The Andy Lochhead column

SELLING off the family silver has been the story of the week, on the pitch and ... er, including the pitch!

Dealing with player matters first, Wigan's bids for Robbie Blake are worrying.

Clearly the £600,000 offered is nowhere near enough for a player so important to our own ambitions.

That would be daylight robbery for a player who, I believe, would be a Premiership star if someone took that gamble.

It goes without saying that good players can only get better alongside better players and there is no doubt in my mind that if Robbie was in the Arsenal or Chelsea teams, he would fit perfectly.

His ability speaks for itself and he shines like a beacon in this division, having scored 11 goals while being the only real outlet in a team struggling for attacking flair.

That is no disrespect to Steve, the rest of the team and what they have achieved so far this season.

Robbie is worth at least double Wigan's valuation, but that's where the worry comes from. Wigan are a club run by a multi-millionaire businessman with ambition. He is unlikely to call off the hunt.

Chairman Dave Whelan could easily dig down the back of his plush sofa and find another £400,000 to make the bid a juicy £1m - and that would surely turn heads.

The ball would then be in Robbie's court, and I would urge him to be as good as his word in stating he is happy to stay at Turf Moor - at least until a Premiership club comes in.

It can only be a matter of time, and although Burnley fans would be utterly distraught to lose their star player to a Championship rival - especially Wigan - there could be few mutterings if he were to move on in January's transfer window and end up where he really belongs.

As for Burnley's main assets, Turf Moor and Gawthorpe, they look likely to be under new ownership following the club's AGM later in the month.

Barry Kilby's £3m bid to buy both was always going to be an issue that divided supporters, but I'm firmly in the camp backing the move.

Until I glanced at the balance sheet recently, I had no idea how dire the situation still was, and I don't see any sugar daddy waiting in the wings to eliminate the problem.

Barry is claret and blue through and through, and once again has come up with a package to take the club forward.

We are not, as some people believe, 'selling out'. Barry is hauling the club out of the mire and you never know; that might even mean we can avoid selling Robbie Blake!