Brighton sack Hughton, wonder if they'll get the same criticism for that decision as we did. His PL record at Brighton is worse than his record at Norwich.
Apparently he won one manager of the month with them, I don't think he did with us but I could be wrong
They won just three of their last 23 league games and none of their final nine. I can understand why they did it
Hughton style is fairly negative compared to say, Farke, but his squad is not that strong with a 36 year old as their principle striker. The PL is very cut throat and his sacking is not that surprising. It will be interesting to see how successful Farke’s style of play will be next season.
They've had two seasons in the Prem. He spent £77m last summer, and £58m the summer before. If his squad is not that strong and they're relying on Glenn Murray - he has to be held responsible for that. Do you let him spend another hefty sum this summer without addressing those weaknesses? Hughton has failed twice to build a Premier League attack - the only thing he's learned is don't let the ageing striker leave before you know the expensive replacements can step up.
His football is dire to watch, he is an organiser, nothing more, no flair or joy will ever come to a Hughton side. You can't say he has done a bad job at Brighton, he has kept them up, done what he was but like a Pulis, Colin or fat Sam the small success comes at a price. Your fans simply won't want to watch your football. Good time to sack him, new strategy needed to progress. Bah!
Hughtons football was truely horrible to watch, staying up for Brighton represents success, fans wanting to claw their eyes out rather than watch whats on offer is less so. He has a ceiling, that ceiling is organisation, entertainment is not in his remit. Bah!
Merged the posts from the other thread to keep things in one place - apologies if that's upset the chronology.
Very harsh on Hughton! By the end his football with us was not great, but (and to be fair I do not know about Brighton's style) even then it was never hoofball. It was never truly hideous. What happened is it became very structured (and slow) which resulted in it being very defensive and lacking in dynamism going forward, with the end result of ever fewer goals conceded but even fewer goals scored or points won. At times, particularly in his first season, we played some wonderful intricate football with the key being the ball was kept on the ground. As confidence sapped and our play got more stolid, it was not pretty because it was boring. It still wasn't as bad to watch as hoofball though (with the proof being that it was less successful... we might have stayed up if we'd hoofed it)
Be interesting to see whether the Brighton board persist with their traditionalist UK management setup or switch now to DoF/head coach.
He has done well there imo. Brighton were on the verge to be relegated to league 1 before he came in, then 2 seasons in the premier league and a FA Cup semi final is a good achievement by the size of their club. But I can understand the football isn't pretty to watch and he is too defensive, similar to Stoke so maybe they should be careful what they wish for lol.
OK a bit harsh to liken it to those hoofball merchants, but I think you could count the Norwich games on one hand that Hughton had us playing anything approaching entertaining football. I seem to recall one game where it all seemed to come together and it gave us a false hope of entertaining and good football to come. There was an injury and we never saw it again. The PL is a bridge too far for plenty of managers, Neil had looked brilliant for us, we even started the PL season well, but after that Newcastle game, his confidence in his own prefered system seemed to evapourate and he/we were lost. Hughton has done better, he kept Brighton up again. But he looks a million miles short for any job with a chairman wanting anything more than survival. Bah! As you say maybe hoofing it might have yeielded more points, I'd add just because it ment a change from snails pace, hoofball is on a par entertainment wise.
Sounds like they already have a top target - Potter from Swansea. Interesting, looks like a big gamble and significant change in style/emphasis. But would Potter be wise to take on the role? Bah!
Doh! Keep up Robbie! Forgot that Dan Ashworth has already joined Brighton as Technical Director with a brief that also includes recruitment. That puts a somewhat different perspective on Hughton's departure.
Elis James always raves about Potter, and he would be distraught to see his name linked with Brighton. Says a lot about what he has done in his time at Swansea, with no help at all from the board. I think it's a smart target for Brighton. The Board keep selling his best players, and giving him no money, so has had to build an exciting team from the academy, and still got them playing well and winning games.
Unlucky Chris. His time looked very similar to his Norwich Premiership years. It seems he has a level that he isn't able to build on. Eventually sides work him out, and doesn't seem he has an answer when they do. He did well to keep them up both seasons. So it is harsh on him. I certainly didn't expect Brighton to survive last season, let alone be preparing for a 3rd! So in that way it was it is a bit harsh. I think he's taken them as far as he can, and next season would be another season of poor football and scrapping against relegation. Spose the board want to try and bring in someone who can improve their football and move slightly further away from the drop zone. Now they have a 3rd Season of Premiership money, and a slightly better status/pull.