Huges favourite for Rovers return

Mark Hughes today emerged as the outstanding favourite to take over at Blackburn but the Wales manager remained steadfastly non-committal about the possibility of taking over at Rovers.

Hughes has all the qualities which would make him attractive to Blackburn - and the fact the club might allow him to continue his job with Wales on a part-time basis would make Rovers attractive to Hughes.

Blackburn’s priority is to find a manager with a proven record of being able to achieve much with few resources.

Although the club has a solid financial base, the late Jack Walker’s millions are no longer available and the £20m-plus (€30m) from the sales of the David Dunn and Damien Duff was immediately spent by Graeme Souness.

Hughes, who is the bookmakers’ favourite, has displayed his tactical acumen and his man-management skills with Wales, who were one of world football’s hopeless cases when he took over five years ago.

Furthermore, he was well-liked by officials, fans and players during his time at Blackburn and would receive a warm welcome back in Lancashire.

Blackburn chief executive John Williams has already had dozens of applications for Souness’ old job and the board have given themselves a three-week deadline to find a successor while in the meantime Tony Parkes will become caretaker manager for an astonishing sixth time.

Williams said: “We’ve already got a list of considerably more than 20 names and many of those who have contacted have serious credentials. I expect more to come in and then we’ll begin the process of sifting through them.

“We are trying not to let any personal points of view play a part at this stage. We are very much keeping an open mind.

“Then once all the names are in that’s when you can start to get objective and subjective.”

Glenn Hoddle is understood to be one of those who have applied for the post and others linked with the job are Gerard Houllier, Gordon Strachan, Luton boss Mike Newell, Peter Reid, Wigan manager Paul Jewell, Terry Venables and George Graham.

Hughes has a policy of never categorically denying interest in club jobs, although he makes no secret of such ambitions in the future, and he responded very much on the same lines today.

He said: “It is just more speculation. Whenever a vacancy comes up immediately people try to link former players of the club or managers who are out of work, and even in work. It is just speculation at the moment.

“There has been speculation about me for two years or so. Every time a position becomes free, people will link or try to make a link with managers and ex-players.

“And as an ex-Blackburn player I have been linked. That is the way it works.

“I have lived with the speculation and nothing has changed, so I am still here. I don’t deal in ifs and maybes and I am just concentrating on the Northern Ireland game.

“I don’t anticipate that they will call. But Blackburn is a good club and a very good job for whoever gets it.”

Meanwhile, Parkes, the most famous caretaker in the game, admitted some of the squad would be pleased to see the back of Souness.

“It’s amazing that this is the sixth time I’ll have done it,” said Parkes. “There is an element of déjà vu from a personal viewpoint.

“Things never change. I always seem to take over when we are in the bottom couple of places but it’s good experience and I just hope we can pick some points up.

“Some of the players will be pleased that Graeme has gone and some will be disappointed.

“But all of them are professional enough to get on with the job ahead.”