It’s very difficult to reflect on the events of yesterday’s transfer deadline day without appearing to be a total cynic.
But the truth is that from early morning yesterday it was a pretty well nailed on that West Ham United would not be doing any business.
That had become even more apparent when despite tweets earlier in the day declaring that David Sullivan was in France trying to sort out a deal, the truth is such business is always conducted from his Essex mansion.
Medicals are conducted by “our people” on our chosen premises in advance – that way negotiations can continue knowing all is settled on the medical front.
The idea that negotiations would be conducted personally by the co chairman on foreign ground followed by a ‘Mickey Mouse’ medical was ridiculous.
Our understanding is that the co-chairman was on business unrelated to football whilst the manager and presumably Karren Brady attempted to get a central defender in.
We are told Sullivan arrived back in the country later afternoon /early evening when Sky Sports News was going in to overdrive in it’s bi annual bid to maximise viewing figures however suspect the news.
The script presented is that with Carlton Cole on his way to West Brom where apparently a deal broke down late on, we suddenly wanted Emmanuel Adebayor whilst at the same time negotiating for Tottenham’s Younes Koubal and Senegal’s Kara Mbodji whilst considering taking back Mauro Zarate from QPR and sending old ‘Arry Matt Jarvis instead.
Busy old night that if you believe all that but it was always a stretch accepting that so much could be established in such a short space of time.
To be honest the names involved were desperately worrying anyway and despite the scenario presented owing more to fiction than fact it was a relief to get off to bed knowing it had all been the nonsense we’d believed it to be from early morning.
The truth was we wanted a central defender – that had been discussed by all the power brokers on the way back from the Liverpool debacle but there simply wasn’t the time to get anything done.
The remainder by and large was driven by a broadcasting service determined to soak the last bit of juice out of this particular day.
It’s best to accept it for what it is – a drive for viewers! Gary Lineker summed up the day perfectly: “It was like Pancake Day without the pancakes!”
I heard Sullivan jetted out to France to secure the signing of Carlton Cole and was battling it out with QPR for Zarate’s signature
If it was “nailed on” that we wouldn’t do any business why did DG tell us not to go to bed?
As for a centre half; every one knows it’s foolhardy to go into the season with only three senior players in that position. We had the whole of the window to bring someone in but waited for the inevitable injuries before doing anything. Reactive as usual. Stiil, Sam’s happy, he’s got something to blame. It couldn’t possibly be his failings that lead to what looks like an inevitable slide after such a promising start.
And as for the potential ejection from the FA cup, don’t these people ever learn? The rules are there for anyone to read. Football … living proof that intelligence and wealth have very little to do with each other1
Ask DG
The inference then is that David Gold was just wasting everybody’s time?
No inference whatsoever. Merely he obviously knows more than me
10:30pm 2nd Feb. Transfer deadline day.
David Gold suggests that we shouldn’t go to bed yet.
3rd. Feb.
It’s very difficult to reflect on the events of yesterday’s transfer deadline day without appearing to be a total cynic.
But the truth is that from early morning yesterday it was a pretty well nailed on that West Ham United would not be doing any business. HS
No inference there then!
But I suspect mostly second hand from the Sullivans or his own guesswork as to what they are actually doing behind closed doors for the most part. Cant help but think he is more of a figurehead than actively at the sharp end of things.
Talk about smoke and mirrors, it was being said mid afternoon that Levy was refusing to sanction the Adebayor deal for obvious reasons (wages, competition and animosity) so that string was clearly strung by the media charged up by the club on the minute hope it might come to pass, perhaps with the news that the player himself was keen on WHU only of the alternatives. Clearly no real hope of business existed on any player and the rest was all about trying to ignite the fans to the belief that they were at least trying. As others have noted we are actually weaker at the end of this window when quite clearly we needed a new face to try to spur the team in the second half of the season and preferably a CD to start to bed in for next season. Sadly it seems that survival as good as achieved the rest will be left to chance and inevitable fading to mid table obscurity. Very disappointing.
Oh and as for Gold I doubt that he is any more in the loop than the tea lady at West Ham, how e;se could his hopeful tweet be followed within 10 minutes by someone far closer to the power base of the club i.e. a 13/.14 year old boy be reporting the opposite.
Why is anyone shocked there was month to do any business,everybody else is to blame but our directors or manager,
Zarate should never been allowed to leave if he had been ith us in th FA cup we would not had to use Sakho and had one less problem,
That was a nother BFS problem
Who is going to join this club and sit on the bench and watch Nolan play week in week out
Only players looking to get a fat payday until there put out to grass,
And Levy was right we do not do business with Spurs remember DS and he has mugged you off
Never mind the script on deadline day,what the hell was the script at Anfield,has to go down as the most sterile performance this season.I personally wait for this fixture with hope that in my life time we will beat Liverpool at Anfield in the league.I’m 50,and we haven’t won there since 1963.I thought this year was our biggest chance for years to beat them,especially as they had gone into extra time with Chelsea midweek.Now ive been known to be a bit of a sam defender on these pages sometimes overly,but what on earth was he thinking Saturday i will never know.Most out of position,some injured and some who looked game shy.It was as if he said,”We always lose ere so just dont lose by too much” not good enough.Sam your on your own with this one pal,GUILTY AS CHARGED. C.O.Y.I.
Thats Sams policy, whatever you do don’t lose badly. Found it embarrassing to listen to Colin Murray saying he thought it was Liverpool’s easiest win of the season, which says it all when it was on paper close in terms of goals for most of it. The problem I have is that we all know that if he is given a new contract he will undoubtedly tell the owners to go to hell, he will do it his way with the knowledge if sacked he will be collecting a very, very large pay off and knowing that realistically he won’t be staying beyond that whatever the club’s progress in those years. Thats the ‘macro’ look, but it all ties in with the ‘micro’ look which leads me to that overall conclusion i.e. his ingrained attitude to Zarate who he wrote off even in pre season to the point of cutting off his nose to spite his face. If its a pure fitness thing then ok I will give him the benefit, but if its more about a message to the owners about who is in charge then that does not bode well if he gets a new contract and gets what he wants i.e. to lead us into the OS and raise his profile. I fear Valencia is already close to his hit list and I note that there was never any denial about the Noble talk from the club. Too many games off the pitch for my liking whoever is behind them.
Yes Spy – who also claimed we were Doing 8 deals while his Dad was away in France . Sigh
You know, Hugh, I used to think that you took all this stuff MUCH too far.
Too my my great sadness, your stance has been proved correct, and mine for the gullible foolishness that it so clearly is.
I would like to believe better of the the Hammers management … but …
And what on Earth is going to happen to our Academy? Is it broken for the foreseeable future?
Where are we going … ? 🙁
BFS will already be writing his post match scripts.Each time we lose now it will be down to not being able to reinforce the team in this window.He has his very own get out of jail free card for the remainder of the season 😉
Oh think what you like Martello.
Merry – we all over-react now and again mate
Carlton Cole followed the script superbly Hugh I have to say. His performance in front of the cameras at the film set in Birmingham was superb. Hats off to him. Oscar winning performance from the big man. David gold has to be congratulated for maintaining the illusion with his don’t go to bed tweet. Even young jack sullivan had us all hoodwinked telling us they’d been working all day on 8 different targets. Brilliant script. Great performance by everyone involved.