GRAEME Souness will be ruthless when he shapes his squad to compete in the Premiership.

The Rovers boss says there can be no room for feelings when it comes to the tough decisions over which players stay and which will have to go.

Those he believes will not be able to cut it at the top level will have to go.

Blackburn clinched their place in the Premiership with a 1-0 victory over Preston on Wednesday night and Souness is immediately looking ahead to the bigger challenge of trying to stay there.

That will mean some players who have helped get Rovers up will have to make way for the new faces the manager knows he will have to bring in.

"Some players will leave and some new ones will come in," he said. "I'm paid to make tough decisions and sentiment cannot come into it."

Souness already has names on his shopping list and missed today's last game of the season to run the rule over one of his potential targets.

The identity is secret but the odds are that he is British with Souness making no secret of his belief that Brits will be best for the job in hand.

"I'd like to sign all British players if I can because our backs are going to be against the wall at times next season and I think it's easier for foreigners to take less responsibility than British players. I'm not saying they're all the same but that's the case in my experience."