JACK Walker today revealed his burning desire to keep Colin Hendry at Ewood Park.

The Blackburn Rovers owner is disappointed and frustrated that Hendry decided to opt for a move to Glasgow Rangers just days after agreeing a new contract.

Both he and manager Roy Hodgson believe that the club's £5.15million valuation of Hendry is more than realistic.

Mr Walker said: "Manchester United paid £10 milllion for Jaap Stam and you could see how he performed in the World Cup.

"You can also compare Colin with Henning Berg. He is a better player than Henning and he was worth £5million.

"I am hoping we can still keep the man but Rangers cannot expect to get Colin Hendry for £2.5million."

Hodgson hinted last night that Blackburn Rovers would be prepared to compromise on their asking price.

But the Ewood boss, speaking after the 3-0 win at Ispwich, also said that he did not feel the club should have to "budge one inch" on their demands after Rangers had caused all the problems by unsettling the player.

The situation still seems to be in deadlock although Hodgson clearly also hasn't given up hope that Hendry will still be a part of his plans for the new season, despite the player's insistence that he wants to go to Ibrox.

And the manager said: "The fact is we have very reluctantly agreed to let him go for a certain fee. But we are still hoping that he will play with us.

"I think that there might even be some sort of attempt to compromise on our part. "But I don't know how far that compromise will go. And I don't know how much less than our asking price we would actually take.

"I don't think we need budge one inch because the fact is that we have not manufactured this situation. We have been put firmly in the mire by the situation.

"Basically speaking, I don't think the valuation is outrageous by today's standards."

Mr Walker added: "I do not want to add to all the problems but we have done all we can.

"We have given him what he asked for.

"He signed a contract a week last Tuesday and went away a very happy man. There was also some help in another direction which we sorted."

"Rangers have offered the same four-year deal and a lot more money apparently.

"They also offered him the captaincy.

"But you cannot do more than your best and we have not been unfair at all.

"It's a total confusion. What do you do?"

Hodgson was also furious about a story which appeared in the national newspapers yesterday, claiming that Hendry had been punished for his stance by being told to stay away from training and not being picked for the reserves and that he had been stripped of the captaincy - when he isn't even captain!

"That story angered me enormously because some agency earns money by sending a lie around and the newspapers take it in good faith - three downright lies like that," he said. "What we have done with Colin Hendry on compassionate grounds and for obvious reasons is that we haven't put him under any pressure this week, neither to train nor to play.

"Now we have done that because we know the guy is in a bit of a mental turmoil and we know that it's a bit of a difficult situation for him at the moment.

"So I spoke to Colin and agreed with his request to leave it this week because maybe something will happen.

"And, of course, it's very irritating then to read stories that he has been made to train alone and that he has not been picked for the reserve side as if to suggest there's some sort of punishment going on."

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