarkable tenth-place in what was their first season at second tier level since 1995/96.

It's fair to say that the following season was the beginning of a well-documented and disastrous plight for Luton, though, with one of the key reasons, aside from financial difficulties, being the sale of their star forward to divisional rivals and promotion favourites, Birmingham City, in January 2007.

However, it's also fair to say that Vine is remembered at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park for extremely contrasting reasons.

After Steve Bruce targeted a move for the striker, Blues parted with the hefty sum of £2.5m for Vine's services, a fee which would eventually rise to £3m following the Second City club's first-time promotion back to the Premier League.

Despite the success enjoyed by Bruce's side during the second-half of a gruelling 46-game campaign, Vine failed to justify the aforementioned price-tag completely, despite continuously being utilised by the ex-Manchester United defender in Birmingham's promotion bid.

After scoring 12 times for relegation-threatened Luton in the first period of the campaign, Vine's Blues debut came in a 3-1 home defeat to Southend United at St. Andrew's, with the result summing up, unfortunately, what was to come on an individual level.

Vine started eight times for the club following his transfer, and it would take until March 9th, 2007, for him to score his only goal in royal blue, albeit it was a crucial strike in a 1-0 success over eventual play-off finalists and their nearest rivals for automatic promotion, Derby County.

Blues would end the season in second place to Sunderland, securing promotion with one game to spare on a total of 86 points.

Despite basking in his side's achievements in a civic reception at the Council House, this would be as good as it got for Vine in terms of his time in the West Midlands.

Rowan Vine's career plummeted after Birmingham City exit

Vine was heavily utilised in his first and only pre-season with the club, although he would fall significantly down the pecking order following the arrival of Garry O'Connor from Lokomotiv Moscow to compete with Gary McSheffrey and Cameron Jerome.

Indeed, the last two of his appearances for Blues would come in the EFL Cup against Hereford United and Blackburn Rovers in the early stages of the competition, before agreeing to join Queens Park Rangers on loan in November 2007.

Remarkably, Blues would still recoup some of their initial fee for the forward, with Rangers parting with £1m to secure Vine's services on a long-term contract in January 2008.

However, his career took a significant nose-dive afterwards due to several factors such as injuries and a distinct lack of gametime.

This led to several loan spells away from Loftus Road until his departure at the conclusion of the 2011/12 Premier League season, before winding down his playing career in Scotland and with a multitude of non-league sides.