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January is a time when managers start to look at the table and wonder about their own prospects. And the fear of failure can lead to some comical decision making, at a time of the most pressure.
Sky-high prices and the lack of availability of the best talent mean that managers make some left-field purchases in the transfer window.
Usually either desperate to avoid relegation or eager to try and pick up some silverware, the January window is often a fairly hectic time for a manager and inevitably mistakes get made.
So here for your viewing is a selection of some of the biggest blunders, the footballing faux pas made by a whole host of managers.
The gallery of the worst January transfers is below...
Show all 12 1 /12The worst January transfer signings - in pictures The worst January transfer signings - in pictures Fernando Torres (Liverpool to Chelsea, £50 million, 2011) Chelsea's record signing seemed an obvious purchase after years of impressing at Liverpool. However has struggled horribly for form for most of his time at Stamford Bridge and has never lived up to his exorbitant fee. Has slipped to the extent that people talk about 'the Torres of old' like some sort of mythical creature.
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The worst January transfer signings - in pictures Andy Carroll (Newcastle to Liverpool, £35million, 2011) On a crazy day of deals, Liverpool handed Newcastle 35 million English pounds for the services of the ponytailed striker. Not helped by injuries, Carroll never really managed to live up to his fee or show his best form and was eventually sold to West Ham this season.
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The worst January transfer signings - in pictures Afonso Alves (Heerenveen to Middlesbrough, £12m, 2008) Being a top scorer in the Dutch league seems to prove nothing. For every van Nistlerooy at Manchester United, there's a Mateja Kezman at Chelsea. And being Brazilian is no guarantee either. Perhaps Boro manager Gareth Southgate thought that one or the other would prove his huge investment in Alves right. But no - from 45 goals in 39 games in Holland to nine goals in 29 games in England, Southgate had been sold a pup.
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The worst January transfer signings - in pictures Jimmy Bullard (Fulham to Hull, £5m, 2009) Bullard was to be the player to turn Hull City from game triers into proper Premier League quality, and at £5m he looked good value for money. But his knees told a different story. Injured on his debut, he didn't play again until 2010 when he revitalised the team - before succumbing to long term injury again. A total of six games in his first year suggested that Hull didn't get value for money after all.
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The worst January transfer signings - in pictures Eric Djemba-Djemba (Manchester United to Aston Villa, £1.35m, 2005) Legendary at Manchester United for being one of Alex Ferguson's worst ever signings and a symbol of the lost years of his player recruitment (other evidence - Kleberson, David Bellion). After 18 months at Old Trafford (and 20 attempts to prove he wasn't Roy Keane's replacement) he was sold at a loss of over £2m to Aston Villa who found that it wasn't a change of scenery that was needed. A handful of appearances and a loan spell at Burnley failed to halt Djemba-Djemba's downward spiral and by 26 he was playing Qatar.
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The worst January transfer signings - in pictures Andy Reid (Nottingham Forest to Tottenham Hotspur, £4m, 2005) The chunky winger (heir apparent to John Robertson at Forest) was sold to Martin Jol's Spurs for £4m, but a lean return of one goal in 18 months and Spurs were happy to let Reid re-build his career at Charlton at a £1m loss.
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The worst January transfer signings - in pictures Michael Ricketts (Bolton Wanderers to Middlesbrough, £3m, 2003) He once played for England you know. A purple patch at Bolton Wanderers persuaded Boro to part with £3m for his services, but three goals in 32 appearances were perhaps a better indicator of his abilities, and he was offloaded on a free to Leeds (no goals in 25 appearances).
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The worst January transfer signings - in pictures Fernando Morientes (Real Madrid to Liverpool, £6.3m, 2005) It looked like a masterstroke - one of Europe's top forwards, one of Rafa Benitez's beloved Spaniards, leaving Madrid for Liverpool. What could go wrong? A terrible slump in form and confidence, that's what. A rather hapless year with just eight goals in his 41 appearances, led to him being offloaded to Valencia for half the £6.3m fee Liverpool paid.
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The worst January transfer signings - in pictures Savio Nsereko (Brescia to West Ham £9m, 2009) Meant to be the rising star who would placate Hammers fans upset by the loss of Craig Bellamy to Manchester City and outed as one of the best young strikers in Europe, his ten appearances for West Ham belied such a reputation and he was sold to Fiorentina for an undisclosed fee.
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The worst January transfer signings - in pictures Ade Akinbiyi (Burnley to Sheffield United, £1.75m, 2006) The big surprise of Akinbiyi's career may be that his transfer fee ever went up. The inelegant striker was a study in disastrous misses and muscular unsubtlety. Poor at Leicester City (who paid £5m for him!), he had found his level at Burnley (for a more reasonable £600,000). But Neil Warnock found it in himself to Panicbiyi for Sheffield United for a club record £1.75m. Three goals in 18 appearances, and he was back at Burnley.
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The worst January transfer signings - in pictures Scott Parker (Charlton to Chelsea, £10m, 2004) The poor decision making doesn't always lie with the buying club. Parker was a star at Charlton, playing each week in the Premier League and pushing his way into the England squad. But money talks and £10m persuaded a reluctant Charlton to part with Parker who, presumably enjoyed something of a pay rise himself. A year and a half in the reserves put his career into reverse, not helped by his choice of lifeboat - Newcastle United.
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The worst January transfer signings - in pictures Jean-Alain Boumsong (Rangers to Newcastle, £8m, 2005) £8m is a lot of money for one half of the Chuckle Brothers (Titus Bramble, being the other). For Rangers, it was an £8m profit - for Newcastle manager Graeme Souness, it was a disaster, and Boumsong became a byword for varying between indecision and poor decisions. He left after a year, and a £5m loss.
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