IT'S the day that every professional footballer dreads -- the first day of pre-season training.

While the days of piling on extra pounds during the summer break are long gone -- players are given a fitness regime to follow during the close season -- it's still a shock to the system.

And Blackburn Rovers were one of the first teams back to the grind as Graeme Souness put his troops through their paces during a warm Brockhall session.

The Ewood manager will concentrate on physical fitness before his squad travel to Bahlinger in Germany for their first warm-up fixture.