What does Brett Pitman saga say about Blackpool?

Brett Pitman has signed for Bristol City on a three-year deal, having passed a medical on Monday afternoon.

The young striker had been one of the hottest prospects in the lower divisions of late, having plundered 26 league goals for Bournemouth last season and been the subject of recent bids from Premier League new boys Blackpool.

Last Thursday, Pitman was in Blackpool discussing personal terms after a bid of around £600,000 was accepted. However, talks broke down late on Thursday and the striker returned to the south coast.

Those surprised by the decision to reject a chance to play Premier League football would have been even more confused when, a day later, a bid was lodged by Bristol City and Pitman agreed to personal terms without a hitch.



He will now go straight into the squad for Saturday's trip to Roy Keane's Ipswich Town, and according to an interview on the club's website, he can't wait to get started.

The question on everyone's lips, though, is why turn down the lure of the Premier League for the Championship?

Well, Pitman is giving nothing away. In his first interview since joining the Robins he said, "There are a number of reasons why I made the choice. I know them reasons, the manager knows them reasons, but I've chosen this club."

He also went on to say he had chosen Bristol over Blackpool and not the Championship over the Premier League. The question still remains: why?

It is reasonable to assume in most cases that if two clubs come in for you, one being a league higher than the other, then the logical choice is to choose the better side. Not only that, Blackpool would have broken their transfer record with the signing, which leads me to believe he would have gone straight into the starting 11 alongside Marlon Harewood.

Obviously, something went on when Pitman went up to Blackpool that put him off. Was it the city? Was it the club? Was it the manager?

Ian Holloway commented last week that he felt young players were becoming "monsters," as they were being given far too much money too young. Maybe this was enough to put Pitman off the manager, but Holloway's positive comments about the youngster suggest otherwise.

What about club stature? Even if Blackpool are relegated this season, they would still be a Championship club, meaning Pitman will still see himself in a better position than he if he had stayed at Bournemouth. Also, Bristol's poor start sees them considered far from promotion hopefuls as things stand. Maybe it was the ambition of the club that attracted him to Bristol—the new chairman having already signed goalkeeper David James this summer.

If this is true though, then Blackpool fans should be very worried. If their Premier League side don't have the same ambitious outlook as Bristol City, then it would seem they are using the Premier League to make a bit of money and have already accepted relegation.

If that were my team, I would be asking serious questions as to why a League One player said no to my Premier League club and yes to a team currently in the bottom five in the Championship.

Has Craig Bellamy made a big mistake?

Mercurial bad boy Craig Bellamy has today completed a shock loan move to home town club Cardiff City.

Cast out by Manchester City, has the welshman made a heroic return to his boyhood club or is he simply giving up the ghost on his career?

The 31-year-old has had his fair share of clubs in a career that has seen £47 million spent on him in little over 14 years. None of his moves though have been quite as surprising as this one.

Bellamy joined money bags Manchester City in January 2009 following a £14 million from West Ham. He hit the ground running, scoring in his debut against former club Newcastle United, making him the only player to score top flight goals for six different sides.

He then went on to have one of the most impressive seasons of his career, remaining in exceptional form for City during the 09/10 season, leading them to the brink of Champions League qualification.

Despite his impressive form, Bellamy always seemed in the bad books at City and you always had the feeling that he was not a favourite with manager Roberto Mancini. This stemmed from reports of unrest after the sacking of Mark Hughes with a revolt apparently lead by Bellamy and Carlos Tevez.

Things got worse this summer when Mancini, funded by Sheikh Mansour, brought in Mario Balotelli from Inter Milan and told Bellamy that he would not be named in the 25-man squad for the season.

As a result Bellamy can be forgiven for wanting out but was joining Cardiff the right move?

Coming off the back of a fantastic season and still only 31, it would seem that Cardiff City is a major step down.

No disrespect to the Welsh club - who are one of the top Championship sides and were 90 minutes away from promotion last season - but Bellamy has more to give and could easily have earned a move elsewhere in the Premiership.

Harry Redknapp for one was a big admirer of the forward and had recently spoken of his desire to bring him to Tottenham Hotspur to bolster his attacking options.

It can be argued that by moving to Cardiff he will guarantee a starting berth, which he will, but it is a great shame to see a great talent with so much more to give being wasted in the second tier of English football.

Time will tell whether he has made the right choice, but all signs point to GIANT ERROR.

He could have got himself a gig playing Champions League football with Tottenham tonight. Instead he will be heading to Doncaster on Saturday to make his Cardiff City bow.

Cardiff manager Dave Jones has said he is delighted and Bellamy seems happy, but you have to wonder whether such a big fish in a small pond will cause unrest, especially a personality as volatile as this one.

If you ask me, he has brought an excellent career to a premature end and may never get the chance to play at the top again.