BLACKBURN boss Graeme Souness today hailed Andy Cole following the striker's explosive start to the new season.

Cole shot to the top of the Premiership's goalscoring charts with another deadly brace against Chelsea at the weekend.

The former England hit-man has now bagged four goals in Rovers' opening four games, which is more than half of the amount he managed during the whole of last season's Premiership campaign.

And Souness has put the reason for his timely return to goalscoring form down to a new work ethic.

"Andy is working harder now than at any time he has been with us and he's got to stay like that," said Souness.

"We've had a chat about it. Last year he had his worst return in the top league and he's determined to do better this time.

"We all know he's a proper player when he's playing the way he is at the moment."

Cole is certainly delighted with the way he has started the new season with a bang.

By his own admission, he had something of a nightmare last term, mustering just seven goals in the league after a series of niggling injuries took their toll.

But now he's back on top note again and enjoying his football with Rovers.

"It's a tidy start. Last season, I didn't get off to the best of starts because of injuries which knocked me back," said Cole.

"But I've always said I want to come back this season and be fit, have a decent start, and get myself a few goals.

"And I've done just that so far, so long may it continue.

"I've got nothing to prove to the manager. I'm 31 now, I've achieved everything in the game I've wanted to, and I just want to enjoy my football as much as possible.

"That's what I'm trying to do now and I think I'm doing just that."

Cole has also expressed his delight at the amount of quality players Souness has managed to bring into the club over summer.

The departures of Damien Duff and David Dunn have been well documented but Souness has reinvested a major chunk of the £22.5 million raised from their sales wisely, bringing in six new faces to bolster a squad which performed so magnificently in finishing sixth last season.

"We've lost Duffer and everyone knows he's going to be a big loss because he was a quality player.

"But we got big money in for him and I think the manager has spent his money pretty well," said Cole, speaking to Rovers World.

"He's brought in five players. The four players who have played already have done well and he's just got Barry Ferguson in as well so hopefully he will settle in quickly, too.

"But if you make your squad bigger, you can cover more positions and I think the manager has spent the money wisely.

"When I signed, he said he wanted to bring quality players into the club and that's what he's doing this season so fair play to him."

Meanwhile, there were no major comings or goings at Ewood yesterday ahead of last night's transfer deadline.

The only player on the move was reserve team defender Gordon Greer who joined Kilmarnock on a free.

Rovers defender Vratislav Gresko has been handed an international recall by Slovakia for their Euro 2004 qualifier with Macedonia on September 10.

Steven Reid also returns to the Republic of Ireland squad that faces Russia in a Group 10 qualifier at Lansdowne Road on September 6th.

And Tugay has been named in the Turkey squad for games against Liechtenstein and the Republic of Ireland.

Austrialian duo Lucas Neill and Brett Emerton will also be in friendly action against Jamaica at Reading's Madjeski Stadium on Sunday 7th September.

And Rovers' latest signing, Barry Ferguson, will captain Scotland against the Faroe Islands and Germany on September 6th and 10th respectively.

Paul Gallagher has also been named in the Scotland under 21 squad for a game with Germany in Ahlen on Tuesday September 9th.