WE always get a result against Middlesbrough.

If you're going to have an away game for your first game of the season then a match at the Riverside would be most people's choice.

And it's vital they get off to a good start. They can't kick off the season in the same way they did last year, when they were lingering down near the bottom and then, when they found their form, they had too much ground to make up.

If Rovers can get off to a flier and stay in the top half by Christmas, that's when they come into their own and I think they can really push for the top six.

It's going to be a difficult season this year though.

You can more or less say that the top four are going to be roughly the same, but I could maybe see Tottenham gatecrashing the party if they can manage to get some consistency.

And Everton are always a workmanlike side. Give him his due, David Moyes doesn't spend a lot of money, but he always gets the best out of what he's got - he's a bit like Mark Hughes in that respect.

At the other end of the table, I think the bottom eight from last season are going to struggle again as well as the three teams who came up from the Championship.

I also think Fulham will finish near the bottom. Lawrie Sanchez has bought a lot of players and he's been splashing the cash all summer, but I'm not sure about his buys. I think he's trying to build another Wimbledon-type team and, while that worked in the past, I think teams nowadays are aware of that and can play against it.

The most important thing is that Blackburn aren't anywhere near the bottom come next May.

The supporters and everyone at the club have got used to challenging in the top half of the table, pushing for Europe, and that's where the club belongs - and it all starts with three points against Gareth Southgate's side tomorrow.