Town are set to renew their interest in Doncaster midfielder James Coppinger this summer, according to a tabloid report this morning. The 31-year-old was part of a failed joint bid also involving striker Billy Sharp — now at Southampton — during the last close season when the former Exeter man was valued at £300,000.

Blues boss Paul Jewell is now claimed to be ready to pay £500,000 for the Guisborough-born schemer, who signed a new contract until 2014 with now-relegated Rovers last July.

Coppinger spoke about his future after Saturday’s relegation-confirming 4-3 home defeat to Portsmouth: “I am contracted to the club for two more years and I have got a testimonial in my contract and, yes, [the loss to Pompey has] been hard to take because we’ve had success throughout my time here and to finish like that was so frustrating.

“Everyone is despondent and can’t believe what’s happened but it’s not just about the result against Portsmouth, it’s about the whole season and we haven’t been good enough.

“How do we react? I don’t know how the club will react to it. It is in a difficult situation because they didn’t envisage going down. The chairman and manager will get together and thrash out a plan and, hopefully, it will be a good one for the club.”

However, the one-time Darlington and Newcastle trainee may not have endeared himself to either chairman John Ryan or manager Dean Saunders by criticising their now abandoned policy of employing agent Willie McKay to bring in high profile players such as El-Hadji Diouf and Pascal Chimbonda on short-term deals to put them in the shop window.

"I think it's disrespectful to the league if you think you can just bring in big names and that will win you games," he said. "In this league, and in leagues below, you need more than just names on the team sheet.

"You need passion, commitment and togetherness and it just shows sometimes if you haven't got that, you don't do anything in football. I've been here eight years and this [season] is the hardest and most frustrating.

"The players that have been here a long time and had so much success in the Championship and kept us in the league for three years have found it difficult because it is a totally different regime and it hasn't worked out."

Photo: Action Images

Photo: Action Images

Marshalls_Mullet added 12:14 - Apr 17 He is 100% right about the Willie Mackay alliance. Would be a good squad player for £250k.
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hampstead_blue added 12:18 - Apr 17 It shows that the plan A ME had at the start of the season was very ill-conceived indeed. What use would he be at 31? He had his chance. Move on.
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ipswichtillidie added 12:28 - Apr 17 2 over 30's linked in the last 24 hours. Pure speculation in my opinion. Both players would contradict what PJ has said he was after so neither will happen i would suspect. Ritchie at Swindon would be a more likely link again if we are going after a wide player.
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bontcho added 12:43 - Apr 17 Strikes me as lazy journo. Donny relegated, Coppinger possibly off and we showed interest last year makes the 'story'. My memory is he's a right sided midfielder so would he play ahead of JET? Or may be he's back up option if we can't afford Murphy? Seems unlikely to me whichever way.
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Len_Brennan added 12:45 - Apr 17 Can't see it, a good idea alongside Sharp last year for their link up, but on his own just an average ageing player. Murphy a much better option, allbeit on higher wages. Ritchie a good shout too.
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MathieandMarshall added 12:45 - Apr 17 Nothing to this story in my opinion. I read Copingers interview on Sky Sports last night and my first thought was "we'll be linked again now" - i imagine some sports journo has just taken the easy option here for a story. Sounds like he wants to stay and get his Testimonial in?!
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RetroBlue added 12:53 - Apr 17 wonder if he'd tell us "no thanks" a second time round?
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simonsays added 13:00 - Apr 17 He's too young for us!
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Surco72 added 13:03 - Apr 17 Would rather have Boyd from Peterboro as a wide option ,class player who would do very well with Chopra and Scotland
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sheepdags added 13:13 - Apr 17 Decent player but we're already overweight in midfielders, we've leaked more goals than any team except Donny and though Smith and Delaney have improved lately, PJ needs to focus on a central defender above all and then gk and rb in that order. I'm guessing that Pearce would now welcome a move so we should get in there before other interested parties.
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tractorboy2434 added 13:17 - Apr 17 Boyd from Posh is twice the player that Coppinger is, strong rumour that they will take around 750K for Boyd, he is only 26 and would be a far better bet than the Donny player, a bit worried when Jewell says that him and Taylor are out of our price range, is anybody actually in our price range or will we just sit idly by whilst they are snapped up by somebody else.

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Lummylum added 13:33 - Apr 17 If Marcus is feeling generous with his monies, he could always offer a decent amount for Darren Ambrose. Should be cheaper wages, despite a transfer fee, than Daryl Murphy, and I have no doubt he would come back.
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buryblue77 added 13:45 - Apr 17 A year later and we're now looking to offer £200k more for a player who will soon be heading into his latter years from a club who has been relegated. Don't you just love agent promoted media speculation.
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newboy added 14:23 - Apr 17 Must be getting to the stage where any player facing retirement and over 30 can just send a C.V and get a nice fat pay check when will they learn and yes could be speculation but why does speculation only come with an OAP tag attached would be nice to speculate about someone younger and worth having
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Keaneish added 15:22 - Apr 17 Not likely at 500,000 or at 31!!
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Ipswichbusiness added 15:28 - Apr 17 I hope and expect that this rumour is nonsense. We need to be building from the back and signing younger players.
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jas0999 added 15:43 - Apr 17 I doubt this is true - but assuming so : Did PJ not say he had 'learnt from his mistakes' by signing 30+ year old players and loans? I therefore don't see where Coppinger fits in - clearly not the right age, and also been poor this season. Would be disappointed IF this was true (note the word 'if').
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EatonBlue added 16:25 - Apr 17 Disagree with most of the above comments and would like to see him come here if Leadbitter goes.
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TimmyH added 20:01 - Apr 17 Yet again getting a player in too late in his career (if he does come to us).
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h32 added 20:12 - Apr 17 .......... soon be time for the gerihatricks to form a queue again - CV in hand of course. Nothing else required. Think I'm joking ? - NOT AT ALL.
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h32 added 20:16 - Apr 17 newboy - anything worth having costs money - and anything worth having has, and will be, deemed as being 'out of our price range'. It's already started.
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Tractastic added 23:30 - Apr 17 I for one am happy to see that Willie Mckay's policy has clearly backfired at Doncaster.The signing system seemed disrespectful to the great work Sean O'Driscoll had done bringing youth on,so well done Mr Coppinger for speaking out. At 31 has quality and experience and should Leadbitter go would be a great signing.
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wayway added 20:56 - Apr 18 Brian Stock is the man from Donny. A midfield player with a brain who can pick a pass.
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Michael11 added 23:03 - Apr 18 Not gonna happen, 31 is old for a winger so he has 1 or 2 seasons at best to be any good. Young players this season coming in hopefully
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