Mike Hennessy
So, here it is again; the transfer window is upon us. For 31 days, we trawl Twitter, listen to the radio, SSN, back pages – anywhere where we think we’ll pick up a morsel of information linking us with a new signing.
It is also the time of year when the Know-It-Alls come out, to spoil all the fun.
We have those that implore you to accept that we’ve got millions – more then we’ve ever had to spend in our whole history – after they’ve frantically done the forensic financial research to prove their point. (I wonder if they ever stop to think that there is a reason why the club never endorses their hard work – maybe something to do with public confirmation of those funds meaning that any prospective seller will bump up the price, safe in the knowledge that they know we’ve millions to spend, more than we have ever had in our history, etc…)
Then the recriminations start – who is not spending that money; the board, the manager, the Yank? – even before we get linked with a player. This is all focusing on the not doing, rather than the doing, isn’t it?
We also have those that say “don’t do it to yourselves” when you comment on a prospective link; “it’s not worth it, it’ll all end in nothing”. Hold on, are you advising me, in that condescending way of yours, not to get sucked into discussing potential transfer targets – whilst you are discussing transfer targets? Sorry, Slur Alex, I do so apologize, you hypocrite.
Then, we have those that practically mock any players that we’re linked with – too tall, too small, too fat, too thin, too fast, too slow – even before thinking that they may enhance the team, by being better than the player they may replace.
And what of those players linked with us? Lampard, Henry, Downing, M’vila, Henry, Huntelaar, Holtby, Villa, Ba, Nani, Henry, Reina, Sterling, Flamini – I’m sure you could double that list – the killjoys would not have you believe that these players will come to us, dampening any possible enthusiasm you may have managed to drag up, thinking how good it would be to see Mathieu roll his sleeves up again.
You know what I say to those raspberries? I say a big fat raspberry. Are you seriously asking this football fan – any football fan – to be rational? This is the wrong sport, mate – being irrational is part of the fun associated with football, and if you want to stop me dreaming of our new signing, as I used to 30 years ago, when delivering papers on my round, papers whose back pages I searched and searched for any transfer news involving Arsenal, then, my friend, I say thank you for your interest in my business, but sod off.
