The Transfer Window

[OldFart]

the reason for the window was a deal with Europe to stop the scrapping transfers all together

Europe stated transfers were against free movement of labour BUT this was meant as a compromise

am I not true in saying most other coutries had one

Surely Europe would have been better adopting our system then? :?

We only had a period between April and June when players couldnt move.

Maybe. Perhaps they should all drive on the left as well and use sterling.

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I can speak for one other country and one alone: Spain.

The Spanish have a terrible paranoia about what they call the adulteration of the league competition - there's quite a history of fiddling and corruption.

An example of this paranoia is that on the last day of the season all matches involving promotion, relegation or European places must kick off at exactly the same time. And if the first half lasts 56 minutes for whatever reason, tough. They change ends and start the second half at the appointed time. Just 4 minutes of half time.

Tomorrow and Sunday are "Day" 22 of the 1st Division. Let's say the Barcelona v Betis match is postponed. The clubs are then requested to find a date for the match to be played AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Because if not... Well God knows how some third party will take advantage of the situation, but they're taking no chances.

There are 20 teams in the league. Barcelona are playing at home to Betis this weekend ("Day" 22), you KNOW that they played them away on Day 3. And whoever they played on Day 4 they'll be playing on Day 23. Etc.

It may just be an obsession with tidiness but it's explained as avoiding adulteration.

A time there was when no internal transfers were allowed whatsoever during the season. Clubs could only sign players from other countries.

What ordinary people think and what officialdom thinks are very often two very different things, but they're all accustomed to THEIR way of doing it. Change may be for the better or may be for the worse but it's change, and there are always those who welcome change for change's sake and others who hate anything that deviates from what they're used to.

To an English fan brought up on transfers being allowed at any time before the middle of March the transfer window seems restricting.

To a Spanish fan brought up with the idea of only one window and that in the close season, the idea of TWO windows seems either a tremendous new freedom or libertarianism gone mad.

Now I know nothing about how things used to be in France, Luxembourg, Sweden or Poland, but there could well be almost as many attitudes towards the current system as there are nations. There are even people who are against the whole concept of a unified calendar for international matches.

I can't swear to it but I think the system was one imposed by UEFA, or the representives of the the different leagues most likely voted for it.

One thing I'm not going to vote for in this poll is that it isn't justified because I don't see that as relevant. If UEFA was/is totalitarian so be it - it's their ball and they can take it away if they feel someone isn't playing to their rules. And if the idea of 2 windows was something democratically voted on, then yes you can opt out. You can opt out of a unified European currency too if you want. But to then try and insist that the rest of Europe changes to pounds sterling because they are out of step and we get confused with the funny old Euros every time we go to a country in the Euro zone would be somewhat arrogant in my opinion.

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Oh, and I almost forgot. I don't like these two transfer windows because I hate change and at my age and after so many years of the good old English system, I still haven't completely got used to the idea of two windows. Thirty years ago or perhaps even before Bill Gates came along we'd probably have called them periods, but no doubt Tampax have decreed a much nicer word be used.

I still think it's a pity we can't go and sign a new striker in October.

God, I feel bloody tired after typing all that.

[drat01]

Can we also get rid of loans?

No absolutely not (but its a different topic entirely - maybe start a new one for it)

Typical bloody mod, tells you not to go off topic but makes sure he gets his opinion in anyway!

I'm surprised he didn't put it in red, he must be mellowing. I may just mention the Beatles to upset him :-)

As for the transfer window, simple thing would any other industry allow this sort of thing?

[ianrobo1]

Ian in no other industry you have transfer fees

where you and I work all we have to do is to give a months notice and we can walk

if that was applied to football as I believe the EU wanted it would **** football up

therefore the window was a compromise but not sure how !!!

[OutByEaster?]

Ian in no other industry you have transfer fees

where you and I work all we have to do is to give a months notice and we can walk

if that was applied to football as I believe the EU wanted it would **** football up

therefore the window was a compromise but not sure how !!!

Hasn't some Scottish lad just done this?

[ianrobo1]

with football of course you pay for the registration of the player not the player himself

[Grant(aka_eddy)]

the reason for the window was a deal with Europe to stop the scrapping transfers all together

Europe stated transfers were against free movement of labour BUT this was meant as a compromise

am I not true in saying most other coutries had one

Surely Europe would have been better adopting our system then? :?

We only had a period between April and June when players couldnt move.

Maybe. Perhaps they should all drive on the left as well and use sterling.

Come again?

(i'll set em up, you...)

I'm not suggesting that the rest of Europe should have adopted ours. I'm responding to Ian's point that it was imposed as a compromise to allow greater freedom of movement. If UEFA or whoever wanted to meet that criteria, then surely faced with a system with 9 months of transfer window or 4 months, then you'd select the 9. Which happens to be the English one.

Frankly i don't care. i was happy with how it was and am quite happy for each country to do things differently if they also prefer it that way. I said earlier i couldnt think of any problems that having different systems actually posed, so go for it. Probably just a logistical nightmare for some office junior in Brussels who has to give authorisation to transfers or risk **** up multi million pound (yes that's right, pound sterling!) deals.

I can speak....

Blimey, you weren't kidding!

God, I feel bloody tired after typing all that.

I think i'm right there with you after reading it! You should take a leaf out of university student books and just opy and paste!

I agree with your general point i of view fwiw, i always did and apologies if my post made it sound like i wanted to impose 'our ways' upon them. I didnt. But you may already have known that.

[Gringo]

The window was nothing to do with any sort of compromise with the EU with regards to player registrations or contracts. It was a completely different matter and impsed by UEFA.

Big clubs can build big squads, and have plan A on the pitch, plan B on the bench and plan C playing the cup matches.

Small clubs' only means of competing with this would be to switch from plan A to B in october and onto plan C in February. Many managers made their reputation on skilfull forays into the transfer market. The window has essentially robbed this tool from a managers toolkit.

[ianrobo1]

Football transfer windows were introduced in Europe in 2002, as a result of some very dull negotiations between Fifa and the EU. They were created to bring all the major leagues and competitions in line with each other, but restrict the ability of footballers under contract to move between clubs; they also restrict the number of opportunities for the average supporter in a pub to discuss unfounded transfer rumours that may have appeared in that day's newspapers

from the observer

[OldFart]

Yes Grant. I was a bit surprised. I get you now. In team sports there never seems to have been and still isn't much in the way of freedom of movement.

[Gringo]

Football transfer windows were introduced in Europe in 2002, as a result of some very dull negotiations between Fifa and the EU. They were created to bring all the major leagues and competitions in line with each other, but restrict the ability of footballers under contract to move between clubs; they also restrict the number of opportunities for the average supporter in a pub to discuss unfounded transfer rumours that may have appeared in that day's newspapers

from the observer

It was nothing to do with freedom of movement, or resignation from contracts, which were driven by the EU - I guess the observer have phrased this poorly, and misconstrued the timing of the agreement.

[ianrobo1]

This is excellent link from liverpool universtiy, explains it was because of Bosman.

[Gringo]

This is excellent link from liverpool universtiy, explains it was because of Bosman.

OK fairy muff, but it wasn't an official compromise, it appears to be a behind the doors agreement with nothing documented and with the legal situation in limbo, thereby justifying some confustion over how it came about. It's still crap though and still hampers small clubs and gives another advantage to the richer clubs.

[El Zen]

I'd like to go back to the old system. The transfer window system makes no sense to me at all.