January Transfers: The good and the bad

By Pulasta Dhar

Nemanja Vidic is one of the successful January signings of the English Premier League. Getty Images

When the season starts, everyone is on an even footing.

After a couple of gameweeks, some clubs surprisingly find themselves at the top of the table, with fans hoping for the fairytale to continue.

Probably 10 matches into the league, you may find Newcastle United fighting for a Champions League place, breaking defensive records on the way.

But by the 1st of January, every club knows where their season is heading….and more importantly, whether they need re-enforcements.

And in order to pump up their squads, sometimes because the team really needs a player and sometimes because the club’s owner has an unrealistic ambition, they dip their beaks into what we know as the Transfer Window.

The summer break is well known for protracted sagas ala Cesc Fabregas which either work or do not, but the winter market was introduced only in 2002-03, as an ideal opportunity for teams to make some wild decisions- which either end up as a business deal of genius proportions or end up in the club’s history as one of the greatest flops.

Here are some of the best and worst signings of the January Transfer Window-

THE TEN BEST WINTER DEALS-

Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra (₤12.5 combined): Sir Alex Ferguson does not really buy a lot of players in the January market unless he really needs them. Availability is also an issue with Manchester United not known to chase unless they are absolutely sure of a player. But with Chelsea winning titles under Mourinho, Fergie decided to shore up his defence with the double purchase of the relatively unknown Vidic (₤7 million from Spartak Moscow) and attacking midfielder Evra (₤5.5 million from Monaco), who was transformed into a wing-back.

Today, both players wear the armband on a regular basis.

Luis Suarez from Ajax to Liverpool (₤22.8 million): He was already a scoring sensation for Ajax, where he racked up 111 goals in 159 appearances and following Fernando Torres’ sale, Liverpool couldn’t have signed a better player. In his first season currently, he has scored 12 times in 33 appearances and has 11 assists to his name.

Javier Mascherano from West Ham to Liverpool (₤18.6 million): In one of the most complicated transfers which involved West Ham, Corinthians and Mascherano’s third party owners, Liverpool finally got their hands on one of the most highly rated defensive midfielders of South America. He rightfully became a fans’ favourite, winning Man-of-the-match awards in the big games and also when Liverpool lost to AC Milan in the Champions League final. He now plays for Barcelona.

Brede Hangeland from FC Copenhagen to Fulham (undisclosed): Roy Hodgson made the move for him in spite of the tall Norwegian being linked to bigger clubs. The Fulham manager had been in charge of him even at FC Copenhagen. He is now captain of the team and links to bigger clubs have not stopped.

Nicolas Anelka from Bolton Wanderers to Chelsea (₤15 million): Much has been said about him in the recent past and he surely features in any transfer feature a football writer may think of. His move to Chelsea was hugely successful as he partnered Didier Drogba up front, often cutting in from either flank and helping Chelsea’s many managers with his versatility. He just completed a transfer to Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua.

Theo Walcott from Southampton to Arsenal (₤9 million): Bought as a youngster touted as the brightest prospects in English football at that time. The winger/forward has gone on to make 131 appearances for the Gunners, and all at the age of just 22. Still a lot more from him to come.

Daniel Agger from Brondby to Liverpool (₤6 million): When he was bought, he was the most expensive defender that Liverpool brought in. After a tipsy-turvy start to his career, which was also marred by injuries, he is now regarded as one of the finest centre-backs in the EPL. He has a lethal left-foot and can score from distance too.

Emanuel Adebayor from Monaco to Arsenal (₤7 million): Say what you may about him, but Adebayor is surely a world-class striker and has delivered at all stages. He did come under fire from Arsenal fans at the end of his stint, but he scored tons of goals for them. It is sad his time at Manchester City has been uneventful, but loan moves to Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspurs have seen him continue hitting the back of the net.

