This is an accepted version of this page
 Hughton withBrighton & Hove Albion in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christopher William Gerard Hughton[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1958-12-11)11 December 1958 (age 66)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Forest Gate,Essex, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Full-back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1977–1990 | Tottenham Hotspur | 297 | (12) |
| 1990–1992 | West Ham United | 32 | (0) |
| 1992–1993 | Brentford | 32 | (0) |
| Total | 361 | (12) | |
| International career | |||
| 1979–1991 | Republic of Ireland | 53 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1997 | Tottenham Hotspur (caretaker) | ||
| 1998 | Tottenham Hotspur (caretaker) | ||
| 2008 | Newcastle United (caretaker) | ||
| 2009–2010 | Newcastle United | ||
| 2011–2012 | Birmingham City | ||
| 2012–2014 | Norwich City | ||
| 2014–2019 | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| 2020–2021 | Nottingham Forest | ||
| 2023–2024 | Ghana | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Christopher William Gerard Hughton (born 11 December 1958) is a professionalfootball manager and former player. Born in England, he represented theRepublic of Ireland national team. He was most recently head coach of theGhana national team.
After making his professional debut aged 20, Hughton spent most of his playing career withTottenham Hotspur as aleft-back, leaving in 1990 after 13 years. After relatively brief spells withWest Ham United andBrentford, he retired from playing in 1993 at the age of 34. He earned 53caps representing the Republic of Ireland, scoring one goal and starting in all three of Ireland's games atUEFA Euro 1988 inWest Germany.
From 1993 to 2007, Hughton served as coach and then assistant manager for Tottenham. He joinedNewcastle United as first team coach in 2008, and, following their relegation, becamecaretaker manager. He led Newcastle back to thePremier League in his first season in charge, along the way breaking a number of records and securing the permanent managerial position. He was dismissed as manager byMike Ashley the following December, with his side 12th in the table. Hughton managedBirmingham City for a single season, leading them to fourth place in the league, before joiningNorwich City in June 2012. Norwich dismissed him in April 2014 following a run of poor results.
Following his departure from Norwich, Hughton became manager ofBrighton & Hove Albion in December 2014. Three years later in 2017, he led the club to promotion to the Premier League for the first time in its history. He avoided relegation for two successive seasons before being dismissed in May 2019 due to a run of poor form. Hughton was appointed as manager ofNottingham Forest in October 2020, before being dismissed in September 2021 after a poor start to the season. He acted as technical advisor to theGhana national team for the period of theirWorld Cup qualifiers in March 2022.
In February 2023, he was promoted to the position of head coach of Ghana following the resignation ofOtto Addo after the failure of the Black Stars team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. However, following Ghana's group-stage exit at the2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Hughton was relieved of his duties as head coach.
Hughton first joinedTottenham Hotspur's youth system in 1971 at the age of 13. He signed as a part-time footballer in 1977, and trained as a lift engineer. He signed to become a full-time professional footballer in July 1979,[3] and made his first team debut that year in the second round of the1979–80 League Cup againstManchester United.[4] In his early days at the club, he played as awinger. He then became afull back who played on either side – even though he is naturally right-footed – before settling into theleft-back position.[5] He is considered one of the best full-backs to have played for the club.[6]
Hughton played 398 games for Tottenham in all competitions, scoring 19 goals.[4][6] He was a member of the Tottenham side that won both the1981 and the1982 FA Cups, the1984 UEFA Cup, and finished runners-up in the1982 League Cup.[4]
By 1986, injuries and competition from other full-backs meant that Hughton could no longer secure a regular place in the starting lineup. He did however play in the1987 FA Cup final afterDanny Thomas was injured, the team finishing as runners-up in the competition.[7]
In November 1990,West Ham United signed Hughton, initially on loan[8] as cover for the injuredJulian Dicks,[citation needed] then signed on a permanent basis by managerBilly Bonds on a free transfer.[9] He played two seasons at West Ham, making 43 appearances in all competitions without scoring, and helped them win promotion fromDivision Two in 1991.[6][8]
In 1992, he signed forBrentford, again on a free transfer.[8] He helped Brentford win the Third Division title in the1991–92 season.[7] He played for a year for Brentford, before retiring at the age of 34 due to a knee injury in early 1993.[10]
Hughton qualified to play for theRepublic of Ireland as the son of an Irish mother and a Ghanaian father,[11] becoming the firstmixed-race player to represent the country.[11] He made his debut for Ireland in October 1979 in a friendly against theUnited States.[12] He won 53caps for the Republic from 1979 to 1991.[10]
Hughton was part of the nation's final squads forUEFA Euro 1988 – playing in all three matches – and the1990 FIFA World Cup, where he did not play (Steve Staunton played instead). He scored his only international goal in a 6–0 win againstCyprus in the qualifiers for the1982 World Cup.
