JANUARY SALES

The last day of the January transfer window saw two of Saints` highest wage-earners leave for pastures new. Both Grzegorz Rasiak and Rudi Skacel were alleged to be getting £12,000 a week and, given the parlous state of the club`s finances, it`s hardly surprising that steps need to be taken to keep the Bank Manager a bit happier.

Both players have gone on loan until the end of the season - Rasiak to Premiership outfit Bolton and Skacel to Hertha Berlin - with the prospect of the deals becoming permanent. In their own idiosyncratic way, they were both `interesting` players. Rasiak is a gifted goalscorer but that`s all he does - stick the ball in the back of the net - but he adds little to the workload of the team. Skacel can play....when he feels like it, which hasn`t been too often of late.

(`bye, Rudi)

So, off they go and whilst at first glance the squad of players available to our currently non-existing manager may appear diminished, I suspect that these departures represent a shrewd move both financially and in terms of morale. They leave some room for others to step up to the plate, play for their places and leave complacency behind. Possibly. We`ll see.