The transfer window is obviously an integral part of any football season. It can make or break a player, a manager or even a whole team. In the summer months, build up to the new season starts as soon as the old one finishes with fans around the world anxious to forget any disappointments and look forward to better times with renewed optimism. However, it isn’t long before this optimism turns to over-excitement, and then to anxious waiting, which finally turns to impatience, all stemming from the many positive and negative factors which the transfer window brings. It’s probably the most schizophrenic period for any football fan as it contains the power to both delight and despair, in equal measures. In view of the love/hate relationship we have with this period I bring you the 10 best and worst aspects of it. You’ll hate it/love it!
Click on the football transfers image below to browse the ten aspects!
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Compiled by Jimmy Areabi
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Former Brazil international Socrates has died at the age of 57, after suffering from an intestinal infection back in his homeland.
The Belem do Para born man has had persistent health problems linked to alcohol abuse, and was taken to hospital in Sao Paolo on Thursday, after what was suspected food poisoning.
On closer examination it was revealed that the ex-midfielder was suffering from septic shock, and the South American was admitted to be treated at the medical facility.
Despite the efforts of doctors on site, Socrates passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning, leaving behind a wife and six sons.
Socrates had spent time in hospital on separate occasions back in August and September, and was in line for a liver transplant in the near future.
He represented his country a total of 60 times, scoring 22 goals, and captained the 1982 Brazil World Cup team.
At club level most of his career was spent with Corinthians, who he stepped out for between 1978 and 1984, but the creative player also played for Botafogo, Flamengo, Fiorentina and Santos.
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Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has admitted that Wigan’s last ditch goal on Saturday was hard to take, but feels he couldn’t have done much differently to avoid it going in.
Jordi Gomez scored in the dying minutes of the Premier League clash to salvage a point for the Latics in a 1-1 draw, which sees Andre Villas Boas’ men slip further behind the Manchester clubs and Tottenham in the race for the title.
Despite the disappointment of the goal however, the Czech Republic international feels there wasn’t much more he could have done to prevent it.
“When the shot came through, there were players coming across the flight of the ball and one of the other players – I think it was Ashley Cole or somebody – the ball just went through him somehow,” Cech told The Guardian.
“There was a split second where I could not see the ball and then it was too late.
“I tried to catch the ball but it was too late and it deflected. The feeling I have from the pitch is that this is not a goal I can be proud of but, in a way, it is hard to see what I could have done differently,” he concluded.
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Wolves gave their survival hopes a massive boost after holding Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium despite playing the last quarter of an hour with 10-men.
Mick McCarthy’s side produced arguably their best away performance of the season with Steven Fletchers first half strike ensuring they would take a well deserved point back to the Midlands. It was made all the more special by the fact they had to come from behind to earn a share of the spoils after Gervinho had brilliantly opened the scoring for Arsenal after only eight minutes. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger will be disappointed his side failed to add to their early lead and will see this as two points dropped as opposed to one earned in their fight for a top-four finish. The visitors, on the other hand, will be buoyed by both the result and performance as they had to deal with a sea of Arsenal pressure in the second half but stood firm to move two points clear of the drop zone.
With Robin Van Persie chasing the record for the most goals in a calendar year the home support would have been expecting their side to hit the net at a frequent rate. It certainly seemed that would be the case as Gervinho put the Gunners a goal to the good after eight minutes latching onto Yossi Benayoun’s defence splitting pass before rounding Wayne Hennessey and keeping his composure to cooly slot the ball home. Van Persie then had the chance to move himself closer to Alan Shearers goal scoring record but could only roll his shot wide after being picked out by Gervinho’s clever reverse pass. Arsenal were simply dominating possession with Wolves forced to sit back and soak up the pressure. However they shocked the Emirates crowd into near silence in the 38th minute with Fletcher equalising against the run of play diverting Steven Hunt’s shot in after being played on side by some sloppy defending from the home side.
