Logistical challenges." That is how Norwich City sporting director Ben Knapper described trying to work on deals on transfer deadline day while matches were being played at the same time. It was in fact a deadline day like no other in the English Football League (EFL) on Tuesday for that exact reason. On what is already a frantic day for clubs, there were also 27 games taking place across the Championship, League One and League Two, which finished about an hour before the window closed at .
Never before has a packed programme of EFL fixtures been scheduled on the same day as a modern deadline day - the most recent similar occasion was 22 years ago in August 2004 but even then, only five games were played. "It's chaos when you're playing games that evening as well," Knapper told BBC's 72+ EFL podcast. "It definitely adds another dimension and not just for people like me, but for players, for head coaches, for everyone really." While the Canaries lost 1-0 to Stoke City, Knapper was given a room to work out of by the Potters at the bet365 Stadium - a gesture he said he was grateful for.
But he believes EFL clubs are aligned on the position that the timing of Tuesday's games were "far from ideal". "It adds unnecessary pressure and logistical challenges. I think if it was possible for that not to be the case, it would make everybody's lives easier," Knapper said.
"It might add to the drama in some ways maybe, but people in my kind of role, the less drama we can have, the better, that's for sure." Colchester United manager Danny Cowley was more scathing about what he called a "crazy" situation with all 24 League Two clubs in action. "I don't understand how these decisions get made," Cowley told BBC Radio Essex. "Do they not have calendars?
Why don't they just look at the calendar and just try to work it out accordingly? "It blows my brains, football sometimes - just the lack of planning, the lack of care for people, particularly with a League Two club." Cowley highlighted how the impact was felt even more keenly by clubs in the lower leagues who have a smaller group of staff working on transfers. "We have to pretty much, as coaches and managers, do it all ourselves.
The fact they put a full schedule of fixtures on is just not joined up in their thinking," he added. "I don't know why they don't communicate with us to ask us what our preferences are. We easily could have played last week, could have played the week after.
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