Sources inside Thomson Reuters have said that Tom Glocer's plans for the massive market data, news, technology etc, etc, etc...vendor must proceed without failure or he (and by default everyone else) is toast.

Remember, a few years ago when our sailboat-loving Tom made a sneaky play in Toronto - going over the head of Thomson Financial honcho Sharon Rowlands - and straight for the big guns at Corp.?

By saving her skin over rejecting plans for Reuters to buy Thomson Financial, she lost her head when the Canucks in Corp. reversed the play and scooped up the British firm for themselves. (Ah, the ideas that can be planted by a smiling, tanned, American dog-lover with a global news brand at his disposal.)

Over the past few months, I have had quite a few calls from analysts, vendors, et all asking me "something's up at Thomson Reuters, what do you know?"

Well, I will go on record to say I do not have a tap on Wenig or Glocer's phones, so no inside information is at my disposal. But I can smell the grillings on the BBQ like anyone else.The next few months will see Thomson Reuters launch a series of new products and I think these will be far more significant that merely switching from 2000 to 3000.

The ship's coming into port boys - will it meet the great and Wonderful Oz or be a damp squib behind a curtain?