TIM Flowers has lost his powers -- of thought.

Like a keeper flapping at a cross, Flowers could have handled the issue of Manchester United's domination of the Premiership much better.

The former Rovers keeper believes that it's no longer possible for a Blackburn Rovers, or any other suitably bankrolled club, to break the Old Trafford stranglehold.

That's baloney.

Dynasties always come to an end. Like Huddersfield of the 1920s Arsenal of the 1930s, Wolves of the 1950s, Liverpool of the late 1970s and early 1980s, United's time will come.

And that will not be because their successors are suddenly more prosperous, simply that someone will have assembled a better team.

Rovers, for one reason or another, have missed a golden chance to build their own dynasty following the championship success.

But there is absolutely no reason why other clubs should not dream about repeating that success.

To do anything other than that is to lack that essential quality which separates the professional gravy trainers from the greats.

Money is not the be all and end all in football, as will shortly be seen when the bottom drops out of the currently inflated market.

Management is everything. And Alex Ferguson is not the only one who should take the plaudits for United's awesome season.

It's not David Beckham, either, who enjoys Ferguson's tactics because they make his breath smell fresher and only contain two calories.

That person is Martin Edwards. By limiting Ferguson's spending power he has, contrary to widespread opinion, done his manager a huge favour.

Instead of being able to resort to knee-jerk raids of the transfer market at every turn, as he did when Peter Schmeichel left, Ferguson has been forced to develop a meticulously planned long-term strategy.

And such a policy ensures continuity, one of the cornerstones of sustained success.

Other clubs have yet to solve this problem.

In the present climate, any run of poor results prompts demands from spectators for new blood.

This attitude perpetuates an influx of second rate foreigners and, if anything, serves to strengthen the hand of the elite few clubs.

That cycle can be broken by ambitious clubs scouring the lower leagues.

At an individual level, the difference between Premiership and Division One is not that great.

Good athletes, with the correct attitude, will hold their own in the Premiership. In contrast, loafers and makeweights will be found out when travelling in the opposite direction, as Rovers have found out to their cost.

Then, when the raw materials are assembled, it's down the management.

And there are a host of North West clubs who are showing clear signs of good commonsense leadership on and off the field.

Both Burnley and Wigan may yet join Blackburn Rovers, Bolton and Preston in Division One next season.

And these new arrivals may well benefit from longer-term planning and a knowledge of emerging talent.

It is all very well channelling vast sums into youth development but for every Joe Cole there are 20 Joe Bloggses.

So, with a sprinkling of shrewd buys, I see no reason why any of these clubs cannot emulate Bradford and eventually reach the Premiership.

The next step is to emulate the achievements of a Leicester City.

From there on in, much depends on the approach of the players. Don't forget that Ferguson himself admitted that the key factor in his side's success was team spirit.

But if a team is riddled with the type of player -- no names need to be mentioned -- who will put in a transfer request simply because he has lost his automatic right to the keeper's jersey, they have no chance.

Neil Bramwell is the Sports Editor