Tugay adds to week of woe

Just days after his reign as the Wales manager ended in bitter disappointment, his new start as the full-time manager of Blackburn Rovers kicked off in similarly unsatisfactory fashion.

And once again, it was a familiar foe who plotted Hughes' and Rovers' downfall.

Ten days ago, Hughes and Steve McClaren crossed swords on the international stage as England destroyed Wales in a one-sided encounter at Old Trafford.

On Saturday, the two squared up to each other again and it was McClaren who emerged victorious once more as Middlesbrough won in equally emphatic style to cap a miserable few days for the beleaguered Blackburn chief.

It was hardly the homecoming Hughes had hoped for after such a traumatic week away.

But the game was over as a contest from the moment Tugay had a sudden rush of blood and lunged recklessly into Gaizka Mendieta in the 30th minute.

The referee Mike Riley, who had already booked the Turk for deliberate handball 16 minutes earlier, was left with little option other than to flash a second yellow card in the 34-year-old's direction.

And as Tugay trudged dejectedly down the tunnel, Rovers' chances of recording only a second home win of the season disappeared with him.

From then on, it became the Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink show as the muscular Middlesbrough striker plundered a second half hat-trick to leave Hughes and Rovers facing a difficult winter ahead.

"We've had a bad day today," said the Blackburn boss. "Obviously, the sending off affected our game.

"Up to that point, I thought we started the brighter of the two teams and created a number of chances but once we lost Tugay it was a case of reorganising and trying to remain solid and hope for a chance at the other end at some stage in the game.

"But to concede immediately after half-time completely deflated us and it was always going to be difficult to come back from that situation, if not impossible."

Tugay's dismissal was indeed the turning point in a game that had looked delicately poised until that moment.

His first booking for deliberately stopping a pass from Ray Parlour with his arm was perhaps slightly harsh given that it happened deep in Middlesbrough's own half.

From then on, the veteran midfielder was left walking a tightrope but he failed to show the necessary restraint and careered into Mendieta shortly afterwards, prompting his early dismissal.

It was a moment of madness from an experienced player who should have known better and Rovers were left with a mountain to climb.

As it was, Hasselbaink went on the rampage.

For a while, Rovers managed to stem the tide but then the rot set in a minute into the second half as Boro ruthlessly hammered home their numerical advantage.

In the meantime, all Hughes could do was look on with envy.

How he must wish he had an out-and-out goalscorer in the Hasselbaink mould to get Rovers out of the hole they currently find themselves in.

Until the transfer window opens in January, the Blackburn boss will have to make do and mend but the lack of fire-power, since the departure of Andy Cole, remains a serious cause for concern as seven goals in nine games testifies.

Rovers started brightly and there was an energy about their play in the opening half hour.

Paul Dickov had an early shot saved by Mark Schwarzer and Brett Emerton, who looked bright despite an exhausting trip back from Australia earlier in the week, blazed another effort over the crossbar.

Then a sublime pass from Youri Djorkaeff freed Barry Ferguson but the skipper failed to hit the target.

However, just as Rovers were threatening to grab the game by the scruff of the net, disaster struck as Tugay saw red.

Even then, Steven Reid, who was making his first appearance of the season after injury, had a half chance to mark his comeback with a goal but Stuart Parnaby's last-ditch challenge stopped the midfielder firmly in his tracks.

McClaren upped the stakes immediately after the break, replacing Parnaby with an extra striker in the shape of Szilard Nemeth, and the move paid instant dividends.

Stewart Downing fed a ball into Hasselbaink, who had made a darting run towards the edge of the box, and the Dutchman turned Michael Gray inside out before burying a shot emphatically past Brad Friedel.

Rovers were still reeling from that set-back when Boro grabbed a second three minutes later.

George Boateng exchanged passes with Mendieta and then slipped the attentions of the ball-watching Lorenzo Amoruso to guide home his first Premiership goal in three years.

Rovers briefly threatened a comeback when Schwarzer had to save brilliantly from Djorkaeff.

But Hasselbaink then made the points safe when he finished off a slick move in the 57th minute to give Boro an unassailable 3-0 lead.

With Rovers in complete disarray at the back, Hughes hauled off Amoruso and threw on Craig Short, who brought some stability.

But it simply wasn't Rovers' day and that was emphasised when Djorkaeff had a 'goal' disallowed for offside after Schwarzer had spilled Reid's venomous free-kick.

The frustration finally boiled over when disgruntled home fans reacted angrily to the sight of two supporters being ejected from the Blackburn End and a dark day suddenly got bleaker as they voiced their disapproval.

The action on the pitch became something of a sideshow after that but those who stuck it out to the bitter end will have wished they hadn't as Hasselbaink completed his hat-trick in the 90th minute, pouncing on a mistake by Emerton to steer his third past Friedel.

Hughes will sit down with his coaching staff today and analyse the game through the eyes of ProZone - the video analysis system that Rovers recently had installed at Ewood.

It could make for painful viewing.

Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, McMahon, Parnaby, Riggott, Southgate, Boateng, Parlour, Mendieta, Downing, Zenden, Hasselbaink.

Subs: Nemeth (for Parnaby, 46), Morrison (for Mendieta, 80)

Subs not used: Ehiogu, Bates, Nash

Referee: Mike Riley (West Yorkshire) 6

Bookings: Rovers; Tugay, Matteo

Boro; McMahon

Sending off: Tugay

Attendance: 20,385