JOHN Williams has made some big decisions during his 11-year reign at Blackburn Rovers.

In the spring of 2000, at a time when Jack Walker was bravely fighting a losing battle with cancer, and Rovers were teetering dangerously on the brink of oblivion, it was Williams who brought stability by instigating the appointment of Graeme Souness.

Then four years later, when Souness defected to Newcastle just four games into a new season, leaving Rovers in a relegation dogfight, it was Williams and the rest of his colleagues on the board who had the wisdom, and the foresight, to place their trust in Mark Hughes.

Now, the erudite Rovers chairman faces another major test of his judgement as he begins the onerous task of finding a worthy replacement for the Welshman, who sealed a move to Manchester City today.

It's a huge call for anyone to make because the possible consequences of getting it wrong could be catastrophic.

Unlike his previous two appointments, Williams is at least starting from a position of strength this time, with Rovers now an established top 10 force in the Premier League again thanks to Hughes' shrewd leadership.

However, Williams has also been in the game long enough to know how quickly things can unravel at a football club, and his biggest fear is Hughes' imminent departure could spark a mass exodus.

David Bentley and Roque Santa Cruz, two players who both flourished under Hughes' expert tutelage last term, are already coveted by other clubs, and one or both might be tempted to follow their mentor out of the Ewood exit door this summer.

Williams must therefore act quickly and decisively by getting a successor in place as soon as possible, before the stellar performers in Rovers' squad start to become restless.

True to form, the rumour mill has already clicked firmly into gear and a number of potential candidates, including Big' Sam Allardyce, the former England manager Steve McClaren, and another Manchester United old boy Paul Ince have emerged' as targets.

Many of the fans, however, would prefer to see Williams go for a big name, and someone like Alan Shearer, who enjoyed God-like status during his four years as a player at Rovers, would certainly get Ewood Park buzzing again.

Shearer, assisted by a more experienced right-hand man, could well be the dream ticket, and he certainly possesses the necessary pulling power to make Rovers an attractive proposition to potential new signings.

Some sceptics will rightly point to the fact he would be a total novice as a manager and would consequently represent too much of a gamble.

But a similar accusation was also levelled at Hughes; first when he took charge of the Welsh national team; and then again when he arrived at Rovers with no previous experience of managing in the Premier League, and just look at him now.

Ince is also worthy of consideration having cut his teeth in the lower leagues, first at Macclesfield and then more recently with MK Dons.

Another graduate from the Sir Alex Ferguson school of management, the former Manchester United midfielder, who was a team-mate of Hughes' at Old Trafford, seems to share the same drive to succeed and would certainly relish the chance of managing in the Premier League.

Dick Advocaat, who missed out on the job when Hughes got it in 2004, may also consider throwing his hat into the ring again, fresh from guiding Zenit St Petersburg to glory in the UEFA Cup final, although his wage demands would more than likely price him out of it.

At the end of the day, choosing a football manager is never an exact science so any decision always carries an element of risk with it.

It is at times like this then that men like Williams earn every penny of their six-figure salaries, because one wrong move could end up costing the club infinitely more.