More speculation. City in £1m bid for Hulse and Hall

Last updated : 18 June 2003 By Michael Morris
Rob Hulse
The Echo claim today that Crewe striker Rob Hulse is the subject of a £700,000 bid from Cardiff City. No direct quotes but unnamed sources at both clubs claim it to be true.

Hulse scored 27 times for Crewe last season. He has one year left on his Gresty Rd contract but boss Dario Gradi sees Hulse's transfer request an honourable thing to do. He could play out his last season and walk away without a fee but if he is purchased now then Crewe will see a return from their player.

There is no official mention of this on either clubs website but Gradi in a general statement regarding Hulse on the Crewe website says

"Rob has acted honourably. He told us he wanted to go and that is very different to saying he is going to see out his contract and go for nothing.

"Rob has been very honourable in that he feels he owes the club something. All we have to do now is to decide how much we are willing to accept for him.

"It is up to him where he wishes to go. We will let him and his agent decide what his best for him but rest assured we will look to invest the money in players but it won't be all of it."

Hulse was Crewe's player of the year as they pipped City to the second automatic promotion spot.

Also said be the subject of a bid is Oldham's (One Size) Fitz Hall (22) and Chris Armstrong (20). The two defenders are subjects of a combined bid of £400,000. Hall is a very talented young defender and would be a snip at that price on his own but Oldham are on the verge of financial ruin and any reasonable offer would have to be seriously considered, from a selfish point of view should we be offering such large sums when any amount may be considered?

As with Hulse at Crewe there is no official word regarding these allegations but the same un-named club sources are confirming there have been bids tabled.

The cynic in me warns me to take it with a pinch of salt until there is an official announcement or a direct quote from either club.