Rovers Boss Hughes 99 Not Out

As Blackburn Rovers boss Mark Hughes takes guard on 99 not out, clocking up his 100th match in charge against Chelsea tonight he has reflected on his time at Ewood Park.

Having initially arrived at the club as a player six-years ago yesterday Hughes takes charge of Rovers for the 100th time tonight as we take on Chelsea in the third round of the Carling Cup.

Reflecting on both roles Hughes said:

"It doesn't seem like six years. And tomorrow is my 100th game in charge which is amazing.

"You don't realise these things, so the only thing I can say is that time goes too quickly.

"I had a fantastic time here as a player and I'm really enjoying my time here as a manager and long may it continue.

"When I first signed here it was a different challenge for me. I'd never played at a lower level than the top and we were in the Championship then, but I really enjoyed trying to get promotion.

"The last game I played was the League Cup final which wasn't a bad way to go out. When one door closed on my football career, my managerial career was getting more significance and thankfully I've returned here and I am really enjoying myself.

"I'm proud of what we've done in the short space of time, the 100 games has gone very, very quickly, it only seems like yesterday I was waving to the crowd before the Portsmouth game in my first match.

"The games do fly by and they come thick and fast. I think we've moved the club forward not only as a team, but the way we are viewed as a club as well. I think people are appreciating the type of football we're producing now and we hope that can continue because there is still work to be done."

Nobody can question what Hughes has achieved with Rovers, turning them from a struggling relegation threatened side into one that very nearly managed a top four finish last season.

As Hughes says he still has work to do so let's hope this work can see trophies in the cabinet soon. A victory tonight over Chelsea in the Carling Cup would enable him to celebrate his 100th match in charge in style and put them one step closer along the path to achieving this.

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