Today's main aims will be to get a few out to free up space on the wage bill to bring a few in. Inquiries have been made for potential new recruits so Boro know roughly what 'ball park' they are working in but first they need to release the cash.

The main way that will happen is if one of the bigger earners goes through the exit door. Stephen McManus, come on down! Big Mick has had a few nibbles. Ipswich made a vague inquiry last week, sniffed the bait then swum away but are in dire straits and may come back. Bristol City made a firmer inquiry at the weekend and seem very keen but will need some help to make the numbers add up. City's Scots boss Derek McInnes knows Mick from Jockshire and is sure he "can do a job" there.

Mick Mac would need to take a cut in wages, Boro would need to take a hit on the transfer fee, Bristol would need to maybe do something on bonuses to make it work.

McManus will be on big money. Not Premier League Hummer in every colour big money but in the Championship he will certainly be among the top few earners in his position. Probably - *licks finger, holds it up* - between £10-15k a week, depending on playing and with loyalty bonuses and bits on top. That is probably enough in this division two or three players wages. If they come in on frees that is. Or certainly a decent transfer fee and LuaLua's wages. Hey ho.

He's not a bad player and ideally you may want to keep him because he is a big unit and good in the air and gives something different from what we already have but he is not in the first choice pair at the back and we are in no poistion to have £15k a week sat on the bench. It's nothing personal.

McManus 'loves it' here and may not be inclined to move - or take a drop in wages - but he needs to be playing first team football or his career will stall and recent selections here may have sharpened his mind. Even when we have been playing against Land of the Giants strikers - his forte - he hasn't had a sniff of action; even when playing three at the back; even when Rhys is pushed forward into midfield and Seb Hines is played ahead of him he doesn't make the bench. *Sound of penny dropping*.

So that could happen today. If the sums add up. Maybe.

The other main hoped for exit is the lugubrious Baltic cloud of unfulfilled potential Tarmo Kink. He has repeatedly had his first team chance and insisted on shooting from 40 yards with his first touch. He has his talents but he doesn't take direction well and hasn't bought in to the Mowbray ethos that requires tactical adaptability and a willingness to follow instructions closely. Or shoot. Whatever.

Tarmo, the grey ghost of Hurworth, had talks with a couple of Polish clubs last week but nothing concrete has emerged. His wages, not massive here, (*plucks figure*) maybe £4k a week, are top dollar in Poland. His people are trying elsewhere to find a club more compatible with his ambitions: Germany's second string? East Europe? Turkey? Again, squads this season show where he stands in the pecking order.

So, the phone lines are open. What are we bid for these two top international players?

If neither of those happen - of if no-one comes in with a bid for another fringe figure, Halliday say - then it could be a case of waiting for the loan window to open next week and then drafting in short-term stop gaps to get us through to the summer.

Meanwhile Sunderland are poised to add Poggi's mate, the creaky battle-scarred veteran warhorse Kevin Davies - now officially the most ponderous elbow powered Poundshop poacher in Europe - on a free transfer and Wayne Bridge, a player most people only barely remember in action, on loan from Manchester City reserves.

Davies should add a bit of glacial pace and, er, guile to their forward line. Presumably O'Neill couldn't get his preferred lumbering OAP targetman Emile Heskey.

Bridge is reported to be on his way to Sunderland for a medical.

*******

9 AM UPDATE:

Bloody repeats! Boro's FA Cup clash with Sunderland will be televised by ITV1 again. It has been moved back to Wednesday. In tIcket news, Boro have confirmed that prices for the game will be £20 and £10 for concessions. Season ticket holders have until close of play on Saturday to book their own seats.

Nothing has been said about the South East corner yet but if away fans take up the whole South Stand I can't image the club safety chiefs or the bobbies who erected a metal wall to keep the not derby rivals apart at the SoL would fancy the Red Faction bang up against the Mackem Massive. They will need a sterile area somewhere or we may have to endure once more the sad spectacle of some beer bellied shaven headed middle-aged man in a striped shirt clambering over the segregation netting, floundering pathetically like a beached whale. I think those lads may find their own seats are not available for this particular game. Cue angry phone calls to Gazette.

