Meeting the deadline

Bryan Swanson explains how the Sky Sports News machine works on transfer deadline day.

Tune in to Sky Sports News for all the deals and all the drama

Transfer deadline day is one of the most exciting days in the football calendar, so make sure you stay tuned to Sky Sports News for all of the comings and goings. The transfer window slams shut at 5pm on Monday February 2 and with a number of big deals likely to be in the balance right up until the last minute, trust us to bring you the first news of all the major signings. Sky Sports News will have reporters all over the country so as soon as a deal goes through, we'll be on the spot to let you know about it. And if we witness half the drama of the August transfer window then it should make for unmissable viewing. Who could forget how Sky Sports News broke the dramatic story of the Abu Dhabi United Group's takeover at Manchester City and their British record signing of Robinho from Manchester City? And what about the saga of Dimitar Berbatov's on-off transfer from Tottenham to Manchester United as Sky Sports News brought you exclusive pictures of the Bulgarian sealing the deal with Sir Alex Ferguson. We don't know where the action will be on Monday, but wherever it is Sky Sports News will be there. Join us throughout the day and don't forget to stay up to date online with skysports.com's unrivalled Transfer Centre. And to bring you a flavour of what you can look forward to, Chief News Reporter Bryan Swanson gives us a behind-the-scenes take on how the Sky Sports News machine works on deadline day. How do they get the news so quickly? What big deals is he expecting to go through? Why is it imperative that he remembers his mobile phone charger? Bryan reveals all...

How important is transfer deadline day on Sky Sports News?
Bryan: It's become one of our biggest and most important days. The channel's all about breaking news and there's never another day when so much news comes into our office at such pace. It's been a good month so far, and we've had some big transfers, but nothing compares to the excitement of deadline day and the fact it's so unpredictable. Is this the hardest day of the year for Sky Sports News reporters?
Bryan: It's certainly one of the most intense days of the year. We all get calls about possible deals and the key is to liaise with colleagues and make sure what we are reporting on the channel is accurate. Ian Bolton, for example, has excellent relationships with Jose Mourinho and Claudio Ranieri so he's best suited to chase Inter Milan and Juventus stories. David Craig has a lot of good contacts, especially in the North East. It's all about using our best contacts and trying not to get in each other's way. It's about a good team effort and what's best for the channel. What are your memories of the last transfer deadline day - Robinho to Man City, Berbatov to United - it was quite a day wasn't it?
Bryan: It was certainly the most dramatic deadline day. I reported on the daytime studio shift, midday-5pm, and we had breaking news about Andrei Arshavin staying at Zenit St Petersburg and not joining Tottenham. Earlier that day our newsdesk editor Keith James received information that a big transfer was going to happen. He then decided to put one of our satellite trucks out of action for more than five hours as it relocated from Newcastle to Manchester. There was a huge buzz around the place when Robinho signed. Keith also made sure we got the first shots of Berbatov at a private airport terminal in Manchester before our cameraman filmed Berbatov shaking hands with Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford. It was great television. Talk us through your day on Monday - what will your role be?
Bryan: This transfer deadline day, February 2, the plan is for me to be at the club where the biggest transfer is taking place. I've been doing studio updates for the past month but there's nothing like the buzz of being at the heart of the action. It's likely to be a late call about where I end up, which adds to the excitement. The presenters and reporters get the recognition but it's a team effort and we have some superb contacts throughout the channel. Our production staff often receive tip-offs for us to follow up. How will you keep tabs on everything that's happening? How many phone calls will you be making throughout the day?
Bryan: I always have my phone charger in the office because of the numbers of calls. I receive a lot of information by text message. Contacts are sometimes reluctant to speak on the phone because they're in meetings, or don't want to be overheard, so texting is a good way to get information and good for my records too. A typical day will involve more than about 50 calls, even more on transfer deadline day. It's all about trust and keeping in touch with everyone around the channel. The producers on-air need to be kept informed along with producers who go on-air later in the day. Our Newsdesk and Planning department also make sure everyone knows what is happening and, most importantly, that accurate information is broadcast. Without giving too much away, how does Sky Sports News get news of the deals so quickly? Do you speak to managers? Agents? Players?
Bryan: We've built up an extensive contacts base throughout the game. We aim to be first with the news but it's all about accuracy and trusting your sources. On a typical day around 50% of the information I receive never makes it on-air. It's not that I don't trust what I'm being told, far from it, but if we are saying, for example, two clubs are in talks and bids have been received, my policy is always to get at least a second source confirming it. Ideally that's from a chairman or chief executive, on or off-the-record. Basically someone directly involved with the paperwork. Developments during the transfer window are so fluid that things change all the time and something I'm told in the morning could well change beyond recognition by the same evening. We've got a decent relationship with agents and clubs and some of their players text me to say they find out about transfers by watching Sky Sports News, which is very satisfying. How many of the deals will you know about in advance? Are you expecting many surprises on the day itself?
Bryan: After the last transfer window, who knows! We've come to expect the unexpected. When we broke the news that Manchester City had held talks with AC Milan over Kaka, the newsroom was organised chaos as we chased it up with our Italian contacts. There are some big transfers still being discussed such as Arshavin's proposed move to Arsenal and Manchester City's moves to sign Roque Santa Cruz. I'm in regular contact with people involved in those deals and they still expect any transfer to go down to the wire. Are you surprised how big transfer deadline day has become for football fans?
Bryan: Since the first transfer window was introduced in January 2003, it seems to have got bigger and bigger. It's all about the drama of the final day and the twists and turns involved. The end product is what's said on-air but there's a lot going on behind the scenes to make sure supporters, from all clubs, get the most updated information. It's a big day for fans and we know their expectations are high.