DAVID Dunn has declared war on Premier League big spenders Manchester City as Blackburn Rovers look to show Mark Hughes and co pounds don’t guarantee prizes.

The influential midfielder, who is facing his own personal battle against injury for Saturday’s season opener, has urged his team mates to put the boot in on Saturday and prove Rovers are no longer soft touches.

During Hughes’ regime, Rovers earned themselves the reputation of being the league’s ‘bully-boys’ and, while confident they can hold their own in the football stakes, Dunn believes it is important to give their old boss a taste of their own medicine.

He said: “We will have to be very strong and very organised and the main thing is we will have to be really aggressive against them and knock them about a bit.

“It is important we do our best and kick lumps out of them, fairly of course. That is what the manager will be asking from our lads. We have to make Ewood Park again a place no one wants to come to.

“If we do that, we have good players, and we know we can play football. If we can make it a place where people don’t particularly like coming, like we did a couple of years ago, then we won’t be far off.

“That had disappeared for a while last season. There was a transition period under the old manager where he was trying to play football and the results and injuries didn’t really go for us.”

There will be huge interest in Saturday’s visit of Manchester City as the footballing world look on in expectation at the birth of the blues’ revolution.

Almost £100million has already been spent by City in a extraordinary show of purse power this summer, bringing the likes of Roque Santa Cruz, Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor and Gareth Barry to Eastlands, and there is no sign their spending spree is over yet.

Dunn though insists Rovers will enter the game with no trepidation on Saturday, claiming last season’s escape from relegation has shown what a formidable prospect they can be at Ewood Park.

“I think it is a good time to play them,” he said. “There is no doubt with the money they have got now, they are going to buy the best players and unfortunately for us we don’t have the same resources, “But we what we do have is an even level on that pitch and as soon as the lads cross the white line the money doesn’t matter. It is about how much you want it.

“When the manager has come in, he has tightened things up and we well deserved to stay in the league in the end. I am sure our form the last 12 games of the season was right up there and if we keep showing that we will be okay.

“We are looking forward to it.The last couple of games of pre-season, the results haven’t been great but you can’t read too much into that. As long as we are getting the fitness that is the main thing.”

Former Rovers striker Santa Cruz has been ruled out of the clash due to a knee injury, while Tevez is also doubtful, but Dunn (thigh) is just one of Allardyce’s own injury problems.

Vince Grella (hamstring), Ryan Nelsen (knee), Brett Emerton (knee), Steven Reid (knee) and Paul Gallagher (hamstring) are also doubtful for the clash - although Dunn isn’t ruling himself out just yet.

He said: “I have stepped things up this week. I have had quite a lot of pre-season, I have only missed a week or so, it probably came at a bad time.

“Things like that happen though but I am happy with my fitness and looking forward to the season.”