Specially early update tonight, I’m off out tonight (but not MCTSing). In a move that probably shouldn’t have surprised anyone who read this last night, the JH to Rangers move is off after he failed the medical. Like you never saw THAT coming. Apparently, David Murray was quite sceptical about the likelyhood of it going ahead as early as last night, which makes me wonder (a) why they wanted him in the first place, and (b) why they were prepared to pay £7m for him. As a result of this, JH has withdrawn from the Welsh squad as he isn’t in the “right frame of mind”, according to Mark Hughes. Either that or the private jet to Belarus that Rangers promised him hasn’t materialised and WFC wouldn’t pay the National Express fare.
So now what? At this very moment in time, we are left with an unfit, unsellable player who is denting a hole in our resources. This is a critical time for JH : he is now drinking in Last Chance Saloon. He quite simply HAS to get fit if he wants to move. Barnett isn’t going to keep around him much longer, he’ll try and fuck some other poor bugger up the arse. I want him to get fit, but as everything I wrote yesterday shows, I’m not too hopeful that even this setback will force him to buck his ideas up. The reaction he’ll get next “home” game will be mixed to say the least – especially considering that it took a mere 10 minutes for him to agree terms with the scummy team in Glasgow.
It’s difficult to see who to “blame” in all of this. WFC, BRG, TB, Rangers, even Jonathon Barnett have had fingers pointed at them. I don’t think this is a situation where we can “blame” anyone (well, we can wish for Barnett to get gang raped), however I will say this. How competent are our club doctors? Think about how we managed to pass Hartson at his medical, yet nobody else did. Have we been employing Dr Harold Shipman? Did the club doctors get, erm, “persuaded” to pass him IYSWIM? Do our club doctors actually HAVE legitimate qualifications? Think of the injuries we get, are they being properly treated? I’m definitely not too sure, and this is probably the most vital part of the teams operation apart from tactics. Again, just why do we get so many injuries?
Onto other news, and apparently Dunne is still coming. I’ve given up with the ins and outs of this one. Anyway, regardless of the JH story, TB is still after players. He quotes “I need to bring in some top quality players. The money isn’t burning a whole in my pocket. I can assure supporters that we are making moves, and they are the type in the next couple of weeks which will benefit the club in the long term”. Cheap, in other words. Actually, you shouldn’t be surprised at this, if you read W&WW with CK’s comments, this is more or less the club’s strategy for now. Even before JK’s ticker went, I did wonder if the big name signing approach would put us in the shit in the long run : three years on, WFC seem to think so.
In a story that could have come from last season, IFK Gotheburg midfielder, Per Karlsson, is about to sign for us. We can either get him now for £150k, or wait until November when we can get him for nowt. He’s “talented” – aren’t all footballers? – and he apparently could give Michael Hughes a run for his money. Plus, he can defend as well which may put him about Michael Hughes as well. I wonder what certain elements of the WFC support (many of whom wanted TB in) will make of a Scandinavian kicking out Michael Hughes? At least they can’t blame Drillo this time.
And to sum up the whole saga, it’s back to the EU scrapping the transfers again. Sept Bladder, sorry Sebt Blatter has basically conceded that the transfer system will be ruled illegal next month (or this month if you’re reading this tomorrow). In a nutshell, you’ll probably be OK for those players under 24, but once they get older than that, you’re fucked. Did you know that John Hartson is 25?