Ferguson Hands in Transfer Request

[Radagast]

The flip side of the coin would be that raking in £5m for Fergie would allow Sparky to buy two or three players to improve the quality of the team overall. I'd still rather we kept him though.

Edited January 13, 2005 by Radagast

[LeChuck]

You've not listed one player there who is even half as talented as Ferguson.

I never said talented...I said effective, it's a very different thing. The defensive players on the small list I put aren't as talented but they are more effective defensively...whilst someone like Cahill is probably more exposed defensive wise but is a bigger goal threat than Ferguson. That's what I mean when I said it's difficult to know what to do with him and he's also quite difficult to find a partner for, someone who is 'all action' like Savage is probably best suited but players of his kind are rare.

[Blueboy Downunder]

i would love for fergy to stay cause first and foremost he is our player, captain and a very good player at that. he does not make himself that noticed in most games, but that is good enough for me as i have always believed that he goes about his job quietly and efficiently.......i am very happy with the way he plays.

[Manchester Blue]

The Scottish edition of The Independent have just speculated that souness will make a bid.

I am pretty confident Ferguson will remain at Rovers whilst Rangers are on their own bidding. Much less so when the question changes from stay or go to a choice between places to go to.

Thought about this and i'm convinced if he does go he'll end up at Newcastle. I makes little sense him returning to Rangers, it's like him admitting he wasn't good enough, plus I don't believe Rangers have the money. Yes they sold Boumsong but Leeds sold lots of players in the last few years, it didn't mean they could afford to buy.

Souness has a real need for a player of his kind so how about getting his agent to go to Rangers saying Barry is unhappy and available. Rangers come in with a low bid which gets rejected but has the desired effect. Newcastle then come in for an unsettled player with a bid of say £5-6m. Hope it doesn't happen but can really see it happening.

[philipl]

I am absolutely certain that is the agent's game and it stinks.

Rangers are as much the victims as Blackburn Rovers are.

I think the all round cold language in this report on Sky says it all.

Edited January 13, 2005 by philipl

[Alan75]

How different our Chief Exec is to Birmingham's.

Chief executive John Williams said: 'We've had a bid from Rangers but it wouldn't be fair of me to go into detail because it's confidential.

'

Come on JW, be honest tell the media all the details, so that they can spin the story out till the end of the month. Get yourself in the paper JW get yourself in there ~ JW write an article

[moerpho]

Absolute disaster! However this story ends it can't be good for the morale of the team. A captain who is unsettled and wants to go "home".....hate myself for saying this but Hughes should consider releaving Ferguson of his responsibilites as captain no matter how this ends. Whoever is captain he should at all times be willing to die for the shirt, encourage unsettled players to stay and keep on playing at their best and show that he's proud of wearing the white and blue halves. I hope Ferguson makes a statement during the day and hopefully stating he's happy here and is going nowhere but fear that will not happen. If he goes I hope Hughes is able to bring in a midfielder with grit and some ability but most of all someone who can be a leader in midfield. No idea who but hopefully Hughes does.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Let's show the Brum how it should be done, let Bazza pack his Maserati and sooth his family's homesickness...and good riddance to someone that doesn't have the heart to fight for our halves.

But Rangers need to pay a premium for recovering their 'captain courageous' with some premiership experience. Nothing less than original expenditure plus 1.5 million. Isn't time that we come out on top? The lad is under contract for 2 more years-Rangers must pay for that bit of business.

WELL PUT BLUE/WHITE!!!!!

Nice bit of business by Souness and Murray......you screwed us bigtime with this one

[Scotty]

Souness has a real need for a player of his kind

I'd suggest that Souness has already got several players like Ferguson. Dyer, Jenas, Bowyer, Ambrose, and Millner can all play the attacking, passing midfield role. What Souness needs is a defensive midfielder, especially with Butt injured.

In fact, it would make more sense for Souness to bid for Savage rather than Ferguson imo.

[broadsword]

Which probably means he'll ignore Savage and go for Ferguson.

[trueblue]

I am absolutely certain that is the agent's game and it stinks.

Rangers are as much the victims as Blackburn Rovers are.

I think the all round cold language in this report on Sky says it all.

I agree Philip, and in the light of the Aberdeen fiasco, it smacks of the agent after another quick pay-day !

Something should be done about agents - whilst I agree they have a part to play, their influence should be curtailed somewhat and any request/thoughts about a move should come directly from the player.

The agent should just be there at negotiation time to ensure his 'client' gets the best deal possible

Naive view I know - but thats my two-penn'orth

[roversfan1]

It does appear as though this is the work of his agent and it is about time the spineless FA crack down on these characters...

That said, if Fergusson wants to go then let him. I havent been convinced by him yet and am certain that we could buy someone who is just as effective with the money (use 500k to up the savage bid and leave £4m or so for a striker ??).

With the players we have been linked with and the ones he has brought in so far Hughes seems to like players who will stand up and be counted and are physically strong and 'up for it' (wonder why he likes these players...?) and I dont think that Fergie has shown any of these qualities with enough consistency.

[SuperStella]

Couldnt put it better myself....

A regrettable return for Ferguson after his courageous farewell

For Alex McLeish and Rangers, the return of Barry Ferguson, should the transfer occur, would be something to celebrate. To any neutrals, though, Ferguson's abandonment of a fine career in the Premiership will be seen as something to be regretted, even deplored.

While the permanently-pressured McLeish must be praying the move comes off, following yesterday's official offer by Rangers to Blackburn for Ferguson, there are those among us who are aghast at the thought of Ferguson giving up his growing reputation in England in order to come trotting back out at such outposts as Tannadice and East End Park.

Has he taken leave of his senses? At 26 years old, after 17 increasingly excellent months in the Premiership, it seems a criminal reversal in career opportunities.

The actual circumstances of Ferguson's proposed move back north seem even more regrettable when you put them in their pathetic context. What is it about Scots that they can't handle being three hours away down the road from mammy?

Ferguson, apparently, is being dragged back north due to the inability of his wife to settle in that far-flung corner of the globe, Lancashire. When a marriage and children are involved, you can't help acknowledging Ferguson's difficulties and his appropriate response, though purely in football terms it is galling to see his talent being muzzled like this.

I don't believe it is anyone's particular view that Ferguson is a world-beater. But he certainly has the footballing intelligence, skill and poise to hold his own in any league in Europe, and in that sense, beyond dispute, the Premiership is his natural habitat.

In career terms it is wretched to see him being hauled back home against his will. After a fine season in a struggling team there is little doubt that Blackburn Rovers, in good time, would have proved simply a stepping-stone for Ferguson to one of the Premiership's big guns. Instead, he may be set to travel in the opposite direction.

A possible return to Glasgow seems doubly galling given that he did the hard part 17 months ago in leaving. Originally, it was Ferguson's older brother, Derek, a former Ibrox midfielder himself, who urged Barry to quit Rangers, knowing that the true place for his skill and invention was the Premiership's more vigorous environment.

At first in 2002, when I met Derek Ferguson and he poured all this out to me about his desire to see Barry leave the SPL for greater things, I doubted it would happen. My reasoning was that it must be hard to leave Rangers or Celtic, where, if you are a good player, you will be a favourite of a vast support and be handsomely paid. At Ibrox, Barry Ferguson certainly had all of that.

Yet he had the courage to leave. More than that, he cited the much-quoted "goldfish bowl" of Glasgow and Scotland as his main reason for going. While David Murray and Alex McLeish wanted Ferguson to stay, I think even they, like the rest of us, looked forward to seeing him survive and then thrive in the Premiership.

Contrary to his ned caricature on Off the Ball, Ferguson isn't just a top player, but a top bloke as well. Anyone who has come across him cannot help but be on his side.

Certainly, if he returns to Rangers, I hope the Ibrox support will know how lucky they are. I'm led to believe, unfathomably, that there are various grumblings about this, the point apparently being that it doesn't matter if Ferguson is a terrific footballer, but that there was "a betrayal" in him leaving Ibrox in the first place.

Frankly, I doubt that this will be a majority view among Rangers supporters. I believe most of them will be happy (and some even relieved, given the state of things) to have their former captain back. Ferguson's return journey, though, still seems to be a travesty.

[philipl]

This report says the attempted move was cooked up some time ago and reveals why Rangers think they are in a strong position.

Meanwhilst the Newcastle papers are following the story. Interesting how they seem to think £5m is the Rovers' valuation.

Apparently there were moves recently to force strict disclosures on agent activities and payments initiated by the Football League but the Premiership big boys vetoed it.

