Does Anybody Want To Join Us? Celtic, Southampton, dear God!

Maybe it is just my natural pessimism, but I am getting a little concerned about our failure to secure our supposed transfer targets. Now, Mancini apart, I must say that none of the players linked with us lately have inspired any sense of excitement, but when third raters are saying, thanks but no thanks, it has to be cause for concern surely?

Fortune, it seems, prefers the idea of playing in the Scottish Prem. It doesn't seem to worry him that the quality of football is only marginally above what you would find with jumpers chucked down to indicate goal posts, cash strapped Celtic are preferable to West Ham. Maybe the song put him off. "Always running Boss? So what is Ashton going to be doing?" Of course, if his professional pride amounts to preferring fourth grade football to playing in the Premiership, we are probably better off without him, but it still rankles.

Then there is Davis who has opted to stay in the old Third Division rather than join us. Now full marks to the guy for preferring first team football at a lower level to sitting on the bench as an understudy to Green, but how much time have we wasted in pursuing him? The squad are back in training and is so tissue thin that even Quashie seems to fancy his chances of getting a game.

Come on Nani and Zola, get your fingers out!