Coventry Manager Micky Adams has stepped up his efforts to keep Steve Staunton for another twelve months.

Paul Merson had been planning to sign his former Aston Villa team mate Staunton as a player coach for the coming season, as the former Ireland international has made no secret of the fact that he wants to go into management when he retires.

It has now been reported, however, that Adams has stepped up his efforts to get Staunton to accept an extension to his contract at Coventry, as he also wants the experience of the player to steady his back line in the coming season.

Quite where this leaves matters, it’s difficult to say. Staunton wants to move into the coaching side of the game, but it’s difficult to see where he would fit in at Bescot on the playing side, with Gerrard, Roper and Bennett on board and the seemingly imminent arrival of Chris Westwood meaning the centre back berths are filled and Staunton has himself said he is reluctant to play full back any more. Perhaps another twelve months at Coventry might seem more attractive to the player yet.

Surman Update

Meanwhile, the Evening Mail is carrying confirmation of the story we had on the 16th June, that Andrew Surman’s return to Bescot depends on the outcome of an argument between Chairman Rupert Lowe and ‘Arry Redknapp:

“Eager to cut costs, Lowe wants his manager to base the just-relegated Saints’ attempt to climb straight back to the Premiership mainly around his younger players.
If the Southampton chairman gets his way, 18-year-old Surman is unlikely to be allowed out on loan as he would probably figure in the first-team squad at some stage.
But Redknapp, who proved two years ago at Portsmouth that he knows what it takes to get teams out of the Championship, wants to lean more heavily on experience”.