The Rumour Mill: Thursday’s football news and gossip

Rangers administrators Duff and Phelps have confirmed that they expect to receive four serious offers for the club by tomorrow’s deadline. Bids are expected from:

• the Blue Knights consortium, led by Paul Murray

• Edinburgh-born Brian Kennedy, owner of Sale Sharks

• a Singaporean consortium, led by Glasgow-based Shazad Bakhsh

• American investment bank Fortress

It is unclear whether the bank are bidding as part of a larger consortium, or want to buy Rangers themselves, but discussions with the New York-based bank are continuing.

Meanwhile, defender Kirk Broadfoot, who took a 75% pay cut, has dipped into his savings as he seeks to adjust to earning less money. Broadfoot said he was lucky that he’d made enough money at Rangers in previous years to be able to live off his savings for the time being. Broadfoot has a young child, Cole, born eight weeks ago, who he says is helping him to deal with the turmoil at Ibrox.

Rangers news in brief:

• Hugh Adam has hit back at Sir David Murray, claiming the money paid via the EBT system was effectively wages, and wasn’t included in pay slips.

• Graeme Souness could be lured back to Ibrox if Brian Kennedy wins control of Rangers, with Walter Smith mooted as a potential director of football. Kennedy, however, doesn’t expect to be successful, instead believing the club will be bought by the fan-backed Blue Knights consortium.

• Campbell Ogilvie has denied any responsibility for the EBT system during his time at Ibrox. The currrent head of the SFA was involved with the EBT scheme but insisted he did not organise it or set it up. He played no part in the recent investigation due to a conflict of interest but his role as a director of the club has been under scrutiny.

Celtic striker Anthony Stokes is hoping to make it third-time lucky as he seeks a starting place in this Sunday’s League Cup Final with Kilmarnock. Stokes was left out of the starting squad for both the Scottish Cup and League Cup finals last year, but has improved during this season and has shown better form. The former Hibs striker has begged manager Neil Lennon to let him start the match, after making a late appearance from the bench against Motherwell, and remaining an unused sub in the defeat to Rangers.

Pat Fenlon has warned Hearts that they will face a stronger, more confident Hibs side in this Sunday’s derby match at Tynecastle. Hearts won 3-1 at Easter Road in January, as a meek Hibs side offered little in return. The loss, coming in Fenlon’s fifth match in charge of the Leith side, prompted a mass clearout of players, with six leaving and eight brought in as Fenlon sought to make wholesale changes to the squad. Hibs are without the suspended Ivan Sproule and Isaiah Osbourne, but Tom Soares should return, whilst Darren Barr is set to replace the suspended Marius Zaliukas in Hearts’ central defence.

Motherwell winger Chris Humphrey is keen to be recalled to the starting lineup for this weekend’s match against Aberdeen. The 23-year-old hasn’t started a game since November 26th, and wants to help his team mates make amends for their Scottish Cup defeat last Sunday.

Kilmarnock’s Danny Buijs is hopeful of being included in Kenny Shiels’ plans for the League Cup final. Buijs missed out on the chance to appear for Feyenoord in the Dutch Cup final, after playing in every round up to and including the semi-final.

In other news, Falkirk have applied to join the SPL as First Division runners-up, should Rangers enter liquidation. Applications must be submitted by March 31st. The Bairns are currently 12 points behind league leaders Ross County, and three ahead of third-placed Dundee.

Gordon Durie has named former Dundee boss Gordon Chisholm as his assistant at Bayview. East Fife’s new management team both spent part of their playing career with Hibs, with Chisholm having been out of football since he was released by the Dens Park side when they entered administration.

Hamilton Accies defender Ryan Finnie has been invited to train with English Premiership side Newcastle, after the 17-year-old impressed in a closed doors game against a Newcastle youth side.

Paul Hartley has praised Alloa’s veteran striker Robbie Winters, afer the former Dundee United and Aberdeen forward broke a six-month goal drought in Alloa’s 5-1 drubbing of East Stirling last weekend.

St Mirren’s Graham Carey issued a rallying call to his team mates, insisting they need to win their next four SPL games if they are to make the top six folloeing the split in April.

Ousted Livingston boss Gary Bollan is set to start afresh in Africa, with the former St Johnstone defender travelling out to Namibia to hold talks over becoming the national team’s boss. Bollan was sacked by the Lions last month and replaced by John Hughes, despite leading the Almondvale club to back-to-back promotions.

Ross County are to explore the possibility of groundsharing with Highland neighbours Inverness CT. Whilst the Staggies are hopeful of securing special dispensation from the SPL to allow them to redevelop their ground to meet top-flight standards, they insist the groundshare option is a safety net. The deadline is March 31st, but the Victoria Park side are hopeful of being granted an extension until early June, which would still see work finished well ahead of the start of the new season.

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