It’s hardly Chris Hughton we are annoyed at this morning after the terrible display yesterday – we are more annoyed with the Newcastle players.
Chris Hughton – players let him and the club down yesterday
A number of them just weren’t good enough for whatever reason yesterday, although playing 4-4-2 in retrospect seemed a mistake, with Danny Guthrie looking nowhere near a Premier League player in yesterday’s game.
Danny capped an awful afternoon for himself by giving away the softest goal of the season after 70 minutes, and that was West Brom’s crucial second goal – which sealed the game for WBA.
But it’s not surprising that Chris has now shortened odds to be the next manager to be fired in the Premier League, unless he can quickly halt the Newcastle slide down the table these last five games.
Darren Haines, spokesman for Paddy Power, said today:
“There seems to be a rumor spreading like wild fire this Monday morning if the betting is anything to go by, but it wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened to Chris Hughton.”
“The fact that Mike Ashley has never rewarded Hughton with a new contract, even when they won at Arsenal, might suggest he’s just waiting for a valid excuse to get another name on the manager’s door.”
“A 3-1 thumping at the hands of a fellow promoted team like West Brom certainly doesn’t do Hughton any favors.”
With Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias never speaking to the press, we have no idea what they are thinking at the moment, and we have no idea what they think of Chris as a manager.
That will not help the situation at all, but all managers go through poor patches with their sides, and the good managers are those that can pinpoint the reasons and get it all sorted out.
Chris has done that at least a couple of times last season and we have to hope he will do it again this season.
And Newcastle have proved many times in the past, that changing their managers never really fixes the problem, and of course two seasons ago we tried four of them – Kevin Keegan, Joe Kinnear, Chris Hughton and Alan Shearer – and we were still hopeless and relegated for the first time ever from the Premier League.
We’re not sure we could stand another relegation season – in fact we know we will not be able to stand another relegation season.
We have to keep our spirits up – and hope the senior players can assist Chris big time this week in sorting things out on the playing side.
It’s nothing that a win on Saturday afternoon against Liverpool will not put right – for the moment at least – and give the team and Chris a little breathing room.
After all we had some top players missing in yesterday’s game for one reason or another, including Joey Barton, Kevin Nolan, Mike Williamson, Fab Coloccini, Steve Harper and Ben Arfa to name but six.
There are some really good experienced players in that list – to be sure.
Comments welcome.
14 comments so far
Shot Bru
Dec 6, 2010 at 11:37 AM
Comment #1I would have thought Avram Grant and Mick Mccarthy were ahead of CH in the sack race….
Dennis Twice
Dec 6, 2010 at 11:39 AM
Comment #2Attack Toon Attack!
alex84
Dec 6, 2010 at 11:50 AM
Comment #3were guna go through bad patches every team does, this is ours, before this we were 5th, at the mo were 11th, im sure when the season started we would take this position any day of the week! we were missing colo, williamson, barton, harper, nolan
oh and ben arfa!
we have a decent squad thats still being rebuilt so we have to be patient and accept are ambition for this season is to survive.
spitfire_
Dec 6, 2010 at 12:25 PM
Comment #4Before couple of weeks, everything was just fine and the players was superb. Now the team can’t play only without Nolan, Barton and Colo… If Hughton was prepared to bet all on just eleven horses – that will be ridiculous. Love and Guthrie are far from their form from last year… grandpa Sol is too slow now… I do not want to think what would be against Torres. And these three players dont put himself on the starting eleven, eh? The boys from the Reserves team have a potential, everybody saw this last year – give him a chance. Hugh’s man came out every single game with the same tactics… Di Mateo can make his team to play attractive football without a lot of cash and by the way Di Mateo has the same level of experience like Hughton… You can’t make me sure, that WBA has better players that we did, especially after the big games which we play this season.
kidda
Dec 6, 2010 at 12:32 PM
Comment #5there is no coincedence that our lack of form has been when barton has been out, he is without doubt our most creative player, and I hope all the supporters who were on his case earlier in the season now realise just how important he is.
Rotonda heights
Dec 6, 2010 at 12:48 PM
Comment #6Buck stops with Chris I’m afraid. No different to any other manager
Lew Davies
Dec 6, 2010 at 12:56 PM
Comment #7No mate the buck stops with Fat Cash. Its his toy that he is f*****ng around with.
We’ve had a little stability, now lets rock the boat. Bollix.
Give Hoots a contract now u fat twat
Moreno
Dec 6, 2010 at 12:59 PM
Comment #8Rotonda,
Totally agree. Yesterday was a shambles and an apology should be made to the travelling fans.
expatgeordie
Dec 6, 2010 at 1:17 PM
Comment #9The manager must take some of the blame it is his job to pick the best team available & make sure they are tactically aware and most important they rae MOTIVATED for the game. It looked like none of these things ahd been done before yeaterday’s game. I’m not sure the best team available was picked, they didn’t look tactically aware and they certainly were not motivated. The players have to accepts some of the blame as well. This big dip in the team’s form will determine if CH is up for the job of manager at the toon. Could be we’ll see Martin O’Neil as manager in the new year it wouldn’t suprise me.
SL_toon
Dec 6, 2010 at 1:17 PM
Comment #10alex84,
totally agree. I think the great results against arsenal, AV, and Scumderland have raised expectations a little too much.
If you told me we’d be 11th by december, i’d have taken it!
The whole betting odd thingy is volatile. Avram and Martinez are more likely to get fired. If we drop down to 17-18th positions however, CH might be under REAL pressure then.
So, gotta get behind the Boys and make sure that doesnt happen.
NO HATIN’, JUS SUPPORTIN’!
HWTL!
Burni
Dec 6, 2010 at 1:22 PM
Comment #11rotonda, normally your comments are well thought out and insightful @6 tho?…. come on mate.
The buck stops with the players not Hughton. His tactics have worked on so many occasions this season. Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal at the Emirates. Aston Villa and Scum at SJP. The players just seem to be switchin off not Hughton.
gorskino10
Dec 6, 2010 at 1:24 PM
Comment #12“we are more annoyed with the Newcastle players.”
True but i am still annoyed at Chris for his poor tactics too, he told the Midfield to stay deep and thus created big gaps from Mid to Strikers and we just couldnt move up as a unit, which we usually do, Jose and Danny were told to stay back and this created no help for the Wingers who with Guthrie were very poor, Guti and Wayne love 1-2’s to move foward and it showed you they struggle beating the defence on there own ability, so yes the players were poor but if the tactics ruined us in EVERY posistion and that has to be blamed onto Chris.
alex84
Dec 6, 2010 at 2:01 PM
Comment #13a manager can only do so much, yes there very influential but CH is still learning
how do you no ch told the midfield to sit so deep?
were you in the dressing room?
at the end of the day iv noticed how when we win we sing his praises sayin he is the next bobby robson, then when we lose he is hopeless and doesnt no tactics.
im sorry but its not all about tactics…
jose mourinho is the master at tactics, but his team were battered by a team that play one way and one way only, sometimes you just have too look at the personell, guthrie isnt playing well, smith isnt playing well, nolan injured, barton injured, so who should have CH played? you can only pick the players you have
lay off CH!!
Burni
Dec 6, 2010 at 2:45 PM
Comment #14Hughton gone? wtf?!?!