GRAEME Souness is ready to offer Craig Short a new contract after hailing the veteran defender as 'the perfect professional' following his heroics against Birmingham at the weekend.

Short suffered a broken nose after being smashed in the face by Christophe Dugarry's flailing arm but the 35-year-old shrugged off the pain to lead Rovers to a stunning 4-0 victory at St Andrew's.

Now Souness hopes to persuade his defensive king-pin to carry on playing for at least another season.

"We will be talking to Craig about a new deal in the New Year because Craig Short is the perfect professional," said the Rovers boss.

"In three-and-a-half years I've never had to say anything to Craig about how he trains, about his attitude or about how he approaches a game.

"He is a throwback. All the players love and respect him. I regard myself as having some very good professionals but he would be The Professional.

"We have missed him. When the ball arrives into our penalty area, you have a confidence when standing on the touch-line when Craig is playing.

"You know that nine times out of 10 he is going to be in there, heading the ball out or getting in a challenge of some sort. I just wish he was 25 instead of 35."

Short admitted that a word from Souness at half-time helped him to keep his anger in check after Dugarry had left him with blood splattered all over his face.

"I went to meet Dugarry and the next thing I know is that I've got an elbow in my nose and it's broken," said the Rovers defender.

"Dugarry might say it was an accident, that he was trying to shield the ball - but that wasn't my interpretation. He is a fantastic player and he resorts to that.

"I've been guilty of raising my elbow and I've suffered punishments in the past. I missed a cup final because of it a couple of years ago. I got a five-match ban.

"When I got sent off for doing it against Steve Marlet a couple of years ago, that wasn't deliberate and I received the ban. Whether this was deliberate or not, it is still an elbow.

"I play the game quite hard and physical but I've never gone out to injure a player deliberately. I was angry at half-time. I don't want to get smashed in the nose.

"The manager had a word with me and said if I got sent off, I would miss three games, that I would be letting the lads down. That was what I had to think of."

Although Dugarry escaped punishment for the original incident, he finally got his comeuppance in the second half when he was sent off by Graham Barber for a second bookable offence.

"Maybe the referee realised he had missed something and wanted to make it right," added Short.

Dugarry may now be hit with an extra ban by the FA if they decide to act over the elbowing incident.

Meanwhile, in a bizarre twist of fate, Rovers must return to St Andrew's in the FA Cup after yesterday's third round draw paired the two clubs together again.