Birmingham line up deal to recruit Calderwood
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Your support makes all the difference.Birmingham City are understood to be in talks with Colin Calderwood over the Scot becoming the assistant manager at St Andrew's.
Calderwood was present to watch City's 2-1 Championship victory over Burnley on Tuesday amid negotiations that would see him join the club's backroom staff and be reunited with the manager, Chris Hughton.
It comes after a summer in which Birmingham were thwarted in their efforts to prise Calderwood away from Hibernian, seeing a compensation offer in the region of £300,000 rebuffed by the Scottish Premier League club.
However, his sacking at Easter Road on 6 November, following just over a year in charge, has paved the way for him to link back up with Hughton, although it is believed a severance package still needs to be agreed with Hibs.
The pair first worked together at Tottenham Hotspur during Calderwood's playing days, before the former Scotland international was handed a coaching role at Newcastle United in January 2009 alongside the then assistant manager at St James' Park Hughton.
After twice taking the caretaker role at Newcastle, Hughton was finally appointed permanent manager in October 2009, with Calderwood his assistant as they guided Newcastle to the Championship title. However, the pair parted ways after Calderwood accepted the top job at Hibernian in October 2010, with Hughton then relieved of his duties by Newcastle just two months later.
Hughton took the reins at Birmingham over the summer and subsequently appointed Paul Trollope as first-team coach. And despite being happy with his current coaching set-up he has always stressed he would be prepared to add an assistant to his ranks to further enhance his management team.
Meanwhile, the agent Willie McKay has confirmed that Doncaster Rovers are in negotiations to sign Marc Antoine Fortuné and Boudewijn Zenden.
The duo could become the latest high-profile names to join Dean Saunders' squad, following Pascal Chimbonda, El-Hadji Diouf and Habib Beye as part of an ambitious transfer policy fronted by McKay. A deal for West Bromwich Albion striker Fortuné is close to completion with today's emergency loan deadline on the horizon.
According to McKay, West Brom manager Roy Hodgson will give the deal the all-clear if Shane Long suffers no reaction to his recent knee injury picked up in training. McKay told the Press Association: "We're waiting for a player to come through training on Thursday, Shane Long, and if he's okay West Brom will allow Marco to come and join us. It would be until 4 January."
Former Netherlands midfielder Zenden is also on Rovers' radar. He has been without a club since his release by Sunderland at the end of last season.
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