Is Chris Hughton football’s most unlucky manager?

(written by Gareth Johnson, edited by Oliver Cooper)

Current Nottingham Forest manager Chris Hughton has been in football for a long time. From 1997, Hughton has been involved in the emotional roller-coaster that is football management, serving as permeant or temporary commander of six different clubs.

Is Chris Hughton the unluckiest manager in football?

His managerial career has included two promotions, involvement in a League Cup triumph, successful defences of league status and promising performances in Europe with a Championship side. However, Hughton has also been on the end of some shocking dismissals, being sacked on three different occasions.

Does this make Chris Hughton footballs most unfortunate manager? Is he always the target of poor ownership decisions, or have these dismissals held justified substance?

Newcastle United

There can be no doubt that Hughton’s dismissal from Newcastle United in December 2010 was a case of pure misfortune. Hughton had done a blinding job in the Magpies hotseat, guiding them to an immediate return to the Premier League in the 2009/10 season.

Whilst promotion back to the topflight was mandatory that season, as it would be for Rafa Benitez seven years later, Hughton went above and beyond, obtaining 102 points and only losing four games.

Moreover, Hughton’s newly promoted Newcastle had made great strides in the 2010/11 season. Hughton had guided the Toon to 11th position in the topflight, and most notably recorded their first win against Arsenal in five years.

Hughton oversaw 40 wins in 76 games as manager of Newcastle United, but was sacked on 6th December 2010 following a 3-1 loss to West Brom.

In a decision that baffled all involved, Hughton was dismissed in December 2010 . The reaction was one of utter shock and anger, with high profile names associated with Newcastle voicing their anger.

One such voice would eventually take over as caretaker manager in 2014, the self-proclaimed 'best coach in the world’ - John Carver, who described the decision as a ‘travesty’.

Hughton’s squad were fully behind him and voiced their distress at the decision, with captain Kevin Nolan and Sol Campbell emphasising the confusion and upset amongst the players.

John Carver replaced Hughton as Newcastle United manager.

The fans protested, baffled at the fact that such a successful coach was packing his bags despite making what all thought were great strides forward. This was just the start of a trilogy of unfortunate sackings, through which Hughton could lay claim to being football’s unluckiest gaffer.

Norwich City

Having done a more-than-decent job at Championship Birmingham City, including a stint in the Europa League and a finish in the play-off places in the 2011/12 campaign, Hughton made the switch to Premier League Norwich City in June 2012.

Hughton had a good first season at the relegation-threatened club. Victories over Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur gave the fans plenty of cheer, and helped guide them to an 11th placed finish; their highest finish in the Premier league since 1994.

The following season got ugly for the Canaries boss. Norwich found themselves in 17th position, five points of relegation, in early April. With fans calling for Hughton’s head, the board stepped in, dismissing him with five games left to play.

Hughton's second season in charge of Norwich saw him fall out with the fans, with many calling for his dismissal.

For the second time in his career, defeat to West Brom contributed to Chris Hughton’s firing. Whilst the fans may have been calling for Hughton’s removal, the sacking does seem unnecessary.

Norwich had been in a similar position the year before and avoided the drop comfortably. Furthermore, as seen with Watford’s disastrous decision to sack Nigel Pearson last season, changing personnel at the end of a league campaign brings unnecessary chaos.

Hughton’s successor at Norwich, Neil Adams, would lose four of the last five matches resulting in Norwich’s disastrous relegation to the Championship.

Whilst at the time the sacking may not have been viewed as harsh, it was a fatal mistake. Before Hughton’s dismissal, it was Norwich City’s to lose in the fight for safety. There can be no doubt that dramatic change unsettled the squad, causing abhorrent consequences.

In hindsight, this sacking was unfortunate, and it is more than likely Norwich would have survived had they stuck by Hughton.

Brighton and Hove Albion

Perhaps his most infamous sacking came on the south-coast. Chris Hughton took charge of the Seagulls in December 2014, with Albion facing a potential relegation to League One.

Somewhat against the odds, survival was achieved, Hughton had steadied the ship and had his eyes on ensuring the next campaign would see Brighton challenge at the other end of the table. This is exactly what happened.

Hughton oversaw a transformation at Brighton and Hove Albion, by saving them from relegation to League One and building them into a Premier League side.

Brighton would have a fantastic, but also heart-braking, 2015/16 season. Missing out on promotion at the hands of Middlesbrough on the last day of the campaign, Brighton’s promotion dreams were ended by a play-off semi-final defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.

However, the following campaign would see Brighton go one further, achieving a comfortable automatic promotion to the topflight, securing it with a 2-1 home win to Wigan Athletic.

Once in the Premiership, Hughton led Brighton to 15th position, also making history by being the first black manager to win the ‘Manager of the Month award’. Survival was achieved with a 1-0 win at home to heavyweight Manchester United on 4th May 2018.

Hughton became the first black manager to win the Premier League 'Manager of the Month' award for his stellar leadership in 2018.

The following season, Hughton achieved survival again with a squad standing 16th in the squad value table. Unlike his experience at the Canaries, Hughton was able to end the season and steered Brighton to safety, albeit one position above the drop zone.

Brighton had been on a horrendous run, winning only three of 23 matches, however Hughton had done as required and Brighton remain a topflight side.

Once again for Hughton, this was not enough. Brighton announced his sacking on the 13th of May 2019. Brighton chairman Tony Bloom stated that form and performances had very nearly cost Brighton their topflight status.

Hughton’s choice of successor, Graham Potter, certainly provides evidence that the motives listed for sacking Hughton was based on performances and style of play. Potter plays a far more passing/pressing style of attacking ‘carpet’ football, much different to Hughton’s more physical structured style.

Hughton was replaced by current Seagulls boss Graham Potter.

It cannot be disputed that the Seagulls play attractive football, but has this improved their position from the days of Hughton? In Potter's first season, as with Hughton’s first PL season with Brighton, the Seagulls finished 15th, avoiding the drop by seven points.

This season, Brighton currently sit in the same position, ten points clear of relegation. The best we can say is that there has been a slight improvement under Potter; the performances are healthier.

Although in the bigger picture, Brighton have gone from avoiding relegation to... well, avoiding relegation (albeit a bit more attractively). Change in manager has not brought a high midtable finish or a challenge for Europe.

Whilst better performances will please the fans, this is a results business, and that is something that has not improved massively under Potter. Overall, Chris Hughton’s departure from Brighton was very harsh, and now seems pointless when looking at the lack of progress they have made under the new manager.

What now for Hughton?

Hughton currently manages sleeping giants Nottingham Forest, a team looking over their shoulders at the drop.

Hughton is currently managing Championship side Nottingham Forest.

A savvy January has seen the rekindling of Hughton’s great relationship with forward Glen Murray, who served Hughton well at the Seagulls. Murray attributed Hughton as the main reason he joined Forest, stressing how he (Hughton) gets the best out of the veteran forward.

The impact has been instant. Murray netted two crucial goals in Forests’ crucial clash against fellow relegation-strugglers Wycombe Wanderers at the weekend, steering them closer to safety.

In my opinion, Forest will no doubt stay up, and Hughton will soon be hoping to take the midlands side back to the big time, for the first time since the great Brian Clough donned the City Ground with the notorious green sweater. Should Forest show patience, Hughton will succeed there.

To conclude, Hughton is a fantastic manager. He has done what has been expected of him, and when clubs have given him the chance, he has rarely failed them. Yet he has been the target of some unfortunate boardroom blusters, making him one of football’s most unlucky managers.

He may not play the most attractive football (at least in the Premier League), but we at VARFootballBlog wish him all the best, and hope Forest stick by him!