Edited January 13, 2005 by philipl

[happygilmore]

BARRY FERGUSON SPECIAL: WEE BAZ COULD REPLACE KEANE AT MAN UNITED IF HE HAS THE SENSE TO STAY IN PREMIERSHIP SAYS EX-RANGER ANDY GRAY

Not sure if it's been posted, but it's a decent article

[SuperStella]

Amazing how they also forget that the majority of his faithful supporters who put the money in the pot for his move down here, turned out in all weathers, at any cost, and ensured he had a job, have more bottle and commitment to a cause than he will ever have.

Feel sorry for him now ?

I don’t.

I wouldn’t want a half hearted, mammy’s boy at my club.

He could learn from Campo !

Plays golf with local lads, volunteers for reserve games, and puts sunny spain,missus & kids, & better climes on hold until he retires !!!

[AllRoverAsia]

This is sickening. He will end up back at Rangers or more likely Newcastle. How I hate those Geordie turds. If Ferguson is after a move then good riddance and 'break a kneecap'' you Scottish git. WKRS the lot of them>

[stuwilky]

An over reaction?

[philipl]

I have been extremely disappointed that there has not been a closing of ranks amongst Rovers supporters to urge Ferguson to stay.

Nobody is arguing about his class or that he is the heart of the current Blackburn Rovers team.

The lad was just getting to show whjat he was truly capable of with two or three stupendous performances before the kneecap break at St James's.

Since he came back he has been showing glimpses of that form but an injury like that takes some getting over psychologically as well as physically.

I am very confident that with the astute management of Hughes and Bowen and the right moves in the transfer market, Barry will come very good for Blackburn Rovers in the second half of this season.

[dillo_dillo]

I have been extremely disappointed that there has not been a closing of ranks amongst Rovers supporters to urge Ferguson to stay.

Nobody is arguing about his class or that he is the heart of the current Blackburn Rovers team.

The lad was just getting to show whjat he was truly capable of with two or three stupendous performances before the kneecap break at St James's.

Since he came back he has been showing glimpses of that form but an injury like that takes some getting over psychologically as well as physically.

I am very confident that with the astute management of Hughes and Bowen and the right moves in the transfer market, Barry will come very good for Blackburn Rovers in the second half of this season.

I totally agree with you.

Plesase stay Bazza!

Don't quit on Rovers....

[teapreacher]

no offence folks but Ferguson deserves to be playing with players capable of passing the ball back to him.

Blackburn just don't have the quality in the team to make Barry look good.

he is not the sort of player who will make things happen much by himself but play him as the playmaker in a decent team with pace, skill and width then he will look a world beater.

i watch Makalele at Chelsea and think how much better Ferguson would be in that role.

i hope he goes to Newcastle at the very least.

[Parasyte]

While he isnt at all living up to his hype or prive-tag, I think people are underestimating his influence on the team. His neat and tidy, yes, but thats what we need. He doesnt often lose silly ballsc causing runs at our defence, he doesnt make rash passes, instead picking out the simple ball if nothing is on. Okay, so he doesnt tacklehard or score goals. I am in no doubt that he is one major reason for our defence becoming tighter, and if he wasnt smothered by the opposition as our best player, he would get more goals too. We paid 6.5/7.5 million for him. We shouldnt let him go for at least the same money, and even then, I dont think there is anyone willing to come to us who can do the same job. Savage is good, but just not the same player, he would be far better WITH ferguson, not having to make ground for Tugay or Flitty.

[Al]

Let's not turn against Fergy just yet. To my knowledge he has not said he wants to leave. All this speculation has come from the gutter press and possibly a greedy agent.

Calling him a traitor etc. will only colour his judgement against us.

We should wait to see what he has to say himself before judging him.

No way should Rangers have him back for a penny less than we paid. £3.5 million for 17 months loan would make us a laughing stock.

[Scotty]

no offence folks but Ferguson deserves to be playing with players capable of passing the ball back to him.

Blackburn just don't have the quality in the team to make Barry look good.

he is not the sort of player who will make things happen much by himself but play him as the playmaker in a decent team with pace, skill and width then he will look a world beater.

i watch Makalele at Chelsea and think how much better Ferguson would be in that role.

i hope he goes to Newcastle at the very least.

Total bollux as usual. Makalele can tackle and track back, Ferguson can't.

He probably got away with it in Scotland though because the opposition didn't have the ball often enough to hurt Rangers. In the Premiership even the weakest teams are capable of scoring and we can't afford to play someone who can't tackle and track back as a defensive midfielder.

Ferguson's strengths are his attacking play, something that Hughes noted quickly, and he needs a workhorse alongside him to get the best out of him.

[SouthAussieRover]

http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/...n_Ferguson.html