Hughes earns a mark of respect

He laughed when faced with an enquiry about when he actually stopped being a Chelsea fan. Certainly, the Stamford Bridge faithful still hold him in great affection, even if he points out his transfer from Old Trafford in 1995 was overshadowed by the arrival of a real superstar.

"As I recall I was tacked on the end of a Ruud Gullit press conference because he signed on the same day. But I knew then there were exciting times ahead because Chelsea were able to attract that type of player," he recalled. More than a decade on, the Roman Abramovich revolution has propelled Chelsea to a different level. Currently they are chasing trophies on four fronts and today Blackburn stand in their way in the semi-final of the FA Cup.

Many of Hughes' old pals from Ruabon will be at Old Trafford. "But they won't be there supporting me," he remarked. "They were all delighted when I was a Chelsea player, but not so much now I'm an opposing manager."

Maybe they're just waiting for the day Hughes returns to Stamford Bridge as the manager. The bookmakers have slashed the odds on the Welshman succeeding Jose Mourinho. The "special one" has claimed 13 managers have been linked with his job. Well, if there are 13, Hughes is the favourite at 3/1 with Ladbrokes.

Such talk on the eve of a semi-final has irritated Hughes, but he knows he cannot escape it. Had the semi-final draw been different, he might have been facing another club where he earned iconic status as a player. And there are plenty of Manchester United fans who reckon "Sparky'" could be the man to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson when the time comes.

"Maybe it is a recognition of the hard work that has been put in, not only by me, but by everybody at this club," said Hughes, accepting the speculation reflects the progress Blackburn have made since he arrived at Ewood Park in the autumn of 2004.

Blackburn were toiling at the bottom of the Premiership back then and the initial target was to stave off any threat of relegation. He accomplished that, and took the club to an FA Cup semi-final for the first time in more than 40 years.

Last season was even more impressive, with Blackburn climbing almost unnoticed up to sixth in the table to secure a Uefa Cup place. And they also reached another semi-final - this time in the league cup. A third semi-final in as many years, particularly when burdened with the demands of a European campaign and long-term injuries to key players like Robbie Savage and Steven Reid, suggests Hughes knows exactly what he is doing in his first tilt at club management.

Of course, before he took up the reins at Blackburn, he had already impressed in international management; a five-year, largely part-time, stint in charge of Wales giving him the chance to develop his coaching philosophy.

"The experience I had with the Welsh team helped in that respect. When I was ready to come into full-time management I knew exactly which way I wanted the game to be played and which direction I wanted to take my first club. And I felt the methods that I had would work."

The last remark is indicative of Hughes, a man of steely yet under-stated confidence. He speaks thoughtfully about the game, but not in sound bites. And in terms of flamboyance, he is the other end of the spectrum from Mourinho. Yet he clearly feels a kinship with the Portuguese manager.

Last summer, at the League Managers Association dinner, Mourinho made a point of singling out Hughes and Wigan manager Paul Jewell as he accepted his Manager of the Year award. "It was a nice touch," observed Hughes. "He said something along the lines of not being sure why he had won because maybe these two other guys had better claims."

It was a recognition of the financial constraints teams like Blackburn operate under, and Hughes has proved himself shrewd in the transfer market. His side, however, have struggled to shake off a reputation for playing in an uncompromising style - largely the legacy of a stormy FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal two years ago which prompted Arsene Wenger to slam Blackburn's "atrocious" tackling.

"That was a difficult period for us and we have borne the consequences for quite some time," conceded Hughes. "But I don't think we are labelled in such strong terms now as we were in the aftermath of that game." He wants his players to show fight, but equally he'd like more recognition of the quality football they have shown themselves capable of.

"We've proved we are a decent team at Premiership level and we have moved on from where we were two semi-finals ago. We are better equipped to go up against the top teams and give a good account of ourselves now."

Along the way, Hughes has proved he is cut out for top-flight management, which probably surprised those who knew him during his Old Trafford days, where he was a quiet, almost introverted presence in the dressingroom. He showed no desire to go into coaching under Sir Alex Ferguson, so when and why did that change? Chelsea - the topic Hughes cannot escape - is the answer.

"When I was at United I didn't express my views on the game on many occasions because there were more vocal guys than me in the dressing room. But when I went to Chelsea I found a lot of young players who wanted to hear what I had to say. That surprised me, because when you're at a top club like United you live a sheltered existence and you don't appreciate the standing you have in the game."

His standing as a manager now has him talked about in the most powerful circles. He may feel uncomfortable about that, but he would surely relish the challenge if it came his way.