We were bookies and TV pundits favourites for the drop this year - Hughton has achieved his objective in keeping us up. However, I think he seems devoid of ideas and doesn't have the tactical nous and bravery to adapt to different situations, and the worse the season gets the more defensive he gets which can only end one way - even poorer performances and results. Last year we won, I think, 5 away games in the league. This year we've won once, and we nearly contrived to throw that one away. Hughton will keep his job without doubt, and deservedly so - he has kept us up. I hope, though, that someone has a quiet word at the end of the season to tell him that the performances need to improve next season.
Not yet, and are you really being serious ? This man is destroying the whole ethos of the club going right back to John Bond. Even IF he does keep us up I still want him to go because mark my words, it will be more of the same next year and our magnificent support which we pride ourselves upon will start to dwindle.
Think you´re wasting your breath kickitoff, if he keeps us up I can´t see McNally being the sort who´ll bow down to fan pressure, whether justified or not. He´ll almost certainly get at least until Christmas, and perhaps longer if there are more encouraging signs next year, personally, I hope, and expect there will be.
In my opinion this is the best defence for Hughton's woeful post-Xmas performance that I've read so far on this site and I concede most of the points you make. With regard to the third paragraph, though, I would say that Villa have been showing signs of improvement as the season goes on, while we have just got worse and worse. And your last point is correct. If we do win on Saturday we are as good as safe and I would expect CH to be given at least until October or November next year. In my opinion if there is a viable alternative out there, he shouldn't be. But I accept that I'd be in a minority and I'd shut up, cross my fingers, and see how things go.
What I can't grasp is why people don't see that us in the anti Hughton camp, aren't there because of choice or stubborness. And even though he has a reasonable chance of keeping us in the Prem, that in itself isn't good enough for us. So it is no good wheeling out the old chestnut of his brief was to keep us up and he has done that. While most of us would like to stay in the Prem, that is not the golden fleece. Good, entertaining, attacking, passing football with a few risks taken is what we want.
Can I quote you on that Dave? If you are right I will laud him and be the first to say well done. But as I have said countless times, you can only comment on the current situation not the future.
And the fact that he spent all of January trying to buy a striker who needs someone with him up front and has now bought one with the same need. Is that the sign of a Manager who intends to play 4-2-3-1 next year? I also cannot recall any Spurs, Newcastle or Brum fans calling him negative so perhaps he has had to adapt to the players he has. Surely he deserves a chance to build his own team.
I have a mate who is a Newcastle fan, and he said quite the opposite, that he reckoned one of the main reasons they got rid of Hughton was because he was too negative and not playing the sort of football that the club wanted to see.
What I don´t understand redruth, is why just keeping us in the Prem this season, isn´t good enough for some of you. When Hughton came we´d just had three years of momentous success with probably the most inspiring manager we´ve ever had, the players were on a winning roll, we sailed into the Championship and then on into the Prem, and then, as if that wasn´t enough we put all relegation predictions to shame by finishing mid-table. Then, bombshell, in the midst of all the triumph and euphoria, the messiah Lambert buggers off and leaves us high and dry. Just what did some of you expect to happen then, that McNally would miraculously go out and find Lambert mark II from somewhere, who would happily carry on the triumphant march into Europe. That might happen in about one case out of a hundred, but more often than not, when a new manager arrives, he has his own ideas as to what he needs to change, who he needs to bring in, where we need strengthening etc etc. In Hughton´s case he started at the back and is slowly working his way forward, that´s his prerogative, and who are we to disagree with that. It was clear our defence last year was sub-standard, and that we only managed to keep our heads above water because of the momentum we´d built up the previous two years, and the element of surprise we came with into every game. All that went out of the window when PL left, this season has been, and always was going to be once he left, one of re-shaping and re-building, and if Hughton can keep us up, it will also be one of success. I think those of you who just expected us to kick on from where we left off, considering we had a whole new management team, have been expecting too much. I also think McNally knew precisely what he was getting from Hughton, and what he could reasonably demand from him this first year. I have no doubt he will up his demands next year, and the signing of van Wolfswinkel is perhaps the first indication of that.