Hughton was awarded atestimonial, staged on 29 May 1995 atLansdowne Road.
He served as the national team's assistant manager underBrian Kerr, from February 2003 to October 2005.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 19 November 1980 | Lansdowne Road,Dublin |  Cyprus | 6–0 | 6–0 | 1982 World Cup qualifier | [13] |
From June 1993 to October 2007, Hughton was a coach at Tottenham Hotspur, initially in charge of the under-21 team, then the reserve side in 1999, being promoted to the first team two years later. In his time at Spurs, he served under 11 different managers:Keith Burkinshaw,Ray Clemence,Doug Livermore,Osvaldo Ardiles,Gerry Francis,Christian Gross,George Graham,Glenn Hoddle,David Pleat,Jacques Santini andMartin Jol. He also served as caretaker manager on two occasions. With Hughton on board, Tottenham finished fifth for two consecutive seasons (2005–06 and2006–07), while also winning theFootball League Cup in 1998–99. On 25 October 2007, Hughton was dismissed as assistant manager along with then manager Jol, following a UEFA Cup home defeat, in thegroup stages, toGetafe.[14]
On 22 February 2008, Hughton was appointed first team coach atNewcastle United by director of footballDennis Wise, joiningKevin Keegan's coaching staff, working primarily on defence withSteve Round.[15] In his first match, Newcastle beat Hughton's former club Tottenham 4–1, atWhite Hart Lane.[16]
On 8 September 2008, Hughton was named caretaker manager of Newcastle following the departures of Keegan,Terry McDermott andAdam Sadler.[17] After a defeat to newly promoted, but in-form,Hull City[18] and a League Cup exit to Tottenham Hotspur[19] though, Hughton stood down as caretaker and was replaced on a temporary basis byJoe Kinnear.[20] Hughton was promoted to assistant manager afterthe Magpies appointedColin Calderwood as first team coach on 26 January 2009. In February, Kinnear took ill before a game withWest Bromwich Albion[21] and Hughton took charge of that game which Newcastle won 3–2.[22] In the week following the win, it was revealed that Kinnear needed a heart bypass operation and that Hughton along withColin Calderwood andPaul Barron would have to take charge of the team for the next few weeks and possibly months. However, defeats toBolton Wanderers,[23]Manchester United[24] andArsenal,[25] and draws againstEverton[26] andHull City[27] resulted in Newcastle appointingAlan Shearer as interim manager until the end of the season.[28]
During the off-season of 2009, ownerMike Ashley announced he was selling the club, and Hughton was again left with the job of caretaker manager when the club failed to further secure the services ofAlan Shearer. This was followed by a statement from Llambias: "Mike Ashley feels it would be unwise to appoint a team manager when the club is for sale," leaving Hughton in charge for the start of the2009–10 season. Hughton's first two games in charge of the new season saw inspired performances in a 1–1 draw withWest Bromwich Albion away from home and a memorable 3–0 win againstReading at home, which ended inShola Ameobi getting his first ever hat trick. He continued Newcastle's unbeaten start of the new season with a 1–0 victory overSheffield Wednesday which also featured his first transfer signing of the seasonDanny Simpson. Hughton also signedPeter Løvenkrands andFabrice Pancrate on free transfers and completed the loan signings ofZurab Khizanishvili[29] andMarlon Harewood.[30]
A positive start to the 2009–10 season saw Hughton win successive Manager of the Month awards for August and September and then again in November, resulting in the board naming him as the new permanent manager of the club, after two stints as caretaker.[31] Hughton's league start to his managerial career was the best in Newcastle's history. In January, Newcastle signedMike Williamson,Wayne Routledge andLeon Best in permanent transfers andFitz Hall andPatrick van Aanholt on loan. On 5 April 2010, Newcastle, under Hughton's control, confirmed their promotion back to thePremier League prior to a match againstSheffield United, afterNottingham Forest failed to win their match againstCardiff City. They then went on to win the game 2–1 with a Peter Løvenkrands penalty and abicycle kick-goal fromKevin Nolan to earn them a place back in the Premier League after just one season away.[32] Newcastle then went on to clinch the Championship title on 19 April 2010 after a 2–0 victory overPlymouth Argyle, winning 30, drawing 12 and losing just 4 of their 46 matches. Newcastle were unbeaten at home for the entire 2009–10 season including both cup competitions, clinching promotion in record time.
