Blackburn Rovers keep an open mind over new boss

Williams has refused to set any definite deadlines as he starts the process of identifying the best man to take Rovers forwards following Hughes' move to Manchester City.

However, the Rovers chairman, who was also largely responsible for selecting the club's previous two managers, says his intention is to make a speedy appointment.

"It's crucial now that we don't dwell on the past; we've got to look forwards and turns this situation into an opportunity," said Williams.

"Obviously, in an ideal world, we would have preferred it if Mark had stayed, but my task now is to focus on the job of appointing a new manager, and I want to make sure this appointment is as good as the previous two.

"We don't want to fall into the trap of undue haste, but speed can also be an advantage in these circumstances.

"I suppose the one upside about this situation is it's probably occurred at the best time, in the sense that we've still got four or five weeks before the players come back for pre-season training.

"We want to get someone on board as quickly as possible so, by the time the players report back, the new man has been in place for two or three weeks."

Williams has confirmed that the club has already been inundated with expressions of interest from a broad spectrum of would-be candidates, and he insists the board are keeping an open mind about which direction they intend to go at this point.

"We are not ruling anything out at the moment - on the contrary in fact," said the chairman.

"We are tuned in to the broadest possible bandwidth to make sure we don't miss out on anything.

"I want to hear from as many people as possible, who are genuinely interested in taking the club forwards, and then once we've drawn up a shortlist, we will make an informed decision.

"We needed a certain type of manager when Graeme (Souness) came in, and we felt Mark Hughes was the right man for that time when we appointed him.

"Now the situation is different again. We've got a strong squad of players and we will identify the right type of manager to take us forwards, and then match that to the list of people who have expressed an interest."

Although Williams is disappointed to lose Hughes, after almost four years, he revealed he started preparing, at least in his own mind, for life after the Welshman once he got linked with the Newcastle job earlier this year.

"We had a first taste of this in January, when the Newcastle job cropped up," said Williams.

"That sets your mind running and I would be lying if I said the thought process didn't start after that.

"It's only when it becomes reality that you then have to start thinking about acting on it, and that's the situation we find ourselves in now.

"I have an idea of the direction in which we want to go, and so I should because you have to prepare yourself for this eventuality.

"This is a very good job and it will be highly sought after.

"I'd like to think there's a growing appreciation within the game that this is an attractive job to have.

"Someone will be lucky enough to get it and then when they do, they will have the responsibility of taking on a top half Premier League team and trying to make us better."

In the meantime, Williams has moved to allay fears that several of Rovers' leading stars will be following Hughes to City.

He added: "Mark knows better than anyone how much support we give our managers in those circumstances.

"The new manager, when he's appointed, will get exactly the same level of support as Mark always had on all player related issues."