GRAEME Souness achieved stage one of his Ewood Park mission by winning promotion and Everton boss Walter Smith is backing him to bring more success to Rovers.

The Blackburn manager welcomes his former assistant to Ewood Park tomorrow for the first ever clash between the two friends and Smith was glowing in his praise for the man and his achievements.

The pair worked together for five successful years at Rangers and Smith insists it was never a gamble for the Ibrox club to appoint him.

"Graeme has an aura about him and his persona made him perfect for the job," he said. "He is still loved by the fans up there and always will be.

"Now he is at Blackburn and he completed the first part of his job by getting them up.

"I don't think there will be many problems for him once Rovers have consolidated. Graeme is a winner and while getting promotion is not like winning the championship, it still gives you that winning feeling.

"Graeme will handle life in the Premiership, no problem. He has been a manager for 15 years and you can't spend that long in the job unless you can do it.

"People seem to forget he won a cup when he was at Liverpool and also in his two years in Turkey."

Having been side-by-side throughout so many triumphs at Ibrox, Souness confessed: "It will be strange seeing him in the other dug-out.

"Walter was excellent for me. He was at Dundee United under Jim McLean for a long time and he knew the Scottish game and what management was all about.

"He was a massive help to me. I was a bit hot-headed and impulsive where as he was a bit more rational. There was a good balance between the two of us.

"We are good friends and still speak regularly on the phone.

"But tomorrow's match is all about getting three points for Blackburn and Walter getting three points for Everton."

If things had worked out differently the two men might still be sitting together on the same bench. When Souness flew to England for talks with the Liverpool board about taking over at Anfield, Smith travelled with him.

But the fact that the legendary boot room faces like Roy Evans and Ronnie Moran would be staying on made Smith wonder exactly what his role would be.

Souness persuaded Rangers chairman David Murray that Smith was the right man to succeed him and Smith proved him right as the championships stacked up.

Now, south of the border, both men's immediate ambitions are more modest with the target a place in the top half of the Premiership.

A win for Rovers at Ewood Park would take them above the Toffees and Souness will be relying on the squad that drew with Bolton Wanderers in midweek.

With the current problems in defence, with John Curtis, Martin Taylor and Craig Short out injured, Rovers continue to look to strenghten but chief executive John Williams confirmed this morning: "There is nothing happening at the moment, although that is not to say we aren't working on things."