Ferguson Hands in Transfer Request

[tashor]

This is why he would have been better to come out a week ago and explain the situation. It will be far more difficult to make himself believed now.

I really cannot understand this view held by many of our fans.

Explain what?? That he is desperate to return to his beloved DeRangers??

It would be utterly insane for him to do other than keep quiet.

If the move takes place THEN he will talk.

If he stays put then all he could achieve by talking now is to ensure he could never play for us again if the move breaks down if he is let down by the big talking small knobbed Jocklers.

There are only two outcomes that we could possibly accept - either a decent cash payment OR to keep a player that will continue to play well for us in a midfield that will now free him up to show us what he can do thanks to our new hod-carrying-spear-chuckler.

Those of you who think he should rot in the reserves if he stays are either deluded as to our status in the premiership or dingles in disguise.

It seems to me that Ferguson is trying to keep all his options open and only by keeping very quiet until all is resolved can he possibly do so.

I would also like to congratulate our club who have handled a very difficult situation as well as possible

[John]

Hughes has played this cleverly- Ferguson is not going to disrupt anything if he stays. Of course if Rangers offer big cash and meet our valuation he would go but that seems unlikely.

Boo him?? Why- just for the sake of booing- Ferguson if he stays is probably our best player and I am not going to boo him when we are in a relegation scrap. As I said before back the manager on this one. If he thought he would be a problem we would have sold him by now.

[thenodrog]

This is why he would have been better to come out a week ago and explain the situation. It will be far more difficult to make himself believed now.

I really cannot understand this view held by many of our fans.

Explain what?? That he is desperate to return to his beloved DeRangers??

It would be utterly insane for him to do other than keep quiet.

If the move takes place THEN he will talk.

If he stays put then all he could achieve by talking now is to ensure he could never play for us again if the move breaks down if he is let down by the big talking small knobbed Jocklers.

There are only two outcomes that we could possibly accept - either a decent cash payment OR to keep a player that will continue to play well for us in a midfield that will now free him up to show us what he can do thanks to our new hod-carrying-spear-chuckler.

Those of you who think he should rot in the reserves if he stays are either deluded as to our status in the premiership or dingles in disguise.

It seems to me that Ferguson is trying to keep all his options open and only by keeping very quiet until all is resolved can he possibly do so.

I would also like to congratulate our club who have handled a very difficult situation as well as possible

Excellent summary Tash. Why are so many people unable to see through the fog of their own indignation?

Congrats indeed to the well thought out actions taken so far by BRFC.

[Manchester Blue]

Excellent post Tashor and summed up perfectly.

[blubawls]

Agree completely with tashor, congrats to brfc for refusing to give in to the

shennanigans of ferguson, viola and rfc. I,ll be happy to sell him for 6million now or 4-5 million in the summer to newcastle.

[den]

This is why he would have been better to come out a week ago and explain the situation. It will be far more difficult to make himself believed now.

It would be utterly insane for him to do other than keep quiet.

We'll see if he can keep quiet.

My point is that if he comes out with the "I love Blackburn and am very happy here and the only club I would have gone to was Rangers" bit, he will be open to question. He can be accused of trying to pacify those he wanted to desert.

If he'd have said that before the outcome, he would have had a little more respect.

As for JW's handling of all this: excellent.

[modes98]

As for JW's handling of all this: excellent.

It seems obvious that he has told JW and MH that he wants to stay but would ultimately like to move back to rangers! But then if this is true then why the transfer request(think thats of viola's doing). There is no way JW would want to keep a player unless he said he would give his all for the club and wants to stay for the near future.

If he wanted to move so much he could offer to pay the extra £2million! is that hell freezing over!

[Scotty]

Of course, if you look at things in a totally rational, non-emotional manner then what Tashor says is right. But since when has football been a rational, non-emotional game? If it was surely we'd all support Chelsea. They win virtually every week, they look like they're going to win almost every trophy they're competing for, why support Blackburn when you could support a team like that.

