Souness steel powers Blackburn

By Andrew Warshaw

One of the most widely travelled coaches in English football, Graeme Souness has been in charge of clubs in England, Scotland, Italy, Portugal and Turkey. As his Blackburn Rovers FC side travel to Ankara for the first leg of their UEFA Cup tie against Gençlerbirligi SK, he will need to make that experience count.

Passionate player
The former Galatasaray SK coach knows plenty about the passion of Turkish supporters, and with his reputation as one of the most fiery midfield players of his day with Liverpool FC, he is not short of passion himself. After the draw for the first round, however, Souness seemed remarkably calm.

Quality opponents
"I've been there before when I was coaching Galatasaray and the mere fact they have qualified for the UEFA Cup means they are a good team," he said. "The first game is away from home and there is a job to be done, it won't be an easy game. We know there is quality there."

Settled at Blackburn
That considered response is a good indication that Souness is no longer as confrontational as he was in his first seasons as a manager. Perhaps that is because he has finally settled at Blackburn. For the moment, despite rumours of interest from Tottenham Hotspur FC, Souness is happy to be at Ewood Park.

Staying put
"When I came back from coaching [SL] Benfica, Blackburn gave me a fabulous opportunity to get established again in the English league," he told uefa.com. "I love the environment. If I could keep this job for ten years, I'd be very happy. I've been round the block a few times."

Major departures
A sixth-placed finish in the Premiership last season earned Blackburn their place in the UEFA Cup - an immense achievement for a club with relatively modest resources. However, the departure of Damien Duff to Chelsea FC and David Dunn to Birmingham City FC forced him to adjust his team for the new season.

Duff luck
Rovers made €32m on the deals but Souness was still sorry to see the Republic of Ireland midfield player Duff go. "When we drew up Damian's contract, we never thought anyone could come up with enough money to buy him but there was no Roman Abramovich around then," said Souness, referring to Chelsea's billionaire owner.

Big signings
However, with the money earned from the sale of Duff and Dunn, Souness has been able to bring in some big names. They include Barry Ferguson and Lorenzo Amoruso from another of Souness's old clubs, Rangers FC, along with Dino Baggio and Brett Emerton.

Bright starts
"It will be hard to improve on last season because we've lost Damian Duff and David Dunn for different reasons," said Souness. "Luckily, the players we have brought in instead have started well."

Positive effects
Three times a European Champion Clubs' Cup winner with Liverpool, the 50-year-old Souness is still on medication following triple by-pass heart surgery eleven years ago. However, he is convinced that the operation, which happened while he was managing in Liverpool, has had positive effects.

'More guarded'
"Having the heart problem made me look at life differently in terms of having quality time with people that matter to me," he said. "But it wasn't just that. The biggest change in me is that I'm more experienced and more guarded. You learn as you get older that there's more than one way to skin a cat."

Ankara prospects
A winner as a player and a manager, Gençlerbirligi will already be well aware that Souness has plenty of tricks up his sleeve.