REMARKABLE as it may seem, the current season for Rovers is drawing dramatic parallels with the 1997/98 season which saw Blackburn relegated from the top flight.

Let's start with the 96/97 season which saw Alan Shearer leave Rovers. Roy Hodgson guided the Rovers to sixth place, having been top in the winter time, with a Chris Sutton equaliser against Villa guaranteeing Rovers a UEFA Cup place despite an abysmal run of results in the spring of '97. And the season culminated in Colin Hendry leaving Rovers for Rangers just before the start of 97/98 season.

In summary, we had lost two key players, finished sixth in the league and qualified for Europe - parallels start to emerge.

The 1997/98 season started with such luminaries in the Rovers team as Kevin Davies, Darren Peacock, Dario Marcolin, Lars Bohinen and Sebastian Perez.

Almost immediately Rovers were out of Europe, losing to Olympique Lyonnais in round one, dumped from home cup competitions and lying in the bottom three or four of the Premiership.

Rovers ranks had been swelled by the arrival of Christian Dailly, to replace 'Braveheart' and Lee Carsley. Ashley Ward was Rovers great strike threat up top with 'Sutty'.

A 2-0 home defeat by Southampton was the last game for Mr Hodgson, prompting the arrival of Brian Kidd - too late however as Ashley Ward missed a sitter from two yards at home to Man Utd late in the game that would have gained three valuable points not a 0-0 draw.

That was Rovers relegated.

Let's spin forward to the current season and start to draw our comparisons further. Last season Rovers finished sixth, this season they have exited Europe at the first attempt and witnessed early exits in home competitions. The league has seen a decline to the lower reaches and each game is now proving to be a lottery.

The start of the season saw Rovers losing arguably its two most influential players in Duff and Dunn and the signing of some questionable quality on the income generated in Amoruso, Emerton, Reid and Ferguson.

Ashley Ward has been replaced by Yorke and Cole.

The time has arrived for the board to realise that financial prudence is one thing but if Rovers' ambitions are to remain a Premiership club and not continue the parallel with 97/98 with that completely unacceptable outcome, then they must invest in the future and support Graeme Souness by targeting and securing players of quality and providing the financial packages that the likes of Fulham cannot exploit to Rovers' detriment.

Thus ensuring that Rovers move forward positively for the balance of this season and beyond.

W MARSDEN, Northwich