VERSATILE midfielder Alan Mahon is ready to knuckle down and fight for his place after pledging his future to Blackburn Rovers.

The Republic of Ireland international has been targeted by Birmingham boss Steve Bruce recently and the City chief may return with a concrete bid for the player in the summer.

But Mahon insisted today that he sees his future at Ewood and he aims to give manager Graeme Souness a selection headache between now and the end of the season.

"My main aim at the start of the season was to play regularly but since then other players have been brought in and they've done well," said the former Tranmere star.

"So I'm not complaining about the fact I'm a squad player, especially not when I'm in the Premier League.

"Every club has got to have a big squad to cope at this level and that means you can't expect to play every week.

"So I've no intention of moving.

"I'm not one of those players who wants to disappear at the first sign of things going wrong so I won't be knocking on the manager's door in the summer.

"I've just got to keep plugging away and wait for my opportunity.

"I've got to prove to him that I'm worth a chance because the lads who have come in have done very well.

"At the end of the day, I'm at a great club, I've been treated very well and I'm not in any rush to leave.

"So I'll just keep working until I'm told otherwise."

Mahon's hopes of a regular starting place have been hit by injuries this season.

Last week he suffered another set-back when a persistent Achilles problem flared up in training, forcing him to pull out of the club's trip to Dubai at the 11th hour.

But, after undergoing treatment at Brockhall this week, he's now hoping to be back in contention for next Saturday's trip to Leicester.

"I'm devastated I missed out on Dubai," said Mahon.

"I've had all the lads phoning me up every morning this week giving me stick about it saying they're enjoying soaking up the sun.

"So they've been really winding me up which has been a nightmare but I suppose I was expecting it."

Last season Rovers went on a similar break to the Middle East and Mahon described it as one of the most memorable experiences of his life.

"The whole week was a great experience," said the Irishman.

"Everything from the quality of the food to the whole hygiene of the place was spot on and then, of course, we went to the Dubai Gold Cup as well which was unbelievable.

"That's a fantastic day out because it's the most expensive horse race in the world and you get a lot of the rich and famous there watching it.

"I know Sean Connery was one of the big stars knocking about last year and I also saw David O'Leary."

Souness and his squad will again soak up the atmosphere at the Gold Cup tomorrow as part of this season's week-long break.

But, though Mahon is envious about the fact he's missing out this time, he was quick to stress the squad have also been working hard over the last four days.

"There's no way it's a holiday -- the manager made that perfectly clear to everyone before they set off," said Mahon.

"Yes, it's a chance to relax and get a bit of sun but they are training every evening and that's hard work in the heat out there.

"The players have been under a lot of stress because we've been struggling down at the bottom over the last couple of months.

"So this is a chance for them to switch off from all that and really recharge their batteries.

"At the end of the day, it's a mental thing as much as anything.

"When you're here it's impossible to escape the pressure because it's in the papers and on telly.

"Out there, though, you can take a break from it all."

Meanwhile, Mahon has joined club captain Garry Flitcroft in condemning national newspaper reports suggesting there's unrest in the Rovers dressing room.

Several stories appeared earlier in the week claiming club-record signing Andy Cole was unhappy after a series of training ground bust-ups.

But Mahon insists the allegations have no foundation.

"You've just got to look at the timing of these stories to see they were published once all the lads had gone away.

"So as far as I'm concerned, it's all a load of rubbish." said Mahon.

"When Andy Cole came to the club it gave everyone a massive lift because he's been such a fantastic player.

"There has been pressure on Andy because when the team were struggling to get goals a lot was expected of him because of his goalscoring record.

"But all this talk of bust-ups and unrest is nonsense because that kind of thing just doesn't happen.

"We've got far too many good lads at this club for something like that to happen.

"There's no big-time players here.

"Of course a bit of banter goes on but that's natural and certainly nothing like the papers are trying to suggest."