WELCOME to the real world - and that includes the bookmakers, any Blackburn Rovers fans who presumed First Division success would be a formality and others at Ewood living, as manager Brian Kidd put it, in "cloud-cuckoo land".

Those who witnessed the pre-season games against Oldham and Liverpool would probably not have been surprised by Saturday's stalemate against one of this division's poorer relations.

Oldham, in particular, could have been seen as the shape of things to come.

The size of your wage bilI and the number of internationals you have on the bench doesn't count one iota if you can't do the business on the pitch.

And it's frightening how quickly Rovers looked as though they 'belonged' at this level.

Whatever the bookies say about them being overwhelming favourites to win Division One, Saturday's mediocre goalless draw with Port Vale - favourites, incidentally, for relegation - merely underlined well-documented failings which have yet to be addressed.

Vale offered little threat in attack, so Rovers' defence had a fairly comfortable afternoon.

But, once again, they were desperately short on the creative side, either from midfield or down the flanks. And, in attack, they were third rate rather than just second class.

Things should improve when the casualty room clears but Rovers were toothless to such a degree that, even when Ashley Ward returns, they might still have to find him a new partner.

For all their resources, they were dreadfully lacking in Premiership class

Vale, who have to watch the pennies, looked what they are - a well-organised, hard-working side who will face a battle to stay up.

So that does not say much for Rovers' failure to win with an unconvincing opening display.

For all their possession and pressure they had mainly half-chances rather than creating genuine openings and, until they do that and find the men capable of taking them, they will struggle to assert themselves.

If they had won 5-0, I would not have said they were promotion certs. So I am not writing them off on the basis of a 0-0 draw with one of the less-capable teams in the division.

But the signs were ominous to say the least.

Hands up the people who said on Saturday lunchtime that it was going to be a long, hard season.

By teatime, there must have been nearly 20,000 of them.

The opening 20 minutes or so went according to plan with Rovers in control and Vale content to sit back in an attempt to soak up the pressure.

Damien Duff was lively, Matt Jansen produced a couple of early goal attempts and Simon Grayson, slotting in comfortably at right back, showed an eagerness to get forward.

But there was a lack of real bite and Rovers were almost caught out when a blatant foul on Jason Wilcox was ignored and a ricochet between two defenders thankfully dropped on top of the netting instead of inside it.

Vale's lack of attacking ambition was quite understandable, their best hope was to deny and frustrate Rovers.

Yet they could have come unstuck in the 15 minutes before half-time but for some fine goalkeeping by Kevin Pilkington.

Wilcox signalled that Rovers were stepping up a gear when he picked up a loose ball and drilled a 25-yard drive fractionally wide.

On 36 minutes, the ball fell invitingly off a defender from Duff's cross and Jansen hit a goalbound volley which produced the best out of the keeper.

Next it was David Dunn's turn as he finally burst into the action with a run and shot that Pilkington clawed away. For all their safety-first play, however, Vale gave Rovers a rare anxious moment through Marcus Bent - foiled by John Filan - before, on the stroke of half-time, we witnessed the best move of the game.

Kevin Davies, a Rovers attacker for once not outnumbered, found Wilcox on the left and his pinpoint cross picked out the head of Grayson, whose glancing header flew the wrong side of a post.

In the opening minutes of the second half, Vale showed a mite more aggression. Tony Rougier drove just wide of the far post and, in the 50th minute, Tony Naylor's shot looked goalbound until Callum Davidson's toe-end flicked it to safety with Rougier closing in for the kill.

That, in fact, was the visitors' only on-target effort of the game but, for all their dominance, Rovers could not produce a touch of class to win it.

They switched to 4-4-2 with Damien Johnson's introduction and he had a couple of efforts. Lee Carsley showed typical determination and went close with a volley but it was generally a case of hit and hope rather than a serious threat.

The one exception came in the 78th minute when Duff and Davidson did the build-up work and Johnson's strike seemed spot on.

But Pilkington was equal to the low drive and Rovers didn't go as close again.

A few jeers greeted the final whistle, but what can you expect? It was a frustrating afternoon for fans anxiously seeking a clear message of intent which failed to arrive.

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