AS climaxes go, Blackburn Rovers came up with a cracker -- a 4-0 thrashing of Spurs at White Hart Lane to blast them back into Europe.

It is a marvellous end to a super season for the Ewood side. East Lancashire says: "Well done!" to the players and manager Graeme Souness.

But remember how it started -- with Premiership survival as the goal?

The Rovers side boss Souness has created was far too strong and had too many talented players for relegation ever to be a real worry.

The proof is in where Rovers have ended up -- in sixth place and with a UEFA Cup spot earned with a remarkable run-in in the season's second half.

But if some supporters suspect Souness played down Rovers' UEFA hopes while concentrating on league success, maybe that's because he prefers the Champions League route to Europe.

For isn't he right when he says that if Rovers had done better against the sides which have not survived in the Premiership this season, they would be in that contest instead?

That must be the ambition then for Rovers next season. It's an exciting prospect. And let's hope Rovers can hang on to top players to make it happen.

But don't Rovers deserve a bonus for efforts this season and their ambitions for the next -- in the shape of more and more people turning up at Ewood Park to support them.