Fans of SPL clubs have now assessed their squads after the dealings of the January transfer window.

In January we asked fans what they hoped for from the window, now we see if their teams delivered. Inverness Caledonian Thistle supporter Ross Paterson discusses his team's business.

How do you think your club did in the January window? Was there one standout piece of business that your team made during the window?

Our deadline day transfer traffic was much like the uneventful Highland commute Terry Butcher makes each day to Inverness; helped by much of our transfer business being conducted earlier than usual.

We recruited Claude Gnakpa, Sam Winnall and Steve Williams on short term deals from the English leagues and each have now made their SPL bow. Williams has taken over the composed defender role that the now injured Roman Golobart once filled, as demonstrated in a comfortable performance against St Mirren. In the 26 minutes Gnakpa played in the same match we saw glimpses of strength and skill as he glided past defenders with ease, accuracy when rattling the inside of the post and flamboyance as he attempted what must now be known as a ‘Garry O’Connor” in the SPL. He looks an exciting signing who along with Gregory Tade will confuse opposition defences and ICT supporters in equal measures.

Our final signing, Winnall, also showed some good touches in his short debut but was deployed too deep to demonstrate the clinical finishing suggested by his previous loan spells. Out of the 3 additions, I’d suggest Williams being the standout signing due to the need for defenders in our injury prone squad.

It has also been noted that in previous seasons we tend to make one player sale in winter to help balance the books; as demonstrated in the past with departures of Dougie Imrie and John Rankin. On this occasion, battling midfielder Lee Cox was a surprise target of Paulo di Canio’s Swindon Town signing for a fee believed to be in the region of £50,000. A committed player, who unfortunately has struggled with injuries and would have struggled to fit into our busy midfield leaves with the fans’ best wishes.

Is there one player that you are pleased that your team managed to keep hold of during January?

At the start of the window I highlighted Hayes as the man we must keep and I’m delighted to see him stay for the remainder of the season. Whether or not he’ll extend his stay in the Highlands beyond the summer remains to be seen, but at least we are guaranteed another few months of magic. I’m also delighted to see club captain Richie Foran sign a new 2 year deal and hopefully the likes of Esson, Gillet and Tansey follow suit. If we manage to get the spine of our team signed up before the summer, we’ll hopefully go into next season with a more settled team capable of getting points on the board quicker than this season.

Which team, other than your own, looks stronger after the January window? Any that anyone else made that you'd have fancied?

Hibs are the obvious shout here, with Pat Fenlon being backed in the transfer market by the much-maligned Rod Petrie. Signing a former Old Firm target, several EPL and Championship players and someone who claims to be Gambia’s answer to Roberto Carlos should keep them above the relegation place come May if they can gel quickly. St Johnstone have also done well in keeping hold of their star players and bringing in players with encouraging reputations.

Out of all the SPL transfers it is increasingly apparent Motherwell’s Henrik Ojamaa has been the inspired signing of the window and every SPL club will be jealous of their coup. It’s too early to know if many of the other SPL signings will make as noteworthy an impact as Henrik but I would have liked ICT to consider recruiting players like Gavin Rae, James Keatings and James McPake.

Has the business that your team has done changed your expectations for the season?

A few weeks into the season I feared the worst... with disjointed, insipid team performances suggesting the loss of Munro, Duncan and Rooney would cost us dearly. A few months later, I felt the same. It was only after the ugly, ground out win against Aberdeen prior to Christmas that we finally started to show a team spirit. Players were fighting for each other and there was a greater level of communication in our multi-national team. We haven’t looked back in 2012 where we are unbeaten in the SPL and are much harder to break down, despite the continued injury problems.

It is important to also concede that we have had a considerable rub of the green during these games; in particular when ICTFC Player of the Season candidate and Dunfermline goalkeeper Chris Smith has appeared. It’s too early to tell whether these new signings will propel us up into the top 6, but I’m much more positive introducing them into the more settled team we have currently.

Do you think the business your team did during the window will help or hinder crowds at your home games?

Unfortunately there are very few attainable players out there that would increase our home attendances and match atmosphere. A combination of factors has led to a decrease in attendance, with high ticket pricing, tighter family budgets, boredom of facing the same teams, hypothermia inducing weather and volume of televised matches all being blamed. This is a similar story at many other clubs in the SPL and I imagine there will not be any increase until we see more value for money in the product on offer to fans. An admiring glance to the German leagues has already been made with the introduction of legislation to allow safe standing areas, but in order to progress we still need to drop the self-preservation attitudes and unfair wealth distribution that plagues our league.

A more realistic option of dropping ticket prices in favour of higher attendances would be a significant step forward, but perhaps the re-introduction of relegation playoffs or the frequently discussed restructuring of the season to one that takes place during the summer would also bring fans back through the turnstiles? I’d even welcome the return of the celebrated Tennent’s 6’s to relieve the monotony of the SPL just now!

You can follow Ross on twitter here.