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The End (of the Window) is Nigh
As the transfer window enters its last day and Sky Sports News enters a final climactic frenzy of skypads, mobile phones and agents with Jim White as the grinning ringmaster, I have to ask – is anyone else sick of it?
The rumours have been building over the last twenty-four hours as more and more journalists from various publications and media outlets latch on to an easy story about Blues selling players to someone, anyone. I have honestly seen more stories about Blues in the national media in the last five days than I have seen in two or so months previously. Fans are left confused as fears of a firesale are confused with stories of the club continually knocking back bids. It’s got to a point where some of the journos on the local beat are openly contemplating what the hell will happen today.
I will admit here and now I’ve reached a point where I have gone past caring – I’ve known for a while that finances aren’t good at the club and like Lee Clark said in the Mail, I’m just waiting for the dust to settle Friday morning so I know what we’ve been left with. I’m resigned to Blues losing at least a couple of players (and I will add that in my darker more pessimistic thoughts I wonder if it could be as high as three or four) – I’m almost past caring as to where and for how much because it’s all abstract – it’s just fewer players in the squad to help us stay above the relegation trap door and in some position of security in this division.
The Telegraph published a list of transfers in and out in the Championship yesterday and it reveals two startling statistics. Of the twenty-four clubs in the division, there have been only eleven permanent transfers into the clubs in this window, of which only eight have attracted fees and only one (Leonardo Ulloa to Brighton and Hove Albion for £2million) is for a substantial disclosed fee. Even the loan market is quiet right now with only nine loan deals having been done by Championship clubs in the last month.
Does this mean that clubs in this division feel that they don’t need to buy in this window and are happy with what they have? Or is it more an indication that football clubs outside the Premier League are tightening their belts further to ensure that they are kept on an even keel? Whilst I suspect that there may be more transfers made into Championship clubs today it does seem that everyone is holding on to their chequebooks for now. This can only be good news for Blues because it means that whilst we might lose one or two players no one else is significantly strengthening. Hopefully, whatever happens we’ll have enough to keep us going and ensure come May we’re not looking at being in the third tier once again.
Hopefully come eleven o’clock this evening when the door finally clangs shut we’ll get some closure and we can move on from what has been a quite un-nerving month. In the mean time, Blues u18 side play Bristol Rovers in the FA Youth Cup at Solihull Moors tonight – if you want to get away from the rumours, I’d recommend going to watch them. It’s got to be better than Jim White.
Tags: Transfer Window
35 Responses to “The End (of the Window) is Nigh”
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it would be great if we culd keep most of our players but we know what coild happen if we dont what a crappy sitituation and your spot on with jim white what a WoWser
Jim White is the reason I don’t watch Sky Sports. It came mixed with him commentating on whether Wayne Bridge and John Terry would shake hands. It had been stated a lot before hand that they wouldn’t. JW still insisted on doing ‘his will they won’t’ they piece in sickening over the top style.
Actually Butland to Stoke seems like it’s a possible deal. I say that because it’s on the BBC Sport site and TeamTalk and if it pops up on both it’s possibly true.
Stoke buy him, then stick him on loan to Blues for the rest of the season. Blues get a few million.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21258729
http://www.teamtalk.com/birmingham-city/8456432/Stoke-make-enquiry-for-Butland
Do you honestly think Pulis / Stoke would do Blues any favours after they were conned into PAYING for “Jerome” to join them,,,,,,,,I dont think so
He has. Butland to Stoke for £4mil and on loan to Blues till the end of the season. BBC, Team Talk, LieSportsNews. The £4mil will cover Zigs wages for the rest of the season. Supposedly a Brighton Youth Striker is coming in on loan.
Any news of how Keith Fahey is progressing..? His return could be like a major new signing for Blues.
Whilst our problems are well known and very much in the public domain I would love to have a nose through the finances of the other championship clubs.I suspect you would find some further horrors.The Premiership has taken over and it and its players take far too much of the football pie.
Won’t b watchin Jim white(and green hoops) total over the top tosser if there ever was one
Agreed, and most of the stories are made up to boost the profits of skybet!
Wrong half of glasgow mate, he’s more jim white (and blue). Which makes him even worse!
For Sky Sports and Jim White in particular the transfer window is just a bit of fun to see how many millions the elite Premier League teams are going to spend.
It makes me sick hearing about to mega million pound deals for players on £100k+ a week when the majority of football teams are struggling just to keep going.
Mr White needs to get back in to the real world which starts again at 11.01pm tonight.
It’s one of the best bits of the season, how can you be sick of it?!?!
Has anyone considered that there just might be another sale around the corner – the club? To turn down £500k for a player signed on a free and out of contract in June does not sound like a club whcih desperately needs cash. Perhaps someone is about to buy the club so Blues don’thave to let anyone go on the cheap.
It probably is a bit of fun if you’ve got money to spend but it’s certainly no fun when you’ve got nothing to spend and it’s just a matter of holding on to as many of your key assets as you can!
Ideally we can sell Butland and loan him back till May to keep the wolf from the door. I wonder if they are resigned to losing either Burke or Redmond? The worst thing would be to lose King – cutting off a nose to spite a face. It would be crazy. We may as well throw in the towel if that happens.
