The Simon Garner column

IF Mark Hughes and his coaching staff move quickly, then they could clean up this Christmas.

Right now, the shops are full of dodgy fitness videos by D-list celebrities claiming they can help transform your life.

But Hughes could gazump them all if he brought out a DVD explaining just how he's managed to transform Blackburn Rovers into one of the leanest, meanest fighting machines in the Premiership.

When Hughes took over from Graeme Souness two months ago, he inherited a Rovers side that was in a sorry shape, physically and mentally. The evidence was there for all to see when several players complained of cramp during the Carling Cup tie with Coca-Cola League One side Bournemouth in September.

Contrast that with the performance against Fulham last Saturday and it's easy to see the impact the new regime is making. Rovers looked fitter, stronger and sharper in every department than the Londoners -- and it's not the first time we've been able to say that in recent weeks.

When the opposition begin to show signs of flagging in the last 20 minutes of a game, that's when Rovers grow stronger.

What underlined that for me more than anything else at Craven Cottage was the performance of Tugay in midfield.

In the past, Tugay has hardly stood out for his work-rate and commitment, but on Saturday I saw him turn in arguably the most hard-working performance of his Blackburn career.

I know it's an old cliche, but he literally did cover every blade of grass on the pitch, chasing and harrying opponents into mistakes.

Now the challenge for him, and the rest of the squad, is to keep that tempo going for the rest of the season.

It's one thing having talent, but if you don't marry that to hard work, then you'll never succeed in the Premiership.

After the tonic of that win at Fulham, Rovers face a crucial period of the season, with three of the next four games at Ewood.

The first of those is against Tottenham tomorrow -- a game we desperately need to win to keep the recent momentum going.

Spurs are a curious club. Their fans still think they support one of the super-powers of English football, but the fact is they've never finished higher than seventh in the Premiership.

For all the great players they've had over the last 20 years -- Hoddle and Waddle, Lineker and Gascoigne -- they've never delivered the big trophies.

Now Martin Jol is the man charged with cleaning up the mess left by Jacques Santini.

He's got some talented players, such as Jermain Defoe and Ledley King, but Spurs remain inconsistent.

Let's hope Rovers capitalise on that tomorrow and take another step towards safety.