Big money would change hands as promotions were chased and relegation battles were there to be won and there was always the hint of a few panic buys as clubs paid way over the odds for players.
For
It has all changed now of course, Premiership clubs have their window locked and bolted almost two months before and with Football League clubs also being forced down that route this week’s will have been the very last transfer deadline day – what next, no fixtures at Easter?
Things have changed somewhat in recent years, I recall the time when club secretaries had to take the player registration forms by hand to the Football League headquarters in St. Annes and that would see southern clubs having to rush miles on the last day with the paperwork.
Faxes and the internet brought a change and even the Clarets have been involved in recent years. Remember new manager Adrian Heath making his first two
Last year Stan Ternent rushed out and brought in Dele Adebola and Lenny Johnrose from
But this year, as the day said its farewell, we were incredibly the biggest spenders with the £175,000 we paid
Ian Moore moved to Leeds for £50,000 whilst the only other club splashing the cash were League One club Luton who signed Warren Feeney from
Leeds and Burnley were not the only Championship clubs to bring in new players and it all started in the days leading up to Thursday with the most astonishing news coming from
Now if you thought the Welsh club were in trouble, think again, it’s got worse. Apart from worrying signs under chairman Sam Hammam they have now taken Peter Ridsdale on board. They have also said that players will have to go in the summer and things are so desperate that they have begged the PFA for help in paying the wages.
I just hope the PFA tell them exactly where to go and also ask questions as to why two of their members chose to sign for a club this week who don’t even have the funds to pay them. It really does take some believing that despite all that’s going on they have brought in new players.
Neal Ardley has arrived from Watford on a short term deal whilst Michael Boulding, he who wrecked out play off hopes three years ago, has come in from
That was on the Thursday whilst
Nash was on a free transfer in the summer but when
Onto Thursday and we’ll stick with goalkeepers and an incredible third transfer of the season for former
Kevin Blackwell must do little coaching, he’s far too busy involving himself in transfers and quickly replaced the 37 year-old Pressman with Sasa Ilic who was with Aberdeen.
A keeper in and out at
I couldn’t quite work out why Sunderland would want 
Probably one of the biggest deals of the day was a loan swap that saw Neil Warnock continue with his hobby of collecting strikers. He’s taken Danny Webber from Watford and in return central defender Danny Cullip has moved to Watford just a few weeks after leaving
He’s been a regular in Warnock’s team but some
Other than that goalkeeper Alan Blaney and defender Joe Dolan have both signed loan deals with Brighton from Southampton and Millwall respectively, Mikkel Bischoff is back at Wolves on loan from
Oh, and there was a match with
And that goes for Dennis Wise at Millwall. Now we shouldn’t be pleased when anyone gets the sack but I don’t think there would have been too many disappointed had he not survived the crisis talks this week.
With Gordon Strachan apparently turning down West Ham because of talks with a Premiership club it was also a carry on for now message for Alan Pardew. Expect this
That’s it for transfers for this season then, now just a seven day wait to get back into playing again. And just to think we used to play three games at Easter.