JACK Walker today pledged new signings would be coming to Ewood this summer, ready for a fresh assault on European qualification.

Greatly relieved as Blackburn Rovers retained Premiership status last night, Mr Walker was on the telephone to new manager Roy Hodgson almost as soon as the game against Middlesbrough was over.

"Now we have got the points situation behind us, we are looking to get a proper squad together for the start of next season," he said.

"And we are definitely looking for Europe.

"I am pretty sure we will be having three or four new players, if those are the figures needed, and they will have to be class players.

"Our intention is to wait for Roy to give us his views.

"I have spoken to him on the telephone and he can be with us earlier than was first thought which gives us a better chance to discuss things.

"Obviously, I am absolutely delighted that we are clear of a worrying situation before we have to meet Leicester.

"But we must not get ourselves into this sort of situation again.

"I have told Roy that we know where we are now and that we have got to get ourselves organised and know where we are going."

Apart from the anticipated strengthening of the squad, Mr Walker also stressed that he wanted the club to keep the top-class players they already had.

There could be a lot of strong talking during the summer and some players will have to leave to make way for new blood and also to allow promising youngsters to progress.

But the owner wants the top stars to stay.

Whether the likes of unsettled Graeme Le Saux can be persuaded that their future is at Ewood remains to be seen.

And others, in any case, will want to leave because there will be little prospect of regular first-team football.

Meanwhile, one man whose Rovers future does seem assured is Tony Parkes.

His efforts to steer them to safety from an 'impossible' position will be rewarded financially by the club and rightly so.

Relieved and overjoyed when safety was achieved last night, Parkes expressed justifiable "pride" in what had been achieved.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.