Chris - Different type of manager who keeps to himself and gets on with the job

Top of the Coca Cola Championship and pretty much a healthy squad with very little injuries. This is a line you wouldn’t associate with Newcastle United too often but it’s the story of our season so far. 12 goals in our last 3 at home and our strikers scoring with ease, for now anyway. Although Leon Best hasn’t hit the net yet, it’s only a matter of time and Vicarage Road would be an ideal spot for him to do so. A lot of this comes down to our boss, Chris Hughton. The Irishman has worked relentlessly with the lads through the turmoil that surrounded the club last year. He trained them, got the pre-season fixtures ready and brought some discipline into the squad. He is now reaping the benefits of his hard work now.

As my headline suggests, Chris Hughton is different to anything Newcastle United as club have had before. Our usual manager, togged out on the sideline with suit and tie and standing on the sideline motionless as Newcastle cruised to victory attempted to lure all three points. Chris Hughton is a manager who looks more like a player, fully kitted out in the training gear and animated per usual in his technical area.

The likes of Joe Kinnear, Sam Allardyce, Alan Shearer, Glenn Roeder and so on had different tactics and different ways of motivating their players. I think it’s fair to say out of all the three, Roeder did the best job in his first season on Tyneside! 😀

That said, it’s not only Chris Hughton physical appearance that is different to what we;re used to. He trains the lads hard, explains what he wants and indeed what he expects from them. He demands 110% from every player and if he doesn’t see it, he’ll soon replace them.

Mind you, he’s probably the first Toon manager in a long long time to succeed in the job, although our job is far from finished here in the Championship and one man knows that more than anybody. Personally, I’m a fan of Hughton. I know that’s easy to say taking our league position and form into account but I have always supported him. His tactics might not be wonderful away from home but he’s not a smug manager and is willing to change the team around should the system not work properly.

Even if we don’t get promoted this season (God forbid) you cannot fault Chris Hughton. He’s worked under serious conditions at some stages and has taken criticism in his stride on Tyneside. As Alan Shearer said today, Hughton has done a great job and deserves a crack at the Premier League. We do look set for an immediate return but whether we will have the same owner come May, and whether they’ll look to keep Chris Hughton only the future will tell.

However, he certainly does deserve a chance and if Mike Ashley is the Newcastle United owner next season, I think he’ll hand Chris the job to keep us up in the Premier League without a shadow of a doubt. Who knows though?

Comments welcome 🙂

---

Share article on: