There I was minding my own business listening to the radio when all of a sudden I found myself feeling sorry for Gillingham chairman Paul Scally.

The Kent club have well and truly been stitched up over the £92,000 transfer of Carl Asaba to Sheffield United last week.

The Gills signed Asaba from Reading three years ago for half a million pounds with, as most small clubs do, a view to developing his talents and then recouping their outlay and possibly making a profit when they sold him on.

The spectre of the Bosman ruling has well and truly cast its sinister shadow over the garden of England. Asaba's contract was due to run out in the summer. He apparently had continually stalled on the advice of his agent on signing a new one.

Gillingham knew they would have to get a fee now or risk having the player walk away for nothing in the summer. Crystal Palace offered £500k just after Christmas but were frightened off by the player's huge wage demands, Wigan upped the ante by a further £200k, agreed to meet the player's personal terms but Asaba turned them down flat.

Less than two weeks later, Gillingham get a take-it-or-leave-it £92 grand bid from Neil Warnock at Sheffield United. You do not need to be Miss Marple to work out what has gone on.

I have no doubt the Blades' outlay was going to be almost as much as Wigan were prepared to pay, but somewhere along the way Asaba and his 'advisers' have realised, or been told, that it can end up in his bank account rather than Gillingham's.

Legal? Almost certainly! Moral? Do me a favour!

Which is why, for all the past history between Albion and the Gills, I believe events like this are another nail in the coffin of the majority of the smaller clubs in this country.

When talking about this to someone at the Albion I was told not to worry, as the club would never put itself in that position. Well, sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but they already have.

Back in February 1999, I remember hearing from a former manager that Jeff Minton would either sign a new contract or leave before deadline day for a fee.

Needless to say Minton, Brian Horton and Port Vale had other ideas and who is to say how badly that affected Albion for the following campaign?

If the Albion had received a fee, it might have enabled Micky Adams to have had a better budget for last season. That might have been the difference between failing as Albion did or getting out of division three.

West Ham United have appeared to join the growing membership of the Bobby Zamora fan club.

On the Hammers website last week, yes I've been on the net again, a member of the Upton Park coaching staff was regaling tales of Bobby in his early teens considering quitting the game altogether but eventually overcoming his doubts and stating that his ultimate dream would be to wear the famous claret and blue one day.

Lovely story but how much money are the Hammers prepared to pay?

Yes, it is time to face facts. I, like the majority of the support, know he is going. I don't know when, ideally in 15 months' time after 35 goals and another promotion. I think everybody could live with that.

The ongoing speculation even has had one of my associates down my local winding me up over the Zamora transfer issue. He asked me what I would say to Dick Knight if the Albion ever sold Bobby to Crystal Palace.

Hypothetical question. Dick Knight is many things but he is not stupid.