As I sit down to write this I’m struggling to know where to start such has been the activity in the sporting world, the recent riots in our Capital City and some big headlines catching the eye elsewhere.

Let’s begin with sport though, more accurately the closing of the transfer window in the last 24 hours. The majority of Sports Journalists, reporters, fans and onlookers love the window as it creates a sense of excitement and unpredictability as clubs make last ditch bids to get hold of fresh faces.

Sadly though I’m not a fan whatsoever, as in my view it raises huge implications regarding player wages, fees and general financial issues. Firstly, particularly in the final days, agents and players have the cards firmly in their hands as they can literally demand anything they want in the knowledge that a potential employer has a limited time to get who they need.

Raul Meireles and Mikel Arteta seized the opportunity to get what they wanted by all of a sudden deciding that their futures did not lie with Liverpool and Everton respectively, with both players making the move south to Chelsea and Arsenal.

In a financial climate where many clubs are struggling to survive, the FA have previously said they want spending to decline, but the window in my view only makes things worse as more money has to be paid in order for new signings to be made before it shuts.

Admittedly it makes for some good TV as journalists on Sky and the BBC do their utmost to break stories first, but you do have to question the transfer policy of many clubs as they decide to do their business right at the end of the window, when they know fully well their bank balances are going to take a bigger hit than they would have done just a few days previously.

It means deals are rushed, personal terms have to be met pretty quickly and they run the risk of deals not going through at all. Charlie Adam is a prime example of this as he failed to force through a move to Spurs in January, meaning he had to stay at Blackpool who were relegated on the last day of the season at Old Trafford.

Manchester United on the other hand played the window perfectly. They made all their signings early on, got the squad of players that they wanted and paid the price they were prepared to pay with plenty of time to go through contracts and agree personal terms with players and representatives.

This way they didn’t have to spend `over the odds`, be forced into deals they’re not entirely happy with and give in to the rather greedy and unrealistic demands of some of their targets.

In addition, which may have escaped people’s notice, we now have an international break which is surely the worst time to close the transfer window? Players have to leave training in order to have their medicals and go through contract issues with their agents and chief executives of prospective clubs.

This is far from ideal for the managers who are trying to prepare their teams for European Qualifying matches and friendlies with other nations. Critics in the past have said that coaches do not get enough time with their players, and some must be fuming after having to let their prized assets leave the camp just to ensure their club future was secure.

Craig Bellamy had to leave the Wales squad early to agree terms with Liverpool, and no doubt the focus of Scott Parker will have been affected as he finalised a move to the aforementioned Tottenham Hotspur.

In total, over £440 million was spent in the transfer window, with around 20% of that being spent on deadline day alone.

The window was created with partial focus on ensuring that big name players didn’t leave their clubs during the course of the season, but all this creates is an emphasis to sign them (whatever the price) before the season really kicks in.

Then of course there is the argument that many clubs will suffer with injuries and suspensions, with the managers of those clubs unable to replace them with the window not re-opening until January. Personally I do not see any logical reason why the window is in place, and I can only hope that the pencil pushers based at Wembley remove it as soon as possible.

Thankfully (before the phrases `my sources have told me` and `You’ll here it here first`) the window is now shut and we can go back to some sort of reality. I only hope that some managers back up what I’ve said and voice their opinions via the appropriate channels. Whether they listen or not is another debate entirely.

Moving on now though and to developments regarding the riots which took place a few weeks ago in London. Being 22 years old and of a similar age to some of those involved, I find the actions of the perpetrators shocking, needless and cowardly. In what started as a protest against the shooting of a man in Tottenham who was allegedly armed, police suddenly had a number of violent riots on their hands which resulted in people losing their homes, businesses and in some cases, lives.

Even kids as young as 13 and 14 found it necessary to break into stores and steal goods from their local shops, and I hope the parents of those children are as disgusted and disappointed as most of the country is. Many have said that deeper political issues had something to do with the riots, but many of the teenagers and young adults involved have probably never heard of the word, or particularly care about the subject.

Once one group of people got away with it, this then led others to believe that they too could embarrass our police force (who I feel should have the right to assert their authority in a more aggressive way) and get away with some of the items that they couldn’t otherwise afford as many of them will be on benefits, or belong to a family who illegally reside in this country.

Historian David Starkey was heavily criticised for his quotes on Newsnight when he said: “The whites have become black. A particular sort of violent, destructive, nihilistic, gangster culture has become the fashion.” Many pundits and commentators think that these sorts of things shouldn’t be said on TV and that it isn’t `politically correct. `

What isn’t politically correct is being unable to say what you think when there is good reason to consider it a fact. After looking at some of the CCTV footage broadcast on news bulletins, most of the people to blame are black. This isn’t racist, look at the pictures yourself. His beliefs are actually quite correct; gang culture is becoming an ever increasing problem in our society.

What then becomes frustrating is that they then have the audacity to come out and say that they’re being treated differently because they’re black.

No. You’re being treated exactly the same way as any person who committed exactly the same acts of mindless violence and unnecessary thuggish action. There is no defence for burning down people’s livelihood, their homes and threatening the lives of their helpless and defenceless children.

Whoever is involved should get the harshest possible punishment (if they haven’t already been served it), and even those aged less than 16 should be identified so they can be placed in the public eye and judged equally with their older, allegedly wiser, rioters.

With today being the 1st of September it is now just 10 days until the 10th anniversary of 9/11, a day which goes down as perhaps the worst in American History, and certainly the worst for terrorist attacks.

The World Trade Centre came down as a result, the pentagon was attacked, and another plane was grounded which, like the other three, killed everybody on board and several innocent bystanders and fire fighters.

As it will be a month or so before I next blog I must send my thoughts to those who lost their loved ones on that fateful day, and hope you too will join the rest of the world in remembering those who died.

@PhillCattF1-Twitter