Transfer Deadline Day. Agony, Ecstasy... and Anti-climax

Today was transfer deadline day. A day that could have been invented by (and for) rolling sports news channels. It is incredible how much outlandish speculation is spread on transfer deadline day and how it so often arrives, and departs with little more than a damp squib (unless you were a Man City fan a couple of seasons ago!)

Speculation had linked my team, Sunderland, to virtually every player in the country. In the end, we managed to sign one player - in a loan move! A feeling of anti climax that quite a few fans around the country might be sharing now.

At the same time, the message boards; special sections from the BBC, Sky and Sporting Life were going into speculation overdrive. Sky Sports News treat today as a mammoth news event.

I'm not convinced that there is any need for the transfer window. But it certainly adds some excitement, speculation and intrigue to the first day of February. Now the rumour mill gets working again in preparation for the Summer...