To quote the late, great Hunter S. Thompson, "I am a football addict, and I am not alone in this country. We are legion, and we must have football". The gonzo journalist may have been talking about the game otherwise known as “gridiron” but SPL fans know exactly how he felt.
For those of us who love the off-field soap opera as much as we love the beautiful game, the opening of the transfer window is a perfect way to feed the addiction.
With the next round of cattle-trading on the horizon, the die hard football fan has a chance to look beyond Christmas, when the real bargains can be found in the January sales. With this being the first full transfer window that Mark McGhee has had to alter his squad, Aberdeen fans are keenly expecting new arrivals.
When McGhee arrived in the summer, he had to make quick additions to a threadbare squad left limited by the departures of Scott Severin, Jamie Smith and Lee Mair. The signing of Jerel Ifil has proved prudent, and Maurice Ross was a welcome reinforcement, but we were promised that the next signings he made would show his ambitions. If reports on transfer targets are to be believed, the ambitions might well be satisfyingly high.
This week we have been linked with US international Stuart Holden, who was actually born in our fair city. The chance to sign a hometown hero (albeit with a new adopted country) with an international pedigree (two goals and three assists in 12 games for the USA) is exactly what the McGhee Revolution needs to help win back fans to Pittodrie.
Holden currently plays for Houston Dynamo, and was selected for the MLS All-Star Team this season. Considering the success of Andy Dorman in the SPL, a signing of this standard would instantly improve the team, a clear indication of McGhee's transfer philosophy.
Plymouth's Steven MacLean was a transfer target in the summer, and his name has again been linked to Pittodrie. MacLean has lost his way somewhat after his half-million pound move to Home Park. However, his record at Sheffield Wednesday (35 goals in 65 starts) and Scunthorpe (25 goals in 46 starts) shows that he is more than capable of delivering the goals we are so short of at the moment.
He may eventually be aiming to get on the end of deliveries from Motherwell's Jim O'Brien, who could yet move from Motherwell next summer. Whether we should have made this knowledge public or not (or we ever intended to do so) is open to some debate, but there can be no question he would make a good addition to the squad.
With the news that Peter Pawlett has signed a new four year contract, Scotland Under-16 captain Jack Grimmer has signed a professional deal, and Fraser Fyvie and Michael Paton have been offered new contracts, it looks as if McGhee will be a lot closer to "his" team in January, with further (although probably not final) tweaks to follow in the summer.
With the visit of our favourite team in blue this weekend, there are reasons to be cheerful, and hope we can continue Rangers' three year long wait for a win at the hallowed ground.
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