During pre-season for the2010–11 season, Hughton signedSol Campbell andDan Gosling for free whilst gettingJames Perch for an undisclosed fee. His first home win on return to the Premier League came on 22 August, when Newcastle thrashedAston Villa 6–0, with three goals fromAndy Carroll, two goals fromKevin Nolan and one fromJoey Barton.[33] Hughton received praise for his calm management style to stabilise the club, shrewd signings and guiding Newcastle back to the Premier League. Prior to Newcastle's 1–1 draw withWolverhampton Wanderers and away win atEverton, he completed the signings ofCheick Tioté andHatem Ben Arfa. Despite leading his newly promoted side to healthy ninth place by the end of October, unrest came when star player Andy Carroll was arrested forassault. Newcastle followed this with wins atWest Ham United and a memorable 5–1derby victory againstSunderland.[34] Both before and after the victory Hughton received the backing of his players and the Newcastle supporters.[35] Later in 2010, Hughton led United to their first win against Arsenal in five years, beating Arsenal 1–0 at theEmirates Stadium with an Andy Carroll header.
Following a 3–1 defeat at West Brom in December, Hughton became the first Premier League manager of the2010–11 season to lose his job, as he was dismissed by managing director Derek Llambias. The decision was badly received by the players and the supporters, with veteran defender Sol Campbell claiming that the decision "makes no sense", and local commentator and ex-playerJohn Anderson saying he was "devastated and angry".[36] The dismissal was also condemned by LordAlan Sugar,[37]Colin Calderwood[38] and Alan Shearer.[39] The club stated that "an individual with more managerial experience [was] needed to take the club forward".[40] Peter Fraser ofSky Sports said that Hughton "brought calmness, dignity and respect to the Magpies' dugout",[41] while theBBC's Phil McNulty's opinion was that "Newcastle's followers have been loyal and grateful to Hughton" and that "Ashley will no doubt face further accusations that he is out of touch with football's realities".[42] Before the match againstLiverpool on 11 December, campaigners fromUnited For Newcastle organised a protest outsideSt James' Park as an opportunity for supporters to thank Hughton and to show their anger towards Ashley's decision.[43]
After media speculation linking Hughton with a variety of clubs,[44][45][46] Hughton was appointed manager ofChampionship club andLeague Cup holdersBirmingham City in June 2011.[47] In the club's first European campaign for 50 years, he led them into the group stages of theUEFA Europa League courtesy of a 3–0 aggregate win against Portuguese sideNacional.[48] During October, Birmingham won four and drew one of their league matches, an achievement for which Hughton was named Championship Manager of the Month.[49] He led Birmingham to the fifth round of the2011–12 FA Cup, drawing away atChelsea before losing 2–0 in the replay.[50] Hughton guidedthe Blues to a fourth-placed finish in theChampionship, qualifying for the play-offs,[51] where they lost 3–2 over the two legs of the semi-final againstBlackpool.[52]
At the end of the2011–12 season, Birmingham gaveNorwich City permission to talk to Hughton about their vacant managerial post, and he signed forthe Canaries on 7 June 2012.[53] His first league game in charge was againstFulham, where Norwich lost 5–0,[54] although this result was followed by memorable league victories against both Arsenal[55] andManchester United,[56] as well as aLeague Cup victory against Tottenham Hotspur.[57] Norwich, however, experienced bad form throughout the winter and towards the end of the season. Wins against West Brom andManchester City, on the last day of the season, prevented relegation, meaningWigan Athletic instead went down.[58] Having battled against relegation for the whole of the season, Hughton's first season in charge saw them finish in 11th place.[59]
Norwich experienced a turbulent period throughout the2013–14 season with the club winning only 10 games, with eight of those victories coming in league and two in theFootball League Cup as at March 2014.[60] On 6 April 2014, Norwich announced they had "parted company" with Hughton with immediate effect. At the time of his departure, Norwich were in 17th place in the Premier League, one place and five points above the relegation zone.[61] Since leaving Norwich, Hughton was offered, and rejected, assistant manager roles at various Premier League clubs.[62]
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On 31 December 2014, Hughton was announced as the new man in charge of Championship sideBrighton & Hove Albion on a three-and-a-half-year contract.[63] His first match in-charge ended with a 2–0 win atBrentford in the third round of theFA Cup on 3 January 2015.[64] In May 2016, Hughton signed a new four-year contract which would run until June 2020.[65]
By April 2017 with three games left to go, Hughton had guided Brighton to the top of the2016–17 EFL Championship earning the club automatic promotion to thePremier League after a 2–1 win at home to Wigan.[66] Brighton and Hughton lost their next two games to Norwich City and Bristol City. The final game of that campaign saw Brighton draw away at Aston Villa 1–1 which allowed Newcastle United to jump above them by one point and missing out on crowning the club champions of the Championship.[67]
