GRAHAM Souness is ready to meet the most arduous week of the season by shuffling his squad to cope with the ridiculous demands forced on them by the fixture planners.

After so many weeks without midweek matches, as many as seven Blackburn Rovers regulars face the possibility of four matches in eight gruelling days as they combine a busy club week with the burden of international friendly commitments.

But Ewood boss Souness is well aware of the potential problems and will act accordingly.

Rovers visit Grimsby Town on Saturday before tackling First Division champions-elect Charlton at Ewood on Easter Monday.

On Saturday week, they play their final away match of the season at Crystal Palace but, in between, there are a host of friendly internationals scheduled for midweek.

Damien Duff, Jason McAteer and Alan Kelly are on duty with the Republic of Ireland against Greece, Christian Dailly and Callum Davidson travel to Holland with Scotland and Keith Gillespie and Damien Johnson are expected to face Hungary with Northern Ireland.

The situation could have been worse but Per Frandsen has been overlooked by Denmark and Jeff Kenna could well have been involved with the Republic if he had been fit. Lee Carsley is another who would probably have been selected if he had not been absent for so long through injury.

In addition, reserve defender Peter Murphy has been named in the Republic under-21 squad.

"With all the games and the travelling there will be big demands on some of the players but we will have to cope with that," said the Rovers boss.

"We will have to keep an eye on them all. "Everyone is different and reacts differently to these things."

Although the last four games are virtually meaningless to Rovers in terms of promotion, they still want to finish as strongly as possible with next season in mind.

And the manager will not tolerate anything less than 100 per cent in any game.

Grimsby are in a similar situation, virtually safe from relegation.

So Souness has plenty of leeway to ring the changes and spare anyone being overplayed.

Another chance for teenage striker Ben Burgess is on the cards in one of the remaining four matches, after he was given his League bow in last Saturday's draw with Portsmouth.

Souness said he would be looking to give the youngster another game before the end of the season and Burgess certainly had the sympathy of his team-mates after such a tough baptism in a struggling show against Portsmouth.

Craig Short said: "I felt sorry for Big Ben on his League debut.

"It was a low-key game, a nothing game, and he would have been better off coming in against someone like Man United."

"No-one was playing really well, there wasn't much service and he was battling it out with a big centre half.

"What should have been a big day for him has turned out to be low key but I have seen him play and I know what a good player he can be.

"He got very frustrated but he's only young and at least it's nice to see him get a chance."