Well, I may not personally be walking backwards for Christmas but it certainly feels like Derby County is. Yet again at the close of a transfer window it seems our better players are moving out and being replaced by unknowns or others who are unproven at Championship level.
It's not only that - it's the way anything perceivable as bad news is hidden or minimized by the club while we're bombarded with 'good news' about the latest commercial partnerships, look at the club's terse statement about the Hulse transfer for instance. The official website could teach the Chinese or North Koreans a thing or two about spin.
Anyway, back to the football (of which there seems to be precious little on the official website - oops, there I go again). We fans were looking for a signing that indicated that the club is trying to move forward - not necessarily a big money signing but a respected player bought in to fill a position of known weakness (you can fill the blanks with your own favourites).
Instead, we sell our most valuable asset (not in itself a bad deal) but we're left wondering who will fill the void.
As a fan of Spanish football, I was delighted when we signed Inigo Idiakez even though he was an unknown quantity to most Rams fans. I sincerely hope Alberto Bueno will be as big a success. Nevertheless, his signing is a gamble and we seem to be more and more gambling that any new signings can make the step up rather than bringing in players already established at this level. To compound matters, Bueno is another loanee.
Many fans think we rely too much on the loan system and I'd be one of them. We all know what the advantages of the system are but you can't build a team round loanees. It would be nice for once, to see the club spend some real cash and bring someone in, as much as a sign of the club' commitment as anything else. Alas, it seems not to be and we're left hoping that this can be put right in the next window in January.
Whether Nigel Clough's purse strings are kept tight by GSE or whether it's Clough himself who has an aversion to spending money is unclear. The perception of many fans though is that the club is going backwards and not only over the transfer policy.
Managers, players and backroom staff have come and gone over the years but the playing staff is still plagued by injuries. Some injuries are obviously attributable elsewhere but it makes me wonder if there isn't some characteristic of the much vaunted Moor Farm facilities that's causing these niggles.
Well, the emergency loan window opens next weeks so I dare say we'll be making full use of it. I really hope I'm wrong about the direction the club's going but I know I feel the same way as many others. I know there are positive signs, but the overall perception is one of negativity.
Let's hope I'm proved wrong.