The end of the transfer window is a fascinating few hours for fans of every football club – and Sky TV have certainly turned it into a major feature.
All the top pundits – Thierry Henry, Jamie Redknapp, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher – turned up at different times on Sky Sports News, not necessarily discussing individual transfers but just generally talking about how teams can strengthen and the business of the January window.
The credibility of those individuals raises the whole profile of deadline day and, even though nothing major happened in the final few hours, there was still plenty of interest.
What people tend to forget is that the £20m, £30m and £40m transfers are not really what the fans of the 72 Skybet Football League clubs are really bothered about.
Every fan of every club knows there could be somebody coming in – whether it’s a loan, a short-term deal or something more permanent – that could propel them towards the play-offs or, at the other end, help keep them out of relegation trouble.
I was interested to see Ishmael Miller joining Town from Blackpool, because several years ago great things were expected of the big striker.
It didn’t happen for him at the very top and he’s had several moves since, but this looks like Chris Powell has thrown down the challenge and given him a chance to prove he can play.
That’s a great thing, because Miller has all the attributes a top striker needs – pace, strength, power, a fantastic left foot and presence on the pitch.
It’s a short-term deal and the player has every incentive to do well, so if Powell can channel all that talent in the right way then Town will have made a very smart move for this final portion of the season.
