Transfer Deadline Day

Given the fact that most of the South East looked like downtown Vladivostok yesterday, the people over at Sky Sports News couldn't have been happier. With most people calling their bosses at work to tell them there was no possible way they could make it in, this special day in the British footballing calendar received far healthier viewing figures than it normally would, especially as SSN is readily available to those with a Freeview box.

I love transfer deadline day. For me it usually begins by logging onto The Guardian's Minute-By-Minute update, as I feel it has better writing than the BBC's 606 blog - just check out some of the old Rumour Mill archives if you don't believe me. From here, it basically boils down to clicking refresh on my Firefox window every couple of minutes, and watching the wildly imaginative, unbelievable, and even farcical rumours roll in. "Kaka spotted in the Craven Cottage carpark" texts Steve in Parsons Green, "belle du jour Luke Chadwick spotted shaking hands with David Gill at Carrington complex" from mANu4eVa; you get the picture.

This year however, what with 'being snowed in', I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with the Sky Sports News team (including ex-Blue Peter presenter Simon Thomas).


The real star of the show though, is not our boy Simon, but instead, ANDY BURTON. I can't get a photo of this dude anywhere on the internet, but let me tell you - he is amazing. The first thing you will notice (and he first grabbed my attention at the end of the Summer Transfer Deadline Day - you remember, Dimi shaking hands with Sir Alex, and Robinho heading to Man City at the last minute, and claiming in a press conference he was very happy to be signing for Chelsea!) is that he has about three or four Blackberries on the go at once. Actually I lie. He has a couple of Blackberries and then a normal phone. It is from the normal phone that he receives personal calls, LIVE ON AIR, from his bevvy of in-the-know insiders - agents, facilitators, and other purveyors of fine bungs. His face lights up each time he receives a new text, allegedly from someone super important, and he literally gurgles with excitement. If he wasn't quite so charming, he would probably be the most annoying person in the world. But anyway, thanks a lot Sky Sports News. I thought you did a great job yesterday as at the end of last summer, and with Andy Burton, I think you made the signing of the season.

PS. You might want to know, our boy Andy (who used to present a show with Andy Goldstein (pictured above) - fuck me that's a heavyweight pairing) has become a bit of an internet sensation, and his Wikipedia page was vandalised yesterday. Shame on you faceless cowards.