Clint Dempsey from New England Revolution to Fulham (₤2 million): Probably one of the most consistent attacking midfielders in the EPL, Clint Dempsey’s current form overshadows even that of Frank Lampard. He has been deployed as striker and winger and has not failed with his eye for a pass, presence in the box and a fine shot. Quality player and very committed to his club.

Gary Cahill from Aston Villa to Bolton Wanderers (₤5 million): He might well feature in next year’s list with a Chelsea move on the cards in the New Year. His time at Bolton has seen him transform into a world-class defender who is now first choice even in the English set-up.

THE TEN WORST WINTER DEALS-

Fernando Torres from Liverpool to Chelsea (₤50 million): Was there any doubt about this? An unbelievable striker who was on fire at Liverpool before an injury made him a sulking, mood strutting Red, the player had a goal-less World Cup and Chelsea bought him in a desperate bid to win the Champions League. Turned out to be a sad move as they were knocked out by Manchester United from Europe and he has thus far scored only five goals in 37 appearances.

Fulham's Clint Dempsey is in fine form this season. Reuters

Eric Djemba-Djemba from Nantes to Manchester United (₤3.5 million): Probably Sir Alex’s worst signing in 26 years at United, it is also reported that he once joked, “He was so good he was named twice.” Shipped off after two years to Aston Villa, and they shipped him off in a short while too. And to think of him being the man bought to replace Roy Keane.

Franco Di-Santo from Audax Italiano to Chelsea (undisclosed): His appearances for Chelsea were highly anticipated, but it turned out that he was highly ordinary. With his 6 foot 4 inch frame, he was physically ready for the Premier League but never got a chance to impress. He cannot use that as a defence though, as he had a lot of opportunity at Blackburn, where he was equally…let’s say, bad.

Jean-Alain Boumsong from Rangers to Newcastle United (₤8 million): If you have Titus Bramble and Boumsong as your first-choice defenders, then you are doomed. Newcastle came upon exactly that idea and they did eventually get relegated in the future. He now plays at Panathinaikos after a stint at Juventus. Surprising.

Wayne Bridge from Chelsea to Manchester City (₤10 million): Ashley Cole’s arrival at Chelsea meant Bridge had to take a backseat and he was not ready to do that. A move to City followed and it turned out to be a nightmare, especially after he snubbed a handshake from England captain John Terry when they two clubs met (Terry apparently had an affair with Bridge’s girlfriend). Since then, he has been farmed out to West Ham on loan.

Andy Carroll from Newcastle United to Liverpool (₤35 million): Too much money for a player who had scored a handful of goals for the Magpies, this was Liverpool’s version of a desperate buy. Still a bit unfair to have him in this list, but five goals in 28 appearances is not a good return for 35 mill.

Afonso Alves from Herenveen to Middlesbrough (₤12.7 million): Averaged more than a goal a game for Herenveen (47 goals in 39 games), and scored 10 goals in 42 appearances in England, getting his team relegated in the process. Enough said.

Scott Parker from Charlton to Chelsea (₤10 million): Do not get this wrong, he is currently the best holding midfielder in England, but his move to Chelsea simply didn’t work out. He managed just 15 appearances and that was all.

Fernando Morientes from Real Madrid to Liverpool (undisclosed): He was top quality in Spain with the Los Meringues, but England was another cup of tea. Managed a lot of starts in his only season for Liverpool, but scored only eight goals. Result? Sold immediately.

Luis Saha from Fulham to Manchester United (₤12.8 million): Had a good first season with United, but spent a lot of time with Owen Hargreaves on the injury table. After that, he was never the same. Has shown glimpses of quality with Everton at times.

Albert Riera from Espanyol to Liverpool (₤8 million): Another Liverpool misfit and it did not go down well with the fans after they decided to give him the no.11 shirt. Very skillful in his 40 appearances, but that is as good as it got.

With the transfer window opening in a few days, this list is sure to grow.

