QPR boss Mark Hughes aiming to emulate Blackburn Rovers success
Queens Park Rangers' Mark Hughes believes his successful experience at Blackburn Rovers can be repeated at Loftus Road
Mark Hughes believes his experience of successfully battling relegation with Blackburn Rovers has proven invaluable in his bid to help Queens Park Rangers remain in the top flight this season.
The 48-year-old guided Blackburn to the safety of 15th place after the former Welsh international assumed control in September 2004 with the Ewood Park outfit languishing in the drop zone.
“I came in when Blackburn were second from bottom,” said Hughes.
“The only difference was I had more time then. I came in when there had only been four or five games played whereas this time there were only 18 games left.
“The circumstances are a little bit different.
“But certainly the experience of going through that has helped me and my staff because they went through it as well.
“We’ve been here before. We understand what’s required.”
Hughes enjoyed a successful spell at Blackburn, leading the Lancashire club to a top-six finish and qualifying for the Uefa Cup in his second season in charge.
And the QPR manager is confident he can emulate his achievements at Ewood Park with the Hoops, provided the Londoners manage to avoid relegation to the Championship this season.
“We as a club know how important it is to stay in the Premier League that’s our focus,” he added.
“After struggling in the first year to keep Blackburn in the league we settled and I had the benefit of being at the club for almost a year. The players understood my demands and my philosophy then we kicked on almost immediately in the second season.
“That will undoubtedly happen again here. Ideally we want to be in the Premier League to do that.” 
