Why sacking Chris Hughton was sadly a gamble Brighton had to take
Well, how many of us saw that coming? Less than 24 hours after the 2018-19 Premier League season reached its conclusion, Brighton and Hove Albion have sacked one of their most successful ever managers with the news that Chris Hughton and his coaching staff are to leave the club with immediate effect.
There won’t be many people out there who don’t feel pity for Hughton. Over his four-and-a-half years in charge, the Albion have come from being nearly relegated into League One to enjoying what will now be three successive seasons of top flight football.
He’s achieved every target set of him, starting with keeping Brighton in the Championship to winning promotion to the Premier League to staying in it.
There’s even been a fantastic day out at Wembley in the semi finals of the FA Cup thrown in for good measure and – it’s easy to forget this now given how dour the football has become over the last few months – he was responsible for two of the most exciting and attack-minded seasons we’ve ever seen as the Albion finished third and then second in the Championship.
But sadly, all of that counts for nothing in the cut throat world of modern day football. And that is why Tony Bloom had to take the gamble of sacking Hughton after a disastrous second half of the campaign, leaving the now-ex Brighton boss with plenty of spare time to play bigbambooonline.com until he finds a new job. Which, given his record at the Albion and in the Championship, should not take long.
Two wins in 18 league games, only 18 goals scored and 33 conceded isn’t just relegation form – it’s bottom of the table form. Had Hughton remained in charge for 2019-20 and we continued in the same vein as we’ve finished this season, we’d be looking at a grand total of four wins and a scoring average of less than one goal per game.
There have been defeats at the Amex to Burnley, Southampton, Cardiff City and one of the worst home performances in living memory when Plucky Little Bournemouth won 5-0 in Sussex last month.
Whilst the football hasn’t exactly been entertaining much to the chagrin of many supporters, that would have been less of a factor in Bloom’s decision than results. Because there is no getting away from the fact that since Christmas, they have been nowhere near good enough – and not many clubs would stick with a manager who was delivering so little over the course of five months.
People will point to the fact we stayed up and made the semi finals of the FA Cup this season, but even those achievements should be taken with a pinch of salt. Cardiff City actually won more games than us and had Crystal Palace not have beaten them on the penultimate weekend of the campaign, it would be the Albion looking forward to trips to Luton Town and Barnsley next season rather than the Bluebirds.
That FA Cup run was also the result of one of the kindest set of draws you could hope to get. We faced three Championship sides and even then it took one of the worst goalkeeping mistakes you’ll ever see from Millwall’s David Martin to salvage the Seagulls a draw against the fourth-worst side in a division below us.
The moment it seemed to go wrong for Hughton was when he changed from 4-4-1-1 to 4-3-3 at the turn of the year. That was when the Albion’s form fell off a cliff and we went from sitting 12 points clear of relegation to relying on Palace to beat Cardiff to keep us up.
Had he abandoned the new formation around February time when it became obvious that it wasn’t working, then who knows what might have happened.
Since he reverted back to 4-4-1-1 for the final three games of the season, we’ve picked up points against Newcastle United and Arsenal and even managed to give Manchester City a fright in the first half of their visit to the Amex. Had Hughton have never tried or persisted with 4-3-3, he might still be in a job.
Still, sacking him represents a huge gamble for Bloom. There are countless tales of woe of clubs getting rid of managers in favour of trying something new, only for it to end in tears.
Charlton Athletic and Alan Curbishley, Stoke City and Tony Pulis and Southampton and Claude Puel are examples of clubs that have taken a severe tumble after sacking their boss and if Bloom doesn’t get this appointment right, then removing Hughton could look like one almighty cock up in a years time.
For only then will we know whether it is the right decision. If, come May 13th 2020, we’re looking at a Premier League table with Brighton higher up the standings and with more wins, points and goal scored, then the gamble will have paid off. If we end up relegated, then Bloom will have got it very wrong.
