WHEN Mark Hughes took charge of Blackburn Rovers in mid-September, he knew the job of transforming the club's fortunes would be a long and painstaking process.

Rome, after all, wasn't built in a day but the fact Pompey have now been flattened twice in a matter of months is a further sign that Blackburn are on the up.

Hughes' reign in the Ewood hot-seat began with a scratchy 1-0 win against Portsmouth on September 18, when a solitary strike from Matt Jansen sealed a first home victory of the season.

The outcome might have been similar again here but this victorious Rovers side is totally unrecognisable from the crumbling wreck of a team that Hughes inherited four short months ago.

Where doubt and frailty existed before, now there's self-belief and substance to a Blackburn side that is easing away from the relegation mire at the foot of the Premiership.

Since Hughes' appointment, Rovers have won five and drawn eight of their 18 league games under his direction and this latest victory spoke volumes for the remarkable transformation this side has undergone during that period.

Gone are the boom and bust days under Graeme Souness, when you didn't know what to expect from one week to the next.

This Blackburn side is like a well-drilled Roman army, marching relentlessly towards the Promised Land of Premiership safety.

With General Hughes directing operations from the sidelines, the troops are carrying out his orders with military precision, as Portsmouth found here to their cost.

There's no secret to the battleplan. Hughes places great emphasis on keeping things tight at the back and six clean sheets in the last nine league games is compelling evidence that his plan is working.

The latest of those shut-outs was all the more remarkable given that two members of a revamped back four were making their full debuts on a day when Rovers also had other key personnel missing due to injuries and suspensions.

But such is the way that Hughes now has this team set out, the two new boys, Aaron Mokoena and Ryan Nelsen, both slotted in with effortless ease at the back.

Mokoena, in particular, was a towering presence alongside Andy Todd at the heart of a new-look defence, where he comfortably snuffed out the threat of Pompey's £7 million-rated striker Ayegbeni Yakubu.

The South African international looked strong, quick and dominant in the air - just the kind of defender Rovers have been craving for some time.

Nelsen, meanwhile, looked just as dependable at right-back, especially considering that's not his favoured position and this was his first competitive game since mid-November.

On first sighting, the Kiwi appeared a solid, reliable, uncomplicated defender who's robust in the tackle.

He survived an early test of character when he became one of eight players to get booked just 14 minutes into his debut.

That left Nelsen walking a disciplinary tight-rope but the former DC United player didn't put a foot wrong after that, keeping his head when others lost theirs.

With two international captains in a back four that also boasted the impeccable Andy Todd, who was made skipper for what was his 200th career league appearance, there was suddenly an air of authority about Rovers that has maybe been missing in the past.

"I think you saw today that all the back four are defenders who like the art of defending and that's a great trait to have," enthused Hughes.

"Sometimes defenders just want to get on the ball and look good by knocking 60 yard balls but, first and foremost, I want defenders that can defend and today I had that."

Rovers' cause was helped, of course, by a sudden rush of blood from Pompey striker Lomana LuaLua, who was involved in the game's turning point.

Referee Andy D'Urso, the man who famously booked Barry Ferguson twice at Southampton earlier in the season but then forgot to send him off, had already lost control of a match that was simmering below the surface when he dismissed LuaLua on the advice of his assistant in the 51st minute for what appeared to be a headbutt on Todd.

That tipped the scales in Rovers' favour and Morten Gamst Pedersen then promptly scored for the second consecutive game to ensure the points headed back to Lancashire.

It was a hammer blow for Portsmouth who are in something of a transitional period themselves following the acrimonious departures of Harry Redknapp and Jim Smith.

Velimir Zajec, Pompey's Croat manager who bears a striking resemblance to Accrington Stanley boss John Coleman, had picked up just four points out of a possible 12 prior to this since his appointment was officially confirmed before Christmas.

On top of that, history was hardly on his side going into this game as Portsmouth's last home victory over Rovers in the top-flight came on September 20, 1958 - some 46 years ago!

And little was seen of Pompey as an attacking force, other than a few bursts from the fleet-footed LuaLua, who caused Nissa Johansson some anxious moments on his 100th appearance for Blackburn.

At the opposite end, David Thompson fired over from Nelsen's square pass, before D'Urso then became embroiled in his first major incident in the 38th minute.

Tugay lost possession from a free kick, which suddenly left Rovers exposed at the back, but as Diomansy Kamara bore down on goal, he was cynically hacked down from behind by Mokoena, the man known as The Axe in his native South Africa - and now we know why!

Despite the home fans' protests, Mokoena escaped with a caution due to the presence of a covering defender.

From then on, D'Urso appeared to lose the plot altogether, doling out cards with the frequency of Bruce Forsyth's Dolly Dealers.

LuaLua was shown a red six minutes into the second half for a headbutt on Todd and with that, the pendulum swung back in Rovers' favour.

Four minutes later, the deadlock was broken in an action replay of what happened at Cardiff the previous week.

Nelsen's long ball forward fell kindly for Thompson, who was deep in Pompey territory, and he promptly sent Pedersen scampering clear with a slide-rule pass that dissected two defenders.

The Norwegian still had plenty to do but he showed great composure to clip an exquisite finish over Shaka Hislop and into the net.

Thompson and Brett Emerton should have killed the game off after that but didn't and that might have proved costly had Arjan De Zeuuw done better with a header from a corner, or Brad Friedel hadn't reacted sharply to repel a shot from Kamara.

As it was, though, Rovers held firm, even through a staggering seven minutes of injury time.

Pompey's desperation finally got the better of them at the death when Faye was dismissed for a late challenge on Friedel.

Rovers march on.

Portsmouth (5-4-1): Hislop; Stone, O'Neil, Primus, De Zeeuw, Stefanovic; Kamara, Berger, Faye, LuaLua; Yakubu. Subs: Taylor (for Stone, 22), Fuller (for Kamara, 86) Not used: Unsworth, Hughes, Ashdown

Referee: Mr A D'Urso (Billericay) 4

Bookings: Portsmouth; Faye, O'Neil Rovers; Nelsen, Mokoena, Johansson, Emerton, Tugay, Dickov

Sendings off: LuaLua, Faye (both Portsmouth)

Attendance: 19,904