This guy is really something:
Bellamy rejects Birmingham move
Newcastle outcast Craig Bellamy has turned down a move to Birmingham, according to his agent but the Blues are still trying to secure a loan deal.
Birmingham agreed a £6million fee with Newcastle for the Wales striker on Friday.
But Bellamy's agent this morning told Sky Sports News he had turned down the chance to join Steve Bruce's side.
However, it is understood Birmingham are still hoping to land Bellamy on a loan deal for the rest of the season before the midnight transfer deadline.
Newcastle boss Graeme Souness admitted on Friday that Bellamy would never play for him again after feigning an injury ahead of the Arsenal game and then accusing his manager of lying in a TV interview.
Bellamy may have decided to stick it out at St James Park in the hope that his future will be resolved in the summer when he may have more options.
If Bellamy remains a Newcastle player today it could scupper Souness' hopes of bringing in a new striker.
Newcastle have been linked with Portsmouth striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu but if Bellamy digs his heels in and stays the Magpies will have less room for manoeuvre in the transfer market.
Souness has made it crystal clear that Bellamy has no future at St James' Park while he is in charge.
Before the FA Cup win over Coventry he said: 'He can't play for me ever again. He can't go on television and accuse me of telling lies.
'I'm not going to dwell on it, but I think in most walks of life that would be the case.'
Bellamy has had more than his fair share of problems since his #6million move from Coventry during the summer of 2001, but has impressed on the pitch.
His 128 appearances for the club have brought him 42 goals, his most important two in a memorable 3-2 Champions League victory over Feyenoord in Rotterdam two seasons ago to book the club a place in the second group stage of the competition.
Injuries have blighted Bellamy's time on Tyneside, which former boss Sir Bobby Robson eventually came to accept, along with Bellamy's off-the-field controversy.
But Souness has not been prepared to let him get away with bad behaviour on or off the pitch.
The final straw came when, amid speculation that he could be used to lure Yakubu to the club, he feigned injury which led to a showdown meeting with the manager and chairman Freddy Shepherd.
Souness left him out of the squad to face Arsenal last Sunday, citing an injury as the reason, but Bellamy then gave two television interviews in which he put his side of the story.
Alan Shearer admits it was 'a relief to focus on football' and steer Newcastle to an FA Cup win over Coventry after the Bellamy saga had dominated the build-up to the game.
He told the club's website: 'After all that's happened over the last few days I don't think we had any choice other than to win the game.
'Now I hope we can start talking about football again, which is how it should be at this club.
'Credit to everyone concerned, including the manager, for keeping us focused and making sure we didn't take our eye off the ball.'
