deadline.
I just couldn’t be arsed, after I switched on the PC to watch the Vuelta a España – another brilliant mountain stage by Brad Wiggins – bar a cursory glance at the digitext/digiceefax I never bothered.
Jim White could have finally exploded, I wouldn’t have known.
Why? Well when earlier it was announced that Spurs had signed Scott Parker earlier in the day, I figured this is as good as it’s gonna get and that was too depressing to hang around for anymore.
I Tweeted earlier in the week that Spurs are that bloke you know standing on a petrol station on Christmas Eve at 11pm with a bunch of flowers in one hand and a bag of charcoal briquettes in the other. In reality they seem to be more just a club in a holding pattern. Giving ‘Arry enough to quietening him up a bit, adding bits needed, while not spunking a ton of money on players that whoever is going to replace ‘Arry next season probably won’t want.
Saying that Scott Parker does look like a bag of charcoal briquettes.
And the kids all seem happy when opening this Chrimbo present. Colour me somewhere between pessimistic and undecided. What a surprise eh? One decent season with the relegated Spammers doesn’t have me convinced. Ah but look at the leadership and goals. Well the goals, 7 out of the 30 he’s scored lifetime since the end of 1990s as for leadership easy to do with the dolt of a manager he was under last time around. I’d have taken him when he first came to prominence with Charlton. Looked decent enough back then but between his move to Chelsea and last season, didn’t give him a second look. Six seasons of mediocrity at Chelsea, Newcastle and the Spam. A player that looked OK bossing it at Charlton and the abortion of yet another Avram Grant relegation fun time. Couldn’t hack it at Chelsea, nowt at the Toon.
As one little hairy Toonite put it…
… he’s the worlds best at running round in circles… He only looks good when placed alongside other West Ham players… Seriously overrated. Nige Wibble
When I asked…
http://twitter.com/#!/yawnerddn/status/108903220369293312
He laughed at us buying Jenas. He was right to do so, pretty sure he’s laughing again. Saying that though he’s not always right. I can remember him being overjoyed at beating us to the signing of Damien Duff for a snip
. When I replied that I was happy and didn’t rate the player at all he said itw as sour grapes
when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Seriously overrated player, the very poor man’s Ryan Giggs, only rated because at the time England were desperate for a left footed player, so media clung to any player that had one. Have you ever seen a player look so knackered seconds into the start of a game?
So that’s all the transfer window amounted to along with an old bloke on a free and the loan of a striker that people are pinning a lot of hopes on.
Going out. Well it’s goodbye to Crouch. £10m/£12m is not bad, getting the wages off the book. And while it’s Crouch that got the brickbats from the fans it wasn’t his fault for the way the team played when he was on the park it was those that kept lumping it up to him. We won’t forget the goal at Citeh to get Champions League and the goal in Milan, against AC, that kept it going.
So he joins Palacios and Woodgate at Stoke. No doubt Woodgate will have a full season in the potteries, no injuries. Would be very telling if that happens. Something just not right with Spurs with regards injuries. Wilson, a sad story really. Was happy when he signed, it was exactly what Spurs needed, after years of a soft centre someone to be able to put his foot in and stop the other buggers playing. But after the murder of his brother back in Honduras it just turned things and he wasn’t the same. Again though he played his part in Milan but tellingly alongside him was Sandro, who really shone and from then on was first choice for that stopper role.
And that’s one fear about ‘Arry and Parker. We know ‘Arry likes a good old honest pro
, in other words a second rate English player, while having his little trouble with the more international types. Parker presence will give Sandro a proper chance to get fit, something others don’t seem to get – van der Vaart, Bale etc – but will it stifle the big Brazilian’s progress and get cheesed of at being permanently on the bench.
So to the two real main areas it seems Levy planned out for this window.
One keep Modric. Well that worked to plan for the chairman, if not for Modric, his agent, ‘Arry and his chums in the media. We have to see if the little Croat’s head is in the right place now.
And two, get rid of the deadwood. So Jenas and Hutton off to Villa and Bentley off to the Spam. Unfortunately it’s only loan deals. Is this the first window that Mourinho hasn’t been in for his favourite player Jenas?
One major plus was dodging the Joe Cole bullet. Ah ‘Arry was after him luv ‘im, triffic boy
. God that would have been torture watching him slow everything up with his tongue permanently sticking out. Scouse are still paying the majority of £60k a week wages 
Think he’ll know much French by the time he returns to these shores?
The minus was not strengthening in other areas, central defence mainly. Cahill was the one to go for but it seemed an afterthought left to the last seconds as per usual. Money plus Bassong was the right move but why not steal a march, get in there. Like ManUre and to some extent Citeh get it all over with as early as possible then things can bed in sooner and easier. Citeh though left it late for one surprise new comer, Owen Hargreaves. Always like the player, if his fitness could be guaranteed or as guaranteed as any normal player than I’d have far proffered him at The Lane instead of Parker. A far better player. One of the few things Svennis got right during his England tenure.
So a window to do enough to keep things ticking over before major changes?
