EVEN though the summer is supposed to be the 'off season' as far as football is concerned it's never far from a Rovers fan's mind.

I'd hazard a guess that I wasn't the only one perusing internet sites and reading newspaper back pages hoping for a snippet on who is to be the next arrival or departure at Ewood this summer.

However this summer, the big name incoming transfer news that we crave has been overshadowed by other issues. Issues that have ensured Blackburn Rovers make it on to the back pages but not in a way that we'd particularly like to see.

The Dwight Yorke saga being the main case in point.

A very public savaging in the press from Souey proclaiming him as the sixth choice striker and a condemnation of his 'playboy' lifestyle was swiftly followed by a counter-claim that the manager tried to break Yorke's leg in training.

Bridges burnt on both sides one would assume . . . or maybe not.

A couple of weeks later, the striker is recalled to the squad following a reported rejection of two bids and now appears to be a certainty to start on Saturday against West Brom.

Inspired management or a swallowing of pride? Who knows. I, for the life of me, can't work it out.

The departure of Andy Cole has also caused a lot of debate between the supporters. There can be no doubt that we have lost our best striker but the purported figures of his salary make the decision easier to accept.

A big change within the squad has been the decision to replace Flitcroft as captain. I believe he deserved better than to have the news relayed to him second hand.

Turning attention to matters on the field, what can we realistically hope to achieve this season?

The players that have been brought in, while hardly setting pulses racing, seem to have been brought in for their wholehearted attitude and it would appear, reading the Evening Telegraph, that Souey is determined to make us harder to beat and wants us to 'win ugly'. This of course is in stark contrast to last season when we habitually lost ugly.

In my opinion there are three players we cannot afford to be out for any considerable time, these being Ferguson, Stead and Amoruso.

Ferguson needs to settle and show that he can run games in the Premiership, Stead WILL score at least a dozen given a sustained run and Amoruso can be a dominant personality at both ends of the park.

So, with a bit of luck we can banish last season to the record books as a one-off and challenge strongly for a place in the top half.

It's time to make back page headlines for all the right reasons. Let's do it.