*******

9.15 AM UPDATE:

Sky "understands" that Boro and Leeds are interested in Coventry play-maker Sammy Clingan. I can't see it. He's their main man and while they are cash-strapped and desperate for cash and while no doubt Mogga would see him as a quality player he would certainly cost decent money and Coventry have already taken all ours for Juke.

Besides, where would he play? We are overloaded with midfielders. Unless it was a straight swap for Thomson. But Coventry couldn't afford his wages anyway. No it doesn't add up. Leeds may have dosh after selling Jonny Howson. Could be just his agent or Coventry trying to generate a bit of interest or start an auction.

We are checking it with our Coventry paper and with Mogga.

*******

9.30 AM UPDATE

No. Mogga has dismissed any link with Clingan in no uncertain terms. Or maybe he said "Slight" and there was a predictive text mix-up.

We have also checked with our Coventry opposite numbers and they say 'no chance.' I trust them. We worked closely on the Juke transfer last August. The Cov answer Uncle Eric (or Mr Phil in new money) has a great relationship with the manager there and between us we fitted the bits together and we were bang on.

It is interesting to look back at that one as it was an object lesson in how much a paper can know that doesn't get made public and how you have to be careful before jumping in to splash with a story so you don't look daft.

In August we knew that Juke had been to Hurworth long before he deadline, met Mogga and been impressed with his vision and philosophy and been very impressed with the training set-up (everyone is). They had outlined terms, done the medical and everything was agreed. After training on deadline day he had emptied his locker at City's raining ground and said his goodbyes.

At the Coventry paper they knew all about the mechanics at that end, how the owners wanted to sell (but boss Andy Thorn didn't) because they were desperate for money - far more so than we are - but it rested on getting Jon Parkin in from Cardiff as part of the deal that took Ben Turner the other way. That fell through because 'The Beast' wouldn't take a wage cut but at 5pm City were still anxious do the deal. They got Jody McDonald in on loan from Norwich and Juke was in the swanky suites at Rockliffe Hall pen in hand.

Then suddenly at 6pm Coventry got an unexpected windfall bonus as Birmingham sold Scott Dann to Blackburn for £7m and City had a 10% sell on clause. The cheque came in pronto and solved their immediate pressing cash flow problems and then they got cocky and tried it on with Boro and, no longer so desperate to sell, hiked the price. Boro had no more cash, not least because a mooted Swansea bid for Bates had never materialised - but even if they had were angry at the audacity and walked away.

We had earlier discussed splashing big with 'poised to sign' on the morning (I think we had it exclusive) but Mogga had warned us although most of the deal was agreed there was no guarantee and there were a few unknowns outside of Boro's control, so we held off - although we were exchanging calls and texts with the Coventry people every hour and we had a story written on the website and were ready to press the 'publish' button. I was sat there right up until midnight finger poised.

These things happen. We had it with Benni Carbone on the old March deadline day once, maybe the year before he eventually joined us on loan. Uncle Eric had bumped into him and interviewed him in the reception on condition the deal it went ahead and everything but it all fell through at the last minute. Keith Lamb rang up and asked us not to print anything and even denied point blank that he had been there. While laughing.

You have to respect those requests. Who knows, his club (Bradford then) may not have known he was there. We may have dropped them in it. Besides, if you don't they can pretty soon deny you the chance to hang around the ground/tunneland you don't get to overhear these bits of gossip or bump into people like that.

We haven't got anything like that written up this year though.

*******

10 AM UPDATE

Boro are at training now. Stand easy for an hour or so. Meanwhile if you are interested in other stuff:

Rangers Nikica Jelavic to Everton
Bolton have offered £7m for Palace's speed merchant Wilfried Zaha (ace against Boro)
Chelsea have signed Kevin de Bruyne then loaned him back to Genk.
West Ham are talking to Barnsley about Ricado Vaz Te
Millwall have signed Wolves striker Andy Keogh for an undisclosed fee.
Spurs are said to be weighing up bid for Fulham striker Clint Dempsey.
Wigan's Hugo Hugo Rodallega "may play v Spurs then sign for them after the whistle.

