Deadline Day: A Chairman's Limelight Moment

It's that time again!
A Football Chairman's day in the limelight

Okay, it's that time again. One of only two days on the footballing calendar where ever football fan in the land eagerly awaits the news of a star signing from Spain or a new undiscovered hot shot from the lower domestic leagues joining their beloved team. It's a day where no fan can deny not checking their phone, turning on the sports channel on the TV, and tuning into a radio station any less than at least once every hour, in the hope of news of a new addition to strengthen the ranks within their football team.
 There really is no day in Football quite like deadline day; the majority of events within the sport in the modern day and age are extremely over empathised and exaggerated by broadcasters and institutions alike, but deadline day somehow manages to over shadow and stagger the footballing world purely down to the deals being made, not what the media makes of them. It's because of this reason, and the fact that my team Leicester City are somewhat prolific this season in the transfer market, that I respect and appreciate the day. This is despite my disliking to the insane amounts of money that unfortunately come part and parcel with a 22 year old striker or a 30 year old defender upping sticks from club to club these days. Either way, without the manic nature of deadline day or with it, the money issue would not disappear, so I figure that its maybe best to leave that debate for another day.
   So what can we expect from this years Summer transfer deadline day? Nothing, in short. Year after year the outcome of this day completely shocks fans alike, with many educated predictions and tips proving fruitless come 11pm,and a few ideas deemed crazy at the dawn of day, becoming a unpredicted shocking reality.

Money Montage: Mega Bucks last gasp deals of the past

  For example, who could forget the successful last ditch efforts by Manchester City to steal Brazilian superstar Robinho from underneath the noses of London heavyweights Chelsea in 2008? Or the the hammer blow dealt to the Premier League by West Ham(pardon the pun),  in 2006 when the East London team emerged from the blue to sign the highly rated start of the future star Carlos Tevez? The deal was one that emerged as perhaps the most controversial of the 21st century, thanks to Tevez' huge impact at the Hammers and the legal implications that surrounded his shock arrival
 One thing that is safe to announce, is that Deadline Day has always been a key day in spotting the difference between a last gasp master stroke from a manager, or a desperate clutch for said player to be mearly added to the team without judgement.  Two key examples of this can be found with the deals that were struck for Fernando Torres' move from Liverpool to Chelsea last year, and Wayne Rooney's departure from Everton to Manchester United back in 2004. In the case, of Torres', many on lookers such as myself will acknowledge that come the end of last season, The £50 Million pound price tag that Mr. Abramovich paid Liverpool for the Spaniard, was money not well spent. In fact, after being fast tracked into Chelsea's starting XI for the entire second half of the season, Torres had managed to find the back of the net only once. To make matters worse, the player he effectively necessarily replaced, young English start Daniel Sturridge, had netted no less than 9 goals at Bolton Wanderers, after a loan move to Owen Coyle's squad last January. Maybe Torres' will come good this season, but surely no amount of heroics can now justify that horrific transfer fee...

Mersey Blue to Red Manc:
Rooney smashes Hat-rick on MUFC debut

   In stark contrast to the Torres saga that engulfed last January's transfer window, Sir Alex Ferguson's move to bring Wayne Rooney to Manchester United on the Deadline day of the Summer transfer window in 2004 was nothing short of, lets face it, a master class in how to nail what price and who. Rooney had emerged as the new star of English football under David Moyes's management at his home town club Everton, aged just 16 years old. After a number of quite frankly jaw dropping performances for the Toffee's, the summer transfer window commenced with clubs literally throwing money at Everton Chairman Bill Kenwright. After seeing off a £15 million pound bid from Newcastle United though, and after many rejected bids and intense negotiation, the superstar that we all know and admire now was signed for £20 million pounds; a figure that in today's footballing world, is something of a bargain considering what he has gone on to achieve and produce. On Rooney's debut for  Fergies' United, he put three past the Turkish Champions Fenerbahce in the Champions League.Watch and learn Chelski, watch and learn.
   By the time you've read this, 100's of transfers will have gone through, some you may be fully aware of in the top ranks of football, some from the lower regions that don't associate your club, maybe not. Each and every club chairman is the same though, in the fact that they know there sweet talking, negotiation skills, and bank balances, can help make or break there teams imminent season ahead.

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