Jeremy Peace focus is still on winger

May 20 2008 By Nick Davis

ALBION will continue to push ahead with their quest to bring in Irish League winger Pat McCourt despite making an offer described as "insulting" by Derry City chairman Pat McDaid.

Albion chairman Jeremy Peace has become a seasoned veteran of poker-style negotiations around the transfer table and is not thought to have been put off after an opening gambit met with a stern rebuke.

"The offer had been rejected because we feel it is derisory - it's insulting to the club and the League of Ireland in general," said McDaid.

The Baggies face competition from a second unnamed Premier League side and other clubs north of the border.

McDaid added: "We have another Premiership club, a couple of Championship teams and a couple of sides from the SPL in Scotland interested in Paddy.

"We have been speaking with the clubs over the last couple of weeks."

McCourt is a former Rochdale and Northern Ireland Under-21 international who spent time on trial with Motherwell before joining Shamrock Rovers and then moving to Derry in 2005.

He won the PFAI Young Player of the Year Award in 2005 and has gone from strength to strength since, scoring 6 goals in 31 appearances last season.

Reports Albion had made an offer to Lee Carsley before he signed for Blues from Everton are wide of the mark.

Meanwhile, Carsley has praised the Baggies for proving you can play your way into the Premier League.

"You've got to play football, that's the only way.

"West Brom have shown that you can play football and get out of the Championship," he added. n Tony Mowbray was due to attend the funeral of his former Celtic manager Tommy Burns in Glasgow today.

It means the 'Celebrity Football Forum with 1152am Gold' has been postponed until Tuesday, May 27.

The event, originally scheduled for tonight, is being staged at Hamstead Social Club, Old Walsall Road, Hamstead.