Manager: Graeme Souness.

BACK in the top flight after their amazing slide of the late nineties, Rovers at last look like a side again, although not such a good one that they will find life in the Premiership particularly comfortable.

A good deal will depend on just how good Corrado Grabbi turns out to be, although the fact that the whole of Serie A calmly stood by as last season's top scorer in Serie B left the country suggests that he may not be a world-beater.

Still, he and Matt Jansen should deliver some goals between them, given the service the team is capable of providing from wide positions.

And Rovers will be especially hard to beat at Ewood Park all of which should be enough to keep them up, even if some of the Irish players still have a miserable time.

In: Corrado Grabbi (Ternana, £6.8m); Alan Mahon (Sporting Lisbon, £1.5m); Tugay Kerimoglu (Rangers, £1.3m); Gordon Greer (Clyde, £200,000). Total £9.8m.

Out: Lee Hardy (Oldham, free), Michael Bingham (Mansfield, free); Pete Murphy (Carlisle Utd, free); Ben Burgess (Brentford, loan); Gary Hamilton (Accrington Stanley, free). Total £0. Net spend: £9.8m.

Rep of Ireland players: Ben Burgess, John Douglas, Damien Duff, Alan Kelly, Jeff Kenna, Alan Mahon and Jason McAteer.

Last year: Div 1: 2nd, FAC: QF.

This year: 15th.

Official website: www.rovers.co.uk/Betting: 150-1.