Luckily for the Albion, he doesn’t tend to get much wrong. There’s a reason he has become a multimillionaire through gambling and that is because the man known as The Lizard for his ice cool blood when the pressure is on at the poker table is so bloody good at it.
Every managerial appointment he has made over his 11 years at the helm has been a success, bar Sami Hyypia. Practically every decision he has taken since taking over as chairman from Dick Knight has worked out well, which is why we have one of the finest stadiums and training grounds in the country.
There will be plenty of supporters who feel Hughton has been treated badly here and deserved more time to turn things around, but sadly you can’t base decisions like these on sentiment and what has happened in the past. If you did, we’d still have Micky Adams in charge and we’d probably be in the Bostik League with Colin Hawkins pratting around at centre back.
The last time Bloom ruthlessly removed a highly likeable manager who had lots of goodwill in the bank it turned out pretty well. Russell Slade was controversially cast aside just five months after he’d saved the Albion from relegation to League Two by overturning an eight point gap to safety with seven games remaining.
Nobody was particularly happy with that, but in came Gus Poyet and you shouldn’t need reminding about just what a phenomenal decision that turned out to be. Bloom will be hoping that his replacement for Hughton can have a similar impact, although the new man’s more pressing concern will be keeping us at this level given how dire the last five months have been rather than kicking us onto the next.
Whoever that man turns out to be, he has got a hell of an act to follow. For however bad the last 18 games of the Hughton era have been, he will quite rightly go down as one of the greatest managers the Albion have ever had. He’s achieved things that only Alan Mullery before him has done and the whole of Sussex has taken him to their hearts.
For that reason, Hughton will forever be an Albion legend and should never, ever have to buy his own drink in any pub in Brighton and Hove for the rest of his life. He’s put the club where it is today and we will all forever be in his debt for doing that.
But all good things have to come to an end. Every story has a conclusion and sadly, Hughton’s at Brighton seems to have reached its. Thanks for the memories Chris, and good luck for the future.
Mr Bloom, it’s over to you.
I think Chris Hughton has been treated badly. How many of the players will take the flak… none. There are a lot ,who quite frankly , are not worth the shirt. The club have relied heavily on Glenn Murray, who has delivered for the club on many occasions. Who else?…. However, i wish the next manager every success, Chris is a hard act to follow.
That is the thing you can’t rely on Murray forever he was a immense figure for palace before coming to Brighton but 20 plus goals a year is unlikely the rest of the team.The squad well were to start get your wallet out mr chairmen because the way i see it there are 20 spaces that need filling in that squad assuming we can get anything for the mob we have now.
Players were lazy not interested and on a beach a number of them need shipping out as well. A good move to sack him and his staff. A bicg debt burden will determine how much is spent over the summer. There maybe trouble ahead!
I think Brighton have made a huge mistake in sacking Chris Hughton. Apart from the fact he is a lovely man and very passionate about the game, he made history by bringing Brighton into the top flight and keep them there. Was always looking out for Brighton before, but now, I will watch and quietly chuckle as they remain a lower league club with no real prospects. Shame on you Brighton, he didn’t deserve this.
I liked Chris, both as a genuine man and also as a Manager. I have supported the club, man and boy for over 50+ years and even I wear the badge with pride.
I think it harsh the way this sacking was done, but realistically, whether or not a better manager can be installed for better results given the value of seagulls squad compared to the top tier clubs, remains to be seen.
But, having said that, I watched as many matches as I could this last season and after the first 15 games, I started to worry. New players underperforming ( a couple of exceptions to this ) and a lack lustre performance time after time. A team cannot just rely on its defence.
Exciting football is needed and urgently, not just hanging on in there.
Lets hope Brighton make the correct decision when engaging the new manager, a person with a good track record, certainly not a manager who hasn’t had success in the premier league as suggestions imply.
Chris was the right man for the job at the right time, but sadly all things come to an end.
Lets not take a step backwards with the next appointment otherwise all the last few years will have been in vain.
