Cat Amongst The Pigeons

I know for some people the transfer window is really interesting and exciting but I have to confess it's not really where it's at for me.

Yes I know it is a vital part of how the rest of the season will shape up. Yes I know it is all part of the madness we call football.

But if I am absolutely truthful, I am much more interested in just watching the football.

And it always feels weird to me when I see players change team and play in different colours.

Like Crouchy.

Or of course Defoe although he may of course be changing them back again soon............

Wouldn't it be a bit more interesting if transfers were a mixture of choice and luck. You could have a system whereby in addition to the current process, all Premiership players had their name put in a hat, then the manager from each team would draw out one name who they got for nothing.

So, Torres to Bolton?

Owen to Sunderland?

Probably a bit impractical but it would put the cat amongst the pigeons.

Not A Lot Of People Know That

Did you know..............

Ronaldo is the 9th most fouled player in the Premiership, despite being injured for the first month of the season

Kevin Davis of Bolton has the current record (serves him right for playing for Bolton I say).

Nicholas Anelka is the highest scorer in the Prem this season

Kevin Nolan of Bolton has had the most red cards in the Prem (see what I mean?)

Well now you do.

Freefall

Talk about falling from grace. Can you believe Derby are actually bottom of the championship?

Yes they were clearly out of their depth last season, but you kind of expect a relegated team to be somewhere in the top half of the next division down don't you?

Paul Jewell said afterwards it was the best they had played so far this season too!

I did try to find out if there has ever been a team relegated in two consecutive seasons but I haven't been able to find anything out. Do any of you know better?

I don't really want to seem mean spirited. It's not kind to laugh at someone else's misfortunes, especially not now I appreciate the pain of relegation myself.

Of course if it was Leeds or Bolton I wouldn't hesitate to enjoy the experience. But that's understandable isn't it?

Girls Can Multitask

As I write this post, Man U and Bolton are slogging it out (2 0 to Man U at the moment), whilst Chelsea and Tottenham are battling it out in London (2 1 to the Chels).

The interesting thing about football is that it is so ... erm .... interesting.

For example, with the drama of those two games tonight a fan could be forgiven for focusing all their attention on those arenas.

Yet there are all sorts of other things going on too.

Such as the intensifying speculation about who will be in Capello's next England team. Becks and Walcott are rumoured to be strong candidates, with Lampard and Terry expected to join them having returned after injuries.

There is the Swansea assistant manager who has been arrested for assaulting a Bristol Rover player last night. The raid on Birmingham by the police.

But best of all, there is the voice of God.

Mateja Kezman is planning to become a monk when he leaves football we understand. It is hard to fathom how a shaved head and vow of chastity could be seen as the obvious next career move but ... hey ... who am I to judge?

So I shouldn't be surprised then that sometimes it is hard to settle on just one thing to post about.

Good job I'm a girl and can multi-task.

Where Did It All Go Wrong?

... and another one's gone and another one's gone. Another one bites the dust.

Poor Sam.

Where did it all go wrong?

Well after 8 years of success at Bolton, who he not only took into the Premiership, but to just below the big 4 in the tables, I guess you can see why he was looking for a new challenge. Newcastle is bigger and seems a 'hungrier' club. I have heard numerous commentators in recent weeks talk about the 'unrealistic expectations' of Newcastle fans who are ambitious and think they are bigger than they are.

How different it might all have been if his bid to succeed Sven as England manager had succeeded. (I wonder if he would have done any better than Steve McLaren). Or if Newcastle had not had a change of chairman within just a few weeks, Freddy Shepherd being replaced by Mike Ashley. And what if some of his purchases had proved better quality, rather than the likes of Joey Barton, who whatever his skills, has suffered injuries and more recently spent the New Year in prison.

Life is full of "what if's" of course but you can't help feeling some sympathy for the man. Because when it actually boils down to it, the team is currently 11th in the Premiership (higher than they were this time last year) and he has only held the tenure for 8 months. Hardly sufficient time to turn things around.

The most distasteful aspect of all this for me, however, is the suggestion that Alan Shearer should be his successor. Untried as a manager at any level (he is not even a qualified coach), my impression of him (admittedly based upon only a few appearances as a Match Of The Day pundit) is that he is uninspiring as a person, whatever his achievements as a player.

All I can say is if it really was fan pressure that led to today's events, getting Shearer as a manager is probably what they deserve.

Pigs May Fly

I met a Bolton fan today. John McGrath. Nice man considering. One of the many enthusiastic followers of The Trotters.

He came to sell me advertising space and spotted that I am a Leicester Fan. I'd like to think this was because I am so foxy but it is more likely it had something to do with me drinking my tea out of an LCFC mug.

Well we got chatting then about football as you do, which was when he revealed himself as a Bolton supporter. I pointed out to him that they are a bunch of thieves because they stole our manager but he quite fairly responded by pointing out that the Bolton fans didn't want him anymore than we did before he arrived. Couldn't really argue with that.

I told him about the three managers that Mandaric allegedly has on his shortlist and guess what - he lives about 100m from Peter Reid! I tried to persuade him to 'trot' round there this evening to see if he could get me a scoop but he quickly changed the subject.

Anyway he will probably be too busy mopping up his tears when Bayern Munich give them a thrashing tonight.

So did I buy the advertising space? Of course I did. I was hardly going to add to his troubles was I.