GRAEME Souness is refusing to let Blackburn Rovers' season simply fizzle out over the last four matches.

For he has made it quite clear to the Ewood staff that their futures are on the line.

And Souness, who has restored senior strikers Nathan Blake and Matt Jansen to the squad for tomorrow's trip to Grimsby, expects the players to take notice.

After taking only one point from the last six, Rovers' prospects of a play-off place are simply waiting to be officially terminated.

But the Ewood boss has stressed just how much there is still at stake for his side.

"It's not hard for me to motivate them, it's whether that motivation is taken on board," he said.

"But they would have to be idiots to think they have nothing to play for between now and the end of the season -- because there's a new manager who might want to change things.

"And they must be intelligent enough to work that out for themselves.

"It would be rather naive of them to think there's nothing to play for."

While planning for the future -- and he claims he already knows where he wants to go with the squad -- Souness has analysed where he felt things went wrong for Rovers before his belated arrival.

"I believe the biggest problem this year was that we felt sorry for ourselves," he said.

"It's about taking a punch on the nose and how you deal with that.

"Football is just like life. You learn from your mistakes. "In the dressing room you find that everybody is a strong character when you are successful, but you only find out what people are really like when you have your backs against the wall.

"That's when you find out who your mates are and what they are made of.

"It's the message we have put across to the players.

"We all make mistakes but it's how you react to your mistakes that matters."

Teenager Ben Burgess, who made his League debut against Portsmouth, is omitted from the squad as he was involved in a midweek youth international for the Republic of Ireland.

Interestingly, Souness's selection is again light on defenders but with all four senior strikers in contention.

Last Saturday, Jansen missed out through illness while Blake was simply not named in the squad to face Portsmouth. There is also fierce competition in the centre of midfield with at least four players fighting for two places now that Lee Carsley is back in the frame.

Rovers will choose from: Kelly, McAteer, Short, Dailly, Davidson, Gillespie, Frandsen, Dunn, Flitcroft, Carsley, Duff, Ward, Blake, Ostenstad, Jansen, Miller.

Although they have not won in seven games, Grimsby fought back well to take a point off promotion contenders Manchester City last week.

They are expected to have right back John McDermott available again after a calf injury. Ex-Rover Steve Livingstone, a recent absentee with similar problems, may have to settle for a place on the bench again. He could play up front but is recognised as a central defender at Blundell Park these days.

Grimsby are set to choose from: Coyne, McDermott, Lever, Groves, Gallimore, Donovan, Coldicott, Pouton, D Smith, Ashcroft, Clare, Livingstone, Butterfield, Allen, Black, Bloomer, Croudson.