It's a Shame For Chris Hughton

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

We all get vitriolic to various degrees in situations such as we find ourselves in. But having a go at Chris Hughton isn''t easy because he is patently a genuine, articulate man who holds his nerve publicly. It is so much easier with other managers.

Chris Hughton was a model pro and a mould breaker for football as a black player in less enlightened times. His contribution as a player and coach at Spurs sees him venerated by their supporters to this day. His work at Newcastle won him more friends and he is clearly respected throughout the game. He is the only black EPL manager and one of only 3 in the top divisions; a situation presently under discussion as a distortion when the game has so many black players. We should be proud to be associated with him and he is an outstanding individual in the game, no question.

Were we managed now by a different manager I am sure the vitriol would be greater from supporters and the scrutiny greater from the Board. The fact Calderwood gets pointed at so often, along with the other coaches, is testimony to the avoidance of criticising Hughton.

He needs more time; we had a good run; we finished 11th; the players need time to gel; he needs to establish his best team. And always he has those two or three more games.

I have always believed and believe it now that Hughton is a top coach who wants to be a manager. There are plenty of top managers I''m sure who possess inferior coaching skills and tactical knowledge but who win games because their players will run through a brick wall for them.

Sport success is a state of mind. Positivity, confidence, seeing the victory or goal or save before it happens. Players hate booing because negativity saps the body and the manager plays that game.

Mourinho knows exactly what he was doing celebrating in the stands last weekend and if the FA. Punish him for it all the better because his players see him going out on a limb for them. It isn''t easy in a technical area so get a fine for post match comments or walk out on the press. It''s all mind games. Top managers take risks.

Chris Hughton is very safe, very diplomatic, a great number two but a leader, never. He doesn''t roll the dice in games or think on his feet because he overthinks things, considers too many things rather than go with his gut.

It''s a shame. He''s a guy we want to succeed but not at the expense of our Club''s future or for me at the expense of depressingly dour football. He has us far below the sum of our parts, we do have great players albeit no decent ball playing midfielder, who he assembled but shows no talent for leading.

I have the feeling this is just going to drag on interminably. I just wish I didn''t care.

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

Just goes to show: considered threads never attract replies on here. Can''t blame people for being sensationalist, can you?

[mrs miggins 0]

.

[William Darby 0]

[quote user="RUDOLPH HUCKER"]Just goes to show: considered threads never attract replies on here. Can''t blame people for being sensationalist, can you?[/quote]

Because nobody knows what the hell this actually means.

He doesn''t roll the dice in games or think on his feet because he overthinks things...

[Aggy 747]

I can''t speak for others, but Hughton''s reputation as a nice bloke means very little to me. I wasn''t alive for the majority of his playing career and had not really heard of him until he took over as Newcastle manager. He is not offensive in interviews, but he doesn''t score any bonus points with me because he is measured and reasonably articulate. To be honest, I rarely watch any post match interviews, or any interview whatsoever. I''ll ocassionaly read the interview, but you don''t really get a sense for personality from those, and I have never really done so for any manager.

So for me it all comes down to results on the pitch. I don''t think another manager would be getting any more stick if he had the same record as Hughton since being here. He kept us up reasonably comfortably in the end last season and has signed good players in the summer. I can certainly understand why a lot of people are already worried about his management style going off this season''s results and why others are starting to go against him the more often they see poor results/performances. But at the same time, I think the board/other fans are aware that the performances have been pretty good recently (until tonight) and so are willing to give him a bit longer yet. But regardless of your personality, it''s the results which do the talking in the end.

[It's Character Forming 1,160]

Funny when we finished 11th a lot of posters were anti Hughton because of the way we played.

Now we''ve a run of games vs Chelsea arsenal Cardiff Man U and Man C which is about as tough as our end of season run in, suddenly it''s all about results for the critics.

Well for me it has always been about results so I was satisfied wit last season. This season we started to click against Stoke but have been set back by this tough run of games, I only hope the players aren''t put off by it and the overreaction of some fans.

The time to look at results is after the decent run of games coming up.

[Reggie Strayshun 0]

Well, all I can say Character, is that if you were satisfied with the results and performances last season you must be very easily satisfied.

Even if you cut CH some slack, and explain the dross doled out last season as being due to him having to work with a limited squad that was not of his own choice, then that cannot be used as reason for our current position.

I take everything you''ve said about him being a nice, articulate guy etc etc, but really that cuts no ice with me. I''m afraid that he is very fast running out of excuses. We need some wins. And extremely soon.

[BroadstairsR 2,137]

I got the OP''s point emphatically and agree with it to a turn.

Well said that man?

Something has to change, we seem to be going backwards, week by week, drip by drip and now more injuries.

Will Hughton have that ''Road to the Etihad'' moment at last or is he too much stuck in mud? A newer, fresher approach is surely needed by the time Big Sam''s bunch of artisans arrive at Carrow Road.

[BOO 0]

It''s an excellent post Rudolph. The simple fact about successfully managing a top football team is either you can or you can''t. There''s an extra ingredient that''s needed over and above being a coach, which regrettably for CH he does not posess. It has been so obvious for a long time and that frustrates me and causes me sometimes to become rude about the guy and his supporters.

He is a nice guy and represents our club with dignity, someone you can be proud of. But he just can''t cut it as a manager, many excellent coaches have tried and failed and gone back to being very good in a coaching role, that is his destiny and the sooner he does it the better.

I said at the end of last season that I thought he should go, but hoped that if he stayed he would be able to identify his weaknesses and do something to change. I just see the same weaknesses, it''s not his fault, he just hasn''t got the X factor. The true measure of the man for me will now be whether he is able to see this for himself, from what I know of him I am sure there will be a lot of soul searching going on, I just hope he comes to the right conclusion and finds a way of stepping to one side.