Will Hughton stay

[Baracouda 47]

Snodgrass... works hard but that aint the appealing feature i want from a winger.

If he wants to work hard, he can play defensive midfield.

[ZLF 274]

the agm suggested that survival was the aim this season, if he achieves the clubs aims I cant see him being sacked without ever seeing his club record signing ever playing for him.

it will be job done, now invest and improve.

large midfield turnover of staff.

[Gingerpele 0]

''If we stay up, then there''s no way we can sack him. Let''s not get carried away, our budget this season was poor compared to others, sacking would be harsh despite form.

However, he''d be on watch from day 1 next season. He''s just bought RVW and as long as we stay up, looks like getting Redmond. I cannot see us serving up the same dross we''ve seen this season with them two in there.''

In a way, its not really about ''form'' in the strictest sense. Villa fans on the whole would be happy to keep Lambert if they went down i''d think because of the way Villa play and the youngsters he''s brought in who will probably stay even if they go down.

Until last week, when I was discussing all things Norwich City with someone, during the midst of that conversation I just came to realise Hughton really hasn''t done all that well. We had a much more likely to get a point or three team last year. We haven''t looked certain to hold onto a draw or win since Wigan at home in most games. We''ve had some half decent performances, but even after dominating Reading for first 15/20 mins of second half and taking two goal lead, we made it hard for ourselves.

That''s going back completely on what Hughton had already set up. If we''re going to need to sign a new Turner/Bassong type player that''ll cost a few million. And we need Garrido or another LB. Thats just to keep the defence to the level it has been at, and assuming (which I do) Ruddy won''t be leaving.

Like I said, i''m not going to start any Hughton out campaigns, and won''t cry myself to sleep every night if he''s not sacked and given a go next season. But basically if we haven''t showed serious signs of improvement in first 5/10 games next season, he''d have to go. And would it be easier to sack him now and get someone in, or after 10 games? Obviously that involves taking a risk if McNally and co believe he can make that improvement, but aren''t 100% sure.

[First Wazzock 902]

[quote user="can u sit down please"][quote user="Gingerpele"][quote user="CDMullins"]"assuming he''d improve the front line" He has, he signs on 1st July. Everyone seems to forget he did try to sign both Hooper and RVW in January.[/quote] Thats one striker. What about the huge lack of pace and know how of what to do when we get in the final third. I think half the reason we haven''t scored as many is down to our tempo. We far to frequently just stop, turn around, which could work, if you then move the ball on quickly. But more often than not we don''t. Our current players and/or tactics (i''d say 70/30 in favour of tactics) create a huge lack of decisiveness in the final third. And when someone is decisive and puts a decent ball in the box, Holt (and Kamara) decides to go walkabouts and forget he''s a striker. RVW would have scored a few goals with us playing like we are with the current players. But don''t think he''d bring a drastic improvement. I used to hope Hughton was just playing like this because of the players he has. And perhaps he is. But as I (and we) don''t know the full story we just have to make assumptions.[/quote]

Its ok buying a striker we need supply too! We could have RVP up top and hed get no chances.

Im with you GP. Nice to see youve came round!
[/quote]

Nail on the head.

He can sign who he likes but unless the tactics improve it will all be a total waste.

[CambridgeCanary 0]

The question is "Will Hughton stay?"

Of course he will. This Board will regard stage one as accomplished. It will also not gratuitously sack a manager who has delivered the riches of the new tv deal.

Not so long ago the majority view on here was that Hughton should have the summer and be judged on the first half of next season. I still think that is right. More to the point, I am convinced that is the Board''s minimum position.

[Hannibal II 0]

he should go but if we stay up i have this awful feeling he will stay and bore us to death next year. i can imagine his team talks "right lads let go all out for the draw today!"

[basil brush 0]

Hughton is so dull even Coldplay fans have to self harm.

[Tumbleweed 106]

Out. We had a good squad, playing well. He has signed some good players but is incapable of getting the most out of them. If we stay up it will be despite not because of him.

