Silly Season

Article by Jason Nunn

So that’s it, Christmas has been and gone and on the whole all things considered it was a good one for spurs.

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So the passing of the so called holiday season signals the start of silly season (sorry the transfer window), it’s very hard to distinguish between the two. The Mrs loves this time of year, she gets excited about it, searching here there and everywhere for possible bargains, not a transfer of course but something for the wardrobe (yes it will be a bargain but it will sit there gathering dust going out of fashion and used less than Erik Lamela), so very much like Mr Lamela not a bargain at all. Since the start of December I’ve constantly been thinking about signings Spurs will or won’t make, the Mrs however has been thinking about the obligatory summer holiday, she’s probably out there right now picking up brochures trawling the internet buying bikinis, I’ve probably agreed to go somewhere already and I’ve not even noticed, if I’m honest I don’t even listen. I expect I’ve nodded in the right places and agreed to go donkey trekking in the Andes. I just want a couple of weeks in Spain. after all I can get British TV there what with the world cup and all that. I just hope I don’t bump into anyone I know because god only knows what she will have me wearing on the beach this year.

Back to the transfer window and I’m not sure if I’m a fan of it or not. I love deadline day I must admit, there’s something about Jim White and his yellow tie , but there’s something more about Natalie Sawyer in her yellow dress. In an ideal world I would say make the window one week long culminating in deadline day, because the thing I don’t like about the month long window is the constant gossip, the rumours, the IN THE KNOW lies, the regular stories that agents are Satan himself etc. As much as I don’t like the month long saga I am addicted to it, taking any and every chance I get to flick to any transfer related story I can find, taking rumour as truth, calling friends letting them know who we are linked with today believing the deal is done only to then be down in the mouth because it is evidently clear that player would rather play for Santos than Spurs. Regular updates straight to my phone just because someone mentioned Spurs in a transfer story, constant emails when someone walks past WHL.A text alert when Daniel Levy scratches his nose. Last night was chaos, the Walcott injury meant every story was coming straight to my phone, all because they were mentioning the world cup and that meant Lennon or Townsend was mentioned. My phone was buzzing and beeping all night and for work reasons I cannot turn the damn thing off. At 2:39am it woke the Mrs up (bear with a sore head springs to mind) , oh she wasn’t happy it probably interrupted her dream, the reoccurring one where it’s her who’s having coffee with George Clooney on the roof top. “That has been going off all night” she not so politely mentioned. “Yes love, sorry love, it’s just spurs stuff love". She doesn’t believe me, I mean why should she? It’s only the same every January and we will have the same in August. “Sure it’s not a fancy woman" she suggested. Seriously between her, the kids, work, Spurs and middle aged spread, how or when would I have time for any of that nonsense. Actually I should’ve put Spurs before the kids but never mind.

Now I know after our big spending in the summer and our usual change of manager, this means that Daniel Levy probably won’t be splashing out this month but there’s that little voice in my head telling me he will. It keeps whispering in my ear telling me there will be a big name signing very soon, I do wish it would stop. I, we, everyone, knows it won’t happen and if it does it will be on deadline day, see there it goes again. I think most Spurs fans are in agreement on what or who we need with regard to transfers and I’m of the opinion it’s a striker if Defoe is off to pastures new. We have all seen the Toronto stories but is Shane Long really the answer?  Let’s hope not. We also need CB cover and I’m loving the Lescott loan stories but don’t see it happening. Finally we need a LB. I have never been a Danny Rose fan, except when he scored against you know who (no not Voldermort), and after his mistake against you know who at the weekend I’m even more certain we need a LB. The problem is that other clubs know we need a LB, teams are constantly coming at us down that side of the pitch, United did it and you know who did it. Sadly Rose can’t cope with a pacey winger, I’m not even sure if getting Benny back from QPR would be the answer and Fryers, well I’m not sure about him yet. There are some very pacey right sided wingers and midfielders in the league this year and we are lacking in defending against these attacks. Let’s be honest, apart from Walker we don’t have much pace in defensive positions and this needs to be corrected in my opinion.

In our few big defeats this season it’s been lack of defensive pace that has had a huge hand in our downfall. Ok we were playing with a high back line and we got caught out time and time again but that’s because our defence can’t turn and chase back. The Lamela story won’t go away, will it? The possibility of him returning to Italy on loan or in some kind of swap deal is gathering pace, but for as many times as this get mentioned there are as many denials of it happening from one source or another. Fabio Coentrao is one player we were linked with in the summer and was certainly one I had hoped we would sign, with AVB gone and Man Utd sniffing around I think that’s one deal that won’t be happening. Álvaro Pereira is another name being mentioned, I’ve seen a bit of him, all be it from the internet and he looks good but again I don’t see it happening. Leighton Baines? hahaha! Now that is a funny story. Oh hang on, if he goes to United then Coentrao wouldn’t, maybe there’s some legs in that deal still, after all we do have this relationship with Real Madrid (you know the one where they get our best player every year and they can go and strengthen our main rival).

So I’ve got 3 weeks of this turmoil left, making my way through the streets of London glued to my phone, tripping over lonely pine-less discarded Christmas trees, having endless brochures shoved under my nose. Then I'll be looking at a swimming pool surrounded by bronzed heavenly bodies and agreeing it looks great but knowing in reality, by the time I get there, it will be full of lobster pink drunk brits, screaming out of control kids peeing in the pool whenever they want and overzealous Germans hogging all the sun traps. I have just signed for a parcel from amazon, for an awful minute I thought that’s where I had agreed to go. Its contents? Veet hair removal cream and gallons of factor 50 sun cream. Oh god, I hope the Veet is for her!

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