Loans and groans

Albion’s only non-loan signing so far this January goes through his paces in the Sussex snow

Is it just me, or has Gus Poyet’s fishing so far in the January transfer window has been a bit, well, mediocre? Gavin Hoyte has been given an extension of his loan deal from Arsenal until the end of the season. Poyet has taken on Frenchman Seb Carole for his third stint in the stripes – but on a week to week basis, assumedly because if he’s shit (I think he might be) he can offload him straightaway.

Latterly Poyet has just acquired Marcos Painter on loan from Swansea City. Our only bona-fide permanent signing is Inigo Calderon, and he was out of work before Poyet offered him a contract. Maybe I’m being hyper-critical, but the gaffer is not exactly making a big bang for his bucks in the transfer market. I presume The Lizard has plenty left over for this sort of thing?

Our current squad are in serious danger of relegating the club for next season, because going on results and league position we are pretty shit. We need good players in. These new boys may be brilliant, they may be wank, they’ll probably be somewhere in between those two extremes – but I was expecting a bit more. It’s early doors, maybe Gus, who’s an intelligent football man, has more dealing to do.

I’m mostly looking forward to seeing Calderon play, and then Painter. Won’t be long now, I’m all set for Villa Park and our Cup Final next week. Saturday’s match at Walsall looks in serious doubt – the snow is still thick on the ground.

It’s Poyet!!!!!!

Flair, FLAIR, FLAIR!!!!! I’ve just come home at 12:30pm today after getting soaked shopping in Brighton. I switch on Sky Sports News and they tell me the next manager of Brighton and Hove Albion will be Gustavo Augusto Poyet Domínguez, or “Gus” as we all know him. I’m chuffed to bits, a real character to come and give this tired old club a good kick up the arse. Risky appointment? Fuck yeah, but Tony Bloom is a gambler, and this is the kind of bet any football fan would relish. Quote me “happy”.

Judgement Day (well, transfer deadline day)

A new signing emerges from the ashes to lift Albion's season?

It’s the last day of English Football transfer deals people, Judgement Day. Will Russell Slade sign a steely new defender, or will he procure a liquid fast new striker? Will the club offload the seemingly disinterested Dean Cox to Southampton, the duty rumour doing the rounds?

We have until 5pm this afternoon to save the worl…er….our season, or we are stuck with our current squad until January 2010. Will The Lizard dip into his poker pot and deal us a couple of aces?

We’ll see.

Update: Slade has signed ANOTHER winger on loan until 31st December, but has let Mark Wright go into the bargain. So, after all the hype, the expectation, we seem to have gained a player – Arron Davies – in a position where we’re not exactly short of talent, hey ho. Glenn Murray stays, so does Colin Hawkins and Coxy. Bit of a let down really.

Wright goes to Bristol Rovers, we got him on a free, so how much his “undisclosed fee” was is anybody’s guess, but a profit nonetheless. Good luck to the lad.

Seagulls sign ANOTHER winger

Russell Slade has just signed 20 year old Elliott Bennett from Wolves on a three year contract for an “undisclosed fee”. With three or four out-and-out wingers now in the squad either RS is adding to his attacking options or Dean Cox or Kevin McLeod could be on their way out.

I think we need another attacker and a good “midfield general” type in the centre of the park, but I’m sure Mister Slade and Mister Bloom have a master plan up their sleeves. At least they’re doing something after our mauling at Huddersfield the other night. Stockport’s visit to Withdean on Saturday has ceased being a fairly innocuous early season meet-up between two fairly mediocre League One teams, and is now a crucial must-win game if the Withdean boo-boys are to be kept in the cage for any longer, and the fingers of condemnation start pointing at the man in the blue baseball cap. It’s all business usual at The Good Ship Albion folks, we wouldn’t have it any other way.