It's transfer window time.
I love it. Can't get enough of it to be perfectly honest. Sure, only about one in every one hundred news articles or rumours actually becomes a reality, but the prospect of some new players to watch is exciting. Who will get screwed over? Who will have millions to spend in the summer? Will the deal go through before midnight? Will Jim White heads actually explode this year?
Pure entertainment, and most of it should be regarded as so. After all, Sky have to subscirptions to sell and advertisers who demand millions of people watching. Newspapers are the same.
Whilst blogs and forums report, argue and debate in a much more open and honest way than the majority of media outlets. As an aside, I always find that the journalists seem much more and to amenable when they appear on The Sunday Supplement, than I would have perceived them from many of their sensationalist headlines in newspapers.
One of the most asked questions during any window is...
This is usually followed up with a list of appearances, goals scored, assists, followed by the obligatory YouTube clip of aforementioned player looking like the next Maradona, even though he plays at centre back.
Last window a lot of Chelsea fans were bemoaning the potential signing of Modric. He doesn't score goals, he doesn't get many assists, he would be a waste of £40M. Of course Spurs fans knew exactly what he offered to the team.
Many of us were guilty of the same. Why would we want Scott Parker? He was a West Ham player. Didn't score goals, didn't get a lot of assists, just ran around a lot in the middle of the pitch. Surely a waste of time?
How wrong a few of us were. (for the record i was indifferent about Parker, which only makes me a little bit wrong).
Another prime example is Gareth Bale. The lad couldn't win a Premier League game in a Spurs shirt. He literally could not win a game. When he did start winning other, somewhat jealous fans from other clubs starting piping up.
We all know what happened next.
But it doesn't stop there.
If you look at Gareth Bale's record from last season
7 Goals 1 Assist
This is why one afternoon Talksport was inundated with Everton fans claiming Leighton Baines was a better player
5 Goals 11 Assists
Now we all know Bale didn't have his best games at the end of last season. He ran out of steam a little. However, he is so much more than just a few number on a sheet of paper.
Adebayor runs around all day missing a handful of chances every game, but his work rate, effort and the ways he drags defenders apart to give room for other players can't be summed up in a number. It can't be shown in a YouTube clip that purely consists of him banging in goals. Who would want to watch a YouTube clip of someone running around dragging defenders out of position, or keep a defence under pressure with the ball?
So the next time someone says in a reply to a YouTube clip
Oh and...
Bale so far this season
7 Goals, 6 Assists in 17 Premiership games
Baines so far this season
3 Goals, 1 Assist in 19 Premiership games
(... and yes, i get the irony in posting that... and the fact they play different positions. Just wanted to post it for those Evertonian's who called TalkSport last season)
I love it. Can't get enough of it to be perfectly honest. Sure, only about one in every one hundred news articles or rumours actually becomes a reality, but the prospect of some new players to watch is exciting. Who will get screwed over? Who will have millions to spend in the summer? Will the deal go through before midnight? Will Jim White heads actually explode this year?
Pure entertainment, and most of it should be regarded as so. After all, Sky have to subscirptions to sell and advertisers who demand millions of people watching. Newspapers are the same.
Whilst blogs and forums report, argue and debate in a much more open and honest way than the majority of media outlets. As an aside, I always find that the journalists seem much more and to amenable when they appear on The Sunday Supplement, than I would have perceived them from many of their sensationalist headlines in newspapers.
One of the most asked questions during any window is...
This is usually followed up with a list of appearances, goals scored, assists, followed by the obligatory YouTube clip of aforementioned player looking like the next Maradona, even though he plays at centre back.
Last window a lot of Chelsea fans were bemoaning the potential signing of Modric. He doesn't score goals, he doesn't get many assists, he would be a waste of £40M. Of course Spurs fans knew exactly what he offered to the team.
Many of us were guilty of the same. Why would we want Scott Parker? He was a West Ham player. Didn't score goals, didn't get a lot of assists, just ran around a lot in the middle of the pitch. Surely a waste of time?
How wrong a few of us were. (for the record i was indifferent about Parker, which only makes me a little bit wrong).
Another prime example is Gareth Bale. The lad couldn't win a Premier League game in a Spurs shirt. He literally could not win a game. When he did start winning other, somewhat jealous fans from other clubs starting piping up.
We all know what happened next.
But it doesn't stop there.
If you look at Gareth Bale's record from last season
7 Goals 1 Assist
This is why one afternoon Talksport was inundated with Everton fans claiming Leighton Baines was a better player
5 Goals 11 Assists
Now we all know Bale didn't have his best games at the end of last season. He ran out of steam a little. However, he is so much more than just a few number on a sheet of paper.
Adebayor runs around all day missing a handful of chances every game, but his work rate, effort and the ways he drags defenders apart to give room for other players can't be summed up in a number. It can't be shown in a YouTube clip that purely consists of him banging in goals. Who would want to watch a YouTube clip of someone running around dragging defenders out of position, or keep a defence under pressure with the ball?
So the next time someone says in a reply to a YouTube clip
Think about what else they may offer. Or consider that they may have just had a bad season.
Oh and...
Bale so far this season
7 Goals, 6 Assists in 17 Premiership games
Baines so far this season
3 Goals, 1 Assist in 19 Premiership games
(... and yes, i get the irony in posting that... and the fact they play different positions. Just wanted to post it for those Evertonian's who called TalkSport last season)
