It's getting tougher to win title say Rovers

Reacting to comments made by former Rovers keeper, Tim Flowers, the Ewood chief executive agrees that a handful of clubs are starting to pull away from the rest.

And he revealed if Rovers do bounce back into the top-flight next season then their number one priority will be consolidation rather than challenging Manchester United.

"I think it would be extremely difficult from our point of view (to win the Premier League again)," said Williams.

"Our entire focus is on getting back into the Premier League and if we are able to achieve that then it would be about consolidation -- that's the clear reality.

"We cannot kid ourselves.

"We have a strategy and a business plan which says we can get back into the Premier League and be competitive.

"But I have to agree with Tim that the top three or four clubs are pulling away from the rest."

Flowers' comments have come in the wake of Manchester United's attempts to sign Ruud van Nistelrooy for a British record £19 million, just days after securing their sixth Premier League title in eight seasons.

And Williams admits the transfer market is spiralling out of control. It's a huge sum of money to pay for one player and, if that deal goes through, it will be getting on for three times our own transfer record.

"But I think it's inevitable that the big clubs are getting bigger.

"Jack Walker spent £25 million to get us a Championship winning team. "To sign the equivalent players now it would probably cost four or five times as much."

Flowers triggered the debate by claiming Blackburn will never be able to repeat their championship success of the mid 1990s again.

"You can have all the money in the world but it is not possible for a club like Blackburn to do it again," said the England international.

"You just could not buy the star players.

"They only want to go to two places, London or Manchester United.

"One of my best mates is Chris Coleman at Fulham.

"He says they are upset because they thought they would make the Premiership this season.

"Fulham are just like Blackburn with five or six thousand hard core fans.

"Blackburn were going bust when Jack took over.

"He went out and bought the best goalscorer in the country, Alan Shearer.

"But would Michael Owen go to Fulham, even though Mohamed Al Fayed has all the money in the world to give him?

"You could have £60 million and you still would not get the best players.

"Where we went wrong was won the league, had a party, went on holiday, came back for pre-season training and nothing had changed. "We didn't buy a single player.

"Manchester United win the league and sign Jaap Stam, Mark Bosnich, Dwight Yorke and Mickael Silvestre.

"They keep adding to their strength and they don't sell."

Speaking in a national newspaper, Flowers also said he believes only four other clubs are currently capable of breaking United's stranglehold.

And he insists English football needs to become more competitive otherwise the Premier League is in danger of mirroring the top-flight in Scotland.

"We need the Premiership to be more competitive," said the Leicester keeper.

"In most leagues in Europe there are two or three teams involved.

"Getting it over and done with by Easter is unheard of.

"We don't want a Scottish situation where Rangers and Celtic can go away and win 7-0.

"The smaller clubs keep having a nibble but Manchester United are well above the standard of the rest of us.

"Even when Blackburn won the league, United were the best team in the country.

"Barcelona's manager Louis Van Gaal said Alex Ferguson is the standard the rest of Europe works to.

"I would say the rest of the world.

"Thank God he's retiring in two years."

See BRAMWELL SPEAKS OUT