El Hadji Diouf insists the Blackburn fans who once regarded him as their chief hate figure in football will grow to love him.

The Senegal striker has been reviled by Rovers supporters for what they saw as an outrageous dive when playing for Bolton in 2005 that led to a match-winning penalty for Wanderers.

Diouf, who has been reunited with ex-Bolton boss Sam Allardyce at Blackburn following his £2million move from Sunderland, admits he is a "bad loser" but insists he is not a cheat.

The 28-year-old said: "I remember before I went to Bolton [from Liverpool] the fans there said a lot of bad things about me but if you go back to Bolton today everyone there loves me.

"I just need to believe in myself, play my best football and the Blackburn fans' opinion can turn around.

"I know my character is very strong, but I don't think having a big character is a bad thing. Everything I do in my life I do 100%.

"Yes I'm a bad loser, but I'm not a cheat and I don't like cheats.

"It's a good thing to be a bad loser, when I was younger I used to cry if I lost a football match. Now I'm bigger I can't cry any more but I can still feel bad."

Diouf's career has subsided somewhat in the two years since Allardyce left Bolton and he is delighted to be reunited.

He added: "Me and Sam used to have a wonderful time at Bolton, we finished fifth in the Premier League one season and sixth twice.

"He knows me so well and understands me more than anyone, that's why when the opportunity came up to come to Blackburn there was never anywhere else to go."

Diouf is cup-tied for tomorrow's FA Cup fourth-round replay against Sunderland, and Allardyce will also rest some first-team regulars.

Roque Santa Cruz is likely to start however, and Allardyce is relieved Blackburn managed to fend off two big bids from Manchester City for the Paraguay striker.

Allardyce said: "Roque is a big player here and we are going to need all our senior players to produce their best and help us out of trouble.

"We should be away from the lower reaches by now, our performances have certainly merited more points, but the fact is that we are stuck in the bottom three.

"Now the window has closed we can concentrate everyone's efforts on getting the results and points that are going to be needed to keep us at this level."

Allardyce also revealed there had been enquiries for several other unnamed Blackburn players who were keen to go, but he refused to countenance their sale.

He added: "There were a few more enquiries about players as well as Roque, but more on the fringe, who wanted to go but we have resisted that.

"These players have an obligation to stay at Blackburn and get us out of the trouble we are in.

"The bottom line is that they are as much to blame as everybody else so we have all got to pull together to secure Premier League status."

Brett Emerton is out until the end of the season, while David Dunn and Benni McCarthy may be rested tomorrow. Danny Simpson, on loan from Manchester United, may take Emerton's place.