Robbie is off to St Andrew's

Last updated : 28 December 2004 By Tony Scholes

After the very public manoeuvres from Wigan that forced Steve Cotterill into leaving him on the bench this afternoon, it is a real Premiership club Birmingham City who look to have clinched a deal to sign him.

The two managers, Steve Bruce and Cotterill, have spoken about it and now the details are being thrashed out by the two chairmen David Gold and Barry Kilby with a strong chance that Blake could be in the Birmingham squad when they play at Newcastle on New Year’s Day.

The Burnley boss was clearly disappointed to be losing him and said after today’s win against Wigan, “I just feel resigned to thinking he is on his way. I’m disappointed as a manager because there is only one loser in this, which is me because I can’t pick him.

“I don’t think there is anything more I can do to keep him here. Any player that gets the opportunity to play in the Premiership we cannot hold back. I have a lot of time for Robbie, I think everyone knows that, but how can you deny a player in the Championship the chance to move to the Premiership? It is a big disappointment for us but we have to move on.”

I think most Burnley fans will be relieved he is not going to Wigan after the way they dealt with the whole affair but they just won’t let it drop and Jewell has even now decided to stick his nose in again.

“I made offers for Blake but Burnley are determined not to sell him to us,” said Jewell. “I know he talked to some of our players, because he knows them, and he wants to come but they obviously don’t want to let him go to us, so it is not going to happen.

“I get the feeling if we offered £3 million they would not sell him to us.”

So it looks like Jewell and Wigan have lost out when it comes to signing Blake, they are getting used to losing though, just check out their last three results.