[Football] Do you remember what it was like before the introduction of transfer windows?

Harry Wilson's tackle · Sep 27, 2019

Apparently you could be doing well with a young lad (pardon the expression) then Man U would come in half way through November and he'd be OFF!

So much more orderly now.

To be fair, I really don't know what I think about this, partly because I have forgotten what it used to be like, and partly because we could now use our PL MUSCLE to singe some lower league striker and march on into the golden sunset, if it weren't for the pesky rules.

Better now? Or just another example of how everything has been skewed in favour of the smaller clubs, like Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday?

Thoughts?

Nottseagull · Sep 27, 2019

I thought Sheffield Wednesday were MASSIVE.

BNthree · Sep 27, 2019

Still happens in non-league. Last few seasons of going to watch Whitehawk occasionally and in the space of a couple of months the whole squad will have changed.

GT49er · Sep 27, 2019

To be honest, it was fine. Not a problem at all. There was always a no-transfer window at the end of the season - about the last two months, I think, to prevent teams from buying their way to a trophy, or out of relegation, in the last few weeks. There weren't so many transfers then anyway - clubs had a pretty fixed first team, and a reserve team (rather than having squads) and you didn't bother buying players to go in the reserves.

When exactly did the idea of transfer windows come in? Nothing to do with Sky inventing real football by any chance, was it?

OzMike · Sep 28, 2019

I don't remember there being any problems, change for changes sake I suppose.

Weststander · Sep 28, 2019

Better now imo.

A monied ManU, Arsenal or Spuds were able to raid for a star player or young starlet, right up to early spring I think it was. Unsettling, or worse, the ‘smaller’ club at the business end of the season. In reality it may not have been that common, with the churn of players and transfer hype less than, but it it happened.

Now clubs have the get all their assets in place by August, leaving it down to the skill of the manager. With a top up for some clubs in January.

Harry Wilson's tackle · Sep 28, 2019

GT49er said:
To be honest, it was fine. Not a problem at all. There was always a no-transfer window at the end of the season - about the last two months, I think, to prevent teams from buying their way to a trophy, or out of relegation, in the last few weeks. There weren't so many transfers then anyway - clubs had a pretty fixed first team, and a reserve team (rather than having squads) and you didn't bother buying players to go in the reserves.

When exactly did the idea of transfer windows come in? Nothing to do with Sky inventing real football by any chance, was it?

Not always (or not much of one). I recall Man City (them again) singing Rodney Marsh towards the end of a season (amusingly he was so unfit that City dropped from top to 4th).

Note, on the other thread, the actress in the post above yours is Shirley Eaton. My post was mockery. How very unlike me

Stat Brother · Sep 28, 2019

OzMike said:
I don't remember there being any problems, change for changes sake I suppose.

I don't imagine it was solely a money orientated decision but can you imagine the carnage now if there were no window.

Messi's list of teams played for would look something like this:-

Barcelona.Till Feb 2016
Newcastle - Feb - May 2016.
Barcelona - June 16 - Feb 17
Hull City - Feb 17 - May 17
Barcelona - June 17 - Feb 18
Stoke City - Feb 18 - May 18.

GT49er · Sep 28, 2019

Harry Wilson's tackle said:
Not always (or not much of one). I recall Man City (them again) singing Rodney Marsh towards the end of a season (amusingly he was so unfit that City dropped from top to 4th).

Signed in March, so would have been just in time to beat the end of season embargo.

Harry Wilson's tackle · Sep 28, 2019

GT49er said:
Signed in March, so would have been just in time to beat the end of season embargo.

I KNEW you'd say that. Coming on here with your so-called facts.

:lolol:

drew · Sep 28, 2019

Think the current system is much better although far from perfect. Before you could be on a great run and a top team could snap up your best players any time up until mid March. We did extremely well to hold on to Ward. Now, there is constant transfer talk but we know nothing will happen until either the end of the season or January. Easier for teams to plan.

As for the size of squads, players would still move as they sitting on the bench for a prem team is far more lucrative than being a player in one of the other divisions and players will always believe they can break into the first team!!

Wozza · Sep 28, 2019

As an aside, fans didn't used to talk about money back in the day did they?

You get to the summer now and Man Utd fans (for example) are all saying: "Ooooh, we need to spend £100m to compete next season".

I guess in the 70s the idea of coaching and improving players rather than buying was seen as important? And clubs were more similarly matched financially.

Oh, and they had a core team, not squads. Did Villa win the title with 14 players once season?

So many changes...

Blue Valkyrie · Sep 28, 2019

Yes, it was utter shite.

Players poached at any point, although I remember they couldn't be transferred in the last few weeks

Change at Barnham · Sep 28, 2019

This thread is getting into the territory of 'have you have made a call from a phonebox or owned a record player'?
At 58 I'm feeling very old.

GT49er · Sep 28, 2019

Wozza said:
As an aside, fans didn't used to talk about money back in the day did they?

Oh, I don't know - "Come and see our new £100,000 winger" was a big draw for 1st. division teams. I seem to remember us being pretty excited when we shelled out £25K for Kenny Beamish too!

Wozza said:
Oh, and they had a core team, not squads. Did Villa win the title with 14 players once season?

Yes; Leeds didn't use much more than that when our former player lead them to the Championship (and European Cup defeat to Glasgow Rangers!), and Liverpool regularly won everything without using many more than that either. Only one substitute back in those days, which also made a difference.

Motogull · Sep 28, 2019

It is better now in that I hated when out of the blue one of your favourite players was gone. At least now you know when it might happen. I wonder to extent the window may have accelerated the crazy transfer fees.

cheshunt seagull · Sep 28, 2019

I prefer having a window. I remember the speculation about Ward leaving as part of chain of transfers dragging on for weeks and it was unsettling. At least that only happens for a few weeks now.

Harry Wilson's tackle · Sep 28, 2019

GT49er said:
Oh, I don't know - "Come and see our new £100,000 winger" was a big draw for 1st. division teams. I seem to remember us being pretty excited when we shelled out £25K for Kenny Beamish too!

Yes; Leeds didn't use much more than that when our former player lead them to the Championship (and European Cup defeat to Glasgow Rangers!), and Liverpool regularly won everything without using many more than that either. Only one substitute back in those days, which also made a difference.

Indeed. [MENTION=189]Wozza[/MENTION] immediately made me think of Leeds. From 66 to 74 there was a core of no more than 15 players, with a few minor players. Several played over 500 or 600 games for Leeds (and that is with something like 8 games to win a European trophy, none of this 60 games a season malarkey). Sprake, Reanney, Cooper, Madeley, Bremner, Giles, Grey, Hunter, Lorimer, Charlton, Clark, Jones...with Mick Bates on the bench. The other players who featured early on were Greenhoff and the sadly late Albert Johanssen, with later on Cherry, Elam, Jordan and McQueen. Sorry for the spelling mistakes: these names just came off the top of my head. You can do that with so few players appearing week in week out year in year out.

Football is better now, though. Miles better.

BensGrandad · Sep 28, 2019

I remember those days we would have just gone out and signed a striker after Andone and Locadia went but in the same token I believe the window should close for every team and league in Europe on 15th August.

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[Football] Do you remember what it was like before the introduction of transfer windows?

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