Lou Macari: January window will not solve all Stoke's problems

Former Stoke City manager and Sentinel columnist Lou Macari has his say on events at the Britannia Stadium

I REALLY do worry when I hear Stoke fans saying that business in the January transfer window could transform their season.

It might, but I wouldn't be holding my breath.

That's no criticism of Stoke or their management team, far from it, it's just a fact of life I'm afraid.

The window is an artificial construction that just promotes deceit, myths and misinformation.

It's driven largely by agents spotting a four-week opportunity to move players on to make some fast bucks.

A case in point is Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant. If Real Madrid have made a serious inquiry about him then I'm a Dutchman – and if he has also turned them down then I'm a Chinaman, too.

It's blatant story telling of the fantasy kind in the press and, lo and behold, we then discover that three or four Premier League clubs are suddenly interested in Pennant.

Job done, take a bow Mr Agent.

I do worry that Stoke will be a victim of such chicanery if they're not too careful, especially when I hear them being linked to previously unknown foreigners with dodgy fitness records.

You have to ask yourself that if these players are so good, why are they having to have their names touted around by their agents?

I would say that 90 per cent of those players being moved on in the January window are surplus to requirements at their current club.

So are they good enough to come in and turn the fortunes of a Stoke City? I wonder.

Wayne Bridge goes to Man City for £12m because he can't get in the Chelsea team.

So here we have a player and agent making a success out of being unsuccessful. That's what the footballing world has come to.

The January window is different to the summer window because at this time of year clubs running for silverware, or desperately fighting relegation, are not going to offload decent players, surely.

Shopping in January is like going into the shops and finding the main display cases are empty, leaving only the items which are either damaged or approaching their sell-by-date.

There are one or two gems to be had, but I'm afraid the likes of a Jermain Defoe are out of Stoke's reach.

How sad to hear Portsmouth boss Tony Adams being quoted the other day as saying he didn't know if he could play Defoe in last Saturday's FA Cup tie.

Some of you might remember the day when the manager, yes the manager, actually decided which players did and did not play in his team.

How times have changed as we now see Defoe and his people engineering a move to fill his pockets even more.

Stories are now appearing in the media about him receiving death threats on his telephone.

Do me a favour. At most, someone has fluked upon his phone number to tell him to **** off back to Tottenham.

I know Tottenham might be considered a dangerous part of London these days, but it hardly amounts to a death threat, does it?

No, it's the rich agent and even richer player exploiting this wretched transfer window, leaving the rest of us looking on in bemusement.

The window just causes mayhem and does the game no credit whatsoever.

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Gudjon appointment a shrewd move

GUDJON Thordarson is due to make his home debut as Crewe manager this evening and I'm sure he can bank on a warm welcome from his new fans.

I think Crewe's hierarchy was wise to go for a man with the kind of experience Gudjon brings to the club.

They are in a sorry predicament – but not an impossible one – as they look to make up that seven-point gap between themselves and safety at the foot of League One.

OK, Gudjon has been out of the English game for a couple of years, but he has enough knowledge from previous experience with Stoke, Barnsley and Notts County to make it count.

Dario steadied the ship between managers and picked up a few results, so there is a bit of a platform for Gudjon to build upon.

That 2-2 draw at Millwall on Saturday won't do confidence any harm and I'm sure he can't wait to get cracking against Bristol Rovers this evening.

The problem for Gudjon is that he's got to start winning almost immediately – and hope those above are losing almost every week.

So sometimes you can go into that situation, pick up results and still find yourself no better off.

But there is time to turn it around and I, for one, won't be totally gob-smacked if he can pull off the great escape by mid-May.

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