Last Season - Finished 7th in the Premier League - 58pts
Manager:  Paul Ince

INS:
ST Julio Santa Cruz
ST Robbie Fowler
GK Paul Robinson - 7m US
RB Danny Simpson - Loan
FW Carlos Villanueva - Loan

OUTS:
RW David Bentley
GK Brad Friedel
LB Bruno Berner
GK Peter Enckelman
CB Stephane Henchoz
FW Osahon Eboigne - Loan
FW Maceo Rigters - Loan
ST Raffaele De Vita
GK Zac Jones

Possibles:
RW Joaquin Sanchez - Valencia
CMF Anatoly Tymoschuk - Zenit St. Petersburg
RW Jermaine Pennant - Liverpool
RW James McFadden - Birmingham
RB Juliano Belletti - Chelsea
MF Mark Bresciano - Palermo
CMF Hossam Ghaly - Tottenham
GK Robert Green - West Ham
RW Aaron Lennon - Tottenham

What's Left in the Kitty - 40m US

What Lies Ahead:
Aug 16 Everton (A)
Aug 23 Hull City (H)
Aug 30 West Ham (A)
Sep 13 Arsenal (H)
Sep 20 Fulham (H)
Sep 27 Newcastle (A)
Oct 4 Manchester United (H)

Possible Starting XI:
GK Paul Robinson
RB Danny Simpson
CB Andre Ooijer
CB Ryan Nelson/Christopher Samba
LB Stephen Warnock
RMF Brett Emerton
CMF David Dunn
CMF Steven Reid/Aaron Makoena/Johann Vogel
LMF Morten Gamst-Pedersen
FW Roque Santa Cruz
FW Benni McCarthy

How They'll Stack Up:
Over the summer, Rovers lost David Bentley and Brad Friedel - but perhaps the biggest loss was manager Mark Hughes.  The now-Manchester City boss provided Rovers fans with a consistent level of success - they knew they'd finish between 6th and 10th each season.  Now with Paul Ince, things are not as certain - far from it as a matter of fact.  Unless the club breaks open the wallets, I can't see Ince carrying on Hughes level of consistency.  There's already talk of disquiet in the locker-room which isn't surprising when you consider Ince's previous experience managing was in the 4th division.  The same man-management may not translate and it looks like there will be an adjustment period for both players and coach.   Having said that, Ince inherited a pretty decent side.  They have a good forward line with Matt Derbyshire and Jason Roberts playing in relief - though I'm not quite sure about the move for oft-injured Robbie Fowler.  The defence is solid and if Robinson can find his lost form in goal, bringing him in could be a good piece of business.  If not, it looks to be a disaster.  Looking at the 'possibles', there's a lot of MF (midfielders) in there and that is where the team are weakest.  They need to bring in a couple more MF to give the side some flare and to help account for the loss of Gamst-Pedersen's form.  I'll hand it to Rovers brass - they've taken a BIG risk by bringing in Ince.  They did the same thing with Hughes a few years back and it paid off.  Let's hope this move also does, otherwise a top-half finish will be a pipe dream.

Coming up Sunday - Aston Villa