Never-ending Story

Has a bid for the unsettled Cardiff City striker Ross McCormack been made? The Hull Daily Mail is indicating it has.

Hull boss Phil Brown signed two players yesterday one a striker but he is still looking for more players, one at least a striker. The bid for McCormack was reported to be £3m has a opening offer way below the £5m Bluebirds Chairman Peter Ridsdale has set the striker’s value has the paper is suggesting Cardiff now want £4m. Hull boss Brown is willing to be patient with the Bluebirds and feel’s a deal with the Bluebirds is possible.

He told the Mail, "We've made our move, we've put a bid in for Ross McCormack but the bid has been rejected.” There is nothing official about a possible bid and there is unlikely to be any until the two clubs can strike a deal.

In today’s South Wales Echo Cardiff City boss Dave Jones has told McCormack to “knuckle down and get on with it” with the big kick-off tomorrow. After weeks newspaper headlines he will need to knuckle down and win over the fans some of whom are unhappy with the whole situation.
Fans are unhappy with the fact that he just signed a new four-year deal with the Cardiff and then stories about he was unhappy playing second fiddle to Michael Chopra and Jay Bothroyd would harm his international career. Then the story hit the buffers he handed in a transfer request later changed to he had a conversation with Peter Ridsdale over the phone and reminded him of a ‘gentleman’s agree’ that he could talk to any interested Premier League club and then they were accusation of being overvalued.

It’s very likely he will play some part in the opening game of the season but possible from the bench, unless that is he is close to a transfer deal then he would not be risked, just in case of injury. Ridsdale and Jones should take the best offer on McCormack, anything over £3.5m take it.

Cardiff City boss Jones gave a long interview to the South Wales Echo and said: “Ross has to get his head down and work hard.
“If something comes along so be it, but Ross has put himself in an awkward position by coming out that he wants to leave the club.
“There are ways of doing things and he and his agent have gone about it the wrong way.
“Sometimes people open their mouths without thinking about what they are saying.
“I’m not saying that about Ross’ case, but it is certainly the case as far as his agent is concerned.
“An agent has put a player in a predicament and now they have to run the gauntlet.
“But there is nothing you can do except get on with it.
“The comments that we are pricing him out of the market are very strange indeed,” reflected Jones.
“I can understand that everybody wants to better themselves and, if a Premiership club comes calling and you think it is a better move, then that is fine.
“It doesn’t matter whether he’s been here a month or 10 years, the club has a valuation on him.
“We have worked with him, trained him and paid him.
“Everybody has had an input for him to break into the international team.
“It’s been a big effort from everybody and that’s why we have put that valuation on Ross.
“Wh-ether Ross is unhappy or not, the fact is that he is here.
“While he is here he gets paid by the club – and I’m sure he’d be more unhappy if we didn’t pay him!
“He is still employed by this club to play football, so it is up to him to get his head straight.
“I’m not here to get his head straight for him because his agent is pushing for a transfer.
“He’s got to get on with it and play.
“For a player to be unhappy in two weeks is a massive turnaround from the one that signed a four-year deal two weeks earlier. But it’s not a problem for me, the coaching staff or the players as long as Ross knuckles down.
“Ross gets paid to play, not moan and groan.”
“This has not rocked the boat inside the club,” he said.
“It might have done in the Welsh media or with the fans, but not inside the club.
“It is not a distraction and it has not ruffled us, upset us or shocked us. We just get on with our training programme.
“We’ve been told Ross wants a transfer one minute and he doesn’t want one the next.
“But in the end we’ve kept him training and he’s still involved with the first team because he is still a Cardiff City player.
“I’m not really sure if Ross or his agent know what’s going on to be honest, but what he must not is give his shirt up and that goes for anybody at the club.”
And Jones continued: “We are more concerned about getting players fit and ready for the start of the season.
“Until Ross or any other player leaves the club, everyone of us is preparing for the season ahead.
“Ross has done well in pre-season and worked hard and he will have to continue to do that while he is at this club.
“He’s got to battle for a place the same as everybody else.
“Nobody is different here,” Jones added.