I know they've been around for a while now and I may be saying this for selfish - i.e. relatively wealthy Derby based - reasons but I really miss the days when managers could see how things were going for a month or two and then make adjustments/signings accordingly.
Two of my all time favourite signings - Dean Saunders and Stimac - both fell into this category. Back in the late eighties Arthur Cox needed a goal scorer and Deano was acquired, with a little help from manipulative Maxwell, to transform the side - around October time I think - in much the same way as Jim Smith's signing of Stimac would do when we needed a leader and talisman a few years later.
That 'leader' is exactly what we are lacking now and I'd be so much more optimistic if I didn't think we'd got to wait at least another three and a half months to stand any chance of getting one.
I'm sure there must be advantages with the 'windows' system but for me it concentrates all the transfer 'excitement' into two periods of just a few weeks and must be frustrating for managers who want to ship certain individuals out in order to afford the injection of a bit of 'new blood' into the side.
We all suspect that there are individuals who Pearson would be happy to move on but really he is powerless now, as far as these very well paid under achievers are concerned, until January at the earliest. Seems to me to have removed much of the skill of management along with the excitement that all slightly older fans will remember at the prospect of those mid season signings. Thoughts anyone?