Window of opportunity

The transfer window is all but closed - Premier League extensions for meteorological purposes notwithstanding - and aside from letting a youth player go out on loan, no more deals have been done by the Tigers.

Phil Brown had promised a deal designed to "blow [y]our socks off" but it would appear that everyone's feet remain warm and covered after a final day of action which has barely seen Hull City involved in the bluff speculation, let alone any of the deals which have actually been brokered.

City were linked with veteran Italian defender Christian Panucci, but that fell by the wayside around lunchtime. Rumours began, excitedly, around Eidur Gudjohnsen's possible return to English football from Barcelona, but the herring was decidedly red. Lastly, as Tottenham sorted out the reclamation of Robbie Keane, word spread that Darren Bent or, more romantically, Fraizer Campbell, would be permitted to join us for the rest of the season. Nothing came from this either. Campbell would have needed special dispensation to play for us anyway, having already featured in the Premier League for two teams this season.

However, our socks have already been forcibly extricated from our feet copiously this season, beginning with the summer activity which saw high quality names like George Boateng, Bernard Mendy and Geovanni turn up at the KC. At this time four seasons ago we were enjoying, without any sense of what would be forthcoming, the triple signing of strikers Aaron Wilbraham, Jon Walters and Delroy Facey, all of whom were welcomed warmly and failed immeasurably, each being allowed to leave precisely one year later. Three seasons ago it was Keith Andrews, Danny Coles and Mark Lynch, more players who ultimately achieved nothing at the KC in an upwardly mobile side. Maybe, looking at the business of the summer just gone, our main transfer objective was achieved there and then, as the majority of Phil Brown's investments have been successful.

Since the season began, we've also signed Daniel Cousin, Kamil Zayatte, Kevin Kilbane and, of course, Jimmy Bullard. As we danced in celebration of such an amazing purchase, maybe we didn't appreciate the shrewdness of the Bullard deal in its actual timing, given that had we waited until deadline day the number of clubs suddenly looking for reinforcements and some last-minute business may have hijacked the plan. Brown bought Bullard quickly, off-peak and on the quiet, before anyone else noticed what was going on. Bullard's injury, irrespective of its seriousness, is unfortunate, but he's ours and that's what matters.

No doubt there will be plenty of City fans who wish we could have added to our squad today. Certainly another centre back to compensate for Anthony Gardner's incessant injury troubles and Zayatte's once-a-game moments of dementia might have been advantageous, hence the admission that Panucci was on the radar, but the squad looks strong enough to regain the momentum of the autumn. I'd still rather be Hull City than most of the clubs beneath us when I look at the squad available for selection, the goodwill around the community and the fixtures still to play.