ROVERS outcast Egil Ostenstad today revealed he is ready to take a pay-cut in a bid to end his Ewood nightmare.

The Norwegian international has been frozen out of the first team picture after appearing just once all season as a second half substitute at Aston Villa.

And, with little sign of another club coming in to end his misery, the 30-year-old forward has now accepted he may have to lower his wage demands in a bid to secure a move elsewhere.

"For someone at my age, it's something I've got to think about," admitted Ostenstad.

"Obviously, it's a lot easier to do that when you're 25 and you can go on to play for another eight years.

"But when you're 30, like I am, and you're maybe not going to play on for too much longer, it's a harder decision to make.

"That's only part of it, though.

"It's getting very difficult now to move to another Premiership club.

"Everyone is under pressure in the Premiership in many ways but particularly in the transfer market.

"Managers have got to make exciting signings so it's difficult to get a move to another Premiership team or even to one of the top sides in the First Division, for that matter."

When Ostenstad first signed for Rovers he arrived with an impressive track-record, having scored 28 goals in 94 league games for Southampton during four successful seasons at the Dell.

But he has struggled to recapture that kind of form at Ewood, having mustered just 11 goals in 41 league appearances, prompting manager Graeme Souness to draft in both Marcus Bent and Ciccio Grabbi.

Now he has slipped so far down the pecking order that he was left off the first team's trip to La Manga this week in order to play for the reserves against Leeds on Tuesday night.

And, with Souness looking to supplement his striking options still further after lodging a bid for Stockport's Shefki Kuqi, Ostenstad appears to have no future at the club. He said: "It's difficult but you've just got to get on with it because it's part of football," said Ostenstad. "The situation I'm in now is not the situation you would want to be in but I've got to try and make the best of it.

"You've just got to see if anyone is interested and then wait to see what happens. Only then can you make a decision when there's something to talk about. If and when something happens, that's when I'll decide what to do next."

Meanwhile, Ostenstad's Ewood team-mate Simon Grayson is another player in limbo after his hopes of a move to Notts County have been scuppered.

Grayson was due to complete a two-month loan spell with the Magpies after County's game at Huddersfield tomorrow night.

But after the club pulled out of a move to sign the player on a two and a half year contract, Grayson has subsequently refused to play in tomorrow night's game in protest.

And now he is back at Brockhall where he is training with Alan Murray's reserves.

Explaining his decision, County boss Gary Brazil said: "It's disappointing that we've had to decline the option to take Simon on permanently.

"The situation over the past month has changed, we feel that the funds we have available for transfers would be better served in other areas of the pitch.

"It's a shame because Simon has performed well for us and you never like telling a player in this situation that he's not going to get a contract, but it's a decision we had to make.

"I wish him all the best in the future."