We are number 3 in the bag. Looking at the names on the other 15 balls, there are three which probably mean exit if we get them, six we could be confident of beating and six which would be a toss-up depending on how we perform on the day.

Not the way I read it. There is a lot of Rangers abuse going in Murray's direction and respect for Williams holding his ground. Anyway, Radio Clyde1 has just said that Ferguson is signing for Rangers and Radio Scotland has reported the move is stone dead. Guessing games.....

Is that a Freudian slip?

If the Gers MBs are to be believed, Radio Scotland has just reported that Rangers' third offer has been rejected as "miles away" from what Rovers wanted. On the basis of having gone up by £500K increments thus far, Rangers will still be beneath the £5m offered by Everton this morning. However, nothing on the newswires at present.

This Independent article indicates its a straight decision between staying at Newcastle and going to Birmingham for Bellamy.

Oh! To be a ticket tout.

As opposed to febrile message board postings (including our own), the only newspaper coverage I have found is this from Scotland. Buried in the report about Rangers going after a new keeper to replace the injured Klos are a few comments that Rangers might make another new offer for Ferguson. The comment that Mladonovic is on standby to be makeweight on the deal indicates that somebody has not taken notice that Rovers have said cash only and have already politely refused the offer of Mladonovic. According to that report, Ferguson was in Scotland yesterday at a family event. I guess the Rangers MB posters who had him at the christening of Viola's nephew might have been more accurate than the much more numerous posters who had Viola replaced by Horner to facilitate a complex three club shuffle. I hope I am right when I say this doesn't have the feel of an impending deal. Hughes is implacable in saying he does not want Ferguson to leave and there is no sign of the Rovers Board abandonning their manager on this one. I suspect "£6m guarranteed" means what it says. I was being a bit naughty when I repeated the claim that Viola had been fired. - Ferguson and Viola are property speculating together as we know from previous Scottish newspaper reports and quotes from Viola, - Viola would be very exposed to legal action from anyone of Rangers, Rovers and Ferguson or any combination if he had lost control of Ferguson yesterday with nothing resolved. Tempus fugit on this one today- all Ewood energies are likely to be on Newcatle with telephone calls to/from La Coruna, Lisbon and Istanbul more important than talking to Glasgow.

The Mirror have reported that Bellamy has rejected Birmingham. The Independent's report of the Colchester game includes a sentence that Rovers are ready to step into sign Bellamy if he rejects Birmingham and that the finance is in place without needing to sell Ferguson. Probably, the Walker Trust are stepping in the way they did with Cole but that the repayment of their loan would probably be taken from the insurance money if and when it comes in.

I reasoned that if Dado was so sure of himself, perhaps the Rangers message boards would have picked something up. Well they are mega-sweaty up there with all kinds of Barry has signed stories and there's a press conference at 8am tomorrow (I kid you not). ...all made possible by Viola being replaced by Horner if you believe one of the versions which seems to be generating the most excitement.

...and have yet to answer directly a single point I have raised. For instance, raising £52M leaving debts of £23m is no good when you are making losses of well over £20m a year, now is it? How can any club accept an appearance-related fee from Rangers after the Michael Ball episode? Has Ferguson fired Viola this evening? I'm sure you know something about Scottish football, but your analysis of the inter-dependent relationship between Sky and the Premiership is way wrong.

Sliema Wanderers- only marginally less successful than Rangers in Europe this season. There is a lot of winding up going on Dado- been on any of the Rangers' sites? Same BF signing stories, very different details. Mostly at odds with any Blackburn Rovers reality which is the only one that matters. Is it true Ferguson sacked Viola and appointed Steve Horner as his agent this evening? Thanks Lathund- I simply observed that the reported Everton interest at £5m destroys Rangers' argument that Ferguson is only worth whatever derisory number they were dreaming up.

Bit of a dampener but the last two newswire stories both say Rovers going in for Carew on loan because Sparky says that is the only way we can get a striker at present. PS Now you know its Steve Horner, are you going to let us in on the reason for asking, Ossydave?

There is nothing to indicate that Rangers are about to bid again, let alone up their offer from £3.5m to the £5m which Everton have indicated they would offer. Even if Rangers bid at £5m, I would expect it will be summarilly dismissed. I'd expect Rovers to be negotiating with Newcastle/Bellamy and keeping options open with Sokota and Carew during the next 27 hours, rather than wasting their time talking to Viola and Rangers. Barry can be dealt with on Tuesday.

Sunday Star? Isn't that owned by Gold and Sullivan. Those semi-erectile, non-perverters of public morals who also own Hustler, Birmingham City and Anne Summers and other such tasteless tat? That said, I'd much prefer to Thommo wide right and Bellamy up front in the middle to the line-ups we had against Notlob.

I don't know if any of this stuff in the People should be believed. I think Vyeo is correct on how Rovers would finance a striker purchase- there is no doubt that if we have offered £6m for Ballamy, cash from any sale of Ferguson is NOT part of the financing. So Fergy would take a £500K a year pay cut to return to Rangers? I had wondered whether he was already on more with the Rovers than the £30K a week that Rangers said they were offering. And Everton were willing to open the bidding for Ferguson at £5m? That makes Rangers' arguments that Fergy's value is now only 30% of their own valuation of Boumsong finally disintegrate into a whiskey-hazed halucination. Any offer less than an unconditional £5m is below the current market value based this reported opening offer from Everton. I see that Chelsea are signing a shirt sponsorship deal with Adidas which is worth twice the £52m that Murray injected into Rangers to delay the day the Gers go bust. Rangers are wee willy wonkers these days.

