Every coach knows the players he'd like to sign in a perfect world but most of us have got a budget to work with and decisions have to be made accordingly.

The situation is particularly complicated at the moment because of the uncertain situation in Australia where several clubs are talking about possible mergers but the only one that looks like it's definitely going ahead at present is between Illawarra and St. George.

I've recently been offered one player by an agent only to be told it's a wait and see situation based on whether his domestic club merges first and there are dozens of other players out there facing similar uncertainty.

These problems make for a difficult job and it also leaves the players feeling fragile.

Some players come to my attention because they are offered to me by agents but when I've got a role in mind, I also go after players I know can do a job for me.

I've done agent work myself in the past so I know what it's like to be on the other side of the table. There are tricks to the job, just as there are in any profession and appreciating what they are can help.

Following the Bosman Ruling, a football manager needs to be astute in his understanding of which players are coming off contract and the art of dealing with agents.

Mind you, the bottom line is usually that top quality players attract top money so there's only so much you can do.

The personal attributes that appeal to me in a player are a good work ethic allied with a genuine drive to succeed. He must be prepared to pay the price in terms of long training sessions, looking after his diet and reducing his alcohol intake.

A professional attitude involves appreciating that the game pays your wages and treating it with suitable respect.

Players that continue to give there all when the team is 14 points down are the ones that stand out for me. It's easy to shine when you're 14 ahead but coming through when the chips are down takes real character.

Playing 80 minutes every week is the only known constant in this game and I want blokes who come to that full on every week.

We've got some players like that at this club already but I want more of them and that is what the transfer dealings are about.

The main areas I'm looking to reinforce are at stand off, three quarter and back row but there will be others coming in as well.

I'm looking for quality strike players in those areas that can open up options for us and take some of the pressure off Lee Briers, Danny Farrar, Jon Roper and the likes.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.