The old Chris Hughton discussion thread

[Wullie]

Tbf to Hughton he has very little quality to pick from.

 

The good results suggest that there is enough quality there for us to be doing far better at home than we are.

 

If we'd beaten Stoke, Blackburn and Blackpool but lost at Everton, Arsenal and West Ham, would you be saying the same about the away form?

 

No, but then it's fairly obvious that winning away games is more difficult than winning home ones, which is the point I'm making.  I'd be surprised if any/many sides over the last ten years had better away records than home ones.

 

That's what is so frustrating.

 

That's what gives me more confidence though. We'll pick up more than enough points at home over the season because we've shown fleetingly at home and more consistently away that we're a decent Premiership side.

[Liam Liam Liam O]

Tbf to Hughton he has very little quality to pick from.

 

The good results suggest that there is enough quality there for us to be doing far better at home than we are.

 

If we'd beaten Stoke, Blackburn and Blackpool but lost at Everton, Arsenal and West Ham, would you be saying the same about the away form?

 

No, but then it's fairly obvious that winning away games is more difficult than winning home ones, which is the point I'm making.  I'd be surprised if any/many sides over the last ten years had better away records than home ones.

 

That's what is so frustrating.

 

That's what gives me more confidence though. We'll pick up more than enough points at home over the season because we've shown fleetingly at home and more consistently away that we're a decent Premiership side.

 

It's what worries me.  Funny old game.

[madras]

Tbf to Hughton he has very little quality to pick from.

 

The good results suggest that there is enough quality there for us to be doing far better at home than we are.

 

If we'd beaten Stoke, Blackburn and Blackpool but lost at Everton, Arsenal and West Ham, would you be saying the same about the away form?

 

No, but then it's fairly obvious that winning away games is more difficult than winning home ones, which is the point I'm making.  I'd be surprised if any/many sides over the last ten years had better away records than home ones.

 

That's what is so frustrating.

 

That's what gives me more confidence though. We'll pick up more than enough points at home over the season because we've shown fleetingly at home and more consistently away that we're a decent Premiership side.

 

It's what worries me.  Funny old game.

hang on a mo, what have we shown flleetingly at home ? we've shown in 2 games out of 6 that when we go a goal up we can get more ?

[Dave]

He needs to find his no 2 soon.

 

Think this is a really good point. It's easy to do it all when we're winning (especially against teams where we're the clear underdog) but not when things aren't going so well.

 

I wonder whether the club have decided not to bother at all until Hughton's contract is up for discussion. This might hurt the club on the pitch and piss Hughton off.

[Frazzle]

Hughton has raised everyone's expectations by getting the team to put in some top, top performances.  I think most on the forum were predicting relegation or a 17th place finish before the season.  Regardless of what standards Hughton has set, the aim is still to stay up.

 

There's too much negativity considering the position we are in, regardless of who we have played, 7th place is mental after about a third of the season.  The way people are going on you'd think our remaining home games were against the top 4.  We still have Wolves, West Ham, West Brom and a few others to play at home and I know we haven't won our 'winnable' games so far but I'm confident we'll pick up points in those games.

 

As long as we're not cut adrift (which I don't think we will be) coming into the last few games we'll be fine.  Give this team those last few games of the 08/09 season and we'd stay up.  This team has shown they came come back from demoralising defeats, we DO have team spirit.  I doubted the claims coming from the team when they said team spirit was there and thought give it a few defeats and it will go...but that doesn't seem to be the case.

[Dave]

Hughton has raised everyone's expectations by getting the team to put in some top, top performances.  I think most on the forum were predicting relegation or a 17th place finish before the season.  Regardless of what standards Hughton has set, the aim is still to stay up.

 

There's too much negativity considering the position we are in, regardless of who we have played, 7th place is mental after about a third of the season.  The way people are going on you'd think our remaining home games were against the top 4.  We still have Wolves, West Ham, West Brom and a few others to play at home and I know we haven't won our 'winnable' games so far but I'm confident we'll pick up points in those games.

 

As long as we're not cut adrift (which I don't think we will be) coming into the last few games we'll be fine.  Give this team those last few games of the 08/09 season and we'd stay up.  This team has shown they came come back from demoralising defeats, we DO have team spirit.  I doubted the claims coming from the team when they said team spirit was there and thought give it a few defeats and it will go...but that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

[OzzieMandias]

Aye, good post.

