MATCH THREAD - Eagles v Canaries

By the same token I don't think he has been given enough credit for the way we outplayed ManUre last week. We were comfortably the better side and were only denied something from the game by a bit of mis-fortune and a typical United smash n grab act. I read very little praising Hootun's tactics in that game, where we got at them after the first ten minutes and made a team full of internationals look very ordinary indeed. All I read was how it was the "worst United team for years and years" and how it was a game we "should have won". Admittedly, it's not a classic United side at the moment, and they were without Rooney and RVP, however they were still able to field a few players that cost individually more than our first team combined so they're still no mugs.

I guess I am generally considered a Hootun inner, however I can find you plenty of posts that I've made where I have been critical of some of the football we have played in the past year or so and have been calling for a more attractive style of play (which I have witnessed tthis season, hence the decline in such comments that I've made). However show me one post from Chippy or KIO that give Hootun any credit for anything good that he has done that isn't loaded with yet another dig waiting at the end of the sentence and I will salute you - and I might even buy you a Curly-Wurly

By the way, for the record I disagree with you about sacking him after the "Liverpool debacle". Admittedly it wasn't anything like a great performance by us, and we deservedly lost the game, however we were destroyed by a 10/10 masterclass from one of the very best footballers on the entire planet - I'm not convinced any defence could have handled him that night!

 

It wasn't so much the specific scoreline of that match, or even the performance, for which I agree that a superb Suarez played a big part (and your reasoning is probably why Hughton kept his job), rather that was the time to make changes because of the results up until that point taken as a whole. Hughton's helplessness in responding to setbacks was merely epitomised by this match. I also felt that the timing was perfect in that it would have given a new manager the right amount of time to get to know the squad and therefore properly assess changes needed in January. It also would have sent out the right message to the players (timings of sackings are important, I think) being in the aftermath of a heavy defeat.

I appreciate that this opinion is based on the assumption that there was someone ready to replace Hughton and that's something I simply cannot know, but if there was, I think then would have been the moment. I truly believe that Hughton had to get a result at West Brom or he would have lost his job. I now accept (and for the record am not deeply disappointed) that it is much too late. Hughton should now be given until the end of the season. I also don't think we will be relegated. My reasoning is based on long term success, for which I am not convinced Hughton is the right man for the job - part of this reasoning is based on the fact that a substantial portion of the fan base want him out, for whatever reason, and a divided fan bas is not good.

Not very helpful, but basically I am saying that in my book it's no longer a point of debate, the moment has passed! I believe it was the wrong decision, but I accept that it is a tight call and there are lots of variables.