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[Albion] Chris Hughton



Triggaaar

Well-known member
Oct 24, 2005
50,560
Goldstone
Have no idea how they know each other.
HB&B used to get a lot of stick on here (still does I guess), but one guy who always stood up for him was Paul Valley. Unfortunately, it turned out that they were the same person.
 




Hampster Gull

New member
Dec 22, 2010
13,462
He can be as dull as he likes as long as he keeps producing these results.

The surprises for me are
- just how organised he has got his teams compared to last year,
- the ability so far this season to get his selection absolutely spot on
- his flexibility in working with a completely different formation (I know he has the squad to enable that)
- he is neither overly defensive minded nor do his teams play turgid football as warned by Norwich fans.

The speed attacking has surprised me
 


NooBHA

Well-known member
Jan 13, 2015
8,588
HB&B used to get a lot of stick on here (still does I guess), but one guy who always stood up for him was Paul Valley. Unfortunately, it turned out that they were the same person.

That's quite funny........... If Red Giant poster is who I think he is, then it is quite similar. When CH used to get a load of stick from posters on a Norwich Forum, he and I used to always stick up for Chris because we both thought he was doing a good job there. I am obviously biased because I know Chris but at that time he didn't know him but genuinely did think he was doing a good job there but we are definitely not the same person.

In fact I think he posted on here under the name of RG something or other shortly after CH got the job at Brighton. I think he gave a balanced view of his time at Norwich after another Norwich poster had come on here and slated Chris
 


Seagull by the Sea

New member
May 22, 2013
475
He is very much like that with people. I have introduced him to people before and they all say that after chatting to him for 4 or 5 minutes, they feel like they have just been chatting to someone they have known for years.

Exactly. It was like I had just bumped into an old friend and chatted as if we had seen each other a few days ago.

What is quite interesting is that most people believe you have to be a 'character' in professional football to be a success (a la Poyet, Mourinho, Fergie etc.) but Chris Hughton bucks that trend completely. He's more like a secret assassin; going about his business quietly, under the radar yet being hugely successful in completing the role he has been paid to do.

The Poyet years were truly amazing but I found myself switching the radio on immediately after games to see if he said something 'controversial' and praying he just kept his mouth shut. Last year I felt like my 'Mojo' was waining but Chris Hughton has somehow just made the Albion, the Albion again.

Really hope he continues to be successful here and that he stays for a very long time.
 


scoobiewhite

Well-known member
Jan 29, 2012
429
Albourne / Brighton
To add to the positive comments...

Just prior to the season I was walking out of Brighton station and almost bumped into CH, who was asking the platform staff a question. Whilