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70 days of silly season insanity to go!

 

By CandH’s Allen Cummings

 

Last time I counted there were still in excess of 70 odd days to go until the current transfer window closes at 5pm on Thursday 8th August.

That’s right. It’s really that long we’ll have to suffer the seemingly endless rumour, speculation and often just pure guess work surrounding who might be ‘set’ to join the Manuel Pellegrini claret and blue revolution at West Ham.

We all like a bit of football gossip. A snippet of ‘insider’ information about who might be on the Manager’s shopping list this summer.

The problem is there are just so many ‘reliable sources’ and supposed ITK’s out there only too eager to tell us about who we are ‘monitoring’, might be ‘considering’ or ‘following closely’, it’s mind-blowing!

 Whether it’s a case of desperate agents trying to promote their player, lazy ‘comic’ journalists (and I used that term advisedly) with wild imaginations, obscure overseas news feeds looking for a cheap hit, or the ever-productive Sky Sources – even the most ridiculous of suggestions never seem to be out of bounds.

The laws of libel are clear, but when it comes to transfer speculation it appears anything goes. The trick, of course, is knowing who and what to believe – and what to dismiss out of hand.

The trouble is with social media at its most furtive, there are plenty out there only too ready to believe every word they see and hear. Then when the so-called ‘deal’ doesn’t happen, it’s time to stoke up the usual blame-game. Pointing the finger and hurling the abuse at the usual suspects.

At least there’s not long to go until the season ticket renewal deadline – and that favourite old chestnut about transfer rumours being floated to generate sales can be put to bed again.

If only we could shut ourselves away completely from all of it – but we can’t! I’m as guilty as the next for letting curiosity get the better of me. I have to ‘peek’ at what’s written, like watching a horror movie when I’d rather be looking away, especially when the story in question involves speculation that one of our own players might be on someone else’s shopping list.

I love football! The game itself and the passion and obsession that goes with it. But this particular time of the football year really tests my patience to the extreme. It’s why I for one will be happily ticking off the days until a bit of sanity, and real football, returns again in August!

 

About Hugh5outhon1895

Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!" Follow on Twitter @hughsouthon

5 comments on “70 days of silly season insanity to go!

  1. Well written article allen.
    I’m renewing my ST but not until the 28th.I’ll let them wait!.

  2. Good article Allen, I am not sure why they don’t shorten the window to a fortnight after the end of the Champions League final, would save a lot of this drivel and click bait wouldn’t it ?

  3. My sentiments exactly Allen roll on August! !

  4. At least they have now stopped the disruptive extension of the window into the actual start of the PL program. When speculation and activity continued through the early games of the season it really was a distraction not just for supporters but players. How hard would you go into a tackle if your agent is trying to engineer a big money move? For the same reason I don’t really agree with a January window, if we must have it to allow smaller clubs perhaps to boost thin squads then it should be limited to a week.

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