IF GRAEME Souness and his players needed a gentle reminder about the importance of the Christmas fixture list then it came in a stark message out of Ewood this week.

John Williams told a few home truths about the need for Rovers to stay in the Premier League.

And although some might find his words hard to swallow, what is crystal clear is they cannot be ignored.

Look at West Ham if you still need convincing about the difficulty of getting out of the First Division.

When they went down last season, everyone tipped them to bounce straight back up with the minimum of fuss.

But one glance at the current table shows they've found life in the First Division far from plain sailing.

I don't want to sound like a doom-monger but it's important everyone is aware of the importance of staying in the Premiership at all costs.

Rovers worked damned hard to get there and they've now got to work even harder to make sure that's where they stay.

Everyone must adopt a siege mentality, starting tomorrow against Aston Villa at Ewood.

The Christmas period is always something of a make-or-break time for football clubs.

With so many games coming thick and fast, if you can string a few good wins together then you can soar up the table.

On the flip-side, if you hit some bad form then you could be right in the mire going into the New Year.

This year, the fixture list has been kind to Rovers and they've got a great opportunity to put some clear daylight between themselves and the bottom three.

The two home games against Villa and Middlesbrough are both winnable -- and they have to win them.

Villa have a hugely disappointing season so far considering the size of their club.

When David O'Leary took over there, I always knew he was going to have a difficult job on his hands.

He inherited a squad of average players and his task wasn't helped by the fact that there was also disharmony in the camp.

The question was 'could he repeat the kind of success he enjoyed at Leeds but without the money?'

Over the next 12 months, I think we'll find out exactly how good a manager O'Leary really is.

Before now, he's had pots of cash to spend and he still didn't win anything.

How will he cope at Villa then where chairman Doug Ellis keeps a tight grip on the purse strings?

He's hardly set the world alight so far.

That said, Villa's Carling Cup win over Chelsea earlier this week will have acted as a huge pick-me-up and Rovers need to be wary.

The interesting thing for me is what will Graeme Souness do up front?

In the last two games, he's kept Andy Cole, the club's leading scorer, on the bench.

He must be tempted to throw him back in now but then you can't drop Paul Gallagher after the way he's performed recently.

Graeme also likes to play players against their former clubs because it acts as a huge motivational tool so I can't see him dropping Dwight Yorke, either.

Therefore, Andy might have to settle for a place on the bench again, but he's not a bad option to have if you're in need of a goal.