BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes today hit out at Robin Van Persie after the Arsenal striker launched a fresh attack on Rovers for their physical style.

Hughes said he was 'disappointed' to see the Dutchman describe Rovers as a "team of kickers, who fail to respect their opponents," in a provocative interview with a national newspaper.

In the article, Van Persie claimed Rovers "crossed the border" of acceptability during the feisty 1-1 draw between the two sides at Ewood Park, when four players from each side were booked by referee Alan Wiley, and Ryan Nelsen was sent off.

However, Hughes insists Van Persie is hardly "whiter than white" himself, and he has dismissed the forward's scathing assessment of Rovers' tactics as "uncalled for."

The fiery Welshman, who also came out fighting when Arsene Wenger said there was a desire for violence rather than commitment' on Rovers' part in the immediate aftermath of last week's game, said: "The more I talk about it, the more it keeps perpetuating the thing.

"Everyone who was at the game, knowledgable football people who see lots of games, knows how it was.

"Arsenal's response to the game and some of the hysterics afterwards have been a little disappointing.

"I don't think there were any complaints against Everton when that was just as committed as a game. We showed we can play football there, just as we did against Arsenal.

"Van Persie isn't whiter than white. In the game, he committed three fouls and had four fouls against him.

"I just felt his comments were uncalled for. Some of the phrasing he used when trying to explain how we go about our business was disappointing.

"He knew he was in a competitive game and I don't know if he's doing it for the benefit of future games.

"But there was no need for it. If they come out and say it was competitive but we'll stand up to it' we don't mind that. I don't have a problem with people saying that."

Relations between the two clubs have become increasingly strained since they met in a tempestuous FA Cup semi-final at the Millennium Stadium two years ago.

What lit the blue touch paper that day was a clash between Van Persie and Andy Todd, and the Arsenal camp later fanned the flames by suggesting the Rovers defender deliberately elbowed their Dutch striker.

Todd was subsequently charged with violent conduct, but an FA disciplinary hearing then overturned that decision several days later.

Since then, however, there has been bad blood between the two camps, and Van Persie's comments at the weekend have done little to mend the relationship.

Pointing an accusing finger at Rovers, the Gunners striker said: "In our first week of games, Fulham played hard against us, but fair. Sparta Prague played hard and sometimes unfair. Blackburn, most of the time, didn't play hard, they just kicked.

"However you play, you have to always respect each other. Blackburn didn't do that. I'm angry about it, still, because I think football's a man's sport.

"You have to be tough, yes, but you have to play fairly.

"If you play hard against us, no problem, no problem at all. But any team will get upset if you cross the border against them, and not accidentally, just for fun.

"If someone's stamping into your neck, you have to react, because if you don't defend yourself, you are weak and it will happen again."

Although Hughes accepts the game has moved on now, and players can no longer mix it' like they used to when he was winning titles with Manchester United, the Rovers chief insists there is nothing wrong with teams being competitive.

He added: "It was completely different when I played - it's played in a different way and it's viewed and refereed differently.

"The game has moved on, whether it's for the better I don't know. It's less easy for teams to challenge the top four and maybe that's what they want."