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Why windows have lost their shine for managers
MANAGERS - and players for that matter - can be narcissistic beings.
Self-absorbed rather than selfless. Greedy not benevolent.
Which, let’s be frank, is probably no bad thing in the ruthless, cut-throat world of professional sport.
So when one of their number calls for radical change, you can usually bet it’s because it would be beneficial to them rather than the business as a whole.
Got a squad packed with six foot seven, muscle-bound hoofers? The game’s gone bloody soft. Bring back two-footed tackles.
Prefer to employ more subtle tactics? Anyone who lunges in with their studs showing should be exiled to some Siberian outpost like Barnaul or banned for life.
At first glance, Danny Wilson’s call for transfer windows to be scrapped seems to be motivated by selfishness. After all, the Sheffield United chief faces an anxious wait to discover whether some of the club’s prized assets will be spirited away before the deadline.
Officials at Bramall Lane have pledged to achieve sustainability over the next 12 months as opposed to implementing wholesale and potentially damaging cuts while their team sit second in the table. Nevertheless, United’s League One status makes them vulnerable to hostile bids.
But Wilson isn’t a lone dissenting voice in a chorus of approval.
Far from it. It’s easier to avoid a chugger on Fargate than find someone who believes this system is a force for good.
The motivation behind restricting the ability to buy and sell was laudable. As much as is humanely possible, titles, cups and promotion races should be settled by ability on the pitch rather than late flurries into the recruitment market. The same goes for relegation scraps and survival battles.
But the solution imposed by those well-meaning souls at FIFA was, predictably, a complete and utter mess. It takes a rare and special talent to hack off folk on both sides of the argument.
But Sepp Blatter and his cronies possess this exceptional gift.
The mechanics of a transfer can be a complicated business.
As one agent told this column: “Many deals are done weeks in advance and completed during the window. But it’s still hectic because you must protect your client.”
Wilson and his counterparts have even more to consider. The player, potential teammates and directors for a start.
Unlike the deals put together on computer game Championship Manager, the parties concerned must negotiate safe passage through a minefield of whims, fancies and emotions.
Including, as several high-profile cases have shown to be the case, those of family members and loved ones rather than just the target themselves.
The presence of these ridiculous deadlines only encourages panic buys. Surely allowing purchases to be made with a cool head and careful consideration, is better for all parties concerned.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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