FORGET Jaap Stam's controversial autobiography or the shenanigans surrounding Hansie Cronje fixing cricket matches.

The biggest story to rock the world of sport this year must surely be the furore surrounding Freddie the Fox's victory in the British Mascot Grand National at Huntingdon on Sunday.

For those of you who haven't a clue what I'm talking about let me put you in the picture.

The event, promoted by the Discover Racing Campaign and shown on BBC Grandstand, involved over a hundred mascots from around Britain -- from Burnley Football Club's Bertie Bee to Rushden and Diamonds' Dazzler the Lion.

But when our man Freddie romped home by a considerable distance some of his jealous rivals immediately smelt a rat -- prompting an immediate investigation by racecourse management which resulted in his disqualification.

Initial objections were based on the grounds that the winner was wearing proper running spikes and that he started from the front row when others who opted for football boots instead of traditional mascot-type footwear gave their rivals a 30 yard start.

Cheating Freddie has since been unmasked as super-fit Olympic hurdler Matt Douglas who only entered the race as a prank.

On-course bookies failed to see the funny side, however. They were left out of pocket after taking big-money bets on the fox whose odds plummeted from 33-1 to 10-1.

But what's all this got to do with Blackburn Rovers, I hear you say.

Well, what wouldn't manager Graeme Souness give right now for a striker with as much cunning as our Freddie?

Thierry Henry urged Arsene Wenger to dig deep into the Highbury coffers over the summer in order to recruit a 'fox in the box.'

And, after watching Rovers waste a hatful of chances over the last few weeks, it's blatantly obvious a similar type of character is required at Ewood right now.

I've no doubt in my mind that Matt Jansen, Marcus Bent and Ciccio Grabbi are all capable of scoring goals in the Premiership and -- given time -- they will by the sack full.

But Souness is also well aware that, with almost a quarter of the season gone, Rovers can't afford to keep firing blanks for much longer otherwise a scrap for survival is inevitable.

Souey's move for Cameroon international Patrick Mboma was clear evidence that he's actively seeking a remedy after Nathan Blake's move to Wolves has left him short of fire-power.

But, quite rightly, he then pulled out of the move when Italian club Parma tried to demand an extortionate loan fee.

So where does he turn now?

With the current transfer system as it is at the minute, a proven goalscorer in the Premiership would cost £10 million plus -- as Arsenal discovered when they moved in for Everton's Francis Jeffers.

And looking at the current hot-shots in the First Division, no-one leaps out as a possible knight in shining armour, with the possible exception of Preston's Jon Macken.

Expect to see him look abroad, therefore, and someone like Inter Milan's Hakan Suker could yet fit the bill.

Souness is a big admirer of the Turk following their time together at Galatasaray.

And if there's a possibility of luring him from the San Siro on the cheap -- either permanently or on loan -- then he may well explore it.

In the meantime, let's hope Matty, Ciccio and Marcus can all click into gear as we know they can otherwise there won't be many fingernails left in Blackburn come May.