BURNLEY have rejected a third, £700,000 bid from Wigan for skipper Robbie Blake.

The Clarets yesterday threw out the latest bid, made personally by Latics owner and chairman Dave Whelan in a telephone call to Turf Moor.

The formal offer, which follows on from earlier £500,000 and £600,000 bids being rejected, is reported to be a take-it-or-leave-it final attempt to land Blake.

And Burnley hope Wigan are now as good as their word after again flatly refusing to do business.

Chief Executive Dave Edmundson confirmed: "Wigan made a third bid to sign Robbie on Tuesday and we have knocked it back once again.

"I spoke to Dave Whelan on Tuesday and he asked if he should put the bid in writing to the chairman.

"I said I didn't think there was any point, but that I would ask our chairman. The response was a straight thanks, but no thanks."

Burnley's decision to keep the news of the third bid was deliberately kept under wraps to see if the news leaked out from other sources.

And Edmundson added: "In the three strikes and you are out culture, three no's probably means no!

"When you knock back five and six and they come back with seven, it is kicking sand into your face and we are doing magnificently to resist it.

"All they keep doing is keep unsettling our player who is vital to what we are trying to do here.

"Our manager is doing a magnificent job and with a defence conceding very few goals, the one player who can nick the goals to get us victories is often Robbie Blake, yet these people keep coming back to try to unsettle him.

"As far as we are concerned we would rather not hear from Wigan again."

Meanwhile, Burnley boss Steve Cotterill's twice-delayed disciplinary hearing has finally been set for next week.

The Burnley boss has been forced to wait over three months to defend an FA charge following his sending off in August's stormy Championship clash with Gillingham at Turf Moor.

Cotterill was later charged with using abusive or/and insulting words to the fourth official when referee Richard Beeby ordered him to the stands in the 2-1 defeat.

However, despite maintaining his innocence, Cotterill has been unable to put forward his case until now because of two postponements due to the unavailability of key witnesses.

Now though, the FA has finally confirmed the personal hearing will take place next Wednesday, December 15 in Manchester.

If found guilty, the Clarets chief could receive a fine, a touchline ban, or even both.

And with any ban to be served immediately, that would start with Burnley's trip to Sunderland on Saturday, December 18.

Coventry City have refuted media reports they are set to launch a bid to sign Burnley's marauding left back Mo Camara.