derry

If Austin is fit and over his shoulder problem I'd be happy with him.

In any event £10m is a rediculous figure, for that we could get three seriously good players, striker, goalkeeper and centreback to strengthen.

Before people come to conclusions about how much, it's far more relevant how the deal is structured. A lot of teams bid and put a deposit down and pay the rest over three years. Cortese has been rumoured to have signed a cheque for single payment. Southampton's owners were worth over£3 billion when they bought us, the fourth richest owners in Britain, so if needed a lesser amount up front could well trump a big bid over three years. We might be a little club to Celtic but our owners are immensely rich and don't do debt. Our only debt is to the owners. No mortgage, overdraft etc.

The club has stated that they will not allow him to go out on loan again. If he goes anywhere it will have to be permanent.

So WHU are offering to write a cheque, more like no deposit and half over five years with a final payment if they are stll around. They've got more debts than anybody else in the division, all they are doing is mortgaging the parachute payments.

In that case unless he has already signed and is registered by noon on Friday he won't be in the Leicester squad. All games at the weekend including games moved for TV to Monday night have the same signing deadline, noon on Friday.

All it needs is the 200,000 fans to meet again on Southsea common clutching a £20 note to donate to the club. Just to clarify, that's £20 each not between them.

No smoke without fire, it looks like there is a doubt that he will stay.

Quite.

I know it's ancient history but the lesson is just the same and shouldn't be disregarded, back in 1949 we were I think 9 points clear with about nine games left, then calamity, Charlie Wayman was injured. The goals dried up, we tried everything including playing England's right back Alf Ramsey at centre forward after Ted Bates and others couldn't fill the bill, we ended up missing out on promotion by a point. I was too young to remember it but for years until 1966 it was always said that Saints didn't want to be promoted. I don't want the lack of a proven striker to stymie us. I was watching the Celtic club program 'the huddle' on Premier Sport the presenters were really indignant and sarcastic that a big club like Southampton should have the effrontery to even think that Gary Hooper would leave Celtic for anyone but a top Premier club. They brought up the outscored Andy Carrol scenario so he must be worth as much. They have missed the point that he is English from the South and if the Celtic board accept our offer and the player wants to sign then the deal gets done.

Twice this year we have found out unexpected plusses with established players. Blend and balance is all important. We cover Lallana with Chaplow and he makes a decent job of it then Lallana comes back, Connolly is struggling so Guly is switched inside and Chaplow comes in on the right and is a revelation. He then is injured so we try to do the same thing again but Schneiderlin is poor out of his normal position, the three midfielders can't play together so it is ditched. Then at Coventry we are short and struggling Cork is put wide right and the midfield clicks again. Same again against Notts Forest, we now have a replacement for the sorely missed Chaplow. The management even with players they know well struggled to get to grips with the blend. The new players will have known abilities but the trick will be to blend the combinations so that the players complement each other rather than the case of the three central midfielders in the wrong positions who failed miserably to blend but switched around looked devastating. The new players will have to be fed in gently, I can see De Ridder still important on the right, Falque supplementing Lallana, Lambert assisted by Guly, Connolly, Lee +1 to allow players to keep fresh legs. Cork and Chaplow to be the combative wide right first hour players with four central midfield options including Schneiderlin and Hammond. I would like to see another left sided central defender unless Jaidi is fully fit but he still looks a way off that as he pulled out of a match due to hard ground, Adkins is a manager that has always managed to get his teams producing a greater output than the sum of the parts by good blend. Okay he got it wrong with the central midfielders in the original selection but latterly they were good when positionally changed. They then looked entirely different to the pedestrian way we played with the original selection. First time around the blend wasn't there but switched around it produced good movement and teamwork. We have to find the best way to integrate the new players so there is improved output with the players blending together.

The same source as last week is saying that we are still going for it.

This was my reasoning regarding the alleged move for JR. It could be a hurry up because if we bid £6m for Rhodes I suspect we would get him. Pilkington went for a lot less.

The manager may not want to sell but it seems that the board has it's price. We know from Lennon that he has about five targets and we know the board believe in self financing, If these targets are to be brought in, it may well be that the Hooper fee would be needed.

We could also be sending a message to Celtic and Hooper that there are alternatives and time is running out.

I bet he had the club's permission to fly to Glasgow, so we are in contact with Hooper.

That is simplistic, of course offering stupid money would buy any player but we are still haggling over value to both sides not offering silly money. If the Lennon silly money £35m was adhered to then we would take that as a **** off. The fact that we are still haggling means we are thereabouts and Celtic are taking our bids seriously and the player is interested.

If we are still bidding he is available, the only criteria is the price and personal terms. If he isn't available we would be going elsewhere whatever is said in public.

Eufa want fewer teams but the PL refuse to reduce. The only way to get into the EPL is promotion from the FL. There is no way Celtic and Rangers would start in the Conference North as the only way into the FL is through the Conference. The English full stop don't want them so it won't happen. To kick out two Premier teams plus relegate two more and relegate two extra teams from each league below would be a nightmare. Never mind the SPL/SFA wouldn't allow it anyway. Looks like that area is going to be thinned out naturally with Wigan, Blackburn and Bolton perilously close to the trap door.

Pompey can't be sold cos we haven't reached a thousand pages on here yet:lol:

He does well in the Championship, then we manage to be promoted, another step up would be a season on loan in the Premier with us.

I can't see Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and London giving up a place in the Premier league so that two Glasgow teams can have a place. It won't ever happen.

If we make another bid then he is for sale. If we don't, he either isn't worth any more in our opinion or he genuinely isn't available.

Way to go. Rangers are in a bit of a mess now.

Over a lot of dead bodies.