[Wullie]

Hughton has raised everyone's expectations by getting the team to put in some top, top performances.  I think most on the forum were predicting relegation or a 17th place finish before the season.  Regardless of what standards Hughton has set, the aim is still to stay up.

 

There's too much negativity considering the position we are in, regardless of who we have played, 7th place is mental after about a third of the season.  The way people are going on you'd think our remaining home games were against the top 4.  We still have Wolves, West Ham, West Brom and a few others to play at home and I know we haven't won our 'winnable' games so far but I'm confident we'll pick up points in those games.

 

As long as we're not cut adrift (which I don't think we will be) coming into the last few games we'll be fine.  Give this team those last few games of the 08/09 season and we'd stay up.  This team has shown they came come back from demoralising defeats, we DO have team spirit.  I doubted the claims coming from the team when they said team spirit was there and thought give it a few defeats and it will go...but that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

[Disco]

Hughton has raised everyone's expectations by getting the team to put in some top, top performances.  I think most on the forum were predicting relegation or a 17th place finish before the season.  Regardless of what standards Hughton has set, the aim is still to stay up.

 

There's too much negativity considering the position we are in, regardless of who we have played, 7th place is mental after about a third of the season.  The way people are going on you'd think our remaining home games were against the top 4.  We still have Wolves, West Ham, West Brom and a few others to play at home and I know we haven't won our 'winnable' games so far but I'm confident we'll pick up points in those games.

 

As long as we're not cut adrift (which I don't think we will be) coming into the last few games we'll be fine.  Give this team those last few games of the 08/09 season and we'd stay up.  This team has shown they came come back from demoralising defeats, we DO have team spirit.  I doubted the claims coming from the team when they said team spirit was there and thought give it a few defeats and it will go...but that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

spot on.

[Cajun]

Some seem desperate to fail or thrive on misery, it's a bit depressing really.

[gazza ladra]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=840703&sec=england&root=england&cc=5901

 

Newcastle need to bank on Hughton

 

By Kevin Palmer

 

The Christmas bonus season is looming large in the business world and, if Chris Hughton had achieved the sort of results he has managed over the course of the last 12 months in any other walk of life, a life-changing payday would soon be coming his way.

 

Life in Newcastle's goldfish bowl has not fazed Chris Hughton so far during his time in charge of the club

 

 

 

 

Taking a company that was on its knees in the summer of 2009 and transforming it into one of the most successful in the demanding marketplace that is the Premier League would sound like a triumph worthy of reward from your boss, yet Hughton is being afforded very different treatment at Newcastle United.

 

His triumph in guiding his club to the Championship title last May can never be under-estimated after he started the season as little more than the temporary leader of a business rocking so violently that many predicted it would sink.

 

Add to that his accomplishment of leading Newcastle to the upper echelons of the Premier League standings after a 5-1 victory over local rivals Sunderland and last Sunday's brilliant victory against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium, and you have a tale that should see Hughton being hailed as a master.

 

Yet instead of rewarding Hughton for success that makes him a contender to be English football's Manager of the Year for 2010, Newcastle owner Mike Ashley and managing director Derek Llambias would appear to have an alternative agenda.

 

As word spread a couple of weeks back that Hughton was about to be sacked hours before a Carling Cup tie with Arsenal, the normally placid ex-Ireland defender struggled to contain his bitter anger. The hard-fought revival he has inspired at Newcastle was seemingly about to be dismissed as worthless by owners whose capacity for unsettling this club seemingly knows no boundaries.

 

In the end, Messrs Ashley and Llambias pulled Hughton back from the brink and issued a limp statement saying discussions over an increase to his modest wage packet will resume in due course, leaving the boss who has generated more than £100 million in future revenue for owner Ashley in a perilous position.

 

"I sat down with the owners in the summer and they fully appreciated the scale of the task in front of us this season, but these sentiments can be forgotten when you find yourself doing quite well in the Premier League a few weeks later," Hughton says, politely questioning the motives of his paymasters.

 

Few expected Chris Hughton to lead a club in turmoil to promotion at the first attempt

 

 

"The owners were fully aware that survival would be a decent achievement when you consider that only four clubs spent less in the transfer market than us in the summer. You often need to spend more than the rest when you come up from the Championship, but that hasn't been possible at Newcastle.

 

"Given those circumstances, the position we find ourselves in right now is very, very pleasing. To have climbed a comfortable position in the Premier League on the back of a 5-1 win against our biggest rivals and a great victory against Arsenal is an achievement myself and the players can be proud of.