Chances were once again few and far between for the away side after the break with Nenad Milijas blasting his opportunity over the bar after being teed up by the bright Matt Jarvis. Arsenal soon went back on the offensive but just couldn’t find a way past Hennessey who did brilliantly to claw Van Persies sublime free kick away from the top corner. The Gunners attacked in waves only to be thwarted by a Wolves defence that just refused to lie down even after Milijas was sent off for a poor tackle on Mikel Arteta with 14 minutes remaining. Van Persie then blazed an effort wide before seeing his free kick draw another fine save from Hennessey. The Welsh keeper then denied Thomas Vermaelen with a point blank save at the death to ensure his side went home with a point and a major boost to their confidence that will kick their bid for survival kicked into gear.
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Home advantage is often talked about in football; the twelfth man, the extra motivation provided by the crowd that can, and should, provide teams with the catalyst they need to go out there and take their game to the next level. That is of course presuming that the home crowd are on your side. I’m not suggesting that the home crowd would want their team to lose, but there are instances of crowds who have a negative agenda, whose reason for turning up is as much to demonstrate their frustration as much as it is to watch football. Take the atmosphere at Ewood Park this season, or at The Emirates towards the end of last season, both unhappy places to be, both crowds detrimental to the football being played by the home side. You can’t necessarily blame angry crowds of fans; to pay good money to see your side consistently under perform is exceptionally testing, even for the most patient and optimistic of fans.
However it is important that fans recognise that by booing their players, or by calling for their manager’s head at games, they are only hurting themselves.
It is a problem that affects all clubs. For the bigger sides the weight of expectation can prove a hindering factor and for the smaller clubs the lack of support and niggling abuse they receive from their fans can affect the players. Take Bolton for example; out of the sixteen points they have gained in the league this year only four have come at home. You would imagine that a team struggling in the league would be grateful for a little home support. However when things aren’t going your way as a team sometimes it is easier to play away from the eyes of the expecting crowds. Some players perform better in high-pressure environments, but not all. It’s pretty clear that Bolton’s best performances for the season have come away from home where there is less pressure to get the result, just in the same way that towards the end of the season when your place may be cemented in mid table then your team may in fact churn out some of their best performances of the season. Similarly Blackburn have got some of their best results of the season away from home such as their 2-3 victory at Old Trafford. The same can also be said of Wigan who have only picked up about 35% of their points for the season at home. If you collate that information you realise that on average around 60% of the points belonging to those in the relegation zone come from away games. But it’s not just the struggling teams that are affected.
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At The Emirates at the end of last season you could tell that the Arsenal players wanted to be anywhere but their home ground. There’s nothing like 60,000 disappointed fans to remind you of your failings. One of the problems for Arsenal ever since they moved to The Emirates is what it, as a ground, embodies. When they first opened the stadium there were, commemorated around the stands, pictures of all the trophies that had been won over the years and spaces had been left to insert new pictures. However this season they closed those spaces. Optimism seems to have dipped on the red half of north London and it is reflected in the fans. It’s not just that the lack of noise in the ground, I know this because I am there every week, is almost deafening but playing in front of a quiet or disgruntled home crowd can inspire the opposition. The point of playing at home is that your supporters drown out the opposition fans. As soon as that ceases to the case, as it often does at The Emirates, then it is hardly like you are playing at home at all.
Clearly I’m not saying that the home crowd is always a disadvantage, nor am I saying that these grounds are always like this. However there does seem to be evidence amongst certain teams, especially in the lower half of the table, that playing in front of the home crowd can actually be more of a hindrance than a help.
Follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay
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No deadline day rush signings, no losing one of our best players at the last minute, leaving a gaping hole in our starting line up, no losing out on a potential signing to a bigger club. This Tuesday was a very quiet day at the Greenhous Meadow and that’s been somewhat of a rarity over the last few seasons.
For a manager who signed six new players signed on either a permanent or loan deal on the same day last year Graham Turner has been unusually quiet during this years usually hectic period.
With one addition to the squad brought in, West Brom striker Romaine Saywers on a one month loan deal, one would suspect that Mr Turner certainly believes that this year his squad are more than equipped to finally seal promotion.
The question every town fan has been asking is does our squad contain enough depth to successfully battle on and seal promotion come May and should we have brought one or two more players to help boost our chances.
We currently possess one of the smaller squads in the division with only just over 20 players currently on the books. Whilst our Midfield appears to be the strongest part of our team, I believe Turner should have looked into bringing some cover in at the back. With only seven defenders in the squad and with two of them (Sherriff and Hazzell) out injured all it takes now is another injury or even a suspension and we may be forced to cope with a make shift defence, which is not what is needed at such a vital time in the campaign.