[birchfest 397]

For me it would depend on who we could get in to replace, but in all honesty I think it is unlikely we will get rid of him just yet. Im interested to see what Hughton would do in the transfer market this summer in way of identifying what went wrong and how to address that... RVW is certainly an indication that we are going in the right direction.I think what will happen is that he will have a rather large meeting with the board where by he has to set out his plan for the summer and next season and we give him some strict goals to stick to, I dont think McNally is one to offer many second chances and he will think our recent form is an unacceptable as the rest of us, he is just trying not to act in a way that would be destructive. I''ll be behind anyone new and Ill be behind Hughton for the first 10 games next season if it is him.

[BroadstairsR 2,162]

Very unlikely he''ll stay as the rumourmill which tips Ferguson to retire soon also says that Hughton is being lined up as the next manager of Manchester United.  

[Kangaroo Court 0]

[quote user="BroadstairsR"]Very unlikely he''ll stay as the rumourmill which tips Ferguson to retire soon also says that Hughton is being lined up as the next manager of Manchester United.  [/quote]Thanks for the tip. I just put £100 on at Skybet, 40/1.

[Evesham Canary 0]

If we stay up then yes! Like most I have not enjoyed 2 nd half of the season & we have been served up some distinctly poor fair. However, we only have 1 point less than Soton & 2 less then Fulham & Villa- not as entertaining certainly but with a win on sunday we could be above all these teams. Would imagine the board reasonably happy as this is a results game. Would any of us swap with Wigan(league position wise) right now?

Personally, I would like a manager with a more attacking philosophy but who would that be?

The other issue with Hughton is how slow he is to react to what is happening on the pitch - at stoke, he should have changed it as soon as stoke caused by getting Wes on & again on saturday where he took too long to change it & then made wrong change ( imo).

[ron obvious 1,502]

How on God''s Green Earth people can bang on about us having a ''good squad'' last year is totally beyond me.

It was brought home to me earlier in the season when a Liverpool player scored against us. One I''d only vaguely heard of. A fringe player.

He cost £20m . Twenty million quid.

How much was our squad worth? At any point in the last 3 years?

Who else wanted our players this season?

Last season was about as close to a miracle as you''ll ever see. It was typified by Morison.

I''ll make a prediction: he''ll never score in the Premiership again. I doubt he''ll get more than 10 goals in the Champs.

And Wilbraham? What the Hell went on there?

I think we were everyone''s favourites to go down - & with good reason.

We didn''t because of Lambert. Because of the fantastic team spirit & belief he''d got going - due to the character of the squad as much as his abilities.

He adopted a sh!t or bust method, which was the only viable one under those circumstances. There''s a lot of advantages to it; even top teams have days when they just cannot score, even against a poor defence, & you get a late goal or two after relentlessly attacking, it tends to engender self-confidence - we can always score a goal - & nervousness in the opposition.

It could have gone breasts up very early on last season, but it didn''t, we got some results & confidence grew. The synergy between Lambert & the club was phenomenal.

The chances of it happening again this season? Of Holt scoring 17 goals (no matter what his support), Morison scoring 9?

Of course Lambert might have bought a Benteke-esque player. Or a Michu. We''ll never know, because he wasn''t going to stick around to attempt the near impossible again.

Hughton''s approach is rational. Boring & rational. Improve the defence, try to make yourself as hard to beat as possible, rely on set pieces because your team is far too slow on the break.

Hope like Hell you scrape through the season, so that with a decent budget you can get some decent class players in.

I would suggest that RVW is indicative of the level of player he is looking at, & that''s the level you need for long term survival. Ricky may fail, of course, but all the signs suggest he has the necessary ability. And I would be amazed if there are not similarly gifted players to come.

If we do survive I''m really looking forward to the sort of team he will build. I guarantee the football served up will be nothing like the grinding borefest we''ve too often seen this year.

[lake district canary 4,531]

[quote user="ron obvious"]How on God''s Green Earth people can bang on about us having a ''good squad'' last year is totally beyond me.

It was brought home to me earlier in the season when a Liverpool player scored against us. One I''d only vaguely heard of. A fringe player.

He cost £20m . Twenty million quid.

How much was our squad worth? At any point in the last 3 years?

Who else wanted our players this season?

Last season was about as close to a miracle as you''ll ever see. It was typified by Morison.

I''ll make a prediction: he''ll never score in the Premiership again. I doubt he''ll get more than 10 goals in the Champs.

And Wilbraham? What the Hell went on there?

