GRAEME Souness branded his Blackburn Rovers players 'naive' after their second defeat in three days.

Rovers followed up Tuesday night's 4-3 home reverse to Watford with a comprehensive 2-0 defeat by Sheffield United at Bramhall Lane.

And the Rovers boss is considering changing his away line-up to add more of a physical presence when away from Ewood Park.

Souness said: "It's not the first time we've come away from home and been out-muscled. We have to understand that the first part of the game is about fighting and scrapping, not just in this league but in the Premiership as well.

"When it became a game of football we were better than them. But that's only part of winning matches.

"There's a physical part that we have to meet head on and that's something we will have to look at very quickly.

"Maybe it will have to be horses and play certain players away from home. I feel we have those players.

"I intended to use Lee Carsley tonight but he twisted an ankle playing for the reserves on Thursday."

Rovers went behind to a disastrous goal after only four minutes, when keeper Alan Kelly smashed a clearance into the legs of United forward David Kelly and back into an empty goal from an acute angle.

Souness added: "I would hope he accepts the blame for that one.

"It gave them such a lift and we felt sorry for ourselves and never got going in the first half, when the game was decided. We were naive in that period.

"We had more of the ball in the second half and did have some chances. We should certainly have scored one goal." Rovers midfielder Jason McAteer added: "We don't seem to ride the storm when teams come at us. The soft goal put us on the back foot and it was uphill from there. "We came back in the second half and created plenty of chances but just didn't finish and had some bad luck like we did against Watford on Tuesday.

"When you go seven games unbeaten you do become confident and sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes a bad thing.

"Then, after the first defeat you start wondering about things and putting your finger on things that maybe you shouldn't do." Martin Taylor was drafted into the side when Craig Short pulled out on the morning of the game with a calf strain.

But he had to be substituted in the second half after taking a knock in the opening period and was replaced by Christian Dailly, who has been out of Souness's plans in recent games.

Souness is still actively seeking a new central defender but his chances of landing Cameroon star Lucien Mettomo appear to be fading as a stalemate between the player and his club St Etienne shows no sign of ending.

Mettomo said today: "I don't want to play for St Etienne any more, no matter how many registered letters they send me.

"I won't change my mind, I'll never even train with them again. I want to leave, no matter what the cost."

But St Etienne coach Robert Nouzaret countered: "We've made up our minds -- he isn't leaving.

"He won't play and he won't be paid so he can do what he likes." Souness may now be forced to turn his attentions elsewhere while waiting for a response to the £4.6 million bid for Mettomo.