Onwards and upwards, but only possible if the right decision is made NOW.
Through the good times and the bad, I have been a loyal supporter.
Please keep the momentum going, Make Chris’s legacy a step for our future upwards
Very sad to see Hughton go, Stanying in the Premiership when it looked as if all was doomed is no mean achievement. The world of football managers is a very cruel and heartless one. I first started supporting the Seagulls 70 years ago and although I now live in Manchester and am a full on supporter of Manchester City I have never stopped supporting Brighton and following their results and highs and lows.
I was so relieved they were safe before the last game when they played City as I would have hated us to be the ones who sealed their downfall I hope someone else recognises the special qualities of Hughton and he has a successful ongoing career in football There is only so much a manager can do and his tools have to include quality players who can produce good performances on the pitch, If we are honest he did not always enjoy that luxury. I would like to say thank you for the wonderful way the club hosted City and the great atmosphere they created for the Premiership winning celebrations. Hope to be down for the City/Brighton fixture next season Joy Wolfe
as a leicester fan we sacked a premiership winner, shameful decision, brighton sack the manager who has elevated tem to be a fair premiership team who also had a fantastic cup run.leicester are miles away from the ranieri great times and brighton could quite easily plummet down divisions. every year a football club has expectations ofhow they will perform,did brighton and their chairman expect a lot more than they achieved,no this is an atrocious decision and it will come back to haunt them.good luck to chris hughton and i hope he gets a better job soon as he did not deserve this.
It is very sad to see Chris Hughton go, but looking at it dispassionately it is the right move. For months and months we’ve been hearing the complaint of “lack of quality in the final third”, but no progress seems to have been made to rectify this. But it’s not necessary to spend millions to achieve this, especially with already a good squad of players, what’s been lacking is (a) coaching of the simple but effective attacking principles, which I can only imagine has not been happening on the training ground, and (b) use of wrong tactics, especially an obsession with defence to the detriment of good attack. Every game seems to have thrown up a psychological barrier that’s saying “we have to pack everyone in defence otherwise we’ll be punished”. Negativity has been the key word, and what Chris Hughton hasn’t seen is that attack is in itself a form of defence ! And we have a group of skilful players with good attacking intentions, but unable to be effective because they have to think about defence too much. By “effective attacking principles” I mean: one-twos, going forward; first-time crosses; low crosses behind the defence; crosses from the by-line along the ground in front of defence; back-heels; taking on defenders in the penalty area, making defenders fearing you (e.g. Knockaert!); keep a player on the half-way line to receive clearances from defence, that ties up two of their players. It’s not rocket science, is it, but we don’t see enough of these simple techniques, and, ultimately, we are not making the best use of each player (why have we sent Duffy up front as an attacker for heaven’s sake, especially as he hasn’t been that effective with the head, so how about heading the ball across the goal for someone else to score from, rather than heading wide from an acute angle ?!). It is to be hoped that the new manager will have plenty of nous in these areas, and be prepared to practice them on the training ground.
I knew Hughton would eventually take Brighton up to the Premiership if given the chance. Just as I knew Ian Holloway would for Blackpool.
Any way you look at it Brighton have made a colossal mistake in sacking Hughton. Brighton in their wildest dreams were never a Premier league outfit. If Hughton had taken them down he should’ve stayed let alone keep them up and go.
Hughton will work his magic elsewhere and when the call comes from Bloom in a few years time, I hope Chris quietly puts the receiver down.
History repeated itself at Brighton with Hughton as it did at Norwich. Looking back i wish we’d allowed him to stay for the final 5 games as it gave him a get out saying we were above the relegation zone when we sacked him but in reality we got someone else in for a try at the only winnable game we had left, when his team hadnt had a shot on goal away from home for months. There are so many fans of other clubs who seem outraged but very few Brighton fans i have heard from that go to games are dissapointed. I remember that before we got rid of him id stopped watching our games they were just so depressing and it obviously still affects me as im commenting on this bitterly 5 years later!