If you had asked me a few weeks that with a few hours to go that we haven’t sold any players i would have bitten your hand off. However, I am now very frightened that we are going to be forced into a series of cut price deals. i don’t want to lose Butland but if his sale can enable us to retain players like King and Redmond i can accept losing a goalkeeper with long term prospects, as we need to stay up more than anything else. The wins by Barnsley and Bristol City ths week empahise the fact that we need to retain the bulk of our players. we haven’t sold any players. One player who I think may be a surprise departure to get him off the wage bill I fear may be Wade Elliott. Can’t wait for February.
KNOCK-DOWN SALE – LAST DAY BARGAINS!
Calling all clubs, from Wigan to Jutland
£2 million buys our star keeper Butland
If goals are your thing, then give us a ring
£500 buys a goal-scoring King
If you need a game-changer with thrilling footwork
For 300 grand you can have Chris Burke
Or stars of the future that fans rate most highly
A million for Redmond and we’ll throw in Reilly
To flog off our best we’ll try harder than Avis
Just £1 million buys our star stopper Davies
If you’re after a giant we’ve got quite a biggie
We’ll pay you to sign our match-winner Ziggy
So, six of the best for a four million fee
And anyone else you can have for free
Bugger off, we’re keeping this talented load
The lot of them right on to the end of the road
haha your little poem is class Ted…….im dreading today to be honest KRO
Excellent poem! – Well worthy of a Pulitzer prize
Great to see we can still have a laugh about our predicament, unlike our vile neighbours of whom several last night were complaining about the style of their football. Their ignorance of the fact their in the drop zone and really anything goes if it gets results is blissfull.
Keep Right On!
Great poem mate!
Brilliant!
Just under 12 hours to go – role on Saturday
KRO
Zigic out before he puts us in admin
Tom zigic is where our goals have been coming from these past few weeks. Whenever he comes on the oppossition push up the field 15 yrds. I realise you’ve got a downer on him caiuse of his wages but goalscorers always get paid more.
still cant understand why people get upset about Redmond going ?? cant cross, cant pass, too lightweight ?? or am i watching the wrong man ?
you are definately watching the wrong man…..
He does all of those things very well, only his form has not been as good as last years.
Look, he is 19 with a lot to learn but he loves this club and is the best player we have produced. I think he needs a bit more support from our own fans tbh.
People need to be able to see potential when they see it. He didnt just peak last year you know
We need more humorous interventions like Ted’s at this time and Villa to keep on losing!
It’s the end of the beginning of the beginning of the end.
When this transfer window closes we’ll know how much money we have to carry the club forwards. That may mean we have enough money to continue trading, which is good, at the expense of players leaving and weakening the squad, which is bad.
Conversely, we may keep the whole squad, which is good, which we can’t afford and therefore may be looking at going into administration, and possibly losing the same players as they choose to go to other clubs, both of which are bad.
Which ever way you cut this, it’s going to be a good or bad day today, depending on whether you take the short / long term view.
Almajer I love this site to bits and poems like Ted’s show what a superior class of supporters we have at St Andrews and around the world. But is it really necessary to have a pneumatic heaving blonde wench over on the right (Bad Idea Tee Shirts ad)?? I’m one of the older Bluenoses and can claim to have drank me Bovril at the Kop end when I were a lad and Stan Lynn was our defense. Wot wiv me age, the current trials and tribulations of our club and now buxom lasses on this site; I’m not sure the ole ticker can take it! I mean, 40 years ago I would have swept ‘er off ‘er feet and taken ‘er down the Rainbow Suite Corporation St for a crackin’; night out followed by a Ruby Murray at the Janata in Selly Oak but, please, think of us frail old ‘noses before you put any more of these lovely sheilas on here.
I’ve said me piece; time for me Horlicks.
Sorry about that Aussie Blue – blame google for that, they place the ads. although it is based on context, what you’ve been looking at – have you been looking at many buxom wenches of late? ;)
I have to admit it’s comments like that poem that remind me of how great Blues fans can be and restore my faith in football.
What’s the betting any sales will be for ‘undisclosed fees?
Good to know that in this integral part of our season PP is here leading the club, oh hang on…
Most fees in football tend to be undisclosed these days, unfortunately. I don’t like it either.
Al-thanks for that nice feedback. Agreed, Ted’s is a masterpiece. As for context ads and the Googlemeisters trying to deliver ads relevant to user searches; I did search pneumatics for me air compressor, honest. Maybe this is what they misunderstood. It happened once when I needed some photo enlargements and you’ll never guess what came back after I searched ‘enlargements’!
10 past midnight here folks, must retire. Here’s to a win against Forest tomorrow! My missus wonders why I am on the internet at 2am watching Blues live.
Anyone know how to cancel an E Bay bid.
Bid £15 on a Mickie Mouse outfit and seems in 15minutes I’m buying Aston Villa….
4 million plus add ons plus loaned for rest of season…..could be the best deal of the day if it saves us from Admin, retains our status in championship and prevents us going down.
Total cost….priceless.
KRO Blues
Bad day for Carson gets worse. Peter Pannu has just moved to Shanghai Shenua on a Bosman as he wasn’t earning enough at Blues.He is to be replaced by David Dickinson on a one day contract to help with a player auction.
Last hour!! gotta be the most exciting hour of the season!!