With Transfer Deadline Day just around the corner, there's a good chance the fact that your club could be signing a star player, or indeed lose your prize asset - especially if you're Newcastle United - is probably playing quite persistently on your mind at the minute. It can be a worrying time, but then equally, it can also be invigorating to see new players linked to your club. The culture of the Transfer Deadline Day has now surpassed most other football phenomena. The attention media outlets can pick up off the back of releasing news first (or flat out making up rumours) means they will whip up a frenzy around the date, twice a year, and watch the fan fall-out with glee. There's a good chance that come Deadline time, you'll be sitting in front of Sky Sports News, beers and takeaway close by, watching the last minutes of the clock count down as your side either attempt to get someone over the line, or push someone out of the door for a lot of money they conveniently won't have the time to spend. Or if you're a "serious fan," you might drive to your club's stadium to get your fifteen minutes of fame behind a Sky Sports News reporter live on air, much to everyone else's annoyance. Just don't swear. Whichever approach you take, there is only ever one man's name on everyone's lips, tweets and Facebook statuses, as will be the case on Friday night, and it's not Wayne Rooney or Tom Ince - it's Jim 'Mr Transfer Deadline Day' White. Jim has been anchoring the final few hours of deadline day now alongside co-anchor Natalie Sawyer for nearly a decade now and WhatCulture.com managed to speak to the man himself ahead of Friday's deadline... JS: Transfer deadline day is up there with cup final day when it comes to highlights of the season. Why do you think it is as popular as it is?
JW: I think it is because all of the clubs are involved one way or another. If a team made it to a cup final, they need an opponent and those are the only two teams involved, whereas on transfer deadline day, all of the clubs stand a fair chance of getting something out of it. This January has been a good one, but last year we didn't have the standard that we normally see in terms of activity, and that is the excitement involved in transfer deadline day, you just don't know what is going to happen.
Do you take some of the credit for the hype that it receives?
I think so; I think my middle name is hype on that day. In terms of credibility, we hype it up a fair bit, and we make no apology for that because it is a day of frenzy and excitement across the land and you have to promote that. I'm already counting down the days for the next one. It's election night without the politics.
Do you feel a bit humbled or proud that people call it "Jim White Day"?
Haha definitely, you sense a real buzz about the day itself and some people say that it is all eyes on me. Even after it, I went to the cinema with my missus the night after and I had lads coming up to me saying things like "Why didn't we sign anyone" etc while I'm quietly trying to find my seat and watch a movie, but that is the magic of it, it's great.
People associate you as a Rangers fan, but that isn't the case is it?
I don't really have a team to be honest, I was working on Scottish TV when Graham Souness was there and I was on every second night breaking a story on Graham signing Terry Butcher, Chris Woods or Graham Roberts, but they are not MY team. Two of my closest friends in football are Neill Lennon and John Hartson, so I'm not biased in any way. I have been to umpteen Rangers v Celtic games and they are the best. On a side note though, I really hope that Rangers can get back to where they were soon, they have had their punishment and they have done their time in the lower divisions and I'm sure they will bounce back the hard way.
Do you actually talk to managers on your phone while you are on air?
Yes definitely, we all have our contacts and it's not just managers, I talk to chief executives too to try and get a step ahead of the game so we have no errors when it comes to the night because we are always in touch with people. There are a number of people within the game that I know well, and if a manager or club official isn't around to help me, maybe an agent is, but the majority of managers are very helpful on the night to help make it happen.
What are your thoughts on the amount of people that turn up to grounds on Deadline Day?
It always interests me, but in some ways it rubber stamps the passion that that club has and this country has for football. They all want to be part of what is happening at their club that night and to show off how much it means to them. One of the ones that amazed me was the thousands that turned up at Celtic Park when Robbie Keane signed on loan for Celtic. And that was Harry Redknapp incidentally that gave me the heads up on that one.
And finally, what has been your favourite moment over the years on Deadline Day?
There have been a fair few, but I will always go back to the Dimitar Berbatov to Man United and Robinho to Man City night, that was an amazing one. There have been other ones like Clint Dempsey last summer, where we all expected him to sign for Liverpool and he ended up pitched at Tottenham. You can never really tell what you are going to get, and last January, Peter Odemwingie, who could have ever seen that coming? I can't say I have a favourite; maybe the next one is going to be my favourite this Friday.
Joseph is a sports journalist, who has previously worked for Sky Sports News, Soccer Saturday, UEFA's coverage of the Champions League and Europa League and The London 2012 Olympic Games, as well as football clubs such as FC Halifax Town, Corby Town and Crystal Palace FC.