The reason people support Blackburn is all about emotions. It's about loyalty, community, passion, pride, sheer bloody-mindedness. That's what football's all about, that's what makes it such a great game. And make no mistake, football would be nothing without it's supporters. How interested do you think Sky would be in televising the game if every match was played in front of empty stadiums with no atmosphere at all?

Anyway, back to the point. If Rangers don't meet the clubs valuation of Ferguson then we're supposed to simply welcome him back into the fold as if nothing has happened, and then look forward to him contributing towards the second half of our season. That's the rational thing to do. But where do we, as supporters, draw the line?

This is our club captain we're talking about. Our captain has decided, halfway through a relegation scrap, that he'd rather play for Rangers than for us. Instead of talking to the Rovers management and board to try and work out a mutially convenient time for this move to take place, our captain has decided to take matters into his own hands. He's asked his agent to attempt to engineer a move and, when Rovers decided not to go along with the idea, he's slapped in a transfer request in an attempt to back the club into a corner. To make matters worse, he's allowed his agent to state that the reason he wants to move is because his family aren't settled in the area, despite saying the complete opposite in an interview less than a month before.

I know there's no loyalty in football when it comes to the players. I know they don't feel the same way about our club as we do. I can handle it when a player wants to move to a different club in order to better himself, or because he's not getting a game here, or because he's fallen out with the manager, or because his family are genuinely unsettled. These are all situations that have happened in the past and I'm sure they'll happen again in the future.

Ferguson's case is different though. I simply don't believe his family are unsettled, he's not moving to a better club, he's not moving to play more, and, as far as I know, he's not fallen out with anyone at Blackburn. No, Ferguson wants to move because he misses being a big fish in a small pond at Rangers. He wants to go back to the easy life where he gained the adoration of the crowd every week simply by playing at a decent level. In other words, he can't hack it down here, so he wants to go back home where he's loved more.

So, as I said before, where do we draw the line? There's already a hundred reasons why the game at the highest level is becoming a turn-off. High prices, spoilt players, too much TV, uncompetitive leagues etc, etc, all serve to make it harder and harder to summon up the enthusiasm to support our team. Now we're being asked to support a player who has tried to force the club into selling him. Someone who's not remotely concerned about the effect that this may have on our club or on the fans. Someone who can't even be bothered to explain his actions to the fans as he knows it would only serve to weaken his own bargaining position. Someone who is only bothered about himself.

If it turns out that Ferguson is still here after January then I'm sure he'll be back in the team. And while he'll get some stick at first, I'm also sure that that will diminish over time if he performs. And I suppose I'll hypocritically celebrate a goal scored by Ferguson just as much as a goal scored by any of the other players because I support the team and not the individuals. It doesn't make what Ferguson has done anymore right though. As I said before, I've lost all respect for him and I hope he leaves us asap.

Yes, the club are doing well to get as much money as possible out of Rangers. But I'd still rather the club lost out on some money and got rid of Ferguson now than hang on to him for the rest of the season. I know it doesn't make sense from a business point of view, and I know it doesn't make sense from a footballing point of view, but at least the fans of Blackburn Rovers wouldn't be taken for mugs for the rest of the season.

I'm sure I'll be accused of being over-emotional but, as I said before, where do you draw the line?

[thenodrog]

I'm sure I'll be accused of being over-emotional but, as I said before, where do you draw the line?

Not by me Scotty.

But if you had used the term 'overly naive' then I'd have agreed completely.

Just how many professional journeymen / footballers currently at BRFC do you equate with your own words "It's about loyalty, community, passion, pride, sheer bloody-mindedness"? I would expect only Gally and poss Flitty to display 'community passion' or 'loyalty', after all how can any of the others? Dickov and Sav with the 'sheer bloody mindedness' and most have a little 'pride' but only toward their own careers.

[pg]

Scotty - on the one hand, would you prefer to see a 'local lad' play for BRFC, who loves the town, has lived there all his life... but is quite frankly lazy, useless and couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo?

