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| Alex MacDonald - one of the ex-Clarets on the move |
Alex MacDonald was the first, making a transfer deadline day move to Oxford United from Burton Albion, swapping a promotion chase for a team much lower down the league.
It looks a strange one, with Oxford paying a five figure fee for MacDonald who has moved despite Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, his Burton manager, not wanting to see him leave.
Hasselbaink said: "Alex is somebody who play in my first eleven until he got injured. He's a very important person in our squad and somebody who I rate, somebody who I want to keep here as long as possible.
"He's got a contract until the end of the season and we love him here. I love him and it's not somebody I like to see going, but at the end of the day we are a business as well."
MacDonald spoke over the weekend in the Scottish press of how things went wrong for him following the death of his mum Janette at 40 just under five years ago but praised Eddie Howe for helping him get back on track with a move to Plymouth.
He told the Sunday Mail in Scotland: "Going to Plymouth was an eye opener. I went there after my mum died and thought I was over it, but going there made me realise I wasn't.
"I had tried to move on too quickly while I was at Burnley and it haunted me. I ended up making some wrong choices and decisions.
"After going to nightclubs I ended up in a few brawls, one in Inverness while I was on loan there and two in Burnley. I was arrested for one of them. My head was up my arse basically. It's something I look back on and regret so much."
Alex added: "When I look back, I realise I was lucky still to be at Burnley. Eddie helped me through it. He was brilliant and got me back thinking about my career. For a long time after my mum died, my head just wasn't on it.
"He had a mate who took over at Plymouth, Carl Fletcher, who took me there on loan. Being there got my head screwed on again and I started to enjoy my football for the first time in a long while.
"During that time, I had my little girl Chloe, and I got settled with Ashley. That was a massive turning point for me. I stopped going out and doing things I shouldn't have. It changed my life and I'm feeling the benefits now."
He's been a big success at Burton since moving there, firstly on loan and then permanently after his Burnley contract came to an end, and is currently their leading goalscorer this season with seven goals from his wide position, but it appears a lack of a contract offer from them has persuaded him to move to Oxford on a long term deal.
Next on the move was Kyle Lafferty and I have to admit that at first look I'd no idea where he was going. He joined Norwich in the summer from Palermo but has been in and out of the side. He's started just 11 league games for them and it was just over two weeks ago that he scored his first goal, netting in their 3-2 home win against Cardiff.
Norwich confirmed on Monday that he was joining Turkish side Caykur Rizespor on loan for the remainder of the season. They are based in Rize and were promoted to the Turkish Super Lig in 2013 having been out of the top league for five years.
On the non-playing side, the Hull Daily Mail reported the appointment at Hull City of Micky Phelan. Another former Claret Peter Swan, who writes for the newspaper, said: "Hull City made their best signing in Mike Phelan.
"When new players come in, it can take time for them to bed in and get used to their surroundings, but it won't be the same for Phelan following his appointment as assistant manager and he'll hit the ground running."
That was days ago but Micky's appointment has only been announced by the club this afternoon. It's an appointment that reunites him with his former Man United team mate Steve Bruce who is under some pressure as Hull boss right now.
Two others on the move were former loan goalkeeper Paul Rachubka and summer 2012 signing George Porter.
Rachubka, who was with us for a short time on loan from Charlton in 2004, has been released from his contract at Oldham. That one was a surprise given he's played 26 times for the Latics this season.
Porter joined Dagenham & Redbridge last summer but had his contract terminated last week by mutual consent. He wasn't without a club for long though and on Monday signed for Maidstone United.
Manager Jay Saunders said: "He's a good one to have on board. It's not one where he's looking to play five games and move on, I think he's looking more long term.
"I'd been after a wide lad. George is quick, direct and can play either side, as well as up top. He's played league football for most of his short career but also knows non-league from Cray.
"It was a no brainer getting him. He's here for the rest of the season, then we'll see. If we can get him back to playing like he can, he'll do very well for us."
He made his debut on Tuesday in a Kent Senior Cup quarter-final tie against Charlton's development squad but they were beaten 5-1.
