IF you listened to most of the football pundits this summer then Blackburn Rovers may as well not even bother to turn up this season.

They are doomed to Championship football and then the abyss.

At least three national newspapers have condemned Rovers to finishing rock bottom, while the likes of Robbie – loves his own voice – Savage, and Mark Lawrenson have already written Steve Kean’s men off.

Don’t get me wrong, there are still a lot of strange things happening at the club and two or three new players are still needed to add to the squad if they going to realistically challenge for a top 10 finish.

But why on earth does anyone think this is a squad that has no chance of comfortably surviving in the Premier League?

There were worse teams last year and no-one can honestly think Norwich, Swansea and QPR are going to set the league on fire this time around.

The loss of Phil Jones is a blow but David Goodwillie and Radosav Petrovic will prove good signings, while Junior Hoilett, Martin Olsson, Mauro Formica and Ruben Rochina will be much improved players this time around.

There are signs that things are improving off the field now as well – something that has long been needed at a club for too long surrounded by chaos and confusion.

The name Simon Hunt probably does not ring many bells for the majority of Blackburn Rovers fans but make no mistake about it, he could prove the biggest signing of the summer.

If, as expected, Hunt is announced as Rovers’ new sporting director, then Venky’s have finally delivered what everyone has else has seen has been missing for ages and that is someone to ease Kean’s workload.

Ever since the departure of chairman John Williams and man-aging director Tom Finn, the club has been like a ship without a rudder.

With the owners Venky’s pred-ominantly in India and Ewood Park resembling the Marie Celeste, it was no wonder decisions seemed to be taking ages and transfer dealings appeared to be dragging.

Suddenly though the picture is looking a lot brighter.

A quick glance at Hunt’s background shows he is a football man through and through and will be a help to both Kean and Venky’s.

He will join fellow new boys Paul Hunt, deputy chief executive, and Anthony Bloch, secretary, as the numbers around Ewood start to build once more.

Venky’s now have a team in England until August 31, the close of the transfer window, to help Rovers’ recruitment process and that has to be better than trying to conduct deals from India.

Slowly but surely a new order of power is being created in the corridors of Ewood. The way it has been done has not been good and Rovers have lost some very good people over the last few months.

But at least now, there appears to be some structure slowly coming back to the club and long may that continue.

See today’s Lancashire Telegraph newspaper for Andy Cryer’s views on Keith Treacy and Phil Jones, plus the jury on how Rovers should line up on Saturday.