A few hours still remain of the transfer window, but the main worry about Stephen Hunt making a last-ditch defection to Wolves seems to have been eased.
A verbal £5 million bid was made by Wolves this morning and Adam Pearson has rejected it. Phil Brown said on Saturday that the fans would "go crazy" if the club sold its best performer of the season to an immediate relegation rival and so with words from one man and actions from another, we can put this sorry business to bed.
Of course, those whose heads rule their hearts will ask questions about how the Tigers can afford to turn down such a substantial sum when the debts are as they are. Pearson is, however, never prone to letting his heart get in the way of common sense. He has gone through the books with a fine toothcomb, issued legal papers to Paul Duffen and worked his abacus to within an inch of its frame. And if he says we can afford to keep Hunt then that is the case.
Brown helped matters by making his comment after Saturday's game - in which Hunt played unusually poorly, leading to unhelpful remarks about his head already being with the day's opponents - and in getting the fans involved, may have pushed Pearson into a decision the chairman was already set to make. If only he had done that in August when Michael Turner's future was in the balance. It might not have stopped Duffen from flogging him, but it would have saved Brown a lot of face and suspicion as the truth of City's finances began to unravel over the next two months.
It is proof, if we ever needed more, that the manager's attitude reflects the regime he works for. Duffen was about secrecy and treated supporters as pure customers, so Brown followed suit with cloak and dagger comments or no comments at all. Pearson's desire to make the supporters the focal point of club policy and general transparency has been taken on by Brown, if this comment about Hunt is admissible as evidence. Either way, Brown is obeying orders and taking the lead from the person employing him. That we see this happen within a rebuttal for Wolves, meaning Hunt will be playing against Chelsea tomorrow night, is a nice bonus.
Of course, Peter Halmosi is available for transfer and the Tigers are absolutely desperate to get rid. So if Wolves want a shaggy-haired international left-sided player, then maybe we can assist after all. Hurry along now Mick, you've only got three hours...
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