Normally when managers whinge and moan about something, they are either making excuses for their own mistakes or trying to cover themselves for their future failures.

Last week it was Everton boss Roberto Martinez’s turn to complain, in his case about how unfair the current transfer window system is. His argument is that clubs shouldn’t be able to take players from their rivals once the season is under way.

And I have to say he is 100 per cent right because whichever way you look at it, it is not a very sensible set-up. He wasn’t complaining purely out of self-interest, although there is a hint of that, but because the current rules are simply unjust.

Martinez’s anger stems from the fact he is still likely to lose his star defender John Stones to Chelsea over the next couple of weeks. The London club had two bids turned down by their Merseyside rivals pre-season but are now likely to make Everton an offer they can’t refuse.

There are two major problems with this dealing that goes on during the season proper. Firstly the players involved in these deals will find it hard to focus on the job in hand. Stones is only 21, and the knowledge that the English champions are fighting to sign him will undoubtedly have an effect on his concentration and performances.

The second part of this problem is that if and when the Stones transfer does go through, the chances are Everton will be left with little time to fill the gaping hole at the heart of their defence.

Yes of course, they could be, and probably are, planning for Stones’ departure by looking at potential replacements from other clubs right now. But that will mean bringing in someone who hasn’t had a pre-season with his team-mates and thrusting him into the action.

Plus, of course, it will mean that Everton are, in turn, unsettling another player at another club who will have his own problems focussing on the ongoing season. The whole thing is incredibly messy.

Ideally we would have a situation where the transfer window shuts entirely once the league starts and teams must work with what they have until January. It’s not as if 10 weeks is not long enough to build a squad.

Ideally the transfer window shuts entirely once the league starts. Failing that, how about closing domestic transfers?

Failing that, then how about closing domestic transfers – in other words, those between two clubs in England – when the season starts. Chelsea would still be able to go out and buy themselves a shiny new defender up to the end of August, just not from a team in their own league.

I’m fairly sure that wouldn’t be a logistical impossibility to implement and, in fact, I don’t see any obvious reason why it couldn’t be introduced across the whole of European football.

Martinez may have been thinking mostly about himself and his own team when he made his complaints. But I am sure he was speaking for the silent majority of managers who are fed up with having to wheel and deal when they should be focussing on getting their teams to play football.

Whatever the solution is, whether it is the one I came up with now or something much more complicated to keep the Uefa lawyers happy, the reality is something needs to change to ensure fairness in football.

Let’s see if it ever does.

Marathon, not a sprint

I would just like to take this opportunity to remind you that the football season is a marathon, not a sprint.

Just hours after I predicted they would win the league title, Arsenal conspired to lose at home to West Ham United, a team I suggested would struggle this season.

This led to an inevitable deluge of mocking messages from readers, all happy to rub my face in it. (I’ve printed a few of the more acceptable ones below).

Yet I saw nothing over the weekend to suggest my predictions still don’t stand a decent chance of being right. Arsenal were poor on Sunday, very poor. And the fact that Petr Cech was partly responsible for their defeat was an added twist considering how many people (not me) have insisted he is worth ‘x’ amount of points to Arsenal.

But there was nothing about Arsenal’s performance that can’t be rectified with a little bit of tinkering. The squad is there, the pre-season performances have been steady and this may very well have been a case of expectations and pressure getting the better of them. And that sort of psychological barrier can easily be overcome with victory today at Crystal Palace.

Equally, in terms of my predictions, I didn’t see anything from any of the other challengers to make me sit up and take notice. Manchester United were distinctly average and posed little threat going forward, Chelsea were very shaky and frequently outplayed by Swansea while Manchester City clinically won a game they were very much expected to win.

I would rather Arsenal had started with a 6-0 win and all the others lost. But I am standing resolute on my predictions at this stage – I still see Arsenal as this year’s champions.

Your say

“Arsenal to win the league? Are you on drugs or something? I agree that Chelsea will struggle to retain their title for a second season in a row. This is because their team has not really improved while many of the others around them have added new and better players.

“However, it will be Manchester City who take the crown from Mourinho and not Arsenal. City were unlucky in many games last season, and unlike Arsenal and Chelsea they have strengthened their team substantially with players like Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph.

“I am not a City fan, so this is not biased. I am a Liverpool fan, actually. But Arsenal will not win the title until Wenger realises he needs to buy several top class players in order to compete properly.” J. Ciantar, e-mail.

“This is your Arsenal as champions material… beaten by a team who were almost eliminated in the Europa league by a team whose “best player is overweight”. It’s still early but do not despair... you can always call up Big Sam for some consolation. Thanks and keep it up as you make such a good read.” Mario Balzan, e-mail.

“I remember the last time you predicted Arsenal would win the league. That didn’t end well either.

“I am a Gunners fan and I had hoped, secretly it has to be said, that this might actually be our year. Unfortunately the defeat to West Ham proved that the team is not yet ready.

“There is still time in this transfer window for Wenger to bring in the couple of players we need to make a real challenge, but I think we all know he won’t do that for one reason or the other, which is very frustrating. It is now only his stubbornness that is holding us back.” A. Sheridan, e-mail.

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com
Twitter: @maltablade