January transfer windows are always a bit mad, and as ever there was a flurry of activity involving our revolving door in the dying hours and minutes of the 31st. This year’s window of opportunity (to quote the outgoing head coach) all ended with six in and four out, which means we’ve got more to choose from than we had at the start of the month. In theory, at least.
Coming in, Jack Clarke (loan from Spurs) and Patrick Roberts (from wherever Man City’s loan system had left him) replaced the outgoing Josh Hawkes (to Tranmere) as wide players, and while there is an argument that with Dajaku, (admittedly injured) McGeady, and perhaps Gooch willing to fill those roles, did we really need two more wingers, and fairly lightweight ones at that?
In defence, we basically swapped one Hume for another, with Denver heading to Pompey and Trai arriving from Ulster in a like-for-like change. The arrival of Danny Batth from Stoke’s non-nonsense defensive set-up seemed like a good piece of business when Wright’s fitness causes concern, which is why Flanagan’s late departure to Shrewsbury was a bit of a surprise. I know he’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but he’d been doing well until the last month or so, and unless we’re actually going to use Scrabble’s favourite player, Xhemalji, it leaves us lighter in central positions.
In central midfield, we upped our numbers by not getting rid of anybody and bringing in Jay Matete from Fleetwood, and his record suggests he’ll add a bit of bite where it’s perhaps lacking and provides an alternative to the fragile Evans. At only twenty he’s not got that much experience, but those who’ve watched him reckon we’ve got a good’un.
O’Brien has hardly set the pulses racing since his arrival, with the exception of that cracking cup-tie at Blackpool earlier this season, so his departure was surely a signal that a replacement was incoming. That replacement turned out to be the window’s worst-kept secret, as Jermain Defoe arrived in time to give us all a boost, but.... with O’Brien joining Hume at Pompey, we didn’t get back-up for Stewart. No ruffty-tuffty hard-man centre forward to fill in should the worst happen and the Loch Ness Drogba sustain an injury. Thankfully, he’s proved bendy enough to survive some pretty rough treatment so far this season, so we need to pray that, with attention of hatchet-men out to make a name for themselves naturally being diverted towards Defoe, he’ll have a bit of an easier ride for the rest of the season. Also on the plus side, we don’t play Portsmouth again, so neither O’Brien or Hume (D) can do a Maguire on us.
In terms of splashing the cash, it simply hasn’t happened. You could argue that if you can get them for nowt or on the cheap, then why not do just that. On the other hand, you can’t take it with you, so why not show your financial clout within the rules, as many have pointed out? However, that does have its pitfalls, as we’ve found in the past, and them up the road are discovering as they face inflated fees simply because they’ve boasted about how rich they are. If money’s the main motivator, you just get wrong’uns.
