Yorke’s Blackburn face tough season

BLACKBURN: Blackburn Rovers manager Graeme Souness believes another top-six finish could prove beyond his side this season. Blackburn earned a UEFA Cup spot by finishing sixth in their second season back in the English Premier League with Trinidad and Tobago’s Dwight Yorke in their line-up. But with the 1995 champions no longer among the big spenders in English football, Souness says survival is his top priority. “Our aim this year is to survive. The first challenge is to get to 40 points and after that try and get more points than last year and see where it takes us. But 40 points is the first aim,” Souness told a news conference yesterday.

“I can’t see us improving on that (sixth place last season). If you look at the teams who finished above us they are all giant clubs. “Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are all far bigger clubs than us. Then if you look over your shoulder and down the league clubs like Aston Villa and Tottenham are far bigger clubs than us as well. “They have all improved this year, with one changing their manager, so it will be a very difficult season.” Blackburn have lost Damien Duff, sold to Chelsea for 17 million pounds, and former England Under-21 captain David Dunn, who has joined Birmingham City. Souness believes he still has a potentially stronger squad with the arrival of former Rangers defender Lorenzo Amoruso, Australian international Brett Emerton and Republic of Ireland international Steven Reid. Striker Matt Jansen and midfielder David Thompson have also returned to fitness. But the former Scotland captain still wants to bring in more new faces. He said: “I think we need a defender, a midfielder and a striker. We’ve lost a few players and I think we need three players. The board might disagree with me, but that’s my opinion.”