Talking a look around and admiring the scenery.
As the week ends so the transfer window closes. On Monday morning it doesn’t look particularly hopeful that we’ll be getting what we need, although Kosta Nedeljikovićn is going to Leipzig for the rest of the season and very likely for good. Then as the night draws in the lights are still on at Villa Park, or Bodymoor, or wherever such things take place.
While you’re digesting your tea we announce Marco Asensio on loan from PSG. He’s a winger or attacking midfielder, he won three Champions Leagues with Real Madrid and he’s a Spanish international. This is most unVillalike.
By the time the window closes we’ve signed a deal sheet with Chelsea for the on-off-on-off-on again loan of Axel Disasi, who plays in a couple of defensive positions where we need a player. On Tuesday morning comes confirmation that we’ve done the deal and there’s also a story that we’ve signed 18 year-old Turkish international defender Yasin Ozcan from Kasimpasa although the club haven’t said anything official yet. All in all, it’s not been a bad January.
Because they’re in a cup final we’re now playing Liverpool a month early, which is novel. If nothing else it gets it out of the way.
And after that we’ve got the usual post-window lull so the press have to make a few things up to fill space. Ollie Watkins is definitely definitely going to Arsenal in the summer and so is Jacob Ramsey. The rest of the squad are off to Liverpool, or Real Madrid.
Off the pitch plans are unveiled for Vila Park to host the biggest heavy metal gig ever, featuring the absolutely, definitely, cross your heart and hope to die, last-ever Sabbath set and a load of other long-haired hooligans.
But of course all this is irrelevant because soon we’ll be swept aside in the tidal wave created by the monolith, the unstoppable sporting juggernaut, that is the dreams, hopes, ambitions and definite plans of Birmingham City Football Club. They’re building a tunnel from Up Town to their new 60,000 Pie in the Skydome and it’ll cost £20 million. Maybe someone should have a word about what they’ll get for that sort of money.
Then Sunday comes round and with it the FA Cup fourth round. You know how seriously Unai’s taking it from the first name announced and when that was the world’s number one there was only going to be one winner. It took a matter of seconds for Morgan Rogers to set up Ramsey although the assist should have gone to the Sours keeper. From then on it was a vintage performance, with the only disappointment a bit of poor/unlucky finishing when we should have won by five or six. Ezri Konsa got injured but that was more predictable than disappointing.
As it was we only got another goal, Leon Bailey and Donyell Malen doing well to set it up for Rogers. Marcus Rashford came on and looked good, Asensio came on at the same time and looked sensational. We let in a daft goal at the end because we have to although with a patched-up defence it was almost forgivable.
