“The club wishes him [Chris Hughton] well for the future.
“Regrettably the board now feels that an individual with more managerial experience is needed to take the club forward.”
After taking charge of a team scarred by the train-wreck of a relegation season, getting them back up in style and consolidating on that season by providing fans with a solid, if inconsistent, start back to life in the Premier League, Chris Hughton now find's his name added to the managerial casualty list adorned above the managers dugout at St James’ Park.
On that list he sits amongst the likes of Sir Bobby Robson, Sam Allardyce, Glenn Roeder and more recently Alan Shearer.
He will always be thought of fondly by the toon army, especially after the hammering of Sunderland and the great away win at Arsenal this season.
The bookies would probably argue he lasted longer than expected, but a club which has skirted turmoil religiously over the past 5 years, seemed to have finally found a calming influence. Yes, he was inexperienced within the managerial game. Yes he was quiet, reserved and collected, but Hughton brought these qualities to the dugout selflessly.
And they were just what Newcastle United and the fans needed after the turmoil of relegation.
A former coach at Tottenham Hotspur, he is a man who never once complained publicly about the fact he was poorly paid by Mike Ashley or that he wasn’t given a lavish war chest to spend in the transfer window.
In fact he was shoved to one side increasingly in the build up to his sacking. He needed a new number two. He wasn’t given one. He required a contract extension. He was fobbed off.
But, he got the team playing for each other again. Jonas Gutierrez even remarked publicly he preferred playing for Hughton than Diego Maradona. Other than punching Gamst-Pederson, Joey Barton looked a reformed man, with Hughton the first manager to get the best out of him since his £5.8 million transfer from Manchester City in June 2007.
“Regrettably the board now feels that an individual with more managerial experience is needed to take the club forward.”
After taking charge of a team scarred by the train-wreck of a relegation season, getting them back up in style and consolidating on that season by providing fans with a solid, if inconsistent, start back to life in the Premier League, Chris Hughton now find's his name added to the managerial casualty list adorned above the managers dugout at St James’ Park.
On that list he sits amongst the likes of Sir Bobby Robson, Sam Allardyce, Glenn Roeder and more recently Alan Shearer.
He will always be thought of fondly by the toon army, especially after the hammering of Sunderland and the great away win at Arsenal this season.
The bookies would probably argue he lasted longer than expected, but a club which has skirted turmoil religiously over the past 5 years, seemed to have finally found a calming influence. Yes, he was inexperienced within the managerial game. Yes he was quiet, reserved and collected, but Hughton brought these qualities to the dugout selflessly.
And they were just what Newcastle United and the fans needed after the turmoil of relegation.
A former coach at Tottenham Hotspur, he is a man who never once complained publicly about the fact he was poorly paid by Mike Ashley or that he wasn’t given a lavish war chest to spend in the transfer window.
In fact he was shoved to one side increasingly in the build up to his sacking. He needed a new number two. He wasn’t given one. He required a contract extension. He was fobbed off.
But, he got the team playing for each other again. Jonas Gutierrez even remarked publicly he preferred playing for Hughton than Diego Maradona. Other than punching Gamst-Pederson, Joey Barton looked a reformed man, with Hughton the first manager to get the best out of him since his £5.8 million transfer from Manchester City in June 2007.
Kevin Nolan, his captain, is in great goal-scoring form, as is Andy Carroll – two players who’ve thrived under Hughton’s management.
It has emerged that Chris took training on Monday as normal, before being summoned to St James’ Park to receive the news that his services were no longer required. A testament to his qualities as a manager, that when he bumped into Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton in reception – rather than rant about what had just happened – he simply told them to carry on playing, and to make sure they did themselves proud by having a good season.
He even stood talking to a few fans who were milling around the ground, regardless of the fact that his car was waiting or that there was a pack of photographers snapping away.
It was always going to be an uphill struggle for Hughton. He was a manager who fans had been sceptical of at the start of his reign, but as he stepped outside the Gallowgate end on Monday to climb into the car that would take him away from St James’ Park for the last time, everybody in the North East watched on heavy-hearted.
The actions of Mike Ashley this week suggest he and Llambias have been waiting for the right moment to replace Chris, giving chaos the nod to rear its ugly head again at St James’ Park.
Everybody liked him. The players loved him, the fans respected his results and the media appreciated his straight up style. He was laying the foundations for the next few seasons.
As his car drove off, fans would be forgiven for wondering if Newcastle’s new found calm was sat next to Hughton in the backseat. And as Hughton disappeared out of view up Barrack Road, they remained, stood in the shadow of St James’ Park, completely unsure as to who would be the man to carry on the building job started off by Chris Hughton.
