Honesty pays for agents who make most of the window of opportunity

The recent introduction by UEFA of the transfer window - it means, effectively, that players can only be bought and sold in the close season and during the month of January - would surely have been disapproved of, then, by these men who make their tawdry living by unsettling players who are perfectly happy at their current clubs in order to carve themselves a slice of the resulting sale and increased salary.

Except it isn't quite as simple as that. While there are undoubtedly some rogues in the profession, particularly the unlicensed former pros who facilitate deals while operating under the umbrella of the nebulous word ''consultant'', the bulk of them are honest men doing an often complicated job.

Of course, anyone under the impression that transfers happen without players and/or managers being tapped probably also believes that the moon is made of green cheese. Nevertheless, most agents don't believe that ethics is a county in England.

Indeed, to hear them, it can be a fairly mundane occupation. More surprising, though, is the fact that some of the profession are actively in favour of the transfer window which has tied their hands for almost two thirds of each year.

Raymond Sparkes' Pro-Star Management joined forces with Gordon Smith last year to form Scotland's biggest agency, with clients on their roster including Celtic's Paul Lambert and Ulrik Laursen, Kenny Miller of Wolves, Fulham's John Collins and managers Bobby Williamson, of Hibernian, and Falkirk's Ian McCall.

His company was involved in three of only five cash deals involving Scottish clubs this summer and they expect to be active again when the new year is rung in.

He and his partners - Brian Little passed the stringent FIFA exam last month to make them the only company who can boast three licensed agents - are happy to bide their time, believing that in the long run Scottish football, in particular, will benefit from this change.

''Clubs in this country were shocked when the Bosman ruling was introduced six years ago,'' said Sparkes. ''They were even more astonished by the repercussions of Bosman II, despite the fact they had advance warning of both.

''There didn't seem to be anyone capable of seeing how clubs could benefit from these changes and that was down to a lack of vision from those in charge. For whatever reason, there is no such thing as an emergency stop in football; directors seem to need the turning circle of the QE2 in order to get to grips with any new legislation and I find that rather sad.

''Even now, it will take a while before they get to grips with the effects of the transfer windows but, ultimately, once directors have taken the information on board, the game as a whole should benefit.

''Already this season we've seen a spate of sackings in Scotland and England - Alex Smith at Dundee United and Peter Reid at Sunderland are the most high-profile examples - and it doesn't make any sense to me. Quite apart from the fact that most clubs are struggling financially, anyway, why bin a manager when his replacement will be unable to alter the personnel at the club for months?

''I'd like to think that one of the changes the new ruling will bring about is that managers will be given more time to sort out any problems they may have and that, eventually, these knee-jerk sackings will come to an end. That can only be a good thing.''

It won't be the only plus, however. Sparkes is convinced that the changes will force managers to give more thought to their signing policy while simultaneously ensuring players become more realistic in their demands.

''This system has operated successfully in France, Germany and Spain for years,'' he argued. ''Over there every coach knows which players they want and which ones they don't by October or so. That means they're ready to move come January and again at the end of the season.

''British managers, by contrast, have tended to get to the end of each season not knowing who's coming in. They'll attend the World Cup or European Championship finals then head off on their family holiday and only three weeks before the big kick-off, would they try and make new signings.

''By then, of course, most of the best players have been snapped up by the clubs who have done their homework and you're left with the problem children: people like David Ginola and Marco Negri, with all their attendant baggage. They're high risk and high maintenance, but they're all that's left.

''The transfer window will now mean that managers must plan well in advance because competition for the right players will be stiffer than ever now. There are now only 18 weeks of the year during which our clients can be bought and sold but the fact that clubs can no longer attempt to buy their way out of trouble in October is not necessarily a bad thing.

''Part of the problem is that there are still too many dinosaurs working in football management who can't, or won't, appreciate that they are working in a different environment where players are not available to buy 24/7.''

All of which begs the question: what exactly is it that agents do when they're not creating tabloid headlines?

The rather disappointing answer, ahead of the January sales, is paperwork, homework and expanding into other areas. ''We are the selected preferred supplier of boot and kit distribution for Nike and adidas,'' Sparkes explained, ''and they are actively using us as a research centre for things like product placement.

''Apart from that, we keep all of our players appraised of the new rulings and how they impact on them through individual seminars.

''That's how we've been filling our time since the end of August but I can see us being frantically busy come Hogmanay trying to accomodate managers' demands.''

So there you have it. Agents: not there just for the nasty things in life.