Souness downplays Europe

Simon Stone
Saturday 31 August 2002 00:00 BST
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The Blackburn Rovers manager Graeme Souness will not sacrifice Premier League survival for a decent run in the Uefa Cup.

The Ewood Park outfit were handed just the kind of draining trip Graeme Souness feared when they were paired with CSKA Sofia in the first round of Europe's second-string competition yesterday.

Though favourites to advance from the two-legged tie, an eight-hour round trip to Bulgaria is hardly ideal preparation for a vital Premiership encounter with Leeds United the following weekend. It is for that reason Souness hinted that he will rest key players for the European challenge, believing English clubs will soon adopt the same attitude as their continental rivals in cup competitions.

"The Uefa Cup is a very poor second to the Premier League. In fact, I would place it behind the FA Cup in terms of importance," Souness said.

Ipswich Town were paired with Yugoslavia's Sartid Smederevo in the first round and the chairman David Sheepshanks claims, while they will enjoy their run while it lasts, the First Division promotion race remains the priority. "We are once bitten, twice shy," he said.

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