Monday 2 February 2009

Guest Post

A guest post from football betting guru 'Tom Mallows'. At least someone now gets paid for writing on this blog. (probably)

In fairness to Tom the article ain't bad at all.

Window shopping.

There is no denying it; the media love the January transfer window.
What would normally be a dull, chilly winters day is transformed into a frenetic dash for players. Agents and chief executives race across Europe to finalise those last minute deals, medicals are going on all over the place, and football betting goes into overdrive as numerous superstar footballers are “spotted” at grounds across the country.
Or so we are led to believe.
Sky are the best at it. They have reporters stationed at stadiums and training grounds across the country bringing the “latest breaking news” (they love that little yellow “Breaking News” bar that scrolls along the bottom of the screen) and even an agent in the studio with two mobile phones on the desk. Its pure theatre designed to keep us watching, and it works. Sky Sports News are masters at making stories when there is nothing going on and could happily fill hours of air time of Bryan Swanson telling us that Andrei Arshavin still hasn’t signed for Arsenal
But what if you are at work and can’t watch the action unfold? Well don’t worry the BBC website has a clock watch where any old Tom Dick or Harry can text in with their transfer scoop: “My brother’s girlfriend’s uncle works at Old Trafford and he has just seen Kaka in the club shop....” you get the picture. In fact I’m sure I remember Jermaine Defoe finding himself at four places at once on one transfer deadline day.
One thing that bothers me though is why try and do it all on the last day? There is something very British about waiting till the last minute to do something, like it is an after thought and you’ve been putting it off for weeks. It’s the footballing equivalent of dashing out on Christmas Eve to get the wife a present, all the stuff she wanted is gone but you hope that because what you get is expensive and gift wrapped she will like it.
Talking of things costing enough step forward Man City. Last’s summers transfer window was turned completely on its head when the Arabs stepped in and started throwing money around. Kaka,Torres,Terry, the names all trickled along that yellow ticker, getting City fans more and more excited. Little did they know that Wayne Bridge and Craig Bellamy would be the highlight of their winter spending.
Love it or hate it the one thing that the window and the Sky’s hype does provide is hope - The one thing a football fan could not survive without. Even if their club’s season is going down the toilet they cling to the hope that the rumour about David Villa is true and their team can somehow magic millions out of thin air, beat the football odds and clinch a dramatic window-busting signing.
Most of it is, of course, rubbish. Once the window slams shut we will all go back to work tomorrow and a sense of normality will return.
But for one day, we can sit with our fingers crossed and pray that the beautiful Georgie Thompson and her team of transfer hunters can deliver us that dream signing.....