Birthday wishes
I felt better about myself this morning. When I looked in the mirror after another restless night’s sleep. Tired after another night out, suitcases under my eyes and more chins than a Chinese Yellow Pages I still looked a hell of a lot younger than birthday boy Parky, 43 today. Happy birthday Phil.
According to the local news Rochdale got covered in snow today and Saturday’s game must be suspect. With four games in eleven days coming up (including two televised) a postponement will not be welcome. Meanwhile the SLP is suggesting that Semedo and Racon will be offered new contracts. The Frenchman was widely expected to be sold in January to any suitors before the season started but from what I understand he is playing his best football of his Addicks career right now.
What I did miss last week was the loan deadline. The most surprising move in my mind, which appeared to go almost unnoticed was high flying Bournemouth selling their top scorer Josh McQuoid to Millwall. He’s on loan at the New Den until January when they will sign him permanently. McQuoid has scored 12 goals this season for the Cherries and with the FA still enforcing their transfer embargo on them, even the impressive Eddie Howe may have his work cut out keeping them challenging.
Plymouth who face a winding up order and have not paid staff for a month released four players out on loan including Marcel Siep to us and with grim reaper Peter Risdale hanging around the corridors of Home Park I would be very nervous if I was a Plymouth fan.
Young New Zealander Chris Wood, who impressed me in the World Cup has joined Brighton on loan from WBA. Poyet has signed the 18-year old as a replacement for injured loanee LuaLua. Sheffield Wednesday have a new owner in the form of Milan Mandaric but released striker Marcus Tudguy on loan to Nottm Forest. A quick look at Wikipedia tells me that Wednesday are the 8th football club he has owned!
Oldham re-signed Preston defender Neal Trotman on loan after selling him to North End for £500,000 in January 2008. Nope I’ve never heard of him either. Carlisle United have signed defender Ashley Eastham on loan from Blackpool, Notts County signed Chelsea academy midfielder Michael Woods and two players linked to Charlton in the past got loan moves up a division, Jermaine Easter went to Swansea from MK Dons and Saints’ Jason Puncheon to Millwall.
Meanwhile tomorrow at around 3pm when his royal self-importantness Sepp Blatter announces the 2018 (and 2022) World Cup hosts I will be on my way to downtown New York in a cab to meet my big boss for lunch. Hopefully I’ll be able to toast the tournament coming ‘home’ after 52 years, but I have this sneaky feeling that the current trend of sending the World’s premier sporting events to unchartered territory will endure and the incongruous vastness of Russia will get the nod. I hope I’m wrong.