 

"Whether those results do anything to change my position is something you would have to ask the owners. We have not sat down to discuss a contract and all I can do is carry on working to the best of my ability and ensure that the players are prepared as well as they can be for the next game.

 

"There will be a time this season when we lose two or three games in a row as that happens to every team at some stage, but we have to be strong enough to stand up to the criticism that will come our way at that point. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what anyone thinks about us as individuals because our job is to try and win football matches."

 

This London-born boss was buoyed by the generous support he received from Newcastle fans during the romp against Sunderland, with a banner reading 'Hughton is a Geordie' unfurled by ecstatic hoards piling pressure on owner Ashley to hand his manager the contract his success merits.

 

Ruud Gullit, Kenny Dalglish, Kevin Keegan, Sam Allardyce and Alan Shearer are among the 'big names' that have tried and failed to succeed in the Newcastle goldfish bowl, but Hughton pulled off the miracle in an environment no one else dared enter a year ago.

 

"I don't know whether enjoyment would be a word I would attach to this job, but it's certainly a fantastic challenge," he says. "Everything is magnified in this league compared to what I experienced in the Championship last season and it means each little story is a big issue that has the potential to take on a life of its own.

 

"In many ways, the football matches are the easiest part of this job as all the other little stories going on during the week tend to be more tricky to deal with, but I'm proud to be manager of this great football club and I'll do the job for as long as I'm allowed to.

 

"When I took on this challenge last year, it was very much on a game by game basis and it seems as if the success we have brought to the club means we all deserve to be given some security. Hopefully we can get this cleared up and then we can all move this club forward in the right manner.

 

Newcastle enjoyed their biggest win over their local rivals since 1955

 

 

"What makes it all worthwhile is afternoons like the one we had against Sunderland, when the atmosphere at St James' Park was very special. That day will live with me for a long time and I'm sure the fans would say the same. The manager inside me tells me it was just another three points in the grand scheme of things, but I know that isn't really the case. To our supporters, the Sunderland result meant so much and they are the people who matter the most in any football club."

 

Hughton is believed to be targeting former Chelsea and West Ham assistant boss Steve Clarke to work with him at Newcastle, yet rumour has it that Ashley and his other board members would prefer to see a sidekick appointed from within his current crop of staff.

 

If a short-term appointment was forced upon him, the notion that they are looking for an excuse to get rid of Hughton sooner rather than later would be hard to ignore and he deserves so much more after a year of almost unbroken success at a club famous for shooting itself in the foot.

 

Hughton must suspect he is a couple of poor results away from the chop once again after Wednesday night's disappointing home defeat against Blackburn, with the continued uncertainty doing little to help a manager and team who are striving to put some pride back into those black and white shirts.

 

Forget those big-name managers: the coach currently in place at Newcastle is the most successful this club has had for many a long year, and it would be a tragedy for all concerned if Mike Ashley brought his success story to an end without good reason.

 

[Liam Liam Liam O]

Some seem desperate to fail or thrive on misery, it's a bit depressing really.

 

Equally you could say some refuse to see what's in front of them.

 

 

[Cronky]

I do wonder whether MA would still like to sell the club, and doesn't want a long-term contract for a manager and coach to get in the way. Despite the way that things have turned around, owning the club hasn't turned out to be the fun ride that he was hoping for initially, and it never will be. Unless you're some indulgent sugardaddy who's willing to keep on paying, you're bound to get some flack.

 

He also thought he could put a Chief Exec in place and sit back and watch. In reality, he's had to be far more hands on.

 

If the club stabilise in the Premiership, he may be hoping to sell it on at the end of the season.

[Wallace]

http://www.sundaysun.co.uk/sport/newcastle-united/nufc-news/2010/11/14/hughton-on-united-pride-at-carroll-england-call-79310-27654193/2/

 

"Meanwhile, the Sunday Sun understands that Hughton is close to finally penning a new long-term contract.

 

Negotiations have moved forward and the deal is set to be signed next month in a move that the Toon boss must hope will aid his hunt for a No 2.

 

 

Hughton admitted “frustration” last night that he has made no progress on that front.

 

Several credible candidates have expressed reservations about taking the job while Hughton’s own contract situation has not been resolved."

