THE FA Cup never treated Rovers boss Graeme Souness too well as a player - but he's had better luck as a gaffer and is hoping for more.

Although Rovers are on the verge of some silverware in the Worthington Cup with their semi-final against Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday night, the focus this weekend is on the FA Cup and Souness is hoping this competition will also bring some success.

The Ewood chief is hoping that if Rovers can get passed First Division Barnsley at Oakwell in the third round today, the FA Cup may bring him some happier memories.

"As a player I played in a team, Liverpool, that won everything except the FA Cup.

"There were a couple of semi-finals in 1979 and 1980 but we never made it even though we were the best team around at the time.

"For the seven years I was at Liverpool you would have expected us to win it but we did not manage it.

"It hasn't been kind to me and so the FA Cup is not my favourite competition in terms of success rate.

"As a manager, I have been a bit luckier, winning it with Liverpool in 1992 but I didn't enjoy it for different reasons," he said, referring to the time when he was recovering from a triple heart-by pass operation.

"I do not enjoy the FA Cup from the success point of view. It is not a competition I have fond memories of but it is a very special competition."

Souness is looking forward to the numerous games as Rovers hope to battle in both cups and bid to put some distance between themselves and the Premiership relegation zone.

"The games are coming thick and fast for everyone at this time.

"We have the FA Cup, the Worthington Cup and the league.

"The games are there to be enjoyed - it is a gruelling and exciting time.

"The players should enjoy them or else they shouldn't be playing. I always enjoyed every game as a player."

And now he is hoping January will turn into a much more enjoyable month than December.

"We will work hard as we always have," he said.

"Last year we got promoted into the Premier League and it is the most difficult league I would think in the world to play football and we knew it wasn't going to be easy.

"We knew we would find life difficult but we would rather be in this position than where we were a year ago."