Or someone who was born on the other side of the planet, who lives about 20 km from Blackburn and doesn't really associate with the town? But when he pulls on the blue'n'white halves, he busts a gut and plays every game in a committed and professional manner?

Personally, I don't care what the players think about the town as long as they perform as professionals.

But then again, I live on the other side of the planet.

I can see that for locals, it would be immensely frustrating and annoying to see your local club paying someone thousands of pounds a week who clearly looks down upon the town and its people.

But... at the end of the day you are paying the player to play football. He doesn't hold a representative office, he isn't the mayor, the chief of police or the local baker.

[Scotty]

Scotty - on the one hand, would you prefer to see a 'local lad' play for BRFC, who loves the town, has lived there all his life... but is quite frankly lazy, useless and couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo?

Or someone who was born on the other side of the planet, who lives about 20 km from Blackburn and doesn't really associate with the town? But when he pulls on the blue'n'white halves, he busts a gut and plays every game in a committed and professional manner?

Personally, I don't care what the players think about the town as long as they perform as professionals.

But then again, I live on the other side of the planet.

I can see that for locals, it would be immensely frustrating and annoying to see your local club paying someone thousands of pounds a week who clearly looks down upon the town and its people.

But... at the end of the day you are paying the player to play football. He doesn't hold a representative office, he isn't the mayor, the chief of police or the local baker.

I'm not saying that only local lads should play, or that the players should show the same loyalty to the club as the fans. In fact I specifically said that I knew they didn't!

What I'm saying though is that a player should at least treat the club and fans with a bit of respect, something that fergsuon has failed to do imo.

[modes98]

A Rather interesting article!

Telegraph

"Rangers manager Alex McLeish believes that Ferguson has become a better footballer for his brief spell in the Premiership but Murray wishes to insure the club against any recurrence of that problem, or any others related to that injury.

He also took the wise, but uncommonly cautious, step of making the first year of new central defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos's agreement a loan deal, with a permanent contract kicking in immediately after he proves his long-term fitness."

[RevidgeBlue]

Scotty, don't be such a drama queen.

Ferguson is still our best midfielder and we are best served by him going nowhere at least until the summer. Personally I want to watch him and Savage in midfield hopefully winning us as many games as possible until the end of the season. (God knows we've seen little enough of that over the last season and a half)

IF then he is still adamant he wants to return home AND IF we can bring in a comparable replacement with whatever fee he brings in then so be it. I agree his departure wouldn't be a Duff or Shearer like catastrophe.

I still think the hysterical rush to condemn him simply for wanting to return home though is particularly over the top. It reminds me of the Todd situation last year.

One minute he was everyone's choice for player of the season, the next he fell out with Souness and according to most he was a complete barsteward who was never any good anyway and who should never wear the blue and white halves again.

Souness leaves, Todd is reinstated, more outstanding performances, and all of a sudden around 50% want him appointed as new captain.

Back to the present the real villains of the piece are Rangers for trying to rip Blackburn Rovers off by paying less than half back what we paid them for the same player.

Did Ferguson have any control over that or was it his deliberate intention we should be shafted? I doubt it. Unless it can be proved otherwise he should be allowed the opportunity to let his performances on the pitch do his talking for him.

If given the events of the last couple of weeks he is not professional and his performances subsequently stink then yes he deserves all the stick he can get.

[thenodrog]

This is our club captain we're talking about.  Our captain has decided, halfway through a relegation scrap, that he'd rather play for Rangers than for us.  Instead of talking to the Rovers management and board to try and work out a mutially convenient time for this move to take place, our captain has decided to take matters into his own hands.  He's asked his agent to attempt to engineer a move and, when Rovers decided not to go along with the idea, he's slapped in a transfer request in an attempt to back the club into a corner.  To make matters worse, he's allowed his agent to state that the reason he wants to move is because his family aren't settled in the area, despite saying the complete opposite in an interview less than a month before.

