I remember the morning that Spuds signed Ossie Ardilles and Ricky Villa. I was woken at just after seven, as usual, by my dad knocking on the bedroom door, instead of the usual "Time to get up son," (my Dad has never called me Paul - always son) he said "Time to get up son, oh and Tottenham have signed two players from Argentina."
My reply was "What? Tottenham as in Spurs?"
This morning at approx 11:15 I was checking the football transfers on the net, as you do if you are faced with a pile of files to review armed with the enthusiasm of a eunuch in a brothel, when I saw that Carlos Tevez had announced on his website that he was joining West Ham on loan for the rest of the season.
Carlos Tevez? I thought, the Carlos Tevez?
As the day developed it was clear that it was true and then at just after five o'clock, whilst I was driving home the news was announced on West Ham's website that Tevez and his team mate Javier Mascherano had signed not on loan deals but permanently.
If you aren't a football fan then the sensation I felt at the moment it was announced is not something you can relate to. It was a mixture of pride, excitement and why? What's the catch?
Well just as there's no free lunch, there's no way that West Ham could pay the £63 million pound release contracts of the two players so somebody must be behind this deal. As the evening has worn on and more news has been forthcoming it's obvious that West Ham will be a stepping stone for these two players, maybe we'll have them for two years, maybe longer.
The pair's rights are owned by Media Sports Investment, a British-based company with financial involvement in Corinthians and MSI were linked with a takeover of the Hammers last season. It looks likely that MSI have loaned money to West Ham so that these players can be purchased and then sold on at a profit with the hope that in the meantime they help the club into the Champions League.
I am looking forward to seeing Mascherano, who will replace Haydn Mullins as the defensive midfielder, he is strong, a good tackler and great passer of the ball and he will give NRC more chance of getting forward. I'm not so sure about Tevez, sure he has the talent but there's a world of difference between playing in Brazil and going to the Riverside, Middlesbrough on a wet Tuesday in January and he has a habit of falling out with people.
Both players are in Argentina's squad for Sunday's friendly against Brazil at the Emirates Stadium and what's the betting that some claret and blue shirts will be visible in the crowd?
If they only last one season it will be an eventful one I'm sure and perhaps we can change one of the lines of 'Bubbles' from 'Fortunes always Hiding' to something along the lines of 'Hammers always winning.'
Who knows, football eh, bloody hell!
Coincidentally, in the 1991-92 season West Ham's away kit was the same as Argentina's famous blue and white stripes. It was unpopular with the fans and withdrawn after a season, Janis still has her shirt in the wardrobe.
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