With other teams around us in the league making big name signings during the window and on the final day some fans could argue that we have made a mistake by not signing up anybody. Crawley completed the biggest deals of the day in the division, saying goodbye to top goal scorer Matthew Tubbs and welcoming Billy Clarke to the club, a player who has proven his goal scoring prowess at this level on numerous occasions in the past. With the loan signing of highly rated Arsenal youngster Sanchez Watt completed earlier in the week as well, Steve Evans’s men are beginning to look even stronger going into the second half of the campaign.
Rather than looking at the lack of signing’s we should be looking at the players we have managed to keep hold of. Lionel Ainsworth and Jon Taylor, two of the best wingers in the division were both tipped with moves away from the club in August and no doubt some of those clubs would have been sniffing around again during January following promising starts to the season from both of them. Striker Terry Gornell was linked with a move to league one Rochdale to reacquaint himself with former Accrington manager John Coleman. Had we lost any of these players it would have been a huge blow to our promotion hopes.
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So does Turner not signing anyone demonstrate a lack of ambition like some fans have suggested? I think it will be beneficial for us as a team going into the second half of the season, the players have gelled together well and with no new faces coming in there is little chance of someone causing problems within the team. If we can continue to play the way we have done so far this campaign then I believe that this could finally be our year to seal promotion.
Swindon Town’s 0-0 draw with Bristol Rovers on Saturday epitomised the lack of recent finishing power.
With only three goals being scored in our past five games, Di Canio’s Swindon have looked poor in front of goal with a neck injury for Paul Benson, ruling the striker out from the starting line-up, being a major blow for the Wilshire side.
With 13 shots on goal, seven on target and the woodwork being hit, Swindon failed to convert any of these chances. Bristol Rovers seemed to have settled for a point before the game had even kicked off and this showed in their lack of adventure with the ball.
Fans reaction using just five words…
@ijwilmer81 – Rovers game plan worked perfectly
@Charliejewell98 – Town dominated but poor finishing
Swindon’s first game in hand is away at Barnet on Tuesday night. With a two point lead over Torquay already, the Robins will be hoping to cash in on Barnet’s poor form. The Bees have accumulated just seven points in 12 matches leaving them just one place above the relegation zone. With a poor goal difference and Barnet shipping goals left, right and centre hopefully the Wiltshire side will adhere to the form book.
Earlier In The Season…
The sides have not only met already in the league this season but also in the Area Final of the Football League Trophy. The Robins won the two-legged affair 2-1 on aggregate with Benson scoring the decisive goal in the 2nd leg. In September, 7,297 fans saw a dominant 4-0 win for Swindon which left Barnet Manager Lawrie Sanchez reeling, ‘This is not what I expect from my players, the whole team played poor, I feel sorry for the fans who have paid and traveled to watch’.
…Cheerio Tehoue
Paolo Di Canio has sent on-loan striker Jonathan Tehoue back to Leyton Orient stating ‘It’s a technical decision. He’s not as good as I thought he was. It is nearly impossible he will see the football pitch at Swindon.’ The French forward has spent less than a month with Swindon Town making just three appearances. Paolo’s comments will be endorsed by many Robins fans after receiving scathing reviews around Tehoue’s performances for the side.
Trip down memory lane…
Saturday 28th December 1996
Swindon Town 1-0 Grimsby Town Match Abandoned 32 minutes (Frozen Pitch)
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I travelled from Grimsby on a coach laid on by a company in Grimsby that one of my neighbours worked for as there head office was in Swindon. I had an amazing day out, met some of the squad and received a signed ball which I still have. I was gutted when the match was abandoned as it was my first visit to the County Ground, but I was promised that I would return for the rematch. Unfortunately this didn’t occur as it was played on a Tuesday night and as I was only 11 at the time couldn’t persuade my parents to take me. Another reason is that the Club Shop was shut after the game and I didn’t get the chance to go in it beforehand, my heart sank and I almost cried at that moment.
You can follow me on Twitter for even more Swindon Town discussion.
There are just three weeks to go until the end of the season, so the timing for a double gameweek in Fantasy Football couldn’t have come at a more pivotal moment. As Manchester City and Manchester United prepare to duel, eight clubs in the Premier League make up for the fixtures they missed due to the FA Cup Semi Finals two weeks ago. Who are the players performing twice though that you need to be keeping an eye on?
