Newcastle United Sack Chris Hughton – Kevin Nolan ‘Gutted’

Ollie Irish

6th, December 2010

30 Comments

By Ollie Irish

Chris Hughton: a good man treated badly

Newcastle United have “parted company” (translation: sacked) with manager Chris Hughton following Sunday’s 3-1 defeat by West Brom.

“Newcastle United Football Club have today parted company with manager Chris Hughton. Goalkeeping coach Paul Barron also leaves the club today,” read a statement on the club’s website.

“The board would like to place on record their thanks to Chris for his considerable efforts during the club’s transition from Championship to Premier League football. Chris has shown exceptional character and commitment since being appointed manager in October 2009. The club wishes him well for the future.

“Regrettably the board now feels that an individual with more managerial experience is needed to take the club forward.

“The task of appointing a new manager now begins. An announcement will be made shortly regarding transitional arrangements pending the appointment of a successor.”

Newcastle currently lie 11th in the Premier League. Eleventh. With the squad they have, that’s a few places higher than where they might be.

Newcastle skipper Kevin Nolan was reportedly “gutted, surprised and shocked” by the decision to ditch Hughton, who was very well-liked by his players.

Although I did predict that Hughton – who struggled to ditch the “caretaker” tag even though he stopped wearing tracksuits on the touchline – would be the first Prem manager to lose his job this season (I thought he would go in October), I think it’s a disgraceful way to treat an honourable man who has so far overachieved this campaign. It seems Mike Ashley and co. were waiting for one slip-up so they could take this action.

Geordies, what do you make of this news?


Posted in Featured, Newcastle Utd

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30 Comments

  1. SlimCharles says:

    Regrettably the fans of NUFC now feel that an owner with more intelligence is needed to take the club forward.

  2. Chris says:

    What, when, who? Where the bloody hell did that come from?

  3. Ollie Irish says:

    Lol at Slim!

  4. Walter says:

    Disgraceful!

  5. Nicko says:

    “Newcastle United have ‘parted company’ manager Chris Hughton amid concerns people were starting to take them seriously as a professional football club”

  6. Chris says:

    Just when I thought football couldn’t get anymore ruthless.. Total shame

  7. shaunyNoy says:

    What a disgrace, I have always stood up for Ashley in the past citing him as stabilizing our club, getting rid of primadonnas and turning us into a successful business, yes he had made mistakes but I thought he had learnt from them……..

    Hughton, in my opinion has done a sterling job in getting us where we are and to sack him after all he has achieved is nothing short of disgraceful! Ashley, you are an idiot, just as the public were warming to you and you were delivering a certain amount of stability you pull the rug from under our feet. In hughton you had someone who was not bigger that the club, the players played for and gave everything for the cause.

    Can’t believe what you have done!

  8. Shane says:

    They were going to survive and finish mid table…but now Newcastle deserve to be relegated for making that stupid decision! The owners don’t deserve Premiership money if they don’t know how to run the club.

  9. frank says:

    Its been said but what a totally disgraceful decision. Ashley really should pack up and cock off.

  10. Lisa Marshall says:

    Nonsensical

  11. tottenblog says:

    I assume the 5 people voting it was right (as of me writing this comment) is Mike Ashley voting on 5 different computers…

  12. David Allison says:

    I think the votes thus far say it all, 97% to 3% in favour of no sacking. Hughton did an incredible job for us. Jesus, he had the fans singing “A Hughton Wonderland” – an incredible feat when you look at those who have achieved this since Keegan (ie. just Robson).

    Being relegated brought everyone back down to earth with a bang and helped the fans realise a new passion for the side, and Hughton helped to make this happen. His reuniting of our cut-down crop of players was key to our promotion success (and what a promotion!). We’ve come up and kept that energy going into the new season, despite a few negative results at home.

    I can’t see this decision (like Ollie says, ’tis a sacking) helping the current situation (which most were very happy with). Who’s going to replace him? Have Ashley and Llambias already got someone lined up? Who the hell is gonna be caretaker in the absence of a f*****g assistant manager? I hope we get answers in the next 48 hours or so, but somehow I doubt it…

  13. Trolololol says:

    OK, so two seasons ago they went down because of a general state of instability caused by them switching managers every other week. This year, whilst looking very stable (Joey Barton hasn’t even been arrested so far) and doing very well in 11th, they sack their manager AGAIN. Psychiatrists would label it a ‘self-destruction syndrome’. If Mike Ashley approached me for any kind of business deal, I’d laugh him out of my office as he obviously has the intelligence of a particularly slow mollusc.

  14. Smartass says:

    That’s an undeserved sack if I’ve ever seen one. Who will replace him now ?
    Neil Warnock maybe ? He’s experienced and he likes swapping teams during the season. And Chris Hughton could easily take QPR to the Prem, on their current form they are unstoppable.

    Then Chris might be able to taste a personal revenge over Newcastle next season, IF the geordies don’t go down (that’s a very big IF)

  15. Chris says:

    Get him on one of the MotD sofas soon as – The risible Savage/Bright axis needs neutering right away, and what better way to do so than by employing the intelligent, reserved and eloquent Hughton while he waits for the next suitable managerial role to open up?

