GRAEME Le Saux's immediate future is crystal clear.
He should apply for a temporary job as David Mellor's assistant at the new Football Task Force.
It is a marriage made in heaven - two articulate operators, talented in their own right, convinced of their own superiority and totally out of touch with the real world of football.
Not only is Le Saux suitable, he is available Monday to Friday with an option of overtime at weekends.
For, as it stands, Le Saux is going to be kicking his heels on the touchlines for an awful long time.
Reports that Le Saux is furious with the £7.5 million price tag tickle me.
He apparently feels that Rovers are trying to ruin to his dream move to a bigger club.
But just hang on there one darned minute.
It was the player himself who said he was too good for Ewood.
So, in his own words and actions, it is clear Le Saux believes that he is worth much more than the average international at the club.
With years left on his current contract, Rovers have every right to ask a realistic price in today's market.
And the fact that there have been few major money moves this summer simply reflects the amount of foreign dross seeping into the Premiership.
There are, of course, stark similarities with the Alan Shearer situation last season.
Both indicate that player-power is out of control.
Employees in any sphere of any industry can ask for a move to suit their individual interests.
But most spheres do not have fixed-term contracts with the enormous trappings of signing-on fees and loyalty bonuses.
Rovers, however, had little choice but to sell Shearer.
With a world record offer on the table and a disatisfied player of such stature in their ranks, the deal with Newcastle made sense - however hard to swallow for Blackburn fans.
There would have been a local and national outcry had Shearer been banished to the sidelines.
Graeme Le Saux, contrary to his own beliefs, is not indispensable.
There is no acceptable offer on the table and even England might thrive without their cherished full back.
So, while it would be better in the long-term for the club to cleanse their barrel of this particular bad apple, Roy Hodgson's stance is spot on.
Unless a realistic offer is made, Le Saux can play in the reserves.
The player can whinge and whine all he wants.
But the bottom line is that Le Saux should be thankful that Rovers granted his transfer request and decided not to 'nail him to the cross'.
And their concern for the Brazilian rain forest should be applauded - because it would have been a waste of good wood.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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