Harry Redknapp does know you are not allowed to use a mobile in the dock doesn't he?

Amusingly, after a ripple through the Twittersphere as Mackems tried to persuade themselves he would be a canny signing, the North West press are reporting that Kevin Davies could snub Sunderland and sign a new one year deal at Bolton and the weezkeezers are now denouncing him as 'worst than Jon Stead.'

Meanwhile Newcastle, desperate for a defender, look set to go back to Watford for Adrian Mariappa after last week's take it or leave it £3.5m offer was laughed away with contempt. Let's hope that goes through because Rhys Williams is also on their list. Peter Beardsley has practically had a season ticket at the Riverside this term watching the Rolls Rhys, although helpfully, on the day when Alan Pardew turned up with his own eyes Williams had a mare and was roasted by Burnley's Jay Rodriguez.

Come on you lot, join in. Hasn't anyone seem Mogga and Bausor at the Tontine with Michael Chopra and Jonathan Greening? Or any cars driving into Rockliffe with cryptic registration plates like WH3AT3R or T1 TUS?

********

11AM UPDATE:

West Ham are going for it. They are making sure they have enough to ensure promotion and are in talks with Ricardo Vaz, AND Bristol City's former Boro target Nicky Maynard and have all but completed the signing of Man United wonder-kid Ravel Morrison.

Fulham are thrashing out terms with Rhys Williams' kid brother Ryan, currently worried about not getting paid as Portsmouth once again have their accounts frozen and face yet another winding up order over yet another unpaid tax bill, this time £1.6m.

Meanwhile the big deadline deal locally could be Darlington, transferred to new owners for a lot less money than Pompey have still managed to pay Dave Kitson every three months despite being in administration for ever.

*****

11.30AM UPDATE

The transfer runes have shifted a bit for the neighbours. Bolton are struggling to seal their £7m move for Palace prodigy Wilf Zaha so are looking less likely to let Kevin Davies leave to help MO'N turn Sunderland into a second hand Stoke-lite. They want him to stay and sulk on the bench for the rest of the season as cover.

Another few hours stewing and Martin will have to dig out Emile's number.

But Newcastle could be in luck. Watford have approached Scunthorpe for defender David Mirfin on loan in preparation for letting Adrian Mariappa join the ailing Magpies... if they reach the £5m valuation.

Meanwhile Mogga is waiting for the Batphone to ring. *Taps fingers on desk*

And I am being strongly linked with a lunchtime swoop for a highly rated BLT.

******

NOON UPDATE

The kids know where it is at. Here's a perceptive CBBC spoof of the excitable Sky Sport Rolling Hysteria, starring Jeff Voetballs of Kickabout Sports News.

Meanwhile QPR are said to be in close to signing Lazio striker Djibril Cisse after he passed a medical and are also after Fulham man Bobby Zamora. We are waiting for Joey Barton to confirm it on twitter once he has finished his daily dose of Nietsche.

Latest speculative rumourgoround lunacy - Jordan Rhodes to Villa > Darren Bent to Liverpool > Andy Carroll back to Newcastle (on loan) > Demba Ba to Spurs > Adebayor out to unnamed foreign side. It could happen.


12.30PM UPDATE

*sigh* Sky Sports 'understands' that Boro have turned down a £6m bid from Bolton for Rhys Williams. That would throw a spanner in the works. If true.

But it doesn't ring true. Mogga has been adamant throughout January that Rhys and Bates will not be leaving in January unless "silly money" is offered. And he tends to be straight down the line with us.

Is £6m silly money? Yes, in the Championship it is ridiculous. If the club want to be in the play-off chase and push for promotion they need to keep their best players but at the same time there is a massive pressure to restructure too and as we have discussed endlessly, cash is short so that kind of carrot would be very tempting, especially if there is a gentleman's agreement to let him go in the summer anyway.

A hefty sum like £6m certainly could fund a new defender, another quality striker and a genuine wide man with pace - but the key to it is that they would need to be willing to come and available today. And slot straight straight in to Mogga's ethic.

