THERE are few guarantees in football; few certainties.

But take one look at Paul Lambert’s CV, and the fan reaction to his appointment as the 39th permanent manager of Blackburn Rovers’ rich 140-year history, and everything suggests that Venky’s have got this one right.

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I wrote last week, after Gary Bowyer had lost his job, that this was the owners’ most important decision of their five-year Rovers’ reign.

After paying for the costly mistakes they made in their first two-and-a-half years in charge, the club now finds itself in more stable waters.

But you can only stay stable for so long. You have to progress; you have to kick on.

Venky’s and the Rovers directors believe Lambert is the man to help them do that.

They have reason to.

He led League Two Wycombe Wanderers into the League Cup semi-finals in his first season in English football and into the play-offs in his second.

His then chairman Ivor Beeks hailed the ‘fantastic job’ Lambert did at Adams Park after he opted for a fresh challenge.

His next club, Colchester United, did not want him to leave either, but the lure of reviving Norwich City proved too strong.

And revive them is what Lambert most certainly did over three memorable seasons at Carrow Road as he masterminded back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League.

They were the first honours of his managerial career and they sit alongside the litany he won as a player with St Mirren, Celtic and Borussia Dortmund, where he famously became the first British player to win the Champions League after marking Zinedine Zidane out of the 1997 final.

Lambert left Norwich 12th in the Premier League before moving to their top-flight rivals Aston Villa.

The former Scotland international was tasked with a rebuilding job at Villa Park, as the club sought to cut costs and blood younger players, and after two 15th-placed finishes, he was rewarded with a contract extension in September 2014.

That contract, however, was ripped up in February after a poor run of form.

But, despite the disappointing end to his Villa Park tenure, Lambert rightly remains a highly regarded manager. That much was clear by the number of clubs chasing his signature along with Rovers.

He had offers from Championship rivals QPR and Fulham and from outfits abroad.

But, crucially, he chose Rovers, and, as he will discover when he steps out on to the touchline at Deepdale on Saturday, the supporters want him here too.

That much was clear by the sense of anticipation in the lead up to his confirmation as the club’s new boss and the widespread positivity after it.

Fans are also delighted with the backroom team Lambert has brought to Ewood Park.

Alan Irvine and Rob Kelly know Rovers inside out and also bring with them top-class reputations within the game and a wealth of experience.

We cannot expect miracles over night.

Rovers are 16th in the Championship for a reason and the club’s Financial Fair Play embargo, for now at least, remains in place.

But Bowyer has left behind a squad of good players and, unlike when he took over the reins, a squad of good characters.

It is a coup getting a boss of Lambert’s calibre, no question.

But let’s not forget that Rovers remain a fantastic football club with fantastic facilities.

And it’s clear that Lambert sees that, too, as otherwise he would be now preparing for life in the Loftus Road or Craven Cottage dugouts, or more exotic named ones further afield.

The ultimate aim has to be to get Rovers back into the Premier League and back to where they were before Venky’s took over.

The hard work starts on Saturday at Preston North End where Lambert’s blue and white army will be cheered on 5,446 supporters.

Anyone else can’t wait?