AFTER our 2-1 defeat at Hull, my weekend was made slightly more bearable by news that our old team-mate Michael Proctor had scored twice on his debut for Rotherham.

I am good friends with Michael even to the point where he turned to me for advice about his move from Sunderland. I was perhaps a bit cheeky and said: "Well, why don't you come to us? You could get yourself a move from here."

I don't know whether he took it in jest but, realistically, he wants to play at the highest level for as long as he can and I am sure he will be a good acquisition for Rotherham. I think it will work well for both parties.

Sometimes a change does you good and, being away from his home comforts might see him grow up as a man and become a better player for it.

While he was at Sunderland he was part of the squad but his chances were limited. Now he's going to Rotherham and it looks like he's going to be first choice.

I thought he would possibly have gone on to establish himself at Sunderland but he's been there a long time and sometimes it's difficult to get out of that rut and become a regular. If you have been at a football club for a long time you are sometimes taken for granted and that's part of the reason I left Burnley.

I could have quite easily been in the squad week in, week out at Burnley but there's nothing better than playing. That's what I said to Michael and, putting monetary issues aside, being part of the first XI is the most important thing and what we try to emphasise to players who might be on the peripheries of squads when we are trying to bring them here.

He's ambitious and will want to prove other people wrong and will have a bit of fire in his belly. Somebody like Rotherham will also not stand in his way if an opportunity to go to the Premiership arose again.

When Terry Dolan was talking about bringing him here he was somebody who caught my eye before when we played Halifax and he just has that little edge, arrogance and spark as a striker which you need. He did exceptionally well for Halifax, ourselves and Bradford and although he was only at the club for a short spell he became a fans' favourite very quickly.

I am also pleased for Jonathan Stead, another young striker who had a dream debut when he scored the winning goal for Blackburn at Middlesbrough. He has signed from Huddersfield and has talent.

In days before the young talent was usually cherry-picked from the lower divisions and I think the way the money situation has gone it will come back to that and the Premier League clubs will start taking a gamble on one or two because they know they are going to get them for a reasonable price.

If you are good enough you will do it and Stead could score goals at any level. The more players like him that come through, the more people will trust the ability of lower division players and give youngsters an opportunity.

Elsewhere, Paul Groves and Paul Hart became the latest managerial casualties this week and, as a fellow player-manager, I will be interested to see what Paul Groves does next.

He might wash his hands of management and believe it's not for him but, knowing his character, I am sure if something arises he will jump at the opportunity again.

Deciding to stay on as a player after being Grimsby's manager, as he has done, could be difficult but he's a good professional and I am sure he will help whoever takes the job in the best way.

You just get on with it and it would be the same with myself. You are a professional footballer first and foremost.

You have to make sure you contribute out on the field and I am sure he won't be somebody who upsets the dressing-room. I think the players will find it the strangest with the gaffer reverting back to being a team-mate and one of the lads. It's a role reversal and a totally opposite transition to mine but it will only take a couple of weeks for people to adapt.

Hart's departure surprised many people because last year he was touted as the next Leeds manager and potentially one of the game's best prospects. You do not become a bad player or a bad manager overnight but, in this game, you are judged by your results and Nottingham Forest have had a bad spell.

I think monetary issues and the fact that the club need to stay in Division One have influenced the decision rather than the directors judging him at the end of the season after having faith in his ability to pull them through. But Paul is somebody I have a great deal of admiration for and I am sure he will have some involvement in management again in the future.

Updated: 08:48 Thursday, February 12, 2004