Those like me that love their football know that two of the most important days of any football season are not about action on the pitch. It is action in the transfer windows that gets our imagination.Will your club sign that striker you desperately need. Maybe it’s a ball playing centre back that can pass out of defence. The fans forums are alive in the days leading up to that moment when the transfer window shuts. August and January are the months Covid permitting.

In Scottish political terms we are having our first ever transfer window. A new team has arrived with a world leading player/coach and backroom staff. Tomorrow at 4 pm BST the candidate lists for all political parties standing in May’s Holyrood Elections need to be with The Electoral Commission. After that time the window shuts, and you go with the players you have. Only one team has been utilising the market. The Alba Party are attracting a fine array of talent. World renowned economists, an ex-world champion boxer, corporate managers and wealth creators, time served equality and women’s rights campaigners.Vastly experienced MPs and ex MPs, MSPs long serving local authority councillors.

This already impressive array of talent will be joined by others of equal quality of that we can be sure. Just as in football terms clubs like to pull that marquee signing off in the last day of the window to impress the sponsors but more importantly enthuse the fans. It gives hope and impetus to the dressing room when a big signing happens. It gets the fans anxious to see the new big signing strutting his stuff in front of the fans and cameras. It gives an edge to the fans in the stands and at home watching the television.It also has the effect of deflating your opponents confidence.

In football terms when there are big transfers the norm is for the club that loses a couple of their star players to rubbish their talent on the way out. They’re past their best. They weren’t team players.They no longer suit our style of play.They try to pretend to their own supporters that it isn’t really a big loss and the young skinny kid they have signed from a Stirling Amateur side is an even better player than the 100 cap international that has gone to pastures new.

In political terms when someone leaves one party for another the party machine uses similar slurs. We have seen it recently it is not edifying, it is not necessary and it reflects badly on those, saying nasty things about people that have served their party with distinction over many decades in some instances.

So between now and tomorrow be prepared for lots of speculation about ‘transfers’ they are only going one way. Speculate as you will but don’t get any names put on the back of your Alba T Shirt too soon you might have a few more options, then again you might not.On Deadline Day there are always winners and losers. Let’s just wait and see.