January and the transfer window finally end

HANDS up if you are pleased to see the back of January?

Yup, thought so. January is a difficult month to love.

A post-festive season hangover, dieting and exercise regimes, bad weather and long hours of darkness all give the month a bad rap.

Reading fans ought to have enjoyed January, with the team bagging 10 Championship points from a possible 12.

Even that was not enough to make it a bundle of joy. Now the days are getting longer, the snowdrops are out and lockdown Christmas is a hazy memory, we all have a spring in our step again. My dislike for January is more to do with the ridiculousness of the transfer window being open.

It brings out the worst in people and every year when it closes I let out a sigh of relief. It marks an end to claptrap, twaddle, bunkum and balderdash spouted on social media.

Some of the speculation and rumours circulating around Reading’s players either leaving or joining the club this year were wonderfully wide of the mark.

Mainly foreign players you and I have never heard of, like Pedro Mendes (did not join) or Diego Rossi (did not join) are announced as “targets” and the subject of “bids”.

Attention-seeking social media activists say something along the lines of: “I’m told Reading are interested in signing xxxxxx. Still need to get the deal over the line, but they’re prepared to spend £10 million.”

They might have been told by an agent eager to make a fast buck and get a player in the shop window, but they certainly won’t have been told by anyone who knows anything at Reading, or any other club.

Notice the get-out clause. Inserting the “still need to get the deal over the line” bit gives them crucial wriggle room when the deal does not happen, as it almost certainly will not.

Reading bought in no new players in January – so anyone who mentioned a name at any stage was wrong.

Besides, how exciting is it, even in the highly-unusual circumstance where one of these rumours comes to fruition? Most fans can wait a few extra hours for concrete news from the club.

Even if the player joins or leaves, there is no telling what impact they will have on results.

I genuinely would be more interested to read social media posts about players changing their breakfast or lunch eating habits.

In my role I interview the Reading manager twice a week. In all of the last 20 Januarys, in all those interviews, I have to tag on a question about whether there is any news of player arrivals or departures.

Not once have I ever got an interesting or unpredictable answer on the subject. Why would they reveal their hand, blurting out their transfer intentions? Thank goodness it is February. No more nonsense transfer chat, seven games in 21 days, the daffodils are on the way, and we are getting more sunshine.

Btw, I heard from an inside source Reading came quite close to signing a striker from LA Galaxy on a loan deal, with an option to buy for £9m at the end of the season.