"I am not a number, I'm a free man," bellowed the Prisoner. Greedy sod, he should have been grateful, because Coventry City striker Paul Williams is remembered in the tomes of football folly by just a solitary letter. Yes, one blessed letter.

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BULLSH*T BAROMETER ON THE RISE...
WEDNESDAY 9th APRIL 2008

It's that time of year again. While the footy season is reaching its climax, the lesser hacks on the tabloid production line are scrabbling around for a story here and there.

With players strictly banned from talking to the press about anything other than the previous or forthcoming match, and orders from the club bosses that, given the crucial time of the season, social lives must be made shorter than a Strangeways inmate, there's only one thing for a nervous journo to do ..

MAKE STUFF UP!

So armed with the phrases 'allegedly', 'rumoured' and 'sources close to the club' for buoyancy aids, a clutch of writers have dived full-length into the pool of transfer market tripe this morning.


The Sun have become a charicature of themselves in this regard over the years, and this morning claim that West Ham are lining up an £18million bid for Argentinian striker Mauro Zarate. Well if he's that good, what's he doing at Birmingham?

The Mirror go large on Florent Sinama-Pongo (remember him) now supposedly being worth over £7million, while Wolves skipper Karl Henry is 'winging' his way to Austria's Red Bull Salzberg.
Of course he is.

But you know things have really got bad when football managers start believing the hype themselves (a trend started by Peter Taylor's purchase of Adeola Akinbiyi all those moons ago). Wigan boss Steve Bruce seems to have been afflicted with the same deadly strain as he comments this morning, "When I heard about this supposed £5million interest in [Antonio] Valencia I laughed."

Yes, Steve, I think we all did, but not for the same reason as you ..


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