The Captaincy Debate
Due to the well publicised financial situation at Everton, David Moyes hasn’t had many opportunities to delve into the transfer market of late. However, in Nikica Jelavic, he’s found the regular goal scorer Everton were in need of. In his last four games, Jelavic has found the net five times. His best performance to date came last weekend as he bagged two against Manchester United at Old Trafford. In the double gameweek, he’ll go up against Fulham and Stoke City. It would be surprising if the Croatian forward didn’t net in either of these games, judging by his recent form.
Good form though is something unfamiliar to Spurs currently. Ever since Fabio Capello resigned as England Manager, the North Londoners challenge for the Champions League has rapidly disintegrated. With that, so has the form of Gareth Bale. However, with four games left, all is not yet lost and over the course of this gameweek, Bale will face two relegation candidates in Blackburn at White Hart Lane, followed by Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium. Facing the relegation candidates could just rekindle Bale’s form from earlier in the season when the Welshman was playing superbly.
Whilst Spurs have suffered of late, Chelsea have managed to turn around their fortunes under Roberto Di Matteo. Juan Mata has been one player in particular who has been impressive of late. Whilst he hasn’t had too much of a chance to make an impact in the last two league matches, he has a goal and three assists in his last four starts for Chelsea in the Premier League. The Blues have two home games against QPR and Newcastle in the next week. They will be pivotal to any hopes of qualifying automatically for the Champions League although should they fail, there’s always the Champions League final. That said, Mata is likely to start in both games and is therefore a great option to have.
Just to check though, you have Papiss Demba Cissé in your side, right? What? What do you mean you don’t? The Newcastle striker is the most in-form player in the Premier League. He’s scored 11 in his first nine games. That includes nine in his last six matches. The man is a revelation. Yes, he does have two tough away games coming up against Wigan and Chelsea but this is Demba Cissé – he’s scored when he wants so far.
Captain: Papiss Demba Cissé – It’s very hard to ignore the Senegalese the way he’s playing at the moment.
Vice Captain: Juan Mata – He hasn’t started in the last two league games but that’s because of the Champions League. You have to fancy the Spaniard to make a mark over the next week.
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For more Premier League musings, follow @archiert1
With the 4 point gap to West Ham opened up and only 6 games left, it may seem that promotion is in our hands.
However, looking through our remaining 6 games, specifically our 3 away games it doesn’t get much tougher.
That’s why I feel our 3 home games will prove massive in us achieving the ultimate goal, starting with Leeds today. Leeds have not had the best of starts under Neil Warnock, but have put in great performances against the likes of Southampton and Middlesboro recently so cannot be underestimated.
Despite them having a few injuries and suspensions, they still have dangerous players in Snodgrass and McCormack who will need to be dealt with.
We should put out an unchanged line up from Saturday and our settled 11 really should come out on top today, but don’t expect it to be easy. We also have home games against Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace before the end of the season, teams who have been on decent form as of late.
The Madejski has been a happy hunting ground for us recently, with no team leaving with a result since Hull in mid January. This run will have to continue if we are to hold on to that coveted second spot, or even make a challenge for the title.
I personally cannot wait for the challenge of the run in.
Upcoming fixtures:
Leeds United (h)
Brighton (a)
Southampton (a)
Nottingham Forest (h)
Crystal Palace (h)
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Juventus have given up in the race for Arsenal hitman Robin van Persie, and will turn their attention to Liverpool’s Luis Suarez and Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, according to Mirror Football.
The newly-crowned Italian champions are expected to strengthen in the summer in preparation for Champions League football next season, with a new frontman high on the wishlist.
The Bianconeri had been interested in bringing Van Persie to Turin, but the Dutch international is now in a tug-of-war between Arsenal and Manchester City, and as such Juventus are ready to drop their pursuit.
Suarez has been involved in controversies on and off the pitch this season for the Reds, and the Italian giants are eyeing up a move for the Uruguayan.
Meanwhile, Dzeko is fourth choice in Roberto Mancini’s preferences in attack at City, and is widely expected to leave the Etihad Stadium this summer in search of regular first-team football.
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