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Gossip Folks – The Transfer Window Rumour Mill Experiment
with a nod to Chris Lepkowski of the Birmingham Post and Mail who I’ve stolen the idea from.
It’s now less than two weeks until the transfer window reopens, and with the current “financial situation” Blues are in, the rumour mills and gossip has already started about who is to leave the club and where for. I’ve always been one to not believe a transfer is going to happen until the player referred to is holding the relevant scarf/shirt at the relevant ground, and so I’m slightly sceptical of newspaper gossip. To that end, I’d like to introduce to you a series I’m looking to run through January on this site – and ask for your help.
What I’m planning to do is to keep track of every single rumour put out there by the newspapers. I’m going to build a google docs spreadsheet dating each rumour and who printed it, and at the end of the window do a tally up of who was accurate and who was muckspreading. I’m not intending to track rumours on fansites, facebook or twitter unless they have come from legitimate journalists working for newspapers, be they national, local or even international.
Whilst I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled, there is no doubt I will miss some stories. At the end of each week (and maybe more frequently if there are tonnes of rumours out there) I’ll post up a list of what I’ve found – and what I’d like you to do is to comment or email me with the ones I’ve missed – the more I put on the spreadsheet, the more accurate the results will be and the better the experiment will be.
I’m going to start this experiment as of Monday 19th December, and will post up my first batch of rumours around Boxing Day or the day after.
17 Responses to “Gossip Folks – The Transfer Window Rumour Mill Experiment”
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Cracking idea, should be interesting.
I can think of better things to do over Christmas :)
According to Alan Yamyam in the tipton gazette, zigic is off to Gornal. Transfer fee is some training balls and a second hand exercise bike.
Just follow James Nursey and see what Pannu and every agent in Britain tells him to write.
I have not yet seen Violent pacifist make a positive statement yet!!!
Sad life some people lead
Alright mate,good website for you everyday http://www.BBC.com/football there’s a gossip link on the left hand side which lists all the transfer rumours and their sources.maybe worth a look each day.I’m
not saying copy like for like cause I don’t
think that they cover everything.sorry if quoting the website causes trouble.cheers
Viperblue says it all. ViolentPacifist must be such a cheery bloke to have around. Really encouraging.
It would be good if the rumours quoting Zigic as leaving us is true. He is not worth £6 million
I’m looking forward to the results. Equally I think you need to be very careful about what is aimed at transfers that do not come off, or the originators at least. I think you need to have more buckets then good journo, bad journo. Some transfers could go through as reported until the last minute. I’m hoping for som investigative work pre categorisation otherwise your output report will just as inaccurate as the “muck spreaders” you refer to. Dont be the pot talking down to the kettle.
Alternatively of course you can just list facts and let others determine what is what themselves.
No Boser, Ridgewell and Zigic inclusion in the 2012 calendar?
didn,t c.h say last week he reckoned he would still be working with the same bunch of players come the end of jan? that would do me, though if ridgewell was to leave maybe cover in that area.perhaps a forward with pace too.regarding riidgewell i think the loss at the moment is.nt that great as he,s not playing.c.h may think different though as for 1.5m would he be able to get a l/b and a c/h?.i reckon we can make play offs with what we got now.
I spoke to Reo Cokers agent last night,(they were both out on the tiles!).He said that he was”nt aware of anyone leaving the blues in January.
Good idea Am.
Never seen a google docs spreadsheet though :-)
Will check it out.
You want the input PLUS the reference …Good !
We don’t need invented forum rumours and ‘pub-hearsay’.
Because what you plan could very well be worthwhile as the start of an analysis of media and/or journos. Help us measure the quality and consistency from our paid ibservers.
Those that report agent PR (without checking) and those that have half-a-clue about the reality at Blues.
When you consider that certain National Journos are on double or triple the average Championship wage, I think it’s about time we (all footie followers) had a comparison table.
An OPTA type table for journos.
Take two national journos (Mail & Mirror) – my ‘feeling’ is that they are near the truth in about one-in-ten comments. But if they get ONE right, then that’s them made! :-)
I hope this works, it could be really good. And who knows, it could lead to a footie-wide database if other club-blogs took it up.
Instead of unsettling and winding-up fans,as they do, let’s have some light and facts expose the
lazy from the honest.
:-)
The transfer window opens in January but everyone knows that there isnt any real movement in that window till around 14th or 15th onwards. CH doesnt even know himself of any comings or goings i would bet, just yet.
There are 15 championship points to be won or lost between now and mid January and at that point if The Blues are still in contention for promotion, then that would be the time to make any move. Otherwise, it would be pannick buys and you would be stuck with new signings on 3 year contracts that might be unnaffordable.
It is however, a perfect time to offload the big wage earners, who are still there. There is no one left at the club who could not be replaced by a cheaper and safe to say hungrier for success option.
So as far as I am concerned, anyone they can get a bit of money for then they should take it. With the exception of young up and coming players, 21 or less, who will no doubt be worth more in the future.
The one you really should worry about losing is CH himself. With the Bolton and Blackburn managers currently on a slippy slide to the Unemployment Benefit Office, we should be saying to Mr H. ”look stick with us and we will give you all the help we can to get us back in the Premiership”. And CH being the loyal honourable chap he is, would no doubt be more that willing to stick around at the club.
Is anyone tracking the rumours that James Ha (Midfielder – currently on loan at Hong Kong FC), Bilel Mohsni (Centre Back/Centre Forward!! – Southend Utd) and Gary Harkins (Midfielder – Kilmarnock) are 3 of our January targets?
Looks like we’re shooting for the moon and ending up in the car park at The Hawthorns…
James Ha – no chance.
Zigic will go to Wigan, Blackburn or Wolves – you heard it here for the fourth time from me. No evidence just a hunch. But then I’m not a footbal journalist.