ROY Hodgson, Arsene Wenger, Roy Evans and Gianluca Vialla are four men with a mission.

Given that almost everyone - including at least one bookmaker - accepts Manchester United are going to win the Premiership title once again, there is still another potential pot of gold awaiting the club which finishes as runners-up.

And that is the prize being relentlessly pursued by the fab four, one of whom will spend the summer plotting a course for the land of money and still more money - the Champions' League.

United, barring an unprecedented collapse, will claim their automatic place among the elite, while the Premiership runners-up will go into a two-legged qualifying round tie.

The victors of that game are then handed a passport to the riches of the Champions' League, the losers going into the UEFA Cup.

So the importance, and value, of finishing second should not be underestimated.

The likes of Derby and Leeds still hope to upset the present cartel but I firmly believe the runners-up will come from one of the four currently trying to cling to United's coat tails.

And it could even come down to goal difference, which means Rovers cannot afford any more lapses such as last Saturday's frantic finale when Leicester scored three late goals.

Hodgson reckoned earlier in the season that 60 points would be enough for a top six place. It would have been last season.

Depending on what happens in the cup competitions - at home and abroad - that might well claim a UEFA Cup spot.

But, to be sure, Rovers need to stay in the top five.

And the manager made it plain before Saturday's win over Leicester that he wanted the players to go all out for second place.

He believes Rovers are as good as the other teams battling for the runners-up spot and assistant manager Tony Parkes went a step further.

"We are probably the best team behind Manchester United in that little group," declared Parkes. If Rovers can turn those words into deeds, then they will have a great chance of making the qualifying round for the Champions' League.

But teams are so evenly matched in the Premiership that it is difficult to predict results.

Rovers should not have too many problems gathering the points to claim a UEFA Cup spot. But they will need an excellent run of results to stay in with a chance of going one better.

Rivals Arsenal and Chelsea, however, still have cup commitments to distract their attentions and Liverpool's under-fire boss Evans does not sound too optimistic about his team's chances.

While he is eager to snatch second place, Evans admits that his team must improve if they are to ensure a UEFA Cup spot, let alone a crack at the Champions' League.

With Liverpool poised at Rovers' shoulder, his attitude emphasises that any club intent on finishing runners-up will have to produce top-class performances over the last two months of the campaign.

Consistency will count for a lot on the run-in.

"We are very much in the back seat now," said Evans.

"It is still mathematically possible, so you never actually give up. But we are in a poor position to challenge for the top spot now.

"We need to concentrate on the other Champions' League place for the runners-up but it's only fair to say that we need to improve, not only to achieve that but also to make sure we actually qualify for Europe at all.

"Our form of late has just not been good enough."

The title race might well prove to be a procession. But the fight to finish second promises to be more of a cavalry charge. ROVERS FOR: Consistent with the Premiership's top strike pair and have proved hard to beat.

AGAINST: Could pay the price for a lot of draws and need to tighten up again at the back.

KEY MAN: Chris Sutton - crucial to the attack.

REMAINING GAMES:

HOME: Barnsley, Man Utd, Arsenal, Wimbledon, Newcastle.

AWAY: Leeds, Everton, Bolton, West Ham, Chelsea, Coventry. CHELSEA FOR: A big squad and a lot of home fixtures still to play.

AGAINST: Distracting cup commitments and a tendency to be inconsistent.

KEY MAN: Gianfranco Zola - A different team when he is on song.

REMAINING GAMES:

HOME: A Villa, C Palace, Spurs, Sheff Wed, Liverpool, Rovers, Bolton.

AWAY: West Ham, Derby, Leeds, Newcastle. ARSENAL FOR: Vast experience and a head start on the others.

AGAINST: FA Cup involvement and an imbalance of away fixtures left.

KEY MAN: Tony Adams - holds the whole team together.

REMAINING GAMES:

HOME: Derby, Sheff Wed, Newcastle, Wimbledon, Everton.

AWAY: Wimbledon, Man Utd, Bolton, Liverpool, Rovers, Barnsley, A Villa. LIVERPOOL FOR: No motivation needed, Roy Evans is desperate for a top-two finish.

AGAINST: Loss of Robbie Fowler and drop points when least expected.

KEY MAN: Paul Ince - Time for him to show he CAN make the difference.

REMAINING GAMES:

HOME: Bolton, Arsenal, C Palace, West Ham.

AWAY: Spurs, Barnsley, Man Utd, Coventry, Chelsea, Derby.

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