CRACK open the champagne, get the lager in, give your loved one a big hug, sorry, on second thoughts don't go that far!

Safety, to all intents and purposes has now been achieved. Okay, mathematically it's not certain but if we're relegated from this position I'll foot the bill for all season tickets next year. It's not going to happen and Premiership football is assured for another year.

Looking back three short weeks to the nightmare scenario after the Leeds game, it's hard to envisage the utter despair that was around the place then. Another home defeat, no fight, no invention and little wonder the natives were getting restless. The Nationwide was beckoning us and we were going there without a whimper.

But now it's like it never happened, so instead of asking what went wrong, what went right?

I don't think it can be argued that the Short-Amoruso double act has not had a big bearing in it. Off the pitch they may be like chalk and cheese but they're a solid defensive alliance on it.

The tenacity and work-rate of Flitcroft, Andresen and Douglas in the new system has been a major factor. I have certainly criticised the latter two in the past but neither of them try to do what they can't. They've stood up to be counted when dare I say it, more talented players have gone missing and the team has been all the better for it.

Tugay, for all the poor passes he has played, has never stopped wanting the ball or ever shirked any responsibility. In my opinion he's been Souey's best ever signing for us, and if this is his last season in a Rovers shirt we must give him the send-off he richly deserves in the Birmingham game.

Last, but by no means least, there's Jonathan Stead. Because we've been consciously looking for a new hero down at Ewood I've tried not to get too carried away by his early contributions. It's too easy to be disappointed when they don't live up to the early promise. I mean I was delighted when we signed Dino Baggio and look where that got me!

However I believe the time has now come to give the credit where it's almost certainly due. The lad has come from the third division, unproven and been asked to go on grown men's errands. He has shown the character and commitment that must shame other more highly paid members of the squad, and not to put too fine a point on it scored the goals that have kept us up. His contribution could be compared to that of Andy Cole a couple of seasons back.

He's got all the attribute of a future England striker and if he keeps improving and stays level-headed I'm certain that he'll get a chance for the national side.

Let's hope that we can now go into Saturday free from the shackles of relegation and really enjoy the Manchester United game.

We've banished relegation, a five-goal victory isn't too much to ask for now is it?

Hang on, can we not make a UEFA cup place now?