MARK Hughes gave his Blackburn Rovers players a blast of the Fergie 'hairdryer' as he launched into a furious tirade following Saturday's embarrassing FA Cup exit at the hands of Coventry City.

Seething after what he described as an unacceptable second half performance, Hughes tore strips off his team during a ferocious post-match dressing down.

And the Rovers boss even scrapped plans to give the players a few days off this week, ordering them in for extra training instead.

One senior player said: "That's the angriest I've ever seen the manager.

"He slaughtered us, and had every right to do after a performance like that."

Out-fought and out-thought by a Coventry side currently languishing in 17th position in the Championship table, Rovers were booed off the pitch by their own supporters after they slumped to a wretched 4-1 defeat.

Hughes pulled few punches as he launched his post-match inquest, conceding the fans had every right to voice their displeasure after what he described as the worst performance during his three years in charge.

"Watching from the sidelines, you look at it and it wasn't a performance to cheer in fairness," said the Rovers boss.

"We've given the fans some great times here but that wasn't one to remember.

"That was as poor as I've seen us in the second half, for whatever reason."

Hughes took his players to task, questioning both their attitude and commitment, after they tamely surrendered to a Coventry side that appeared to be more up for the fight on the day.

"That will always be levelled at a Premier League team when they go up against lower opposition, and maybe that was the case," blasted Hughes.

"When you're a professional football player, and a Premiership player, you have to understand that Sunday, Wednesday or Saturday - whenever the game is - you have to be ready to go out and perform.

"Today, we haven't done that."

Trailing 1-0 at half-time to a deflected Michael Mifsud strike, Rovers then left themselves with a mountain to climb when Zurab Khizanishvili needlessly conceded a penalty for a shove on Leon Best.

From then on, there was no way back for the home side, and they shipped two further goals in a disastrous final half hour.

"We needn't have got in that position," said Hughes.

"When we conceded the penalty, at 2-0 you know it's going to be very difficult, so you make changes and expect the players to take on board what you are trying to do.

"But we ended up just throwing people forward, with no thought or purpose, and as a consequence, we were getting caught on the break. That was plain for everyone to see.

"You make the changes because you think it will help the team.

"We threw Chris Samba up there and of all the criticism I levelled at the team after the game, I took Chris out of that because I thought he was one of our shining lights in the second half.

"He was trying to affect the game, and he was trying to get on the end of balls, because the situation we found ourselves in was hurting him.

"Maybe a few of the other players didn't react in the same way that Chris did."