Scotty.........I'd just like to draw your attention to a fictitious scenario that I posted on here a week ago in response to a post from Philipl. Read it and then try to apply it to the laughable Rangers bid and their strong reluctance to offer more than thay have to date. It may be totally fanciful but imo it does 'fit' the situation more and more each day.

" Posted: Jan 20 2005, 23:16

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QUOTE (philipl @ Jan 20 2005, 22:11 )

If Rangers are not willing to pay anything like Rovers' asking price and he has stuck himself into this extraordinary "it's only Rangers or Rovers" corner, what other option does he have short of going on strike and losing his income?

"There are so many possibilities to all this.

Who is to say that this situation was not a Murray / Viola set-up job from the start?

July 03.

"Listen Bazza, We've been thinking. We'd like you go to some Premiership suckers for big bucks, then play for a reasonable time, that will serve to get the Bank manager off our back for a time, then kick up and insist that you will only come back here and they will have to let us buy you back for buttons....... Oh and btw you can have 25% of any profit" "

Does it make any sense now Scotty or is this all a product of my imagination? A few things dont make sense,

1. BF's only interested in returning to Rangers. (So, unlikely as it seems should Mu, Chelski or Real come a courting its a polite 'no thanks' is it?)

2. Suddenly since Christmas very unhappy at BRFC.

3. Derisory bids from Gers falling far short of his supposed worth.

4. Absolutely NO interest from any other club. (Do they all suspect the same as me and have been simply but quickly discouraged as Everton were?)

5. Scottish press in overdrive for weeks to keep pressure on the board at BRFC. (keeping that up takes a high level of influence. All those leads must have come from an impeccable source or else they'd have given up on the story long ago)

Now I cannot say for sure that that is or isn't what happened for sure but if it had come off it would have been a classic sting...... especially if the 25% (or whatever clear profit they managed to scam out of the deal as Bazza's signing on fee) had been split 3 ways (and in property rather than cash) between Murray, Viola and Barry Ferg!.............. or even worse 4 ways with a certain ex-manager of ours who to date has strangely shown no interest whatsoever in stepping in to buy his favourite player (but could very well be in the midst of repeating the same scam with a vastly overvalued centre half.

or

6. maybe I should be writing Taggart scripts.

Edited January 28, 2005 by thenodrog

[Scotty]

It's certainly crossed my mind as well Theno, but I guess there's no way of proving it.

[RevidgeBlue]

Just what I alluded to at the end of my post tnr. I really don't think you can extend the conspiracy theory that far.

As I recall BF's price was inflated originally by stiff competition from Everton. I will concede that GS seems to have no compunction about paying hugely inflated fees to his beloved Rangers.

Mind you at the time Everton supposedly had no money..............maybe they were in on it as well?

[thenodrog]

..........And Everton have been mentioned twice already and are currently managed by a sweaty sock and were managed by Walter Smith another bum chum of Murray and Souness!

Ooooh my head hurts........ Im off for a lie down.

..........So thats six members of the scottish mafia now...... I wonder how many piggin houses they are building up there?

[RevidgeBlue]

Now I cannot say for sure that that is or isn't what happened for sure but if it had come off it would have been a classic sting...... especially if the 25% (or whatever clear profit they managed to scam out of the deal as Bazza's signing on fee) had been split 3 ways (and in property rather than cash) between Murray, Viola and Barry Ferg!.............. or even worse 4 ways with a certain ex-manager of ours who to date has strangely shown no interest whatsoever in stepping in to buy his favourite player (but could very well be in the midst of repeating the same scam with a vastly overvalued centre half.

or

6. maybe I should be writing Taggart scripts.

I think possibly on this particular point you should be writing Taggart scripts but it will be certainly be hellishly interesting to see if Boumsong expresses a desire to return to Rangers in 18 months time and they offer £3m!

[Shaddy]

I agree with Scotty. When a player hands in a transfer request, it becomes fact that the player doesn't want to play for the club. Not a sign that he wants to play for Rangers, just that he wants to leave the club.

Having said that, I don't think anything can be assumed about Barry becoming difficult if a move doesn't come his way.