 

 

[Parky]

The home and away form is quite simple really. Away - sides come at us and we tend to absorb and have larger gaps/space to hit them on. At home most sides sit deep or play an uptempo pressing game and we don't have the creativity when there is less space/gaps to break them down. This didn't apply to the derby for obvious reasons and the Villa game was a freak result as they were a bit at 6's and 7's just after MON jumped ship, you could see the heads drop as soon as they went behind. We will continue to struggle at home untill Bafra comes back or we get a good support striker for Carroll to play with.

[Cronky]

The home and away form is quite simple really. Away - sides come at us and we tend to absorb and have larger gaps/space to hit them on. At home most sides sit deep or play an uptempo pressing game and we don't have the creativity when there is less space/gaps to break them down. This didn't apply to the derby for obvious reasons and the Villa game was a freak result as they were a bit at 6's and 7's just after MON jumped ship, you could see the heads drop as soon as they went behind.

 

Yeah, this is where we could have done with a Beardsley-Bellamy striker to open up defences. Hughton was pinning a lot of hope in Ben Arfa, so his injury is limiting our development a bit.

 

 

[Parky]

The home and away form is quite simple really. Away - sides come at us and we tend to absorb and have larger gaps/space to hit them on. At home most sides sit deep or play an uptempo pressing game and we don't have the creativity when there is less space/gaps to break them down. This didn't apply to the derby for obvious reasons and the Villa game was a freak result as they were a bit at 6's and 7's just after MON jumped ship, you could see the heads drop as soon as they went behind.

 

Yeah, this is where we could have done with a Beardsley-Bellamy striker to open up defences. Hughton was pinning a lot of hope in Ben Arfa, so his injury is limiting our development a bit.

 

 

 

See edit above. 

[Cronky]

The home and away form is quite simple really. Away - sides come at us and we tend to absorb and have larger gaps/space to hit them on. At home most sides sit deep or play an uptempo pressing game and we don't have the creativity when there is less space/gaps to break them down. This didn't apply to the derby for obvious reasons and the Villa game was a freak result as they were a bit at 6's and 7's just after MON jumped ship, you could see the heads drop as soon as they went behind.

 

Yeah, this is where we could have done with a Beardsley-Bellamy striker to open up defences. Hughton was pinning a lot of hope in Ben Arfa, so his injury is limiting our development a bit.

 

 

 

See edit above. 

 

Too late. Your post was exposed as horribly incomplete.

[Parky]

The home and away form is quite simple really. Away - sides come at us and we tend to absorb and have larger gaps/space to hit them on. At home most sides sit deep or play an uptempo pressing game and we don't have the creativity when there is less space/gaps to break them down. This didn't apply to the derby for obvious reasons and the Villa game was a freak result as they were a bit at 6's and 7's just after MON jumped ship, you could see the heads drop as soon as they went behind.

 

Yeah, this is where we could have done with a Beardsley-Bellamy striker to open up defences. Hughton was pinning a lot of hope in Ben Arfa, so his injury is limiting our development a bit.

 

 

 

See edit above. 

 

Too late. Your post was exposed as horribly incomplete.

 

[Cajun]

Some seem desperate to fail or thrive on misery, it's a bit depressing really.

 

Equally you could say some refuse to see what's in front of them.

 

 

 

I see a manager who is struggling by with limited backing but still exceeding expectations. I also don't see anyone half decent coming to work under the same conditions, not anyone who would do any better anyway.

 

We struggle at home because teams tend to sit back and try to shut us out, the one player Hughton managed to get in that could do that something special to break down these teams suffered a long term injury early on. Apart from pulling a similar player out of his arse he looks to be in a complicated situation that is harder to resolve in reality than it is on messageboards.

 

Obviously I would think so but I think my view is a balanced one that doesn't stray too far towards over negativity or crazy optimism/support.

[Wullie]

I'm interested to know who these brilliant managers are who we should appoint in his place. Presumably one of the six ahead of us in the Premier League at the moment. If the boss in 7th is "out of his depth", fuck knows what the other 13 are.

[TheGuv]

He NEEDS a number 2 to help him now. It really is essential. Sign him up now Ashley so we can kick on

[Liam Liam Liam O]

So anyone saying he has to sort the home form out is saying he has to be replaced?

 

Mental.

[Wullie]

So anyone saying he has to sort the home form out is saying he has to be replaced?

 

Mental.

 

You don't think he should be replaced in the summer then?

[Guest Heneage]

Bit of a nightmare week for him tbh.