Oh dear! It shows you are not yet used to watching Premiership football. Newcastle are rapidly disintegrating into a disorganised shambles under Souness. At least under Sir Bobby, one game in three would see the barcodes delivering inspired flowing football capable of troubling any team in the world. Now they are little better than Brum. Give Souness eighteen months? Yes, that's just long enough to get Newcastle relegated. We agree on something after all.

Chelsea

Its paper talk! But I am sure there are contingency negotiations- fortunately. in addition to John Williams, there is Tom Finn who does deals then Mark Hughes stepped in to do the talking as the Rangers efforts petered out and there is always Chairman Robert Coar and the other board members who could be called upon. But from witnessing our "strike force" on Monday last, I wouldn't be surprised if Rovers aren't talking to every forward from Ewood to Istanbul going the long way round (taking in Lisbon)! I think it is deeply in the realms of fantasy for Ferguson to leave for Ibrox now. This seems to be the most comprehensive report from north of the border. It doesn't leave any room for manoeuvre and Williams has stressed how reasonably the Rovers have behaved whilst indicating that Ferguson can be rehabilitated at Ewood.

A mix of Scottish press this morning. The Scotsman (Scotland on Sunday) talks of the deepening gloom surrounding Ibrox over the Klos injury and deepening realisation that Ferguson is not going back. Whilst the Sunday Herald takes part of that marvelously convoluted McLeish quote to suggest Rangers will make a third bid for Ferguson. On the basis that the Routledge transfer to Spurs might have been revived with Spurs coming in with a £2.2m bid, I suppose anything is possible. However, even if Rangers follow Spurs reported example and increase a supposedly "final" offer by 50% and so do put something which looks like £6m on the table, Rovers would still negotiate hard. Williams has used the word "guarranteed". Rangers welched on the transfer terms for Michael Ball by not playing him and their finances are so extremely weak that it would be difficult to convince most people they could honour future payments if they were to endure two more seasons as unsuccessful as the current one is proving. The issue now is going to be time- there is a Sunday and Monday left and Rovers are chasing Sokota, Carew and Bellamy if the paper reports this morning are correct. Surely John Williams and Hughes will be focussed on negotiating deals they want to do, not wasting their time talking to Viola and Rangers? So £3.9m hard cash from Ibrox and debt forgiveness or nothing.

This is The Observer article already referred to. Interesting to see Gold in effect arguing that because Dunn fell out with Souness and went to Brum, it must be the obvious place for Bellamy to go to as well! The papers are divided this morning, some are saying we will pip Brum for Bellamy, some that we will bid for Bellamy and one that Bellamy is going to Brum. I suppose journalistic expertise depends on whether they are owned by a porn baron or not. Aussie in Uk- I am pleased that someone else is factoring in the probable insurance money!

What the Eck is this about? McLeish bids for a place in Pseuds Corner with Colemanballs extra (quote appearing on several newswires and no doubt every Scottish Sunday tomorrow morning) : McLeish said (of the Ferguson bid): "As far as I knew it was finished so I have got to be convinced otherwise. "I'm not convinced it is dead but I'm not convinced that it is back alive again. I suppose that deadline day will tell everybody the correct answer. "The club are doing all they can, or they have done all they can. We know we have only got so much of the budget to use after the Boumsong sale and we can't spend more than we took in. "The chairman, David Murray, has been very fair in saying the money can be spent on players and enhancing the squad. "The accountants and the financial people at the club would probably like to tuck some away for a rainy day - but we have shown our ambition." £440,000 offered for the Captain of Scotland is showing ambition? Tuck some away for a rainy day? It is already raining on the Gers parade.

I'll be cheering us on to get Bellamy (if there is a battle to get him for which we have no evidence at all) only because I hate Steve Bruce for what he and Paddy Crerrand said to me after Rovers had "lost" 1-0 at OT after the Sherwood equaliser was disgracefully disallowed. I hate Steve Bruce. (Gold and Sullivan are not vey nice either) Now, time to get a grip and hope that Diego Tristan = x

If we keep playing clubs beginning with a C.... Chelsea or Charlton for Round 5- take your pick. PS doesn't matter how we did it, but its nice to win 3-0.

Hughes has just made his position very clear on Radio Rovers: Ferguson is a key part of his plans for Blackburn Rovers. He is looking to bring better players in and build on what he has already got at Rovers- including Ferguson. Hughes "never expected a deal to take Ferguson to Rangers to go through" "Ferguson let his heart rule his head" Hughes expects the fansd to appreciate the professional way Ferguson has conducted himself Ferguson has said he likes it at Rovers- just "his childhood heroes came in for him." Those were Hughes' words. Hughes will decide when it will be best to play Ferguson.

Listening to Hughes, Dickov is a big doubt for Wednesday because of a problematic groin.