How Michael Edwards has ruined the Transfer Window for me

The year has come to an end. As we move into the new year, it is supposed to be an exciting time for us football fans – the games are coming in thick and fast over this festive period, and there is more opportunity for us to revel in what Jurgen’s Mighty Reds are accomplishing on the pitch.

For me, there was always an added reason to look forward to New Year’s Eve – it would bring the Winter Transfer Window along with it. But, you may have noticed that I mentioned that this WAS the reason for fun and excitement. Now, it is no longer possible to be a Liverpool fan and still enjoy the finer moments and little joys that the transfer window brings.

Put simply, I HATE transfer windows now. Confused? Let me explain.

Who doesn’t remember the good old times from even a couple of windows back where we had the edge of the seat exciting stuff happening that would keep us entertained for the entire window. The customary transfer ‘saga’ (as some of the spoilsports apparently named it) was the pinnacle of the weeks where the window was open.

How exciting was it to tune in to social media every morning to check what was the latest status on the big signing of the window? It was like the daily dose of adrenaline to keep you going for the day, anticipating what update would come next.

You could look literally pick and choose which journos to believe in given the many opinions going around. Now, there is just the constant stream of negativity – the journalists are just spewing out the official line from the club – “Liverpool aren’t interested in Player X”. In fact, James Pearce has now earned the nickname “Bad News Pearce” for coming out on Twitter and quashing the rumours.

Whatever happened to the ITKs? Where are the random links to barely passable players that would send social media into meltdown? Remember the time when we had the chance to be excited at the prospect of choosing between Shane Long and Inaki Williams? Good old days.

And then there is the crown jewel, the most anticipated day of the window – Deadline Day (so much so, that Mr Deadline Day Jim White coming on to host the last few hours of the show is a mini-event in itself with its own countdown timer). Yehven Konoplyanka anyone? The bated breath. The obscure journalist with a hopeful tweet. The last-minute scrambling to find out if we were able to beat the deadline. Goosebumps!!

Sad to say, none of this excitement is there any more. Now, the club announces deals even before the window starts. Now, the local journalists aren’t able to give us the scoop of the latest signing until he is en route to the hospital for the medical. The mighty reds fan base, famed for the ability to track down anyone in the world (we have a proven track record of tracking private jets in case anyone needs our services), and now reduced to feeding on small scraps of information. The club used to be better than this. Did they put James Milner in charge of the transfers?

Frankly, the club has sucked all the fun out of the window for me. And there is only one man I blame for this. While others are delighted with our Sporting Director Michael Edwards, I blame him for turning the transfer window into a drab affair.

Michael, you are the Grinch who has stolen my transfer window Christmas, and I hate you for it.