Blues boss Paul Jewell has revealed that he blocked striker Jason Scotland’s proposed move to Saturday’s opponents Bristol City last month.

Jewell said: “I met [Robins manager] Derek McInnes after the Birmingham-Portsmouth game and we spoke about Jason. We had an open and frank discussion and I let Jason know exactly what was happening and in the end I decided not to let Jason go.

“Jason was quite happy with that. He was happy to go and play, but with Bristol City down the wrong end of the table with us, it was a decision [to make].

“It was nice to have a manager to manager conversation rather than a third party conversation with agents or with someone else getting involved. It was just manager to manager and I’d rather do that.”

The Blues boss says the conversation regarding Scotland, who played alongside McInnes at Dundee United earlier in his career, wasn’t the first between the two bosses: “I don’t know him well but I have come across him before. He rang me in the summer looking for some players when he was still at St Johnstone because their season started really early.

“He was asking about some young players. He’s done well there and all of a sudden he’s got the Bristol City job and he’s done really well.

“He’s bright, I’ve met him a couple of occasions, he’s a smashing lad and I wish him well, after Saturday. He seems a down to earth normal, hard-working lad, like most of us are.”

Photo: Action Images

mightytown added 12:14 - Mar 2 first and good job, me likey scotland
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mightytown added 12:17 - Mar 2 sounds like a man crush going on here
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heady added 12:18 - Mar 2 Looks like Scotland will be on his way in the summer..
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Mark added 12:27 - Mar 2 When you're a big wage earner, not in the starting 11, getting on in years and your contract is running out, it's not looking good for you. I like Scotland's work ethic though and if he would take a big pay cut to stay here you never know.
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bontcho added 12:36 - Mar 2 It strikes me that Jason will need to take a significant pay cut to stay with us. Rather like Carlos Edwards and Lee Bowyer. If we can get a replacement of lower wages I wouldn't be too disappointed. Interesting that his form has improved in the season when the contract clause was up-and-running.
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TractorRoyNo1 added 12:47 - Mar 2 good - pj made the right call (for once)
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alfromcol added 13:21 - Mar 2 He won't need to take a pay cut if he gets the required number of starts this season as per his contract. He can opt for another year at current terms (so rumour has it)
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nysully added 13:32 - Mar 2 @alfromcol - do you think PJ is a genius and put Chops in the starting XI because his form in training was excellent and he was obviously sitting on a big run of goals or was he instructed that Jason was getting dangerously close to getting the required # of starts to have his contract auto-renew at the same salary? I wonder but lets just say I would be shocked if Jason gets the starts he needs. If we are safe Ellington will start before him late in the season.

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Surco72 added 14:01 - Mar 2 nysully... surely if we are looking for extra strikers in the summer as mentioned on numerous occassions in jan and want Murray coming through with Chops as our main striker and Martin playing off to tie up high wages on an old player would be a very poor option business wise ,and totally against what the majority of the moaners are saying about signing players for the future and not old has beens ? I would imagine one of the reasons Jewell picked Chopra above Scotland was the fact that Scotland doesnt score enough goals 14 goals in 70 plus games is hardly a great record

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Garv added 14:06 - Mar 2 I can't believe that Scotland won't make three more start before the season's end. Chops' form will drop, or we will eventually have to have two up top so Scotland WILL play.
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nysully added 14:08 - Mar 2 I agree with you Surco72 but the fact of the matter is Scotland was getting his game until he got perilously close to guaranteeing his contract and not until PJ magically saw the light and got Chops back in there, I agree that we cannot have Scotland here next year unless it is a greatly reduced wage, that and the fact that Ellington has a guaranteed contract for next season (another genius bit of business) Scotland almost has to miss out on a number game both financially and by the amount of strikers we will carry next year! If we had 10 more point Scotland would have already been loaned out somewhere assuming loan starts do not count toward his automatic contract renewal.

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jas0999 added 14:15 - Mar 2 Possibly a good decision; Scotland at one stage was one of our better performers - especially when we were playing really badly. BUT with his deal about to expire and with the club - yet again - ineffective at dealing with the situation, it may have proved prudent to ship him out and save some wages - particularly as it's unlikely he will be an ITFC player next season. PJ would have been better advised to have recalled Ronan Murray - giving him a run on at least the bench. Murray has more of a future at the club than Scotland and hopefully the woeful Ellington.

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Guthrum added 16:56 - Mar 2 @ jas0999 I agree about Murray's future, but I think he's getting better experience learning, playing games and scoring goals for Swindon under di Canio than sitting on the ITFC bench (cf Drury's form whan he came back from loan). Also, with the reduced 5-man benches nowadays, you can't afford the space to have players sitting there just for the experience (along with the non-existent reserve league and the new academy rules, yet another FA balls-up on the player development front, IMO).

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Tractorog added 21:39 - Mar 2 Not letting him go has possibly more to do with not helping a side we are fighting with to avoid the drop (at the time) than it has with Mr Scotland's future.
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nysully added 15:05 - Mar 3 Scotland doesn't start after Chops goes on the piss during the week, now almost certain Scotland management won't let Scotland get the starts needed to force his contract auto-renewal.
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