[philipl]

Scotty, I fully understand and appreciate that football loyalty and support operates for all of us at a visceral emotional level and I know and understand why you felt I was posting @#/?.

I have been trying to portray (inadequately) the view of the Ferguson saga that would have been taken by a dispassionate lawyer or accountant. Let's say one sitting on an island 400 miles away.

Normally that sort of thinking would be peripheral in football- that's why clubs either go bankrupt or spend their existance teetering on the edge.

Rovers are 90+% owned by a Trust run by lawyers and accountants who are ably and superbly represented by a Chief Exec who operates in both the football and moneyed worlds.

Now, Thenodrog has advanced a very interesting theory. I don't neccessarilly subscribe to it but I don't have anything better to offer:

If the drog is right, is what has happened morally or ethically correct?

More to the point, is it legal or within the FIFA rule book?

Is the penny dropping for some of the posters on here?

We can all see a number of things which have happened which don't seem either correct or logical- the concerted bring Barry home campaign begun by Rangers from the moment Murray refinanced them last October (that bit is conveniently forgotten by Dado's rehash of history to exhonerate his club), the fact that Rovers had to precipitate the meeting with Viola and Ferguson, the frequently reported comment that Barry is happy at Rovers and would only move to Rangers and that the player and agent so successfully rebuffed Everton that Moyes didn't even bid, and finally this extraordinary belief that a few coppers and a prize wrapper would be sufficient payment to secure Ferguson's return to Rangers.

Is Murray really so naive??? Do you amass a personal fortune of £300m by being simple? Perhaps that is where we are all going wrong!- we should ask Chesh

We are passionate supporters looking at this thing from a distance. If we smell a rat, don't you think JW probably has trapped a few of them and they are securely locked away wating to be used at the appropriate moment?

Two final points:

That Telegraph article explained the extraordinary lengths to which Rangers have gone to protect themselves financially in case the Greek player's knees are not up to it. The real protection needed is against Rangers themselves. This is a club which engineered not paying part of the transfer fee for Michael Ball - in not so many words, appearance fee deals with Rangers are not worth the paper they are written on (Blue Phil take note). Rangers have £23m debt after the Murray refinancing, lost £29m last year and their revenue will be down by £15m this year because of failure on the football field. What confidence does anybody have in an IOU from Rangers? Much better to be owing money to Rangers than having to try to collect money from them!

I bet Rangers would be delighted if Rovers offered them £1.5m cash this morning in exchange for the £2.1m owing in August.

By way of an anology now, you probably have at some time been unwittingly in a position of knowing that an illegal act has been committed by somebody known to you. Have you immediately gone to the Police, ignored it, or lquietly told the person you know what's gone on and extracted a promise of future good behaviour against the threat that there will be hell to pay if they transgress again?

I will be surprised if the Rangers connection with Ferguson ever arrises again unless instigated by Rovers themselves.

Edited January 28, 2005 by philipl

[waggy]

i reckon this shenanigans will be sorted before the window closes,rankers have the dosh-if they covet wee soft lad so much they will pay the fee.

what ever happens fergie will not play for us again

[philipl]

Scottish report with a much fuller statement by John Williams than is being carried in the English papers- again handled very elegantly.

Waggy, Rangers are bust- they don't have the dosh.

So, groin strain permitting, you will be seeing Ferguson in the blue and white halves presently.

[Bobby G]

I dont think Barry will give ANY statement until he is either SURE he will stay or HAS LEFT already.

At any rate,JW has been a great example at how to handle a transfer circus with dignity.He even said we didnt want to play games with Barry.

I think the price is fair,considering what we paid for him 18 months ago and how Rangers are trying to resign him from us.Under different circumstances maybe it would be questionable.

[waggy]

did rangers not have a share issue a few months ago

[colbert]

i read some where that 3.5 million was a fair price to pay in this climate!

hold on, didn't they just sell a defender for 8 millon to Newcastle, so based on that shouldn't bazza be worth more than that?