Watson, I presume?
Watson, I presume?
Brian Howard won our September survey of the best deadline day deals, cantering to victory with 19 votes, with surprise Wigan cast off Ben Watson finishing with 8 and the rest nowhere. The Wykehamist returns to southern climes after a picaresque spell in South Yorkshire and his triumph might just have something to with a link to this site posted on the esteemed message boards of hobnobanyone?
Neill Collins and Billy Sharp suffered the ignominy of votelessness, but my fellow blogger Lloyd for one will feel that the latter has been underestimated. Of the eight players we featured, Watson is perhaps the biggest enigma. His career has bubbled along pleasantly - initially impressive as a teenager in the Crystal Palace midfield, the carrot haired kid helped the South Londoners to promotion in 2003-4 after a meteoric post-Christmas run. A slightly unfortunate relegation the following season did nothing to hurt his reputation and he continued to turn in industrious displays until this Spring, when Steve Bruce brought him to the soon to be renamed JJB Stadium. So, it’s odd to reflect that he lasted just the ten games in the blue and white, especially after chiming in with two goals in the Lancashire side’s late season campaign. Swapping stripes for hoops, he should prove to be a very astute acquisition for Jim Magilton and QPR.
6 Comments
Ben
September 14, 2009Yes, the Watson move was a strange one - I thought he was on the fringes of the Wigan team if not actually in the starting XI, so for him to be allowed to go out on loan seems very odd. He looked handy at the tail-end of last season.
Ben
September 14, 2009And I should add: why so few votes for Peter Lovenkrands? This isn't just natural pro-Newcastle bias here, either - he proved himself to be a capable player in the Premier League, scoring three despite rarely starting or playing up front. I reckon that at this level he could be very handy indeed.
Lanterne Rouge
September 15, 2009I think it's simply due to the lack of Newcastle and neutral fans finding their way to the site during the period that the poll was open. An objective view might well have placed him first.
Lloyd
September 15, 2009Lovenkrands is a bit of an unknown around these parts, which probably accounts for his lack of popularity.
Personally, I thought Bouazza was the best signing.
Columbine Harvester
September 15, 2009Lovenkrands might have been the best player of the pick, but Bouazza looked like the best signing. For an international player with premier league experience, entering the prime years of his playing career, Blackpool wasn't an obvious choice of club.
Lanterne Rouge
September 15, 2009He was unattached at the time and needed money so I guess had to take the first offer. Algeria have a very good chance of reaching the World Cup.