  16. SlimCharlesIsAMoron says:

    Slim Charles, where on earth would you get that notion from? As the article rightly stated, Chris has overachieved this season. Survival was the only goal.

  17. Andy B says:

    While the events at SJP this afternoon beggar belief PLEASE remember that this is the action of one arrogant, self grandoising, idiot of an owner – It’s not ‘Newcastle United’ who have sacked their manager – it’s Mike Ashley, a know-nothing-about-football market trader who once again has dragged not only NUFC but the while premiership into the mire with his ridiculous antics

    As a lifelong Toon fan it really hurts to say but “Chris Hughton you deserve so much better than the current Newcastle United”

    As for Ashley, does he have a deathwish or is he a Mackem in disguise- either way if he thought the protests were bad last time he better be prepared for a helluva lot worse

    To fool us once, shame on you, to fool us again – you’ll regret ever coming North of Watford

  18. Fellaini's Fro says:

    @SlimCharlesIsAMoron
    i think you need your eyes checked mate, unless i’m feeding the trolls. Shame about chris, i really warmed up to him when he stopped wearing those tracksuits. and newcastle was on of those great stories this season, along with west brom and bolton. this could be a start of another long slide unless bozo has another replacement lined up, and anything short of the reincarnated bobby robson (i assume powered by rage and a car battery) will get the players giving their all again. but when newcastle united come knocking, who would honestly want to manage or even play for a owner with less footballing iq than the pies he’s constantly inhaling

  19. SlimCharlesIsAMoronIsAMoron says:

    @SlimCharlesIsAMoron, I think you’ve missed the “owner” part

  20. SeanBCFC says:

    one step closer to relegation now

  21. petemoon says:

    Ridiculous decision. Mike Ashley is such a t**t.
    Toon are just up from the Championship, crusing confortably mid-table. Finally they have a competetive squad, team spirit, the lot… and then this.
    We all now will watch them slowly but steadly drop down in the league and still very much in time of getting relegated again.
    Pardew is reportedly on the cards… what a sharp nail that will be in Newcastle´s cofin.
    I´m a hammer so I should be happy about this, but I for one think NUFC are much needed in the Premiership.

  22. dan says:

    The only people to blame for his sacking are the players, after that shambles on Sunday

  23. Gilly says:

    Martin jol has just left Ajax

  24. spark says:

    I saw the headline and then had to go check the table to see if i was missing something. i wasn’t. how do you fire a manager of a team that is sitting mid-table 1 year after promotion? so you’re telling me newcastle is supposed to be in the top 4? shameful. just shameful.

  25. DingoVirgin says:

    Ok. I am a Sunderland fan. But, I wish Newcastle all the best as a North Easterner. You did not need a new manager, survival was a certainty and a decent position a possibility. Chris Hughton took the poisoned chalice and removed the poison. It was great to see Newcastle dominate the Championship last season and even though I am still smarting at the 5-1 thrashing ‘IT IS GREAT TO HAVE THE TYNE – WEAR Derby back’. We (in the North East) need Sunderland + Newcastle + Middlesbro’ all in the Premiership – The rivalry should be in this League.

    A new manager will not be able to have the same skills at getting the best out of (and I say this realistically ‘A Limited Squad’). Chris Hughton has been getting the best out of the players for (is it 18 months?).

    It seems ‘Martin Jol’ is top of the list and I think he did a really good job at developing Tottenham. But, the development at Spurs has been over a number of years. That twat Ashley seems to think it would only take months.

    The right man for this job would be ‘Chris Hughton’, but, I don’t think he would accept.

    Newcastle need a new owner, not a new manager. A new owner would be Purely Belter!

  26. Anon says:

    Oh dear 30 people seem to have accidentally hit the yes button.

  27. Chowens says:

    It’s not just Newcastle fans, on every board and post, it’s supporters from all around the country appalled by this.

    I am a Newcastle fan and just as we seemed to becoming a stable club, with a manager like by the fans and players, getting the most out of small squad and making good signings on a shoestring and this happens.

    We just as close to Europe as relegation. This is just just shocking and disgusting

  28. Cardinal Dextrous says:

    Toon fan here…

    What are the 30 who voted ‘yes’ smoking? I suppose you think Ian Holloway deserves the sack too for getting promoted and sitting mid table. Eejits.

    Ashley is the one with no experience – he’s now talking about replacing Hughton before the weekend… so rather than letting Beardsley, who knows our players, get on with it… he’s gonna give someone else 2 or 3 days maximum to prepare with the squad… before a game against a Liverpool side who are on fire now that they’re coming out of their rut, and have a recently rested Fernando Torres… WHAT ARE YOU ON, FAT ASH?!

    SACK THE BOARD.

  29. Pete says:

    I think it’s a bad decision especially when they are looking to replace him with Pardew.

    Have a read of Newcastle and the managerial circus!

    http://upper90magazine.wordpress.com/2010/12/08/newcastle-and-the-managerial-circus/

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