BLACKBURN Rovers are asking for support staff to take voluntary redundancy as the latest stage of its cost-cutting drive following the clubs's fall from the Premiership to League One.

The move follows two major efficiency reviews by accountancy firms Deloitte and KPMG.

The Ewood Park club is seeking staff across its office, commercial and ground departments to accept voluntary departure with a termination package.

A Rovers spokesman said the 'small scale' offer had been made across a number of department's identified for 'possible restructures'.

He admitted its was part of the owner's Venky's drive to 'run efficiently and within our financial means'.

Former Rover's player Simon Garner and Ewood councillor Maureen Bateson described the move as 'sad but inevitable'.

John Murray, chairman of The Rovers' Trust, said: "I fear those affected will be the little people at the club, those who most depend on the wage from their full or part time job.

"It is a consequence of Rover's slipping down the divisions."

Mark Fish, chairman of the Blackburn Rovers Action Group said: "This was unavoidable and not unexpected.

"Fans want to see resources concentrated on players so we can get promotion from League One and then it can re-employ people."

Rovers is understood to be looking at voluntary redundancies into double figures but not amounting to dozens.

They would range from domestic and ground staff at both Ewood Park and Brockhall training ground to administrative and commercial staff, but not affect players or direct coaching staff.

A club spokesman said: “Following recent reviews, specific areas of the club have been identified for potential restructures which are currently taking place.

"The club can confirm that voluntary redundancy has been offered on a small scale to those departments which have been identified for possible restructures.

"In current circumstances, we have a duty to evaluate areas of the club in order to run efficiently and within our financial means.”

The accountants were called in by Venky's, who took over the club in November 2010, in May to run four week parallel audits of Ewood's structure and spending.

The 1995 Premiership winners were relegated to the Championship in 2012 and then to League One earlier this year leaving Rovers facing its first season in the third tier of English football for 37 years,

Its accounts published in February showed the club had cut its wage bill from £26.4 million in 2015 to £22.3million in 2016.

But it still employed 98 people in its commercial, sponsorship, media, merchandising, administration, building, ground and pitch maintenance departments.

Rovers also had 81 senior footballers and management employed and 68 academy youngsters and coaching staff.

Cllr Bateson, a long-standing Rovers season ticket holder, said: "This is sad but inevitable.

"You cannot run a club in League One with a Premiership level of staffing.

"Some of the people affected will be long-term servants of the club.

"What we need is investment in the right players in the right positions so the club can be successful and get promoted."

Mr Garner, Lancashire Telegraph Rovers columnist, said: "This is sad but inevitable given the club's position.

"That is football and if you slip down the divisions it affects the staff as clubs have to reduce staff costs.

"I don't thing these savings will have much effect on the playing budget."

Mr Murray said fears about the consequences of the accountants' reviews had led the Rover's Trust to see to register Brockhall as an 'asset of community interest' so it could not be sold off without notice as part of club cutbacks.