Toni to West Ham | Pato to Chelsea | Hutton to Sunderland | Vokes to Cardiff | Jewell to Darlington

So ... 28 September, eh? On this day in ...

... 48 BC, Pompey the Great was ordered at the behest of King Ptolemy of Egypt. What with it being a Monday morning, most of today's newspapers are so full of football match Strictly Come Dancing reports

... 551 BC, Chinese teacher and philosopher Confusious was born.

... 1787, the US Congress voted to send the new constitution of the United States to the state legislature for approval.

... 1920, eight members of the Chicago White Sox were indicted in the "Black Sox" scandal amid suspicions that they'd tanked the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.

... 1934, French actress and animal rights activist Brigette Bardot was born

... 1967, the first Mayor of Washington, DC, Walter Washington (coincidence, eh?) took office and Frank Zappa's daughter, Moon Unit, was born. Yes, Moon Unit.

... 1985, rioting erupted in Brixton and lasted for two days.

... American actress and singer Hilary Duff was born.

...1994, 900 people perished when an Estonian ferry capsized in the Baltic sea.

... 2009, the Rumour Mill went through today's papers, balked at the paucity of material on offer and, for want of a better idea at an ungodly hour on a Monday morning, decided to pad out today's transfer speculation column by looking up one of those "on this day in history" type websites and reproducing selected, educational highlights. With the benefit of 20-20 hindsight we're prepared to concede it probably wasn't the greatest device we've ever employed, but at the time of writing it's 8.09am, so you should be grateful there are any words at all on this screen for you to peruse when you should be working, never mind ones that are spelt correctly and appear in the right order.

Anyway, the cupboard wasn't entirely bare, which means you've been spared the reminder that on this day in 1972, China and Japan agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations. Because despite the fight Portsmouth showed against Everton on Saturday in match they deserved at least a point from, after seven successive defeats, nervous Fratton Park suit are set to move manager Paul Hart upstairs and install Gordon Strachan as his replacement. The flame-haired fire-fighter has previous in the field of taking over South Coast Premier League clubs that are struggling after a poor start to the season, having done exactly that with Southampton when Stuart Gray was sacked in 2001. Strachan marched the Saints up to 11th in the table by season's end, a lofty position most Portsmouth fans would sell their mothers and first born for if offered it this morning.

According to today's Mirror, Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is "compiling a dossier" on Alan Hutton and is "sending his spies" to keep tabs on the Tottenham Hotspur and Scotland right-back. It all sounds very sinister, but may explain the surveillance team parked outside Hutton's house in the white van with the tinted windows. Leaving no stone unturned in the hyperbole stakes, the Mirror also reveals that Dave Jones is ready to "hijack" Coventry's bid to sign Wolves striker Sam Vokes. Coventry manager Chris Coleman is believed to have agreed a loan deal for the Welsh international, that won't be concluded until later this week, if at all now that Jones has burst through the cockpit door and ordered the pilot to take Vokes to Wales.

Still high on the hog after his side's emphatic victory over listless Chelsea on Saturday, Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez will celebrate by treating himself to Scunthorpe goalkeeper Joe Murphy. The Spaniard (Martinez, not Murphy) is on the lookout for cover for Chris Kirkland, although anyone he does draft in might not have to wait long for an opportunity to impress if his current No1 lets in any more soft ones like that Drogba effort he let squirm through his legs on Saturday afternoon.

And finally, having parted company with Colin Todd despite doubling their points tally for the season with a draw at Grimsby over the weekend, League Two propper-uppers Darlington are prepared to offer former Wigan manager Paul Jewell a shot at redemption after nightmare spell in charge of Derby County. Should Jewell decide the job is beneath him, Quakers chairman Raj Singh will offer it to Sheffield United player-coach Gary Speed instead.

Okey dokey, pig in a pokey ...