MARK Hughes has hailed Blackburn Rovers' pre-season trip to Germany as a roaring success.

The ambitious Ewood chief, who is about to start his second season as a Premiership manager, wants to hit the ground running when Rovers kick off the new campaign at West Ham's Upton Park in a fortnight.

The key to that lies in good preparation and Hughes was delighted with the way everything clicked into place at the squad's training camp in Bavaria.

"The whole trip has been excellent," said the Welshman.

"The base we stayed at was first class, the training facilities were superb, and the standard of games we played were good as well.

"I'm of the opinion that you should expose yourself to good teams in pre-season and not just cannon fodder."

This was not the first time Rovers have used Germany as their base for pre-season training.

Hughes' predecessor, Graeme Souness, was also a huge fan of bringing teams here, but this expedition was far more professional altogether compared to previous trips under the old regime.

For starters, Rovers actually played some meaningful games whilst they were out here, which could rarely be said in the Souness era.

Thrashing the local village team 10-0 is a largely futile exercise, but the same can't be said of 1860 Munich or Real Mallorca, opponents who provided a more credible test of Rovers' mettle.

The facilities, too, were also far superior compared to the past. Rovers were based in a luxurious hotel on the shores of Lake Tegernsee, a breathtaking setting favoured by Bayern Munich.

It was a secluded spot and yet there was still enough going on around and about to stimulate the mind as well as the body, an important factor in any pre-season itinerary.

Training took place five minutes down the road and the facilities, once again, were immaculate, as you'd expect if Bayern use them regularly.

As for the players themselves, Steven Reid built on his form of last season. His partnership with Tugay in the centre of midfield against Mallorca will have given Hughes food for thought in the continued absence of Robbie Savage.

Shefki Kuqi and Paul Dickov also looked a handful in that first half against the Spaniards, and Morten Gamst Pedersen has lost none of his verve on the left.

The three young lads - Andy Taylor, Matt Derbyshire and Gary Harkins - should also be richer for the experience.

If there was one disappointment then it was the injuries sustained by Matt Jansen and Craig Bellamy.

Overall, though, there were far more positives than minuses.

"I thought everyone did well," added Hughes. "We took a lot of players - it was a big squad of 26 or 27 players, and that includes the injured lads as well.

"I felt it was important they came with us because they need to feel very much part of what we are doing."