GRAHAM Alexander reckons the timing of the summer deadline day is “mad”.

City are pushing to get some late business done before the window shuts at 11pm and have their sights on bringing in another centre half.

But Alexander is unhappy that the deadline this year falls the night before a match day.

“I think it’s pretty ridiculous that the window shuts the day before a game at 11pm,” said the City boss.

“It should be earlier in the week because when it gets to Thursday and Friday, every team is focusing on the next game.

“How can you do that when you’ve got players looking outside through the round window or the square window?

“It’s mad. If it’s just done for a calendar reason because it’s the end of the month, then that’s ridiculous.

“You’ve got to take everything into account. Certainly a Friday night, the day before a game, is probably the second worst – other than doing it on a match day.

“Within 24 hours of a game is just not good.”

Alexander insists City’s preparations for their second trip of the month to Grimsby tomorrow will not be hindered by the shenanigans of deadline day. He will put all the transfer talk to one side until training is over.

He added: “I’ve always been pretty good at focusing on what’s right in front of me.

“It’s just as soon as you move from one task to the other and it just opens up like an avalanche of thoughts and information.

“My job is to prepare the team in the best way possible for the game.

“Obviously Friday is a shorter day than most because of the prep and physical output. So, the players then get off relatively early.

“Then it’s me left alone with all the phones and everyone else at the club to deal with whatever comes forward.

“By then the players have left the building and once that happens I can focus on whatever else I have to do.

“But there will be absolutely zero distraction from us as a staff until the last player leaves this afternoon.”

There have been calls for the summer window to end before the first game. Alexander is not sure how practical that would be – but argues it should be designed to finish earlier in the week.

“I can see why it goes on beyond the start of the season.

“Obviously there are different starts as in the Premier League is different to ours, the Scottish league and all that.

“There has to be a universal date but it’s a long window. It’s not a tiny one like January.

“You could easily bring it forward three days to Tuesday night or Wednesday at the latest.

“Then you’ve got two clear days, where everyone knows their squad, building up to the game.

“I don’t like to focus on something that’s not in our control. But I think something should be done about it in the long term.”