BLACKBURN Rovers game with Crewe at Gresty Road tomorrow has now taken on new significance following the sad death of Jack Walker.

But however difficult the circumstances, Graeme Souness's men will desperately want to give Walker a fitting send-off.

And Crewe boss Dario Gradi fears his side could feel the full force of a reborn Nathan Blake.

The Welsh international forward is a man with a point to prove after his attitude was questioned by Rovers boss Graeme Souness over the summer.

And, after gunning down Crystal Palace last weekend with his first goal since February, Gradi believes Alex could be the next in line to feel his wrath.

"Nathan Blake is the kind of player who doesn't think he has to work too hard because of his ability," said Gradi. "That's an aspect of his game which has infuriated managers wherever he has been in the past.

"But I believe he has now added more work-rate to his game.

"And there's a different class between him and the rest of the strikers we are likely to face in the First Division this season."

Crewe kicked off the season with a 2-0 reverse at Fulham last weekend. But Gradi had spies at Ewood to watch Rovers demolish Palace 2-0 thanks to goals from Blake and strike-partner Matt Jansen.

And he admits their report made depressing reading.

"We've had them watched and they frightened us to death," said Gradi. "They look more of a threat than Fulham were last week. From what I've been told, they seem to have added more movement to their game, as well as ability. "And I think Graeme Souness will prove his worth there. He seems to have learned from his previous experiences in management."

In contrast, Gradi was desperately disappointed by the way his own side shaped in their clash at Craven Cottage.

Starved of the cash necessary to bolster a squad which finished 19th last term, Alex were comfortably outclassed by Jean Tigana's promotion contenders.

And already, just a game into the new term, he is planning changes.

"I might make one or two other changes because I'm not going to wait for players to start playing," said Gradi.

"Whether Fulham were that good or we were that poor I don't know, but I was certainly disappointed about the quality of our play.

"We've been spending a lot of time on defending, but we didn't do it well enough there. At no stage did we put them under any pressure to stop them from rolling the ball about.

"So all we have done in training this week is concentrate on defending, because we didn't close down and we just dropped off and let them play exactly as they wanted."

Ironically, Alex enjoyed the upper hand over Rovers last season, drawing 0-0 at Gresty Road before pinching a 1-0 win at Ewood, which heralded the appointment of Souness.

But since then, defensive trio Marcus Bignot, Mark Foran and Lee Unsworth have all moved on.

And Gradi has only been able to bring in Bosman frees like bandana-clad defender Efe Sodje and Nigerian keeper Ade Bancole over the summer.

However, don't underestimate his ability to bring out the best in the players he has at his dispossal.

And in the likes of Caribbean striker Rodney Jack -- who should start on the bench tomorrow -- he does possess genuine match winners on their day.

"If you look back to this time last year then Rodney is doing a lot better and we're expecting a lot more from him in the coming months.

"I'm looking for him and Mark Rivers to improve and give us a real threat up there in attack. Rodney is without a doubt the most exciting player we've got -- that's not too difficult to pick out.

"But he needs to score goals and get into the six-yard box more often.

"If he did then he could be a real threat."