THERE'S a unit of four player stretching across the pitch that is the key to Blackburn's current success.

But it's not the defence I'm talking about - it's the midfield quartet in front of them.

As a defender, I know that if you don't have a midfield ahead of you working really hard, you're going to struggle.

In the middle of the park Rovers now have a high-energy unit who graft for everything and are making the whole team look so much more organised.

Garry Flitcroft has made a big difference. Nobody would ever question his work ethic or his bravery but he's now combining that with some lovely play.

With Barry Ferguson, you have two midfielders who are capable of getting back and getting a foot in, and they have the quality to run forward and enable the team to attack.

David Thompson has come back on the right and he has the ability to win games with his deliveries, as he showed with his lovely cross for the goal that beat Charlton on Monday.

And it was fantastic to see the opposite winger, Brett Emerton, get in the box and score with a header.

To me, it looks like a settled four, and as the back four have proved over the past few games, that consistency is so important in stringing a run together.

But a big bonus for Mark Hughes will be when others come back into the reckoning and he will have that tough selection problem all managers love to have. So it's all positive.

As for the January transfer window, Rovers look good for defenders and midfielders (especially if Robbie Savage signs).

Good players like Stephane Henchoz, an ex-Rovers player, will become available in the window but he's not what we need. I think all we need now is a consistent goalscorer.

But someone like James Beattie, one of our old players, goes to Everton for £6million and we're not even in the running.

While I understand that, we do need players of that stature and if the money isn't made available for them then there's only one direction a club can go in.

The loss of finances if you lose your place in the Premier League can be a club-wrecker so money has to be made available to bring in the quality.

Unfortunately, good strikers are at a premium and for a club like Rovers it might be beyond them because they don't come cheap at this level, as the sale of Beattie has proved.

But with the money the club has got form his sell-on clause, there's pressure now to really compete in the transfer market.

But if Mark Hughes doesn't get his man, he has at least created a solid foundation, which is great credit to him after coming in to a squad of strangers not so long ago.