Grit you teeth …it’s not over yet

By CandH blogger Allen Cummings

There was of course a huge collective  sigh of relief when the Sebastian Haller deal finally got over the line!

It wasn’t only the fact that this was another massive show of intent from the manager and the board but as much the fact that all the ‘will he won’t he’ stories, contradictory media reports, and leaks from far and wide that have been bombarding us for what seems ages, would finally come to an end.

Of course, the speculation over Haller wasn’t a patch on what appeared to be the never-ending saga over the supposed, and now official, non-arrival of Maxi Gomez.

The majority of us are old enough and wise enough to treat most of the transfer ‘gossip’ as just that. Tittle-tattle to whet appetites, attract followers and promote egos.

But there will always be those who display a willingness to believe everything they’re told – or alternatively want to hear. Then when the balloon bursts – or the penny drops – as inevitably it does in most cases, there has to be someone to point a finger at and blame.

Hugh and his team have battled manfully through the ‘silly season’ to keep us updated with all the speculation, however bizarre it has appeared at times – often accompanied with wise words of caution, leaving the final word on validity to us.

It can’t have been easy at times, especially when some people have chosen to vent their anger and frustration at aborted ‘deals’ in their direction. Thankfully, with the players back and friendlies underway, talk can return, at least in part, to actual football on the pitch, and not gossip off it.

Of course, hopefully, there may still be deals to be done in the transfer market, both in and out of the club, before that witching hour of 5pm on Thursday 8^th August, when the window finally slams shut!

Personally, I’d prefer not to hear about them until the ink on the contracts has dried but we all know that’s not the way it works.

So there will be a few more weeks yet of gritting our teeth and shaking our heads, before we can finally get back to actually watching and commenting on the game we love.