Dubai - Great boosts for Players spirits!

Last updated : 26 March 2002 By Matt

The Rovers squad have been in the Middle East for just over a week, an exercise undertaken at a similar stage of the campaign last season and one which reaped rich reward as Rovers thrashed local rivals Burnley 5-0 on their return.

The first-team squad flew out on Monday for a week training in the sun, but Souness has been keen to stress this it was not a holiday that his highly-paid and pampered Premiership stars were enjoying.

Souness took 18 first teamers with him and he has also emphasised the team-building element of the week away as an important ingredient in the team's bid to avoid the drop. He was full of praise for the work undertaken by the squad though, and revealed that the spirit and camaraderie in the squad could not be an better.

Rovers are back in Premiership action on Saturday with a date with relegation-certainties Leicester, but Souness will be sweating on the safe return of his international contingent this week - Tugay, Hakan Unsal, Damien Duff, Keith Gillespie and Henning Berg are all away with their respective national squads.