ANDY Todd today said a heartfelt thank-you to Blackburn Rovers' brilliant' supporters for standing by him during a rollercoaster five years at the club.

After weeks of speculation, Mark Hughes' former captain finally brought the curtain down on a chequered career with Rovers at the weekend, when he sealed a £750,000 move to Premier League new boys Derby County.

But although the 32-year-old's spell at the club was punctuated by various run-ins with former boss Graeme Souness and, to a lesser extent, Hughes, Todd still regards his time at Blackburn as the best' of his career.

And the former Bolton and Charlton defender, who twice won player of the year awards at Ewood, insists he bears no grudges towards the management over the way he was effectively deemed surplus to requirements during his final year at the club.

"I want to say thanks to the fans, and everyone else connected with the club, for the way they've stood by me. They've been brilliant." said Todd.

"I've had five great years at Blackburn and it's definitely the best club I've ever played for.

"But in the end, I just felt the time was right for me to move on. The gaffer has brought in some new players at the back over the last 12 months and I came to the conclusion I needed to move on if I wanted to play regular first team football.

"I think I decided during the second half of last season that it was time to go but a move didn't materialise so I ended up staying.

"But then Derby came in for me and it wasn't a difficult decision to leave in the end because this gives me a chance to carry on playing in the Premiership for a few more years."

Signed from Charlton for a bargain £750,000 fee in the summer of 2002, Todd had an eventful time at Rovers, making a total of 113 appearances in five years, even captaining the side for a spell.

However, he also had a number of fall-outs with the management, in particular during the Souness era, and at one point in 2003 his career with Rovers appeared to be over when he was jettisoned to Burnley on loan.

"Initially, I had a few ups and downs at the club," said Todd.

"There was the time when I went out to Burnley on loan and I took a bit of stick off the fans when I first came back from there.

"But I think they soon realised I was a whole-hearted player who gave everything for Blackburn every time I stepped onto the pitch.

"I had some great times at Blackburn. Being given the captain's armband was one of the main highlights for me; that was a great honour.

"For the gaffer to pick me after Barry Ferguson and Garry Flitcroft left was very special and that is something I will always cherish.

"The semi-finals we played in were another highlight. I think I played in four or five during my time at the club.

"I also got the chance to play in Europe, which was another great experience, so I've had a great adventure over the last five years."

The signings of Christopher Samba, Andre Ooijer and Stephane Henchoz effectively marked the beginning of the end for Todd, who slipped to sixth in the pecking order for central defensive places and made just 13 appearances during the whole of last season as a consequence.

However, the tough-tackling centre-back, who is following in the footsteps of his father Colin by joining Derby, said he bears no ill-feelings towards Hughes and his coaching staff.

He added: "I don't hold any grudges with anyone at Blackburn.

"If the manager thinks he needs to strengthen in my position then I haven't got a problem with that at all. I can handle that.

"I also respect the fact he didn't hold me back when Derby came in for me, so I bear no grudges or malice at all."