Outside The Box - Top 5 Stories Of The Week

1. Transfer News Everywhere But Not A Signing In Sight

This week has again been all about the transfers that haven’t happened. Manchester United put in a bid of £28 million for Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini, the Bale sage rumbled on, Arsenal are getting linked to everyone but signing no one and Rooney still hasn’t had his future decided.

Starting with Manchester United, I’ve heard of cheeky bids, but when David Moyes states that he won’t let Leighton Baines alone go for less than £25 million just over 6 months ago and then comes in with a bid like that, it makes you wonder if they really thought they would get their men for that price or if David Moyes knows Everton need the money…….

The Gareth Bale saga seems like it’s very close to coming to a conclusion with Real Madrid getting their man for £90million+ in what will become the most expensive transfer of any player in the world. Will Gareth Bale be worth it? I’ve seen the man change a game by himself at both domestic and on the international stage with, no disrespect to Spurs or Wales, a mediocre average teams. Playing with the stars at the level of Real Madrid could be frightening. Rumours surfaced today of another team joining in the bid for the welsh wonders signature, expect the saga to continue.

Speaking of Real Madrid, Arsenal have been heavily linked with Angel Di Maria & Karim Benzema. I’m not an Arsenal fan at all, but I would love to see them pull off these two transfers as I think these two players would light up the Premier League and would be exciting to watch. I also think these two could be the missing pieces that push Arsenal towards the top again.

As I write this, the transfer deadline is in a weeks’ time, and I firmly believe it will be the most hectic deadline day in history. With big clubs such as Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Utd not making their usual big money signing yet, I honestly think we will see 100’s of millions exchange. When you also factor in clubs like my beloved Cardiff City with huge bank balances of their own at the moment, I can see a lot of activity. It’s going to be exciting for football fans. I know I won’t get any work done that day.

2. QPR announce plans for a new stadium

QPR have announced plans for a new stadium just north of where their current home of Loftus Road is, which will be in a redeveloped area around where a new central station for London linking the capital and Birmingham with a high speed rail service project will be built.

I think it’s a bit of a shame to be honest, but I understand the need for it. I’m very much a traditionalist when it comes to football, and I love Loftus Road because it is a traditional ground where you are literally on top of the players, but at the same time, anyone who has been to Loftus Road know where the location is, there’s no chance of redevelopment.

From my own experience, I know how long it takes to even have the first brick laid for a new stadium so it might never come to pass for another 10 years, but it’s exciting times for the hoops fans.

3. The crazy whacky world of football

Barry Fry, the eccentric but passionate, chairmen of Peterborough United, helped deliver the baby of his daughter and ex-Peterborough and now Brighton striker Craig Mackail-Smith.

The mind boggles how the crazy man of football kept his cool in the situation but I’m glad everything turned out ok for all concerned.

Non-league Merthyr Tydfil this week created some headlines by renaming their ground with a new sponsor. Nothing new in that I hear you say, until you realise the new sponsors are e-cigarettes and they have renamed their stadium Cigg-E.

In my opinion cigarettes have no place in football, electronic or otherwise, but at the same time, anyone who has followed Merthyr’s financial problems over the years know they were desperate for money, so perhaps moral’s on this occasion can go flying out of the window.

4. Anelka Does An Anelka

In some more strange news from the life and times of Nicholas Anelka, he is supposedly close to retiring from the game of football, after one game with West Brom, after the sad passing of his long term agent.

Right, I know I have to be delicate here as the passing of anyone is a sad occasion, and I want to state straight away that there is no disrespect meant in anyway, but Anelka needs to grow up. I can imagine it came as a huge shock and I completely understand the need to take time off to mourn and get yourself mentally right to continue your career, but to walk out of training and tell your new club that you are done is just childish.

In contrast, Jonathan Woodgate’s father passed away and he was back playing for his club the next day. I know people grieve in different ways, but Anelka has shown his lack of maturity once again.

5. Incredible Result, Incredible Day

Did you think I would write my top 5 stories of the week without mentioning my result of the week?! “Little Cardiff City” beat the mighty Manchester City 3-2 in for me was the greatest footballing moment of my life. I know it’s not a huge moment to the football community, but I hope you will understand why it’s a huge moment for me.

I turned up at the ground yesterday and would have been happy with only a 2-0 loss, seriously. It’s not that I didn’t have faith in my club, but I didn’t think we were quite up to Premier League pace. As soon as the game started I was star struck, looking at the likes of Silva, Aguero, Toure playing on the field in front of me.

I can’t even begin to put into words the emotions that went through me as we first went 1-0 down, and then came back with a triple punch to make it 3-1. I can only say, in 25 years of watching football, I have never ever felt so much elation and euphoria. When I’m 70 I know this will a day that sticks out in my mind, and I’ll be boring the hell out of my grand children.

I know one of the complaints that has been levelled is that all the stats pointed towards Manchester City domination, I would say to them, not all the stats pointed towards a Manchester City win…..the most important stat of all was in Cardiff’s favour.

Other results in the Premier league over the weekend saw wins for Arsenal, Spurs , Hull, Stoke and Liverpool. Tonight also sees the first titanic battle in the Premier League this year when Manchester United take on Chelsea.

By @haydngleed