I hope Mark Hughes has a pint waiting for Paul Jewell when Wigan Athletic pitch up at Ewood Park on Monday night.

For while Jewell and his Latics have been portrayed as the Premiership's surprise package in many of the red tops this season, Rovers have been allowed to sneak up on the rails virtually undetected in the scramble for a top six spot and it's only now that the national press are starting to sit up and take notice of their meteoric rise.

To be fair, I've got a great deal of admiration for the job Jagger' has done at the JJB Stadium.

At the start of the season, many pundits (myself included!) tipped the Latics for a quick return to the Championship, but they've not just confounded their critics, they've made us eat huge portions of humble pie.

As things stand, Wigan are bang on course to secure a top 10 finish in the Premiership, which would be a brilliant achievement given this is their first season at this level.

Throw in a Carling Cup final appearance as well and it's easy to see why people are touting Jewell for manager of the year'.

But before everyone gets carried away by the Wigan fairytale, let's not forget what Mark Hughes has achieved with Blackburn this term.

Twelve months ago, Rovers were fighting relegation; now their eyeing a place in the Champions League.

So if Rovers were to secure a top four finish then surely Sparky would stand an excellent chance of being crowned the Premiership's top boss.

I firmly believe we'll beat Wigan on Monday and take another big step towards Europe.

Man for man, we've got far more quality in every department - a point we proved at the JJB over Christmas.

As for who Mark should bring in in the summer, I'd like to see him sign a partner for Craig Bellamy.

Various names have already been mentioned - Emile Heskey and Mark Viduka, to name but two.

Neither of those really excite me to be honest.

Heskey has never had a great goals record, and Viduka is not the force he was three years ago.

But Sparky has always come up with the goods in the past - and I'm sure he will again - so watch this space!