What you don't seem to be able to see Royal is the direction we are heading, we are regressing, becoming more primitive, simplistic. What is clever about a manager who does that. Absolutely nothing, any manager can stick 10 men behind the ball and win free kicks to score from. He's not doing anything special, inventive. Its an empty, soulless concept to play the game. Improving the defence properly is stopping the goals against whilst still maintaining some meaningful attack. All he's done is completely ruin one aspect of the team to make one better. Trouble is the damage to the attack has not improved the defence in equal measure. I want him on out as soon as the final whistle goes against Man City. I don't trust him one little bit.
You have made some valid points RBF, but personally, as I said in my original post, I do not see the Prem as the golden fleece. I know there is a massive lobby that says it is all about the money. And if 24K City supporters agree than that is fine with me. But I would rather be in the Championship, bringing on youngsters playing good, inventive, attacking football mixed with one or two astute signings and playing open, attacking, inventive and above all entertaining football than just hanging on in the Prem. But as I have said before, I believe we could survive in the Prem with that philosophy. That is my belief and I am not the only one on her with that view. That doesn't make us wrong, disloyal, plastic or disagreeable. It just makes for a darn good topic of discussion on here.
Hughton is an honest guy who has had very little to work with.The problem here is that Lambert was a tough act to follow.
So, by implication, and as he hasn't managed to pull up any trees so far in 2013, our current squad is worse than the 'threadbare', transfer embargo ridden shower he had at Birmingham? I don't think so!
Does anyone on this board genuinely believe that our current squad is better than three others in the division? How many of our players would get into any of the teams below us? Ruddy and maybe Snodgrass and Bassong? By any measure you want to make we are pretty much at the top end of what the squad should achieve. Hughton can be criticised for the negative tactics but I don't think that he should be criticised for the results of the whole season if you take it in total. This is reality not Roy of the Rovers. Most clubs coming into the Premier league don't last three years, looks likely that we will and as RBF points out we look as if we are trying to make the right kind of signings to allow us to play a more open style.
i don't really buy into that norfolk, it's all about getting the best of out of the squad. did we have one the 3 weakest last season? yes, and we finished 12th. man city have arguably a better squad than united. ch so far hasn't shown to get the best out of the squad, including tactics and subs guess we all need to agree to disagree
If he could do well with a threadbare squad at Brum then why such a negative and regressive showing with a semi-experienced and added to premier league team? I'm not saying he inherited a team of world beaters but with the right tactics and motivation and some quality additions (which Hughton made) why do we appear to be going backwards? 2 wins in 18 is not an acceptable return. Even if you look at the season as a whole and our 10 game run, was the football really pleasing on the eye? In these aspects I agree with redruth, I honestly believe its nonsense to say he's doing what he needs to do to get us over the line. It could be done by showing an ounce of attaching ambition and I for one will find it harder and harder to justify paying to watch the antifootball that CH is giving us. From RBF "I think those of you who just expected us to kick on from where we left off, considering we had a whole new management team, have been expecting too much. I also think McNally knew precisely what he was getting from Hughton, and what he could reasonably demand from him this first year. I have no doubt he will up his demands next year, and the signing of van Wolfswinkel is perhaps the first indication of that." I didn't expect us to suddenly kick on, this season was all about consolidation and CH imposing his style and ethos on the team. With preseason and now the best part of the season done I am not liking either much at all. I didn't expect us to tear up the league and start challenging for europe, but I do expect to see some entertaining football and from a good manager progress and improvement (not necessarily compared with their predacessor) from day 1 to present. RBF and all those who still believe in Hughton, convert me, tell me how this team has improved from the first kick in preseason to last weeks abject showing in stoke? (And for the record I believe that even Royston or Jewell could keep 8 clean sheets in the PL with this squad if they basically defended with 10 players every match!) Bah!
I don't doubt he is a lovely, honest guy. But he brought in three of the back four, a midfield player and a striker. That is half a team and he also tried to spend big millions in the January window on Hooper. That is plenty to work with.
