ROY Hodgson has targeted the right man in Dion Dublin.

He has stature, experience and a commanding presence.

And those are precisely the qualities both supporters and unsettled players at Ewood want to see from new arrivals.

But the unfolding saga of his transfer is throwing up other equally pressing issues.

Has Dion Dublin targeted the right club in Blackburn Rovers?

Jack Walker has bent over backwards to try to tempt the giant striker to Ewood.

A deal has been struck with Coventry City to try and sidestep the thorny issue of the wage structure at Rovers obstructing the arrival of the top stars.

At £6.75 million, Dublin appears expensive at face value.

But the inflated tag has been manufactured so that the player can receive a hefty signing on figure and ease the terrible burden of not earning much more than his reported salary of around £20,000 a week.

All that is a little complicated for the player and -- just as importantly -- his agent.

Aston Villa, Newcastle, Spurs -- maybe even Exeter City -- might be prepared to offer a few quid more.

Maybe even enough to buy a new saxophone.

Of course there are other considerations for any footballer.

If Dublin moved to Villa he would not need to move house and would be joining a club at the right end of the Premiership.

At Newcastle he would be able to play alongside Alan Shearer, as long as he agreed to stay in his shadow.

My guess, though, is that hard cash will be the deciding factor.

Yes, Rovers must must not be held to ransom.

But the loss of Dublin -- if it is perceived that wages are the be and end all -- could cause the club frightening damage and repercussions in the credibility stakes.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.