Perhaps it was Sir Alex Ferguson’s fault. After all, at the turn of the year the Manchester United manager was vocal in his dismissal of the prospect of signing any new players during the January transfer window – despite the fact that the treatment room at Old Trafford has been a busy place of late.
According to Ferguson, it’s simply not a good time to do business, because there are few quality players available. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that, given his record in the game, managers north (and south) of the border aren’t oblivious to Ferguson’s public utterances from time to time. Certainly, if the paucity of business during the window in Scotland is any measure, then Ferguson must have the ear of quite a few in this part of the world.
To put it bluntly, the window has been a non-event in Scotland. Over the past few weeks, players have turned up for trial periods with some of the clubs, and then, well, they’ve vanished into thin air without so much as a by your leave. They came, they saw, they went again, as it were.
Mind you, you could be forgiven for suspecting that many of the players were given trials more in hope than expectation. For the most part, they were names unheard of, and, it seems, ones we’re not going to have to extend the trouble of familiarising ourselves with either.
It isn’t too much a stretch of the imagination to recognise the scenario – managers pouring over a never-ending list of players who have been released from clubs around Europe, their names appended by testimonials from agents that would make even the most optimistic of job applicants blush. The hope, of course, is that, in their desperation to boost their thin mid-season squads, managers will roll out the welcome mat, in the fervent hope that a gem may be unearthed, however unlikely it seems.
In Scotland, few will be surprised at the lack of meaningful business, given the perilous state of many clubs’ finances at present. Even short-term loan deals have proven to be beyond the reach of some, so tight are the their budgets.
Nevertheless, Rangers fans will be feeling particularly aggrieved just now. Not so long ago, Ibrox boss Ally McCoist – at a point where the pendulum was swinging dramatically in favour of arch rivals Celtic - categorically stated that he was in need of reinforcements.
For all that Old Firm managers have historically been quick to complain whenever a period of dominance by the other lot appears imminent, there was universal agreement with McCoist’s sentiments. His squad is undeniably threadbare, a fact that has been painfully exposed in light of injuries to a couple of key players of late.
Of course, it goes without saying that the loss of top scorer Nikica Jelavić to Everton can have done little to lighten the mood of the Ibrox faithful. (Although it had become increasingly clear his departure was inevitable). And the loss of signing target Pawel Brożek to – wait for it – Celtic, will obviously have been particularly sore.
To be fair to Rangers, the club’s ongoing fiscal problems have been a significant factor in the lack of transfer activity at Ibrox. In the cold light of day, club owner Craig Whyte can perhaps be forgiven for an apparent reluctance to sign too many cheques when the spectre of a potential £49m tax bill casts a long shadow down Govan way.
Business hasn’t exactly been going like a fare at Celtic either, although this is for a rather different reason – namely, that they simply don’t need to bolster their squad. Forget that old adage about supplementing the squad when you have an advantage over your opponents. The fact is, Neil Lennon has enough players at his disposal, so why splash the cash when you don’t need to. Basic economics by any standards.
Meanwhile, rather than anticipating the arrival of new faces at Tynecastle, Hearts fans had been expecting an exodus of players, as owner Vladimir Romanov looks to make good on his threat to significantly reduce the wage bill at the club he wants to sell. But again, this past month has done little to get sports editors excited there – in other words, few players in maroon have attracted more than cursory interest.
Hibs fans, of course, are desperate for their club to bring in new players, given the team’s precarious league position. Manager Pat Fenlon – who will be more aware of the need for new faces than anyone - has had a busy day on that front, managing to secure three loan signings which, it must be said, reflect the desperation being felt at the Easter Road club.
This time last year, we had the high-profile signings of El Hadji Diouf (Rangers) and Kris Commons (Celtic) to whet our appetites for a while. This year, however, it looks as if it’s a case of as you were, folks.