NEW Blackburn Rovers director David Brown today vowed to ensure Jack Walker's legacy lives on following his appointment to the club's board.

Brown was officially unveiled as a new director yesterday with a mandate to liaise between the Ewood board and the new trustees in Jersey.

And he was quick to reassure fans that the future is in safe hands following the sad death of the club's number one fan.

"I can well understand the fans uneasiness at the fact Uncle Jack is no longer with us," said Brown.

"It leaves an enormous hole and, naturally, there is concern as to how Rovers will be funded by the Jersey Settlements in the future.

"But I can only say the intention is there to follow Jack's wishes and to continue to support Blackburn Rovers.

"Mr Walker set up through his settlements a lot of holding companies and he set up a holding company for Blackburn Rovers.

"They are well funded and I can't really say any more than that." A long-time friend and confidante, Brown worked side-by-side with Walker for over 30 years.

And he explained his role will mainly be to liaise between the Ewood board and the four other trustees who hold the purse strings in Jersey.

"My role will be to liaise between the investment company in Jersey and to represent their wishes in perhaps a more formal way than happened in the past," said Brown.

"Clearly, Jack Walker was very much involved informally with the Rovers' board in the past and the contact was direct.

"Unfortunately, that can't happen any longer so there has to be a formal channel for communication put in place. But nobody can step into Jack's shoes.

"He was a special man who did things in his own special way."

Brown built up a friendship with Walker after becoming finance director to C. Walker and Sons nearly three decades ago.

Since then, he regularly used to advise the steel magnate on a host of business matters which often encompassed football, although his new role was never really discussed.

"Jack has talked about the Rovers with me for the last 10 years on a very regular basis and I'm aware of his views over that time as things have developed.

"But we've never really discussed the actual position which I find myself in now.

"I was really just somebody he could talk things through with.

"I went back working with Jack in 1991 and he made it clear then that at that stage he didn't want me formally involved with the football club.

"We just kept talking about all his business matters and Blackburn Rovers was one that came up very, very regularly."