Hoping to hold onto Star Players...

Last updated : 29 May 2002 By Matt

The likes of Damien Duff, Matt Jansen and David Dunn becoming some of the most sought-after talent in the top flight.

Williams went on to tell how Rovers are no longer the "Moneybags" team they once were. He claims the recent increase in season-ticket prices will help the club hold on to its prized assets.

"We are still recovering from relegation four years ago and on return to the Premiership we found we had lost ground with the majority of Premier League clubs," Williams said in a letter to the club's supporters.

"With the help of the proposed pricing structure we have been able to inform Graeme (Souness, manager) that within reasonable financial limits there will be no enforced sales.

"There are no guarantees but if our players want to stay we will do our best to keep them.

"Given the interest in some of our players I hope you will agree, it is a position that would be the envy of many clubs."

Williams insists the club will continue to build for the future within a realistic budget by continuing to add to the squad in an attempt to re-establish the club amongst England's elite.

He added: "Adding players is more problematic but in what is a valuable squad, there are considerable opportunities for the manager to trade and we expect two or three new faces as past of the overall ambition to keep on improving.

"In the post-Jack (Walker) era, although we are still benefiting from ongoing support from shareholders, we have to compete on as level a playing field as possible. Our short/medium term aim is not to make profits (if we did we would re-invest them) but simply to break even. We are not there yet.

"We could have run with a lower wage bill but it would have been a risk. We have had a taste of the Nationwide and we don't want to repeat it."