MARK Hughes must be dreading the day when he eventually has to replace Tugay because exactly how do you go about replacing the irreplaceable?

In an age when the accent is more on athleticism than alchemy, Blackburn Rovers' midfield maestro is an oasis in a desert of Premiership mediocrity.

The 35-year-old is now at a point in his career where you would expect to see his powers on the wane; his senses and limbs dulled by the passage of time.

But, if anything, the veteran Turk is playing better now than at any stage during the previous four years.

The former Rangers star is enjoying an Indian summer under Hughes and, like a fine wine, he seems to be improving with age.

On a day when Rovers were running on four-star, Tugay delivered the kind of midfield masterclass that underlines just what a special player he is.

When he's on top of his game, there isn't a midfield player in the country who can live with him.

Just ask Charlton's Danny Murphy, who had started the day aiming to show Sven Goran Eriksson exactly why he deserves inclusion in the England squad for next summer's World Cup finals.

On his day, Murphy is a fine exponent of the midfield art and his form in the engine room for Charlton has been one of the key factors in the Addicks' blistering start to the campaign.

Eriksson made a special trip to Ewood to see the former Liverpool man in action, but Tugay brilliantly eclipsed Murphy on an afternoon when his touch and vision was a joy to behold.

In fact, such was Tugay's dominance, Murphy eventually got withdrawn from the fray in the 70th minute, Alan Curbishley, the Charlton manager, finally deciding to save his midfield talisman from further embarrassment.

There was a point during the first half when an advert for the latest Harry Potter film appeared on the big screen; but why go to the cinema to watch a magician at work when Rovers fans were able to watch the real thing here?

Tugay, of course, has always been an exceptionally gifted player who possesses the ability to change the course of a game with one swish of his wand.

When he's on song, he can dictate the tempo with the range of his passing, but what he has now that he maybe didn't have in the past is more steel and a greater capacity to do some of the ugly work.

Somehow, he looks fitter and hungrier under Hughes, and the way he revelled in his midfield holding role must have had Eriksson wishing he was English.

The sobering thought for Hughes is there will come a time when he will no longer be able to call on the Turk's wizardry; this may even be his final season in English football.

But, for now at least, the Blackburn boss believes all Rovers fans should appreciate his sublime skills while they still can, leaving him to worry about the unenviable task of finding a successor if, indeed, one exists.

"There's not many Tugays around and if you were to get a younger version of him then he'd be extremely valuable and a lot of the big teams would be in for him because he's a special talent," purred Hughes.

"But, for however long he's with us, we should just enjoy him.

"He's playing marvellously well at the moment and his ability on the ball and his desire to work hard, which possibly hasn't been one of his stronger points in the past, is there for everyone to see."

Tugay's renaissance under Hughes is a reflection of the way the team is blossoming under the Welshman's shrewd direction.

Rovers' home form in the two seasons preceding this one was so bad that fans must have been tempted to re-christen Ewood the 'temple of doom', but the mood has changed since the start of this campaign and it's now become a citadel to be feared once again.

This was Rovers' fifth straight home win on the bounce in all competitions, and their third on the spin in the Premiership - a feat the club has not achieved since April 2003.

During that sequence, Hughes' side have also scored 14 goals and conceded just two.

And to think Rovers were rock bottom of the Premiership at this same stage last season!

Charlton had arrived in East Lancashire boasting a 100 per cent away record in the Premiership, having won all five of their games away from The Valley, but their prospects of making that six out of six were in serious jeopardy before they had worked up a bead of sweat.

Morten Gamst Pedersen's cross from the left deflected off Herman Hreidarsson straight to Brett Emerton, who unleashed a rocket that flashed inside the near post, taking Charlton keeper Stefan Andersen completely by surprise.

That early goal meant Charlton had to open up, leaving space for Tugay to flourish in midfield.

He was involved in the second on 18 minutes, cleverly keeping the ball in play for Lucas Neill to deliver a cross from the right that took a deflection off Bryan Hughes on its way to the suspiciously offside Paul Dickov, who rose to plant a firm header past Andersen for his third goal in as many home games.

If Charlton felt aggrieved then the luck evened itself out 12 minutes later when Chris Perry somehow escaped a second yellow card when he ploughed through the back of Pedersen.

The Addicks grabbed a lifeline on 36 minutes, Hughes dodging the flying boots to squeeze home a deflected cross from Darren Bent at the far post.

However, any thoughts of a comeback were quickly extinguished in the second half as Rovers slipped through the gears.

They should have had a penalty when Hreidarsson clearly handled Craig Bellamy's cross but, inexplicably, referee Phil Dowd failed to point to the spot.

No matter. A brilliant move in the 59th minute effectively sealed the points.

Tugay - who else? - set the ball rolling by completely out-foxing his opponents with a double pirouette on the halfway line.

Andy Todd then found Emerton, whose delightful flick released the marauding Steven Reid, and Pedersen emphatically swept home the midfielder's raking cross via a slight deflection. Breathtaking stuff!

In a rare spell of danger at the opposite end, Brad Friedel pulled off three fine saves to deny Hreidarsson, Talal El Karkouri and Jay Bothroyd.

But, fittingly, it was Rovers and the effervescent Bellamy who had the final say, the Welsh international racing onto a flick from Shefki Kuqi to steer home goal number four in the final minute.

Not a bad way to celebrate the club's 130th anniversary!