4 – The January Transfer Window: Post 4

In early 2002, FIFA decreed that all leagues should operate a transfer window system and, despite initially rejecting the suggestion, it was brought into practice in the Football League in 2002/03 to vary degrees of welcome.

 

So, this coming year’s window will be the 9^th operational transfer window for Huddersfield Town; ample opportunity to see if the signings made therein are positive ones, or whether they don’t make much of a difference; for some reason, my mind always goes to Faustino Asprilla signing for Newcastle and ‘losing’ them the title by scoring a number of goals in the run-up to the end of the season.

 

I was, I have to say, surprised to see the amount of players Town have signed (permanently, for loan signings can be at any time) during these 9 windows.

 

Four.

 

There’s bonus points to you if you can name all four before reading on. If not, here’s a handy table.

 

2007/08	Rob Page	Signed	Coventry
2008/09	Anthony Pilkington	Signed	Stockport
2008/09	Lionel Ainsworth	Signed	Watford
2009/10	Dean Heffernan	Signed	Central Coast Mariners

 

Only one of those players is still at the club which tells its own story.

 

I’d review them as such.

 

Rob Page; was a good signing when we got him, and was probably let go a little early, but, had we kept him, would not be good enough for League One football now. Good business at the time, though. 6/10.

Anthony Pilkington; has been blowing hot and cold since he joined, but when he is hot, he is very very hot, and has been tremendous this season – not just in terms of goals either. Good signing. 9/10.

Lionel Ainsworth; came with the tag of being a bit of a problem and did nothing to lose that tag whilst at Huddersfield. Spent a while on loan at Brentford and didn’t work out there either. Shame. 4/10.

Dean Heffernan; was a stopgap plug to a long-term problem with the possible advantage of having him back if he worked out really well. Never looked entirely assured and neither he nor Town achieved their aims. 4/10

 

That’s a not-particularly high average of 5.75/10 by my cursory impressions; based on that, I think I can conclude that any January transfers are a bit of a gamble. I shan’t be expecting the world, though.