I think we were everyone''s favourites to go down - & with good reason.

We didn''t because of Lambert. Because of the fantastic team spirit & belief he''d got going - due to the character of the squad as much as his abilities.

He adopted a sh!t or bust method, which was the only viable one under those circumstances. There''s a lot of advantages to it; even top teams have days when they just cannot score, even against a poor defence, & you get a late goal or two after relentlessly attacking, it tends to engender self-confidence - we can always score a goal - & nervousness in the opposition.

It could have gone breasts up very early on last season, but it didn''t, we got some results & confidence grew. The synergy between Lambert & the club was phenomenal.

The chances of it happening again this season? Of Holt scoring 17 goals (no matter what his support), Morison scoring 9?

Of course Lambert might have bought a Benteke-esque player. Or a Michu. We''ll never know, because he wasn''t going to stick around to attempt the near impossible again.

Hughton''s approach is rational. Boring & rational. Improve the defence, try to make yourself as hard to beat as possible, rely on set pieces because your team is far too slow on the break.

Hope like Hell you scrape through the season, so that with a decent budget you can get some decent class players in.

I would suggest that RVW is indicative of the level of player he is looking at, & that''s the level you need for long term survival. Ricky may fail, of course, but all the signs suggest he has the necessary ability. And I would be amazed if there are not similarly gifted players to come.

If we do survive I''m really looking forward to the sort of team he will build. I guarantee the football served up will be nothing like the grinding borefest we''ve too often seen this year.[/quote]

Totally agree.Good realistic appraisal.  

[Mello Yello 2,289]

Will Hughton stay?

 

I think I would prefer to leave that important decision to the NCFC Board......They appointed him, not the supporters......They also see on the pitch what we see.....and no doubt also behind the scenes.....

 

It is after all a results business......Our recent results have been mediocre to say the least.....Staying in the Prem would be a result, but other managers and coaching staff, have been shown the door for much less.....

 

I''ll leave it to the ''experts''.........If they get it wrong, it''s not the fan''s fault......and the board would deserve the criticism that would come their way....

 

''In hindsight'' is not an acceptable excuse.....It''s a shirking of responsibility......I await the fulltime whistle at the Etihad, then see what occurs over the close-season.....Could be very interesting times......indeed.

 

 

[Redders Right Foot 22]

if we stay up, even by the skin of our teeth, he has completed his jobs objective for this season and he has the right to take the helm next season.

if we have the money for an 8.5m striker, I''m sure we can afford another turner like CB (although, R Benno is making his shout that he can step up, given some time.) and another LB along with garrido, + the CM, LM/W, and other striker we need. (not to forget we will have the money from the likely sales of Barnet, Vaughan, Surman, Holt/Becchio, and others I am probably forgetting.)

[Yellow Rose of Texas 0]

Seems to be an unpopular opinion, but I''d keep him and his staff. Give him the chance to weed out the "almosts". That includes Holt, Hoolahan and Snodgrass from the attack; add some pace there to better compliment RVW and Pilkington - and maybe - Howson''s game. Central defense is O.K, and we can probably get by at fullback for the coming season, but will need a better Tetty or Johnson to drop one of those two to the bench.

[Ivan Easter 0]

If we stay up I think that we should seek another Manager I think that if we stick with Hughton then next year we will drop. This was supposed to be the season we established ourselves and we have done worse than the first season. Hughton I feel is a too Defence style manager we need someone with a bit more bite. I am sure there must be better managers out there who could do a better job for our team. Lets see!!

[Mr Brownstone 0]

He has to go now for me regardless, our results and performances since Christmas have been absolutely dire and he has shown no sign of being able to arrest our slide.

He seems to me to be tactically limited, inflexible and he''s lost a huge section of the fan base.

[JF 694]

2 wins in half a season! Yes he should be sacked, How many clubs would stick by that?

[killiecanary 0]

[quote user="Mr Brownstone"]He has to go now for me regardless, our results and performances since Christmas have been absolutely dire and he has shown no sign of being able to arrest our slide.