On 9 March 2018, Hughton wonPremier League Manager of the Month award for February and became the first black manager to win the prize.[68] He guided Brighton to 15th place in their first season in the Premier League, securing their status in the division with a 1–0 home victory againstManchester United.[69]
On 13 May 2019, despite leading the club to safety again with a 17th place finish, Hughton was sacked by Brighton following a run of only three wins in 23 games in the Premier League, leaving the club and only two points clear of relegation at the end of the 2018–19 season.[70]
On 6 October 2020, Hughton was appointed manager ofEFL Championship clubNottingham Forest, followingSabri Lamouchi's dismissal earlier in the day.[71] Hughton's first game as Forest manager was a 1–0 win away atBlackburn Rovers on 17 October 2020.[72] After taking over a Forest side that were bottom of the Championship table with zero points, Hughton guided Forest to a 17th place position in his first season in charge, finishing nine points above the relegation zone. During Hughton's first season in charge, Forest were a well organised team with a good defensive record, but often struggled to score goals.[73]
Ahead of thenew season, Hughton was faced with the task of rebuilding his Forest side into a team capable of challenging for promotion. Hughton was faced with seven players out of contract, five loan players returning to their parent clubs and four more players told that they were free to leave, meaning a substantial rebuild was required.[74] Hughton felt that improving Nottingham Forest's attacking threat should be their main priority in the summer transfer window.[73] On 16 September 2021, Hughton was dismissed after gaining just one point in Forest's opening seven matches of the season.[75] This was Forest's worst start to a season since 1913.[76]
In February 2022, Hughton accepted a role as technical advisor to theGhana national team's coaching staff for the period of theirWorld Cup qualifiers in March.[77] In May 2022, Hughton was appointed in the same role until the end of December 2022 alongsideOtto Addo as head coach andGeorge Boateng andMas-Ud Didi Dramani as assistant coaches, the same set-up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup final play-off matches against Nigeria.[78][79]
On 12 February 2023, Hughton was appointed as head coach of the Ghana national team.[80] With Ghana having failed to qualify from thegroup stages of the2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Hughton was sacked on 23 January 2024.[81]
Hughton was born inForest Gate, then part ofEssex, now part ofLondon,[82] the son of aGhanaian postman, Willie Hughton, and hisIrish wife Christine, née Bourke.[83] He was educated locally, atSt Bonaventure's Catholic School,[84] and completed a four-year apprenticeship as alift engineer before turning professional with Tottenham Hotspur.[85] His brotherHenry played football forCrystal Palace,Leyton Orient and Brentford, and for theRepublic of Ireland under-21 team in 1981.
Hughton and wife Cheryl have four children: daughters Carleen and Aisha and sons Leon andCian.[86] Cian also became a footballer; he began his career with Tottenham Hotspur, represented the Republic of Ireland at under-21 level, and played in the Football League forLincoln City.[87]
Hughton wrote a column for theWorkers' Revolutionary Party publicationNews Line in the 1970s.[88] He is a member of theLabour Party.[89]
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Tottenham Hotspur (Interim) | 20 November 1997 | 25 November 1997 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 000.00 |
| Tottenham Hotspur (Interim) | 7 September 1998 | 1 October 1998 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 050.00 |
| Newcastle United (Interim) | 8 September 2008 | 29 September 2008 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 000.00 |
| Newcastle United (Interim) | 7 February 2009 | 2 April 2009 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 016.67 |
| Newcastle United | 1 June 2009 | 6 December 2010 | 70 | 39 | 17 | 14 | 055.71 |
| Birmingham City | 22 June 2011 | 7 June 2012 | 62 | 26 | 21 | 15 | 041.94 |
| Norwich City | 7 June 2012 | 6 April 2014 | 82 | 24 | 23 | 35 | 029.27 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 31 December 2014 | 13 May 2019 | 215 | 88 | 57 | 70 | 040.93 |
| Nottingham Forest | 6 October 2020 | 16 September 2021 | 53 | 14 | 17 | 22 | 026.42 |
| Ghana | 20 March 2023 | 23 January 2024 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 030.77 |
| Total | 512 | 199 | 144 | 169 | 038.87 | ||
Tottenham Hotspur
Brentford
Newcastle United
Brighton & Hove Albion
Individual
Yesterday they signed the former Tottenham defender Chris Hughton, who has been on loan at the club, on a free transfer.
International tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||
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