Lucky Jim?

Desperate times call for desperate measures. But are we really desperate enough to want to sign James Beattie? The player once upon a time tipped as Wor Al's replacement, back when he was good, had a fruitless loan spell at Blackpool last season and has just been released by Rangers. Mercifully, the Star claimed his former club Sheffield Utd is a likelier destination.

Coincidentally, the last big lunk of a free agent forward to be signed to plug the gap left by Rocky made a flying start to his Oldham career, Shefki Kuqi taking just six minutes to find the net against Lee Clark's Huddersfield.

Meanwhile, Sunday's People mentioned almost in passing that we "made an inquiry for Rangers’ Croatian striker Nikica Jelavic and will try to sign him again in January". Interesting if true - might it have been us who tabled the £9m bid that Rangers alleged they received on deadline day? If so, then Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell can eat his mocking words - and Llambiarse's insistence that our transfer policy doesn't involve making "knee-jerk decisions" looks increasingly ludicrous.

The reference to Jelavic came in this article, suggesting that Chris Hughton is intent on offering the Lone Ranger an escape route from Tyneside. Should he renew his interest when the loan window reopens, I doubt we'd hesitate in shipping out a player who, while undoubtedly promising, has a seriously suspect attitude both on and off the pitch.