Private Collymore

Nottingham Forest 3 Southampton

Stan Collymore and the concept of the "new man" - with its connotations of machismo-free, nappy-changing political correctness - may appear about as compatible as Bruce Grobbelaar and the Hampshire Police Benevolent Fund.

Yet this was the expression which Frank Clark, tongue perhaps slightly in cheek, applied to Collymore when explaining why his top scorer had missed training to sort out a "domestic problem" 24 hours before the visit of Southampton. Despite the Nottingham Forest manager's efforts to keep his budding social worker, there now seems little doubt that Collymore will soon be another club's new man.

Everton's desire to pair him in mind-boggling tandem with Duncan Ferguson is an open secret. Liverpool are also in the hunt, while Newcastle were represented at the City Ground by Kevin Keegan. Collymore obliged his admirers with his 18th goal of the season, though for anyone with the means to meet Forest's £6m valuation, his was a display which at best offered food for thought.

According to Clark, his £2.5m steal from Southend is "a loner" off the pitch. Judging by Forest's disinclination to congratulate Collymore after his tap-in from Steve Stone's cross, this may have been a coded way of saying that some of them cannot stand the sight of him. There is no rule that team-mates must actually be mates, but any would-be buyer might want to be convinced that by taking on the player he was not taking over the problem.

Another caveat is that Collymore is also something of a loner on the park. His awareness of other players, like that of Cole, is not all it might be. He tends to act on instinct and in isolation: when it comes off, and the ball rips past the goalkeeper in a blur, he seems irresistible; but study his so-called partnership with Bryan Roy, or compare his contribution with the Dutchman's selflessness, and he looks less convincing.

Collymore's worth to Forest has so far outweighed any negative considerations, and Clark wants him to stay at least until the question of Uefa Cup qualification is resolved. If they were in Europe, the theory goes, the clubs who could provide a better platform could be counted on the fingers of an offensive gesture. In the meantime, what if someone offered funny money? "Who knows?" Clark said, leaving open the possibility of a deal before Thursday's deadline.

Southampton's own, more wholesome maverick, Matthew Le Tissier, is committed to the club as long as they remain in the Premiership. In which case, he may even be on the move before Collymore. For an hour they made the better chances, but "went under far too easily", as Alan Ball put it, once Collymore had added to Roy's delightfully curled opener.

Southampton last won on 19 December, a month after the match-fixing allegations against Grobbelaar surfaced. Ball decided that last week's crassly handled dawn raid and 36 hours in a police cell were not the ideal preparation for his keeper. Dave Beasant did well before letting Forest's third through his hands - confirming Roy's change of luck after 15 barren weeks - but will surely give way to the Zimbabwean's fabled resilience as the Saints strive to get out of jail.

Goals: Roy (38) 1-0; Collymore (64) 2-0; Roy (82) 3-0.

Nottingham Forest (4-4-2): Crossley; Hland, Cooper, Chettle, Pearce; Stone, Phillips, Bohinen, Woan; Collymore, Roy (Lee, 84). Substitutes not used: McGregor, Rigby (gk).

Southampton (1-4-3-2): Beasant; Widdrington (Hughes, 67); Dodd, Hall, Monkou, Benali; Magilton, Maddison (Heaney, 67), Le Tissier; Watson, Shipperley. Substitute not used: Grobbelaar (gk).

Referee: K Cooper (Pontypridd).