BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes insists the 'only way is up' for his players after they made a faltering start to the new season at West Ham on Saturday.

Rovers slumped to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the newly promoted Hammers and, to compound Hughes' misery, striker Paul Dickov now faces a three-match ban after he was red-carded for a late challenge on Paul Konchesky.

"At this moment in time, it's difficult to be positive," said Hughes, as he reflected on his side's demoralising defeat.

"A lot of the lads are away on international duty now but once they're back, we can regroup and we've got an opportunity at the weekend to show what we're really all about.

"There were lots of things (on Saturday) that weren't as you would hope and the only comfort you can take is it's very early in the season, it's happened in our first game, and we can only go onwards and upwards from here."

Rovers started off brightly and looked on course for an opening day win after Andy Todd fired them into a first half lead.

But then a resurgent West Ham emerged with all guns blazing in the second half and goals from Teddy Sheringham, Nigel Reo-Coker and Matthew Etherington turned the game on its head.

To make matters worse, Dickov then got sent off following a two-footed lunge on Konchesky in the 81st minute - just nine minutes after coming off the substitutes' bench.

Hughes later refused to defend the striker, who now faces an enforced spell on the sidelines.

"We could have done without that," added the Rovers boss.

"If you go into a challenge with two feet off the floor then you're almost certainly going to get red-carded and that was the case with Paul.

"It was born out of frustration, I felt, because he'd had two challenges against him which weren't given, but that's no defence.

"He knows the rules and if you raise two feet and you're unfortunate to catch your opponent then you'll get red-carded."