Hughes hails successful season

Rovers boss feels top half finish would be a fine achievement

By Chris Burton   Last updated: 17th April 2008

Hughes Mark West Ham v Blackburn

Hughes: Still chasing Europe

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Mark Hughes believes this season will have been a success for Blackburn even if they miss out on Europe.

Rovers have seen their hopes of clinching an Intertoto Cup place scuppered of late by a run of three Premier League games without a win.

They have slipped to ninth in the table and face an uphill struggle in their attempts to overhaul Aston Villa and Manchester City in their remaining four fixtures.

Hughes has not completely given up hope of snatching seventh spot in the table, but insists that the club should not be disheartened if they ultimately fail in their quest.

Resources

"We have still got a chance until it is mathematically impossible, so we keep going," he said.

"We probably need three wins out of four and if we get to 60 points we have had a really good go at it.

"We have always tried to achieve it every year. Last year we finished 10th and got into Europe, we will probably finish higher than that but possibly miss out.

"We view the season at this point as a successful season because we work on different levels and with different resources to all the clubs around us.

"We are still in that top half. We have not been outside the top 10 all year and for a club such as ourselves that is a fantastic achievement in itself.

"But we would much prefer at the end of the season that we had something tangible to show everyone, and that's European qualification if we can get it."

Standout fixture

Rovers face a stern test of their European-chasing credentials when they welcome league leaders Manchester United to Ewood Park on Saturday.

However, despite the daunting task facing his side, Hughes remains confident that Rovers are capable of pulling off a shock against his former club.

"We are all looking forward to it, it is a standout fixture not only for us but most clubs," he said.

"It was sold out weeks ago and that hasn't happened on too many occasions in my time here as manager.

"It is going to be a great occasion, a great day and we are looking forward to it. We expect to give a good account of ourselves and we will see what happens."