MANAGER Sam Allardyce hopes his players can pick up from where they left off when they kick-off the new season next month.

After a summer of quiet reflection, Big Sam believes his players can look back with great pride on their achievements during the second half of last season, having pulled off a 'minor miracle' to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Now the Rovers chief, who is suitably refreshed after a well-earned break, is urging his squad to take confidence from that feat as they look to kick on over the next 12 months.

The Rovers boss said: "While on holiday I reflected on the time I've been here. Once I eventually got on the plane and got settled down on the beach, around the pool and sipped my first cocktail, I looked back at what we achieved and thought it was pretty miraculous.

"When you can sit down on the beach, listening to the sea rolling in, and reflect on what happened from December until the end of the season, it was a greater achievement than I originally thought it was.

"That's based on many things, like the fact that we spent less than anybody else.  

"Tottenham threw another £40m at it, Stoke City threw another £10m at it, and Hull City threw six or seven million at it, whilst we just got Dioufy for a million and took Gael Givet on loan.

"That, when you reflect on it, shows you how big an achievement it was by everybody.

"On top of that, there was also the injuries we incurred. Steven Reid was already out, then we lost Brett Emerton for the rest of the season, Roque for the rest of the season, and David Dunn for the rest of the season with still many games to go.

"That meant the likes of Givet and Dioufy became even more influential than I initially thought they would.

"The rest of the lads who came and stood in also deserve special praise - people like Keith Andrews who in his first season jumping from MK Dons to the Premier League contributed in 33 games and played in different positions.

"So the whole team deserves a lot of credit, and that chance to reflect gives us a great deal of confidence going into the new season."