As a Tromsø fan I am pleased to keep MGP in the club for the whole season (we lead the Norwegian PL, good chances for playing European football next season...). On the other hand, everybody understands that Morten will be sold, the only question is when. I certainly hope "don Pedro" will do well in Rovers, but he is obviously not a solution for the future. So why not buy MGP now, and let him stay in Tromsø until the end of the Norwegian season? His price-tag would of course be lower if Blackburn agrees to this. This autumn he will play for Norway in the WC-qualifications against Italy etc, and no doubt he will play well. As a Rovers fan I would hate to see him being bought by ManUnited or some other rich club when next winters transfer window opens.

If he can cope with an odd defence he'll love it here.... I could see that one coming...

I know that Morten wouldn´t mind going to Rovers if Tromsø decides to sell him. On the other hand, he is having a great time in Tromsø, the club is leading the PL (maybe CL next season...), he is the new Norwegian football star, he is only 22, and everybody tells him that it would be good for him to wait a year or two before going abroad. His father - a former PL-player for Bodø/Glimt and Vålerenga - agrees to this (Morten still has an apartment in his parents house!). I have written on these pages a number of times that Rovers can sign him for 25-30 mill if we can wait until october/november. Otherwise he will be too expensive. Why not take a chance on buying him now, and let him play in Tromsø until the end of the Norwegian season? I expect Morten to be a great success in the WC-qualifications this autumn (against Italy etc), and then his price-tag definitely will increase. I fear that ManUnited or some other rich club will buy him next winter then

A group of businessmen has bought part of Tromsøs stadium, allowing the club to pay back a loan of NKR 30 mill, and to save NKR 5.5 mill for a rainy day. Viking Stavanger has told Norwegian media that they will contact Tromsø today about our second-choice striker Peter Kovacs, international for Hungary, to check out if Tromsø is willing to sell him (we probably are). If MGP leaves now, we are interested in a switch with Viking left-winger Peter Kopteff (international for Finland). After yesterdays match a lot of pressure is put on MGP and Tromsø IL to keep our star player here the whole season (club manager, teammates etc etc) http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=230576

I watched the game last night and have seldom seen MGP better. He played against one of the best Norwegian right defenders (Alexander Aas, on the national team on some occasions), and made him the obvious worst player on the field. Morten forced two yellow cards on the other teams defenders. From what I hear i Tromsø, MGP really wants to go to Rovers But the price must be right - or Blackburn must be willing to wait until october/november.

Martin Andresen the Norwegian Beckham ? Go to Google and search for "Norwegian Beckham" or even "New Beckham" - the first and only name that pops up is MORTEN GAMST PEDERSEN! Fortunately this is rubbish (from a number of reasons...). MGP is a completely different player, but they do have one thing in common: The ability to curl freekicks just where they want them, like Morten did against Rosenborg this spring. Btw if you want to see all goals from the Norwegian PL this season you can go to "tv2.no", click on "web-TV", register, and you can watch all goals from previous games for free!

MGP has obviously also discussed going to Blackburn with Stig Inge Bjørnebye, assistant manager of the Norw. national team. How did you evaluate Bjørnebye when he played for Rovers?

"MGP: I've spoken to Martin Andresen, and I've got the impression that Blackburn wants to buy me to play me." Lets hope MGP hasn´t spoken to much with Martin Andresen, who has told Norwegian media that he is happy to be back in his club Stabæk because he otherwise soon would have been out of physical shape. He complains about lack of intensity on the training field and poor training performances in general...

Here is some info about Tromsø IL in English (link to the clubs homepages): http://www.til.no/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=68

Quotation from the newspaper "Tromsø" today (title: No new bid for Gamst). "Tromsø IL denies that any negotiations about MGP with Blackburn is going on. -Nothing to report. We have not talked with Blackburn today, and we have not received a new bid, Lars Espejord in TIL commented yesterday evening. John Williams (Blackburn) commented the situation as follows to Lancashire Evening Telegraph yesterday: -We has verbally indicated what kind of bid we might put forward, but they must indicate if they want to sell him. We cannot wait until october, so the discussion continues." Tromsø is eager to keep MGP until the end of the season, and Blackburn isequally eager to get him from July 1th. This is what its all about. Tromsø has ambitions for this season, but is willing to sell MGP in october/ november. It might cost Blackburn to much to buy him now...

Well, he is NOT worth it..! BTW we beat you 1-0 yesterday.. Well that was a robbery - and BTW we are still in the lead of the Norwegian PL

MGP has been a very promising player for years (U-21 etc), his problem has been stability, he has played some excellent games, and then disapperared in the following matches. As it always happens with technical wing-players, the defenders have played very rough against him, I don´t think any players in the Norwegian PL has "caused" so many cards for the defenders as MGP the last couple of years. He has also "won" a number of penalties. This season some important things have happened: 1) The lad has got more muscles - and self-confidence (the latter because he is now a regular player at the national team); 2) The team is much better than before. Our right-winger (Karim Essediri) had his debut for Tunisia last week, and Mika Koppinen is a regular player for Finland. Lars Iver Strand is the captain of U-21, Jonas Johansen is the captain of U-19. Our striker, Ole Martin Årst, returned from Belgium last year (has been top scorer there). Our other striker, Peter Kovacs, has played for Hungary. Our key defender and captain Steinar Nilsen has played for AC Milan and Napoli ETC ETC. And most important of all: We got an excellent coach/manager (Per Hogmo) before this season. A former Tromsø player, Per won olympic gold medals with the Norwegian women in Australia, and he has coached the Norwegian U-21 with good results. The problem is that he ALSO has got offers from foreign clubs (Eintracht, Lens), and has a clause in his contract that he might leave after one year if he gets a good offer from abroad

The first offer from Blackburn was 1.5 mill + 0.5 mill after x played games. Tromsø will definitely not sell him for less than 2.5 mill

Like I wrote a couple of days ago - if Blackburn wants MGP the club will have to pay 2.5 mill pounds and let him play in Tromsø until oct/nov. Tromsø is not in a hurry to sell, everybody expects Morten to be even hotter after the qualifications for the WC this autumn. As a matter of fact the whole thing is up to MGP himself, and let me tell you a "secret": He has been a ManUnited fan since he was a kid, and his dream is actually to play for them... New information from the Tromsø board room or/either the pubs of Tromsø will follow...

And here is the web-adress for those of you who read a Scandinavian language: http://www.dagbladet.no/sport/2004/06/03/399566.html