Donna Feldman

Anna Stops Fast, Mumbai Blamed

NGO India Against Corruption's estimates of hosting 50,000 people on Day One of Anna's fast at MMRDA ground seemed over the top, after not more than 5,000 showed up

He came. He saw. And by what he saw, it was apparent he hadn't conquered. Not on Day One at least.

In the days prior to the Anna Hazare's fast, extensive media coverage set the tone to give the impression that the activist would take the city "by storm". But if there is any truth in numbers, a rumbling was all that the inaugural day of Hazare's 3-day protest fast saw.


Wait and watch: Team Anna's supporters are expecting the crowds to
swell on the last day of the protest at the MMRDA ground in Bandra-Kurla
Complex. PIC/Sayed Sameer Abedi

While Team Anna expected a crowd of about 50,000 to be present at MMRDA ground, BKC on day one, there was not more than one tenth of that number on the grounds. At any given point, there were no more than 4,000-5,000 people throughout the day.

Did Mumbai disappoint Team Anna? The India Against Corruption (IAC) members claim they had nearly 16,000 people yesterday. One of the NGO's spokespersons said, "It's the heat that has kept the people away. We are sure people would come back."

At 4 pm, the NGO said they had nearly 16,000 people registered who promised their support and presence, but not even half that number was present at the ground.

Why they left
What kept the anti-corruption champion's supporters away? "I had come to mark my attendance and after it was done, I decided to leave," said Babli Mohite, who had bunked office to attend the rally and left by 4.30 pm.

A group of youngsters who had come to participate in the agitation left around the same time, citing work. Another attendee, Bhavesh, said, "I was here for some time, then I got some urgent work and had to leave."

Unforeseen circumstances, emergency, urgent work, prior engagement -- the response from followers beating a retreat from the ground had the same undertone when they were posed the question.
Some got impatient when asked if they would come back the next day. A woman who didn't give her name said with knitted brows, "I came to have a look and the moment I did that I decided to leave," she said.

Rekha Udar spent a few hours on the ground with her husband but decided to leave by evening. Asked whether she was coming again the next day, she said, "I was here for the first day, we haven't yet decided about coming tomorrow."

A TV journalist said that in the morning she had zeroed in on some potential interviewees for her show in the evening. But by then, none of the chosen candidates were seen at the venue.

Expect more on Day 3
But IAC members are hopeful that people would show up in huge numbers on the last day. Anjali Damani, one of the IAC coordinators, said, "In the evening, the crowd has grown in size. There are nearly 15,000-16,000 people at the ground now. We are sure there will be a heavy turnout on the last day of the protest as the movement will gain momentum."

One of the protestors, on her way out, summed it for her fellow citizens. "We Mumbaikars cannot afford to spend the entire day at the ground. It is far away for most of us, and it takes a long while to return home. We will have to leave early if we are to get a spot on the crowded trains back."

Told you so
Munna Tripathi, who has dragged Anna Hazare to court claiming that his agitation is unconstitutional, said, "This shows the lack of the common man's trust in Anna's agitation. Many have realised that he isn't fighting for a cause. That is why Mumbaikars aren't turning up."

Every 60 Seconds: Apple Sells 925 iPhones, 2 Million People Watch Online Porn, More

By Zach Epstein

Apple sold 925 iPhone 4S handsets each minute during the device’s debut weekend, and it sells 81 iPads every 60 seconds on average. Research In Motion sells 103 BlackBerry phones, Amazon sells 18 Kindle Fire tablets and Microsoft sells 11 Xbox 360 consoles every minute. More than 700 computers are purchased around the world every 60 seconds, and 232 of them are infected by malware. That malware stat seems surprisingly low, however, when you consider that 2 million people watch online porn every minute. Read on for more.

Website design firm GO-Globe recently spread a variety of technology-related stats out across an infographic and the result helps us put a lot of things in perspective. Beyond the scary amount of Internet porn watched around the world, we can see just how entrenched various consumer electronics and digital goods and services have become in modern life.

Eleven million conversations take place using various instant messaging platforms every 60 seconds, 2,100 people check in using foursquare and 1,100 acres of virtual land are farmed in FarmVille. Thirty-eight tons of e-waste is generated around the world every minute, though we’re not sure if that stat includes all of the virtual land in FarmVille.

Every minute, $219,000 worth of payments are made using PayPal, $10,000 of which is sent from mobile devices. EBay is used to purchase over 950 items each minute and more than 180 of those purchases are made using mobile phones or tablets.

Surprisingly, perhaps, physical media maintains a huge presence in our lives despite the advent of the digital age. Four hundred and fifty Windows 7 discs are sold, 1,400 Redbox DVDs are rented and a staggering 2.6 million CDs containing 1,820 terabytes of data are created each minute. Four thousand USB devices are sold every 60 seconds as well, along with 2,500 ink cartridges.

It’s amazing how much happened every 60 seconds in 2011 and as the year draws to a close, we can’t wait to see what each minute will hold in 2012.

India's Love For The 'Missed Call' Phenomenon

By Rati Chaudhary

Mumbai, Dec 26 : The new phenomenon of missed calls has been gaining popularity. It was used in popular forms of protest during the Anna Hazare movement as well. Stingy or not, we Indians love giving missed calls.

A missed call can be a pre-arranged signal or pre-arranged message to mean something specific like, "I have left the office and headed home," or "could you please bring the car to where you dropped me off?"

There are 900 million mobile phone users in India,but the average revenue per user is only Rs 150 because when it comes to getting the message across, missed call is our first choice. In fact, so profound is our love for missed calls that a Bangalore based company called ZipDial has actually used missed calls to generate business.

ZipDial Chairman Sanjay Swamy said, "Instead of using texts we now make people convey the message by a missed call. Say our client will send you a message asking if you liked their service or not. You can give missed calls on specific numbers to convey a yes or a no."

According to a study from the Learning Initiatives on Reforms for Network Economies a couple of years ago, over half of Indian cellular subscribers made missed calls to convey a message.

Manipur Gets Into Election Mode

By Sobhapati Samom

Imphal, Dec 27 : Election-related activities of political parties in Manipur has begun with the launch of house-to-house poll campaign yesterday.

The State has suddenly gone into election mode after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the poll schedule for Manipur on January 28 next.

Chief Electoral Officer PC Lawmkunga told the media today that Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) will be used in the forthcoming Assembly poll.

So far, more than 98 per cent of the voters have been issued the EPIC, he said and appealed to those who are yet to get the EPIC to submit their photographs within January 5.

The officer also informed that besides the existing State forces, around 325 companies of Central paramilitary forces will be deployed during the ensuing polls.

Street junctions here have been decorated with flags, etc., of the political parties as the aspiring candidates began to open their election booth offices.

The last date for filing nominations is January 11 while the scrutiny and last date of withdrawal of candidatures is January 12 and 14 respectively, as per ECI notification.

With 30 MLAs in the house of 60, Congress is steering Manipur’s Secular Progressive Front Ministry in its second innings with CPI as its lone partner.

Manipur People’s Party President Dr Nimaichand Luwang said the party will release a 10-page brief history of the party today.

Meanwhile, the People’s Campaign for Assembly Election with an objective to hold the political class accountable to the electors will hold a day-long public deliberation on “Towards Public Issue Based Election” at Manipur Press Club hall here on December 26.

A total of 16,77,270 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise at 2,325 polling booths. The counting will be done on March 4.

PTI adds: Unlike in the past, expenditure of candidates for the Manipur Assembly elections would be closely monitored by the IT department, officials said today.

About 55 officials from Directorate of Income Tax would arrive here in the next few days to oversee expenditures and excesses of poll candidates.

The officials would work in groups and shall be deployed at all district headquarters to do their monitoring work.

Chief Election Commissioner S Y Qurashi had directed candidates to open new bank accounts for making all poll- related payments.

