BLACKBURN Rovers chief executive John Williams today said Rovers may have to become increasingly reliant on home-grown talent as football continues to feel the pinch financially.

With all the uncertainty currently surrounding the economic state of the game across Europe, clubs are becoming reluctant to splash out big money on exorbitant transfer fees.

Recent events at Leeds United perfectly illustrated the risks of overstretching in pursuit of instant success and Williams and his board of directors are determined not to go down the same route.

Instead, they see the Academy system as one of the key ways forward, even though that requires a substantial financial commitment from the club just to keep the doors open.

Last season alone, the day-to-day running of the Academy cost Rovers almost £3 million.

However, Williams believes such an outlay is money well spent as the club attempts to keep abreast with the Premiership's elite in the post-Jack Walker era.

"We are not the club we were when Jack was with us so it obviously makes financial sense to focus on the natural migration of players into the first team," said Williams.

"If we can remain in the top half of the Premier League there's a good chance we won't lose cash at operating level, but it's still difficult for us to find money to buy players.

"That's where the Academy is more important than ever, although they can't be judged each single year on who they've brought through that particularly season.

"It's never going be like that so we've got to accept that we are in it for the long haul."

Rovers have an enviable record at Academy level under Bobby Downes and his two assistants Rob Kelly and Sean Kimberley, both in terms of silverware and their record for producing players.

Jay McEveley and Paul Gallagher have both made their Premiership debuts in the last six months and just last week the club's Under 19s were crowned the champions of England.

However, Academy set-ups ultimately tend to be judged on the amount of players they produce each season for the first team and Williams is realistic enough to admit that it's too much to expect at least one player coming through the ranks each year.

"Running an Academy is a major financial commitment and there's a temptation for us to look at the cost every year and add it up and say 'Have we got our £3 million worth for the season?'

"But we can't keep doing that -- I think that's wrong.

"It's unrealistic to expect them to produce a player every year for the first team. You'll never be able to run the business like that.

"There will be purple patches, just as there will be lean patches.

"We've got to look at it over a medium term. We've had the first of those terms because the Academy is now in its fourth year in its current form and we are pleased with what's been produced so far."

The benefits of home-grown talent was perfectly underlined on the final day of the season whn four of the side which thrashed Spurs 4-0 had come through the youth ranks, albeit some before the Academy.

"I think that's a very fair return and we couldn't have really wished for more from our youth set-up," added Williams.

"If we can get five more who move to that level in the next five years then the investment will be more than worth it but we know how hard that is given the size of some of the clubs."