Shelfie Talk

from Affinity Luxury Lifestyle Magazine September 2022

Technicolour Dreams

Fry’sFootieCorner

I am writing these notes a couple of days ahead of the transfer deadline and it makes me chuckle every year that teams up and down the country leave it until the last possible moment to finalise their squads, particularly when you consider they have had all summer to get things done.

I was convinced that coming out of the pandemic, there would not be as much money awash in the game – how wrong was I! In the Premier League, clubs are signing players left, right and centre, from Manchester United to Nottingham Forest.

United, out of all the teams, probably needed to plenty of business, but rather than the areas of the pitch where they needed players, they have continued to bring in attacking players including Antony from Ajax for nearly £100m. I get that the manager knows him well, but I hope he is more of a success than some of the players that the club have signed in the past!

Nottingham Forest have brought in nearly 20 new players after winning promotion to the Premier League and while they needed to recruit after losing a number of their loan players, they have literally purchased a whole new squad. However, I am pleased to see Steve Cooper getting the backing as he worked wonders even getting them into the division last term.

Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal have all made notable signings, while others, most notably Leeds United, look a little light. That splurge of cash at the highest level is also being reflected lower down in the Championship and even in League One with Sheffield Wednesday recruiting well in our division.

I remember back when I was a manager, getting deals done at the last minute was a stressful experience and as a Director of Football, it doesn’t get any easier! Agents want more and more money, clubs are more reluctant to let players go and it is getting harder and harder for me to bang that gavel and say ‘sold to the fat b*****d in the blue blazer’.

However, whether we sign players or let players go, I believe at Peterborough United we have one of the best managers at this level. He has enjoyed tremendous success with promotion from League One to the Championship as title winners with Hull City and I have every confidence he can help us get to where we want to get too.

He has a good support network around him and that is very important. Having the right staff is just as important, if not more important, than having the right players. His assistant Cliff Byrne is top notch, first team coach Dale Tonge is a great coach too and when you add in Mark Tyler as GK coach, I think we have a great behind the scenes team.

Hopefully that will translate to results on the pitch. Whoever you support, I hope that you get the players in that you want and maybe the players out you want out too. Enjoy your football regardless!

Barry

SMARTER THAN A SWEATER

Introducing the transitional wardrobe classic; the zip neck jumper. Smarter than a sweater but less formal than a crew neck, the zip neck jumper is the perfect piece for pairing with denim jeans and trainers for the ultimate smart casual everyday look.