Bribe And Rip-Off Barb Over Mizoram Fence

By Kumar Rakesh

National Building Construction Corporation executive director R. L. Mehra.

New Delhi, Dec 26 : A huge chunk of the government's money, which is being poured into the north-eastern states for fencing the Indo-Bangladesh border, is apparently being siphoned off by corrupt officials.

A Mizoram contractor, assigned with fencing a section of the International Border, has accused a top official of the National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) of continuously harassing him for bribe. The contractor quit the project midway after suffering huge losses.

N. Joshua of J. R. Construction on November 23 lodged an FIR against NBCC executive director R. L. Mehra for "cheating and misappropriating funds" amounting to over Rs.5 crore. The FIR was registered in Aizawl under Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by a government official) and 420 (cheating). Investigating officer inspector O. U. Majumdar said Mehra escaped jail after getting interim bail from a local court.

Mizoram shares over 318 km of border with Bangladesh, of which only 68 km has been fenced. To check smuggling and the influx of illegal immigrants, including terrorists, the government has been trying to fence as much area as possible along the border, but the lack of official and public scrutiny in this remote region has resulted in the siphoning off whopping amounts of public money, an official said.

Some NBCC officials have faced corruption charges in the past and this is not the first time that the name of Mehra - the senior-most corporation official in the north-east - has figured in a corruption case. His premises were raided last year by the CBI after his name cropped during a probe into a National Projects Construction Corporation scam related to some works on the Indo-China border. After his questioning, the CBI officials said he had been evading them since. The then joint secretary (border management), Sadakant, was repatriated to his cadre prematurely after his name appeared in the probe, but Mehra continued unscathed.

An NBCC spokesperson claimed that Joshua's complaint was "motivated" since his contract had been foreclosed for failing to fulfil his contractual obligations. On the CBI probing Mehra, he said no action was required since the agency had not informed them of any adverse report.

Mehra said Joshua stopped working on the fencing project three years ago after losing money in other enterprises. "I spoke to him several times but it did not work. When we realised there was no way for him to fulfil his obligations, we acted against him. He is being vindictive now," he said.

Regarding Joshua's complaints to the Mizoram governor and the CM, Mehra said he had already replied to the governor and would file a reply to the CM too "in some time". About the CBI probe, he said: "It had nothing to do with me. A CPWD official took my name to justify the money found on him and the CBI had questioned me in this regard. I am in the clean."

But Joshua alleged that Mehra, who has been in office in the region for over nine years, was "very powerful" and had developed a "nexus" with the contractors and others. "He manipulates the system… Crores of rupees are being pumped in here for fencing and other works," he alleged.

J. R. Construction was awarded the contracts in 2006 for fencing two stretches along the border, totalling over 15 km. The works were for Rs.12.37 crore each, Joshua said. He claimed that Mehra wanted three per cent of the commission on the payments made to his firm. "I gave him the money but the problem started when my bills piled up and I had to spend from my pocket. The bills were finally paid after heavy deductions, sometime more than 60 per cent… and so I could no longer work on the project," he told MAIL TODAY over phone.

"My contract was then foreclosed because it suits the NBCC officials to bring in new contractors and make more money from them," he added. Joshua said the government should order an audit of the "real work" done in the region to discover how public money was being looted in the name of "sensitive border work".

 

Naga Dream Still Distant

By Pradip Phanjoubam

December is an auspicious festive month for most of Christian Northeast. In the Christian states of Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and to a great extent Manipur, red ‘Star of David’ lanterns on numerous rooftops light up the cold evenings in the streets of Kohima, Aizawl, Shillong and Imphal, setting the mood for celebrations and soul cleansing, and much reflections on the year that was. In trouble torn Nagaland and Manipur, however, the celebratory mood is subdued.

Hanging in the backdrop is the 11-year itch of the unsettled peace negotiation underway between the underground Naga group, NSCN(IM) and the Indian government. Ceasefire between the two entities began in 1997, and peace negotiations followed but the talks are still in dreadful stalemate, though each side continues to claim approaching a breakthrough and then blame each other for it not happening.

