Deadline day

Ensconced at my parents home with the south downs glimmering in the blue sky out of the conservatory window, I’m on my third coffee while my son sleeps on the sofa following our return from Bermuda overnight.

In between catching up on the family news and reading the local paper, I, like most other football fans, am keeping a close eye on transfer deadline day. I have yet to throw myself at the feet of the hysterical Sky Sports News but I would think it is only a matter of time.

I am encouraging the family to head out (for a coffee obviously) so I can stop myself refreshing every available transfer gossip outlet, the last one on Sky Sports incidentally proclaiming that Aston Villa have now upped their bid for Dale Stephens to £2m, with Dale telling The Addicks that he wants to go.

Meanwhile CP has apparently selected Dean Hammond from Southampton as a replacement. Conor Wickham on a season-long loan was another snippet thrown out by a Sky reporter earlier this morning.

Fortunately *checks watch* the Chris Solly to West Ham story has gone quiet with Hammers fans and Big Sam in a fuddle over the loan signing of Andy Carroll. Shockingly many of the supposed ‘in the knows’ are now saying the whole thing was garbage, but I’d rather us get to 11pm.

Villa have been busy but if the Stephens deal goes through, then good luck to him, and good on Jimenez and Slater on holding out for more money. Nonetheless in my book that would mean we would then need two central midfielders. Hammond could be one and as I first mentioned on Monday CP may well attempt to pull off a deal to encourage the unattached Nigel Reo Coker to sign.

CP also looks like finally offloading Leon Clarke today, to Notts County.

11 hours to go and already plenty to talk about on the train up to Nottingham tomorrow.