It's Round and It's White
Its that magical time that only comes around twice a year, its Transfer Deadline Day! and Sky Sports and other media outlets have hyped it up with usual bravado.
So let’s talk about the essentials. Inform your other half that you are in a vital meeting or over time until about midnight. Set your nest be it sprawled across a couch with Sky Sports News on, your laptop open to all know football websites and listening in to air traffic control for any small air craft or helicopters in the Liverpool area. You may have to work but that’s ok, just minimized the tab on your work PC and test your agility to tab to that important account file. Snacks are vital as it could be a long day. Quick time saving meals or takeaways (if you’re on a January diet, you will have to break it), dinners can take a long time to prepare and you will then miss a story that will not be repeated for a whole 5 minutes. Keep sugar levels up because at any minute you could have to inform the surrounding area that “Redknapp has bought him? And for that much!”
The other side to Transfer Deadline Day is that clubs have left until the dwindling hours to acquire a player. With so many clubs all over Europe going into debt to stay in the top flight it is mind boggling to still see clubs gambling on their future on players that are rush bought. Twelve months ago the two biggest signings Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll were deadline day gambles. In Carroll’s case it was the purchase of potential that can be justified but not when that potential blatantly will not fit in to your style of play or tactics. Chelsea paid 50million pounds on an out of form striker to save their season and it cost Ancelotti his job.
This year’s transfer window has been very quiet for a combination of reasons. As stated above clubs can panic and get the wrong man. But they can also open themselves up to buying a player on unsustainable wages. Deadline day 2010 brought South African international Bennie McCarthy to West Ham. 11 games no goals and when West Ham were religated last season they had to pay McCarthy 1.5 million to rip up his contract as his wages were not in the clubs plans while in the Championship.
The fact we have a transfer window is a barrier to trade and work. With the glamourised world of the Premier League, fans want big name signings and will rarely see the side of wage bills, treats of administration or youth development. In the current economic climate now more than ever supporters need to back clubs and take the dead line day with a pinch of salt.
