Jim White day

NORMALLY at this time of year I've got the curtains pulled, the television on, a kettle by my side, tea bags at the ready and a portable loo installed.
That's because it's what has now officially become Jim White Day.
The day when Sky Sports News gives you a running commentary of the final desperate moves in the transfer window.
White has become known as the Transfernator for his running commentary on who is going where, who might be going somewhere, whose been spotted in the local Waitrose near a Premier League ground and whose car is or isn't in the parking spot where it should be.
I remember not too long ago when Sky's Spies followed the former England goalkeeper turned sh**head everywhere for 12 hours only to discover that none of the rumours were true and David James was staying put at Portsmouth.
Still, they had a good tour of local gym, training ground, car park and physio's room in the process.
It's a good insight into what it takes to be a Sky Sports reporter.
How, for instance, people like David Craig can whitter on for a whole day about who nearly joined Newcastle until they realised how cold it was in winter, what Toon owner Mike Ashley bought him for brekky and how the nice people in the St James' Park office took him a cup of coffee to keep him going.
To be honest, though, I've never given two hoots about whether Kaka will join Manchester City or which club will take the plunge on an overweight, under-skilled striker like Benni McCarthy this time.
It's always about the Gas and, generally, I emerge from my lonely 14-hour vigil frustrated, angry and bereft.
All day I've been harbouring a secret belief "We'll pull something out of the bag", "Rickie Lambert's replacement will finally turn up this time", "I'm sure we can entice Jason Roberts back to the Mem".
And all to no avail.
Two seasons ago was the all-time low.
After being told for three weeks by our boss at the time, Paul Trollope, that they were going to bring someone in to solve our growing problems up front it ended with us loaning out Darryl Duffy, one of the only strikers remaining on our books, and replacing him with... no one.
Absolutely soul destroying and the excuse that "We thought we had someone, but he joined someone else" didn't help one iota.
This year, though, I am not the slightest bit worried.
We might lose Jo Kuffour.
Big deal.
Well, probably not so big, really.
He strikes me as a player who, when everything is going right, he does well.
When it's backs-to-the-wall he disappears.
He's got some decent skills but our new manager Paul Buckle wants people who are going to fight for the club - not someone who fades away when the going gets tough.
Other than that Buckle did all his transfer work months ago and is now busily working on getting our host of new players to gel.
It is working to a certain extent, though a couple of disappointing results over the last week show it is still a work in progress.
Still, I am relatively happy with the Rovers squad as it is and think this will only improve as the season progresses.
Meanwhile, if I am hoping for one thing today it is that our hated neighbours from south Bristol sell their best striker Nicky Maynard, and bring in the Arsenal back four that lost 8-2 at Manchester United - with the possible addition of that Brazilian goalkeeper Gomes at Spurs.
Tidy.

Absolutely gutted, distraught, too upset to talk, moody for the rest of the week.
These are all emotions I usually feel when the Gas lose.
But not today.
We went out of the Carling Cup 3-2 to Orient after a decent effort last night, and it means we won't have to travel to Blackburn for the third round.
I am not the slightest bit bothered.
Cup runs are all well and good but, with the toll they take on the squad and the injuries they accumulate, I am actually a bit relieved.
Now Saturday at Crawley is a different story...