FOR six months or so, you couldn't say the name Ross McCormack without someone snorting out a chortle. The £11m Fulham paid Leeds seemed the epitome of stupidity – a crazy sum for a player who'd had one good season. How we all laughed.
Yet 18 months on, with 33 goals in the bag and Bournemouth preparing a bid, nobody mentions the money anymore. For that, the Scot deserves praise. It isn't easy to be the butt of a joke. He didn't ask Fulham to pay over the odds, to have his ability and value questioned in public. Nor was he helped by former Cottagers boss Felix Magath, who basically called him a fatty.
But McCormack dutifully answered all the questions, plugged away and blocked out the background static.
The truth is, McCormack's goals probably kept Fulham up last season. They've certainly kept them out of the drop-zone this time. By my reckoning, that's worth a hell of a lot more than £11m.
Should the 29-year-old seal a move to the top flight, it would be richly deserved. And if Bournemouth pay the rumoured £11m asking price, I bet nobody laughs this time.