Mogga has repeatedly knocked back these stories. We don't ask because we've got the message but every couple of weeks one of the lads from the nationals wanders along - probably because Newcastle don't have a game . Then the heavy-hearted sighing Rhys Not For Sale mantra is a press conference staple, along with We've Got No Money, No Really, He's Not Hiding It Behind The Sofa.

But for Sky who have to fill 286 hectares of yellow ticker tape today a Williams line like that is a God send. It is an easy story on a day when 2+2 is allowed to make not just 5 but pretty much anything you want. Owen Coyle has had Rhys before at Burnley, clearly likes him and Bolton scouts have been sat there next to Beardsley all year watching him. They also have vacancy after flogging Cahill to Chelsea. It makes sense.

BUT... does it make sense for Rhys? Is he ready to step straight into a struggling Premier League side? I'm not sure. He has bags of potential but can he step up smoothly? And more importantly, would he want too? Bolton are deep in relegation trouble and a few months time Coyle could easily be gone. A few months later Rhys could be playing in the Championship with a Bolton in disarray, in financial chaos and with a new manager who doesn't fancy him. Although, to be fair, he's been there before.

He should also take a good long look at David Wheater, struggling to hold down a place, slated by his new fans and having a torrid time in a club sleepwalking to disaster.

What do you lot think? Rhys Williams - should he stay or should he go? If he goes there could be trouble. Insert your own Clash reference here.

Anyway, there is a routine press conference scheduled for 1pm so no doubt that will be the first questions asked. Mr Phil is down there. Watch this space.

*****

1.30PM UPDATE

Mogga has dismissed out of hand the reports of a Bolton bid for Rhys Williams.

"There have been no bids for any of my players today," he told the routine pre-Leicester press conference. "We know there has been interest, we know other teams have watched our players and sometimes you get a tentative inquiry but as far as I'm aware there have been no bids at all."

He then reiterated the default position: He doesn't want to sell his best players and he is under no pressure to sell his best players but that should a firm offer come in that is too good to turn down then he would have to do what is best for the club - but no offers, silly money or otherwise, have come in nor would he welcome them.

Reading between the lines some feelers have been put out, one of them from our friends in the North, but having been told 'put up or shut up' and 'forget the idea that you can mug us because we are desperate' no concrete offers have materialised.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew today has insisted at his routine pre-match presser that Adrian Mariappa is the only defender he is actively pursuing and that he has made Watford a final take-it-or-leave it offer. Within minutes of him saying that Wigan put in a higher bid so down to brinkmanship up there now.

Has Wayne Bridge arrived in Sunderland yet? Will he get through the 'peace wall'?

*******

2.15PM UPDATE

Bridge has signed for Sunderland. "Is he Cup tied?" people ask. Don't be daft, he hasn't played for about two years. The last time I can remember him denting the nation's consciousness was during the soap opera tabloid love rat saga involving John Terry and that was at least two 'didn't shake hands' media storms involving Mr Chelsea ago. He's been a £80k a week unused sub in the Man City stiffs for a year.

Actually, I don't think he will be eligible to play against Boro. Usually in the FA Cup you have to be registered at a club and eligible to play in the first game in order to play in the replay. I'll have to check.,

Elsewhere twitter wags are suggesting that Spurs bizarre move for Everton's stiff kneed permacrock Louis Saha is part of Harry Redknapp preparing an insanity defence in his tax dodging trial, He can always get it annulled later saying his dog Rosie made the bid.

*****

3PM UPDATE

Mr Phil is back from Hurworth well chilled. There's nothing much going on up there. Just boring stuff like pre-match training and the usual footballer japes, young lads swapping iPad apps, comparing tattoo sleeves and making plans for Nandos later.

I'm taking advantage of the lull to switch operations to our Acklamshire Office.

*******

4PM UPDATE

Well, I haven't missed much. All that has really come out of the presser at Hurworth is that Jason Steele has an outside chance of playing at Leicester tomorrow but the club are still running the rule over keeper loan possibilities. There was nothing on any possible exits with no phonecall from Bristol City on BIg Mick as yet.