He seems to me to be tactically limited, inflexible and he''s lost a huge section of the fan base.[/quote]

Although I hold a different view to yours Mr B (I think if he keeps us up with this squad he deserves a chance to improve the rest of the squad - although I too will expect to see an improvement in playing style and tempo) I think you make an interesting point as to the fan base. He has lost a significant element of our support. My question is...if he strengthens the midfield and RVW turns put to be the player we all he he is, will that element be willing to accept him or is it a case of a relationship gone too far wrong to repair?

[Rock The Boat 1,329]

A ridiculous thread. We are three points off 12th position with two games to play. This is where we are likely to be in the foreseeable future, somewhere between ninth and fifteenth. A very narrow band. Performances will improve as we improve quality of the squad but there is no way we are joining the elite top six clubs any time soon, if ever.

[Mr Brownstone 0]

I think it''s gone too far.

For whatever reason I don''t think the majority really took to him in the first place, could have been a hangover from the love in for Lambert.

I also think he''s lost some of the players, but that''s something for another time.

[ZLF 274]

It''s an odd combo, his purchases have been good but operational use of resources is not great, because the rest are not his?

If he gets his team will things be better? I am confident he will buy well to address our problems

I see no chance of him going when we survive and if will get 10games to turn it around in the autumn

[walks on water 0]

[quote user="Evesham Canary"]The other issue with Hughton is how slow he is to react to what is happening on the pitch - at stoke, he should have changed it as soon as stoke caused by getting Wes on & again on saturday where he took too long to change it & then made wrong change ( imo).[/quote]

I think this is my biggest concern with keeping CH. There were flashes of evidence earlier in the season of him getting the balance between defence and attack right in games ...but I don''t think he''s read the progress of a game well at all ...or at least hasn''t acted upon it, if he has. The ultra caution he''s displayed may be the product of his nature and the brief he was given exacerbated by the good league position after our ten game run ...put simply we had something to lose. Other teams have had to go for it, or have had more adventurous managers. Back on topic though, think I read somewhere on here, another poster''s opinion, that if he''s learnt from all this and doesn''t make the same ''mistakes'', then yes keep him.

Although as others have also said, some players/managers are a good ''fit'' with some clubs ...and aren''t with others.

I believe a big problem with his appointment in the first place is that what was needed was a degree of continuity ..evolution rather than revolution (something that Swansea have got spectacularly right down the years) ...don''t see a huge benefit in a lack of stability ...but only if he''s learnt from this season! (He can certainly spot a player!)

[walks on water 0]

Oh, and he''s perilously close to losing the fans support - whatever division we''re in next season, and that only resolves one way.

Sad really, because I really wanted it to work out for him as his class and dignity DO seem a good fit for Norwich.

[Indy_Bones 441]

[quote user="ZippersLeftFoot"]It''s an odd combo, his purchases have been good but operational use of resources is not great[/quote]Spot on ZLF.He clearly didn''t get the strikers he wanted both in August and in Jan which lead to loans like Kane and Kamara coming in, but even if we''d signed Hooper/RVW in Jan, the methodology and approach to the game would have left them with just as little supply and support as Holt and Kamara received, making it somewhat of a ''straw man'' argument that we''ve struggled due to not acquiring a striker.The entire approach seems to be one of fear/too much respect for the opposition, so we setup to defend wherever possible and snatch a goal on a break or via a set play, this has lead to a total dearth of creativity, flair, attacking intent and pace, and a huge drop in team spirit and self-confidence.Add in his seeming inability to make changes both early enough and effectively enough in games, and it gives me real cause for concern.It''s for these reasons that I don''t see Hughton as the being the right man to take us forward, as even if he continues with his trend of making decent signings, the style of play will cripple them anyway.

[can u sit down please 0]

Get rid of snodgrass? Jeez. Some people.

[Yellow Wal 314]

Indy - the style of play has been through necessity.

If he can develop his squad further and match his attacking signings to the same quality as his other signings I don''t think we will need to play the same style of football.

If we do then I will agree with you.

[4th floor 4]

I think Hughton will stay if we stay up, but go if we don''t (either resign or be sacked).I was a little concerned when Hughton was appointed that he had little front line management experience, apart from years managing reserve teams he''d only really had one full season at Newcastle.If nobody else suitable was available then maybe it would have been better to find someone to do the job for a season until the vacancy could be filled on a more permanent basis. If the temporary manager did an outstanding job then they could always be given the job after a successful season.