The reasons are not far to seek. One, the Naga insurgent movement is badly fragmented, with factional fights consuming much of the energy and public patience. A reconciliatory move commendably brought some of these factions together this year, but not every issue is settled and internal strife and sporadic bloody mayhems still mark the scenario. But the second reason should be much more frustrating for those pursuing a happy reconciliation to a problem that is as old as the Indian state. It speaks of a looming shadow of doubt of a possibility of the Naga dream if it is not moderated by an acceptance of modern realities.

Equally, at this moment, this moderation and the compromise called for seems too much for the Naga underground leaders to accept. The Naga leaders’ foremost goal is the creation of a greater Naga homeland that they have christened ‘Nagalim’ by merging territories of other states neighbouring Nagaland (and Myanmar) that they believe traditionally belonged to the Nagas. Once this is done, the degree of autonomy ‘Nagalim’ is to enjoy within the Indian Union is to be negotiated.

However, the shadow falls at the very outset on this very notion of territory. This could not have been spelled out louder and clearer than in the tussle over the creation of a new administrative district called SADAR hills (Special Area Demarcated as Autonomous Region) in Manipur. This new district is Kuki tribal dominated and is to be carved out of the Naga dominated Senapati district. The Kukis want it and the Nagas think the idea itself is an aggression on the Nagas. Friction between the two over the matter led to a 121-day blockade of Manipur recently.

The issue is too entangled to present an easy solution. The principal GoI negotiator, a retired bureaucrat, RS Pandey, did give it a shot with a recommendation he purportedly made, as was exposed by a Guwahati-based English daily. His proposal of a ‘Supra State’ status for the Nagas created quite a flutter.
Although the intent to bring to a closure the Naga problem is admirable the pertinent question is has the model taken care of existing realities, some of which can cause extreme strife in the Northeast’s ethnic cauldron? What exactly was the Supra State meant to be, if this proposal exists? Home minister P Chidambaram has since denied any knowledge of the proposal.

Even if his statement amounts playing his cards close to the chest, it does still indicate he too thinks the proposal is problematic.

The ‘Supra State’ in this context in all probability is a non-territorial solution of the nature so many intellectuals, including BK Roy Burman of the Centre for Study of Developing Societies, have advocated in reference to the Northeast’s many ethnic problems, and in particular the Nagas. The model conjures up the Sami parliament in the Scandinavian countries. The Samis are formerly nomadic indigenous reindeer herders living in Scandinavia and the Russian Federation before the region came to be dissected by political boundaries. They now find themselves living in different countries, though their traditional world never had any conception of such national boundaries, precisely because nation consciousness dawned on them late. An arrangement has now been made so that they can call themselves one people and nation but with no territory earmarked for their ‘nation.’

The NSCN(IM) leadership and their supporters everywhere have been maintaining a deafening silence on the proposal. Perhaps it was unilateral, put up by the negotiation interlocutor and not one on which there was a consensus amongst the negotiating parties. For indeed, if the proposal is modelled on the Sami Parliament, the NSCN(IM) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah had in the past rejected it and it is unlikely he would have had a change of heart now.

Even if Muivah agreed, two considerations would have been deterrents. One, if ‘Nagalim’ is not to be, the solution would leave a major section of the NSCN(IM)’s top leadership and cadres out of the core of the solution, as they belong to Manipur and not Nagaland. Two, any solution that does not address the question of sovereignty, even if notionally, would have to be after intense negotiations with the Naga public first, especially in the core Naga territory of the former Naga hills of Assam (now Nagaland), who have had to undergo tremendous hardships and losses for over half a century precisely because of their dream for Naga sovereignty.

While one hopes a solution to the Naga problem comes about soon, as of now, it is difficult to see such blueprints. The reported ‘Supra State’ definitely does not seem to offer one.

The writer is editor, Imphal Free Press