The January transfer window can be a blessing for players who desperately need to be rescued after being left in limbo by their clubs. But it can also breed contempt and encourage shameful behaviour which results in a kick in the teeth for the fans who pay for the extortionate wages and the even more extortionate transfer fees.

A lot of managers are often reluctant to spend big mid-season, particularly if their team is doing well as they don’t want to risk upsetting the continuity and stability their team is built on. In that case, it’s no surprise to see that the biggest spenders during the window were the clubs struggling so much they felt the need to splash out in desperation.

Randy Lerner was suddenly able to summon £24m out of nowhere for Darren Bent when Aston Villa were on the slide, while Chelsea put up £70m for new players after falling behind in the title race and risk failing to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

 

Chelsea’s business triggered a chain of events which reverberated all over the country in the days leading up to the transfer deadline. Fernando Torres swapped Anfield for Stamford Bridge, which led to the Merseysiders’ astounding transfer fee for Andy Carroll.

The whole saga and the way it unfolded exposed the transfer window for the farce that it is and sadly it went someway to souring the game.

First we had the utter garbage from Torres about how much he loved the City of Liverpool and the club. There’s nothing wrong with Torres wanting to leave Liverpool – when he wasn’t lumbering around like a spoilt brat over the last 18 months he showed glimpses of why he’s one of the best strikers around. In fact, when he’s on his game, he’s arguably the most accomplished finisher in world football.

A player of that calibre is entitled to be playing amongst the elite, and while Liverpool are a top-level club, they haven’t been playing at the top level for a while and are unlikely to do so for sometime yet.

But his comments in the aftermath of his contentious move were just stupid and arrogant – especially when Chelsea have their own problems. Then again he is a footballer, and being the commodities that they are, the Spaniard, if he wasn’t being thick, was probably told to make the remarks just to stoke-up tension ahead of the game between the two clubs.

And that’s another problem for the mid-season transfer window. At least a hostile transfer in the summer has a cooling-off period, but Torres is likely to line up against his former club just days after leaving the north west.

The departure of Torres meant that Liverpool panicked into bidding £35m for a player with just six months Premier League experience and who apparently wasn’t for sale. Well obviously Andy Carroll, despite Alan Pardew’s repeated claims that he wasn’t available, did have his price after all and the deal led to a battle for hearts and minds on Tyneside between the striker and the club.

One claimed he was forced out, the other claimed he demanded a transfer. Well they can’t both be telling the truth and again it’s the fans who are left in the dark, wondering who was spinning a web of lies and deceit.

Of course the people who really love transfer deadline day are certain corners of the mainstream media, who seem to get a hard on for deadline day even for the most irrelevant transfers. It’s easy to tell that they obviously loved the soap-opera that developed and the ratings that followed. In the midst of such chaotic coverage, it’s difficult to see where the loyalty and decency in football has gone.

Players moving on and furthering their careers, chairman looking out for the best interests of their club when they accept an offer they can’t refuse – that’s part and parcel of the game. Just don’t bullshit the supporters who make the game possible. They have expressed loyalty and honesty for years - and they only ask for some in return