Mr Blobby Going From Green to Green?

[skellysomerville]

Williamson set for Plymouth


Williamson questioned Hibs' desire to keep him
Hibernian boss Bobby Williamson is expected to be appointed Plymouth manager on Monday.
Williamson refused to comment on renewed media speculation this morning, but BBC Sport believes that the two clubs are discussing compensation.

However, Argyle chairman Paul Stapleton insisted: "Nothing is decided and the board will meet again today. We had a phone call today from a new candidate.

"Someone could be too dear for us, or his family might not want to come."

Stapleton thought it would be disrespectful, if they had chosen Williamson, to make an announcement before the Scottish Premier League club's meeting with Dundee.

The sacking by Walsall of Colin Lee after he had attended an interview with the English Second Division leaders appears now to have been an unfortunate diversion.

I'm sure the fans will be disappointed, but I was put in a position where I was asked to speak to Plymouth and I spoke to them

Bobby Williamson
"I feel sorry for Colin Lee," said Stapleton. "He is a good guy and has been treated shabbily by Walsall."

Williamson remains favourite and Inverness Caledonian Thistle's John Robertson, Clyde's Alan Kernaghan, Motherwell's Terry Butcher and Livingston's Davie Hay are already being tipped as candidates as his replacement.

Indications suggested that Williamson had been at the top of Plymouth's shortlist, having been recommended by Paul Sturrock following the former Dundee United boss's move to Southampton in March.

Williamson had insisted all week that he did not want to leave Easter Road but stressed: "It may be an indication that Hibs are prepared to let me go that they let me speak to them."

However, he pointed out that Hibs' decision earlier in the season to reduce his wages and tear up his five-year contract was a factor in his thinking.

"You could say that talking to them means I am interested, but you can look at it the other way, the club allowed me to go and speak to them," he said.

"But that's football and the next move is up to Plymouth and Hibs."

Williamson has had an uneasy relationship with the Hibs fans, some being unforgiving of him coming from the west coast of Scotland and being a former Rangers player.

[Adalon]

Walsall manager Colin Lee has spoken of his shock at being dismissed by the club as he hopes for a positive conclusion to his quest to take over at Plymouth Argyle.

The former Tottenham striker was axed by The Saddlers despite being given permission to hold talks with Argyle, and he has revealed that a dispute over whether he could select a player, presumably Paul Ritchie, in the past may have been one of the reasons behind what seems an acrimonious exit.

"I was given permission and spoke to Plymouth," Lee told Sky Sports News.

"I told the chairman I had done that and basically there was a response to that in quite a serious manner, if you like.

"It went public and obviously I've ended up having my contract terminated.

"In fact, Jeff Bonser (the Walsall supremo) gave my number to Plymouth and, if that doesn't indicate he wasn't against it, well, I'm baffled by the whole situation to be honest.

"I must say, a few weeks ago, I did question the stance of the club to do with a decision from the top in not being able to play a certain player because of a contractual clause and that put doubt in my mind about where the club was going."

Lee was keen to talk to Plymouth, but insists he would not have entertained their interest if he had failed to receive Walsall's blessing.

"The Plymouth situation then came up and the owner gave me permission to speak to them," he added.

"I went off and spoke with them but expected to work with the team today and travel to Norwich to try and get some points there.

"My contract is a yearly contract, I don't think that's long-term, it was a roll-on contract, and, if the football club didn't want me to speak to Plymouth, they should have told me that.

"If they had said that, I wouldn't have spoken to them.

"I'm a strong member of the LMA and had no intention of walking out on my contract at Walsall.

"I saw nothing wrong with talking to Plymouth, it was more to do with the future and I'm ambitious and want to be successful.

"Plymouth would be like a boyhood dream. I come from that area, I'm a Devonian and I used to stand on the terraces at Plymouth.

"There's a lot of reasons why I wanted to investigate what Plymouth were saying. I never contacted Plymouth and I never went behind Jeff's back.

"I'm not manager of Walsall any longer and I don't know if I'll be manager of Plymouth.

"I'd love to be as it's always been an ambition to try and go back and be successful with a local club.

"Perhaps it might happen, it might not, but a very strange situation has ocurred in the last week."