BLACKBURN boss Graeme Souness today called on his players to pull together and concentrate on the task of keeping Rovers in the Premiership.

Souness is aiming to restore calm in the dressing room following a turbulent week of revelations involving Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke.

"Now is the time to stick together and not go off complaining and griping about ridiculous things," said Souness.

"In my experience, football mirrors life and you only find out about people when the going gets tough.

"When you're not winning games, that's when you really find out who you'd want to be in the trenches with.

"The only thing that matters is we all stick together and give out the right message.

"The people in the dressing room will then know that we are all in this together.

"It's at the end of the season when you go whinging about things and pointing out who didn't perform and where we went wrong.

"This is a time to consolidate and stick together. When you're a manager, half the job is to deal with the aggravation that comes along.

"Some of it you can see coming, other bits you can't.

"It's not been all plain sailing in my career. You've got to deal with the punches and being kicked between the legs.

"The challenge is how you come through that.

"I'll still come out throwing punches and I'll still come out going forward."

A difficult week began with revelations about a training ground bust-up between Souness and Yorke.

Then it emerged that Cole had reported Souness to the Professional Footballers' Association, complaining that he had been victimised.

However, Souness now wants to draw a line under the whole episode and concentrate on the task of getting to 40 points as quickly as possible.

"I've got 20 players and there's no way I'm going to keep 20 players happy," added the Rovers boss.

"Everyone thinks they should be in the team, otherwise they are wasting their time being a professional footballer.

"That means there is going to be at least a dozen at any given time who are not very happy at any given time.

"I know our problems this year have not been down to a lack of desire.

"I know I've got an honest group of players. I've worked with them for four years and they are my players now. Nearly all of them are my choices.

"Within that group you're going to have people who are not happy because they're not playing and that's what you want.

"That can manifest itself in problems but I don't want them happy."

Meanwhile, Souness confirmed he has no plans to stop taking part in training, despite his spat with Yorke.

"I'll still play as long as my legs feel up to it.

"I'm 50, I've been around the block several times and what happened the other day happens on every training ground at every professional club in every week of the year. I'm just sad it became so public."