Signings down the training ground

'Signings, this way', was the sign which greeted me when I arrived at the training ground this morning.

It was pointing towards the media room, where a row of Albion shirts had been lined up. Great stuff.

New signings. Lots of them.

This was clearly no ordinary media briefing.

Actually it was.

In quicker time than it takes to say 'When's Almeyda signing?', it was quickly apparent that this would be a very run-of-the-mill press briefing.

The shirts were laid out for players to sign as they arrived for training, something they do every week, for charitable causes. Dozens of shirts laid out. All with signatures, waiting to be sent off to make somebody's day.

The news of new arrivals is clearly for another day. I'm clearing my diary for February 2 as we speak.

Besides, new signings and the press aren't always good bed fellows. Bryan Robson once spent a good few minutes playing down rumours of Albion's interest in Steve Watson only for a colleague and I to leave his office and walk straight into...Steve Watson. And then there was the time that Ifeanyi Udeze signed for Gary Megson and was unveiled to the media. Udeze had so much sweat dripping from his face that we had to interrupt the press conference to check he was okay. Turns out he was just hot. This being January. In West Bromwich. And he'd just come from a Greek club. No, I don't know either.

The training ground pitches were snowed off so today's session was down at the indoor facility - underlining the benefits of Albion's decision to invest in the facility. The alternative used to be the manager's secretary making frantic calls to local universities, schools or colleges asking if their indoor facilities could be used. Very amateur, a bit like an aspiring Premier League club not having its own under-soil heating I'd say...

Anyway, the firmer surface at Albion's dome meant that some of those nursing sprains, strains, aches and pains were unable to train today. Not ideal. Thursday may well be D-Day for those players.

Mowbray was in candid form today. Transfers were hot on the agenda and you can read what the Albion boss had to say here

One thing you can guarantee is that this January window will be a long one.

But then you knew that anyway.