Sky are rubbish. They still "understand" that Boro have turned down a £6m bid for Rhys Williams for Bolton - three hours after Mogga expressly rubbished the story at an official press conference. If only they bothered to attend these tiresome things. Surely the denial is the story now. Especailly when there are quotes to back it up. Still, the rumour if it is out there and alive on the unmanned cutandpastebot circuit, why check?

Meanwhile there has been a suggestion from Scotland that Boro may be one of the several Championship sides who have inquired about Hearts skipper Marius Zaliukas. That is not a name that has been mentioned at this end but we'll check.

Why we are twiddling our thumbs here's some left field ideas to liven up deadline day.

And with just four hours to go before SSN Net become self aware and the Series TX400 Hunter-Killer Scoopbot "Jim White" is unleashed those ever canny PR operators at Paddy Power have opened a market on the first cliche he will use. I'll have a fiver on "clock is ticking" at 5/1 and a daft quid on 25/1 outsider "sensational breaking news". Unusual betting patterns ahoy.

*******

5PM UPDATE:

SSN have reacted to the Williams denial story and given it a bit of superlative spin. David Craig, live from Sunderland's car park, has rung up Steve Gibson to be handed a personal rebuttal.

Craig reports that having had a £6m bid - which Mogga denied has been formally lodged - turned down, Bolton have gone above his head to make an improved offer to the chairman which has been emphatically snubbed. "I'm getting the message loud an clear that Rhys Williams is not for sale even for TEN MILLION POUNDS!" he bellows.

For me something doesn't add up. It would be very difficult for a club with Boro's current financial profile - not exactly borassic but certainly not flush and still with a pressing need to restructure and juggle a few things - to turn down £6m if it was offered (as mulled over above). And Mogga said it wasn't. But it would be impossible to turn down £10m. Hyperbole? Brinkmanship? Bad line from the Channel Islands? Hmmmm

Even it was true the problem is spending the money now anyway. A pile of eight million quid right now is useless. Unless it can central defence and be equally comfortable in the Nicky Bailey role for the next three weeks.

*****

6PM UPDATE:

Well,I've had my tea. Steak pie. Hmmm.

Nothing doing on the transfer front but there has been some tweaking of fixtures announced. ITV have picked Arsenal for their fifth round game on Saturday 18th 5.15pmkick-off no matter who they play. That'll be us then after we beat the Mackems.

And the match at Birmingham on Saturday March 17 has been moved back a bit from 1pm to 3pm. It was initially moved to the earler time so it didn't clash with an Aston Villa match but that has now been switched to the Sunday. Hoep you haven't booked your train tickets.

Transfer news: the window has closed in Italy meaning neither of the Milan sides can sign Tevez leaving us to endure another tedious few months of pecker contest pouting, posturing, moaning and manoevering as he looks to extract the maximum possible money out of Man City before he does exactly what he wants: retire to Argentina.

Newcastle target Adrian Mariappa has turned down a move to Wigan and has let it be known through his agent that he will only go to the Sports Direct Arena. But Newcastle's offer falls below Watford's valuation. And they say they won't increase it. Let the brinkmanship begin.

Anoraks report that in January in 2011 window shopping went well over £200m and so far this year it is stuck around £40m. So that's austerity Britain biting for you.

****

7PM UPDATE

Van just turned up at Hurworth marked Acme Tumbleweed Co.

The big question now is what will happen on SSN come 8pm when all the big Premier League games kick-off with the battle at the top and the scrap for fourth spot hotting up? Will the exclusive right holders throw their cultural weight behind push their prime product or will they admit that no-one is bothered with a few forgone conclusions and Phil Thompson salivating over Liverpool v Wolves and instead focus on pandering to hysterical self-referential tittle-tattle, reporters realying uncritical regurgitation of the gossip machine stood in front of a car park doyle-fest and the Jim White hyperbole solo?

To be honest I'm amazed Sky have let the deadline fall on a matchday. Games get in the way. Newcastle's move for Mariappa looks scuppered: he's been named in Watford's team tonight at Millwall so unless Pardew gets the Ashleycopter down there with the paperwork that isn't going to happen. Although rumours persist that Rodellaga is going to play for Wigan v Spurs then sign for Harry after the game so at least it shows it is possible to combine the two with a bit of imagination.

******

9PM UPDATE:

Nothing. Nowt. Nadda. Zilch.

Football is mental sometimes isn't it. Just when you think you've seen everything the totally unpredictable happens that stuns the crowd into silence and has the pundits shaking their heads in disbelief. No, not serial sporting show-off and all round doyle Jimmy Jump chaining himself to the Goodison goalpost - Andy Carroll has scored!

I see they have powered up android cliche machine Jim White on SSN. Luckily most of the footballing public are watching the match rather than this preposterous parody.

News has come in that the Joe Hart back-stick cuff protest is not Jimmy Jump after all but could be either Dave Kelly, leader of Everton dissident group Blue Union who are complaining about the fading former Big Fivers falling slowly into penury under Bill Kenwright.. Or this bloke complaining about Ryanair. We'll know for sure if his luggage turns up at Eastlands.

But the best news of all is that despite spending most of the day buying players West Ham are being battered 4-1 at lowly Ipswich. Result. Helpfully, Blackpool and Leeds just behind us are losing while Southampton and Cardiff are cancelling each other out and Hull are drawing with Doncaster.

Elsewhere bad news - Birmingham are winning so will go above us but good news as they are mullering Leeds 4-1 at Elland Road. Lethal lampost Zigic has got four goals including a seven minute second half hat-trick then been subbed soon after out of pity for the troubled and punch drunk outfit. Very funny.

*****

10PM UPDATE

Nothing on transfers but Boro are down to eighth in a very tightly bunched pack. It could have been far worse though. West Ham got battered 5-1 at Ipswich and everyone else around us drew bar Birmingham, 4-1 winners at Leeds.

Eighth is the lowest we've been all season but we are third on goal difference in a group on 45 points - Reading and Blackpool who came from behind late on to beat Coventry - with two more teams, Birmingham and Hull, on 46. If Boro can win tomorrow at Leicester we will go back up to fourth. If we can't then it has been the worst January ever and there will be widespread frosty chuntering. The pressure is really on now.

Meanwhile reports from Newcastle suggest they are still interested in Mariappa, who played for Watford at Millwall. They had better get a move on. He'll be out of the shower now. They've only got until 11 before the bongs. Outgoing at the Sports Direct could be Leon Best. The former Boro target (18 months ago under Strachan) is said to be talking to Celtic according to the Toon lads at the Chronicle/Journal.

Cancel that Best stuff. They say he has talked to Celtic and told them he doesn't fancy it.

Contrived link of the night so far has just been delivered: "What a transfer window for QPR: Quality. Players. Recruited...." Jim White loved that one. Queasy. Pantomine. Reporter.

*****

10.30PM UPDATE

West Ham have completed a £1.65m deal for Nicky Maynard which means they now have a squad about 48 strong. It means Bristol City now have cash but it is probably a bit late now to push through anything on Stephen McManus unless he has already done the prelims and medical and is down there pen in hand. Still opens the door to a possible loan move next week though I suppose.

Rhys Williams' kid brother Ryan has escaped the sinking ship of Pompey and joined Fulham for £500k plus clauses.

*****

11PM UPDATE

There's the bongs. Unless somehas pulled a fast one, nothing has happened. Not even a Maxi Haas. Mixed blessings. The window has brought in Lukas Jutkiewicz, Mogga's top target, even if it is four months late but the other pressing concerns - a keeper, maybe a specialist wide man, maybe a cheap but functional left-sided defender - remain.

That said, they can be still be tweaked on loans and Mogga has indicated he has a little bit of wriggle room on that. And Boro have kept their squad intact. They made it clear from early on that Williams and Bates wee not for sale and were clear and consistent in discouraging the lurking Premier League shoppers.

Now we can get back down to business with no distractions: Leicester tomorrow then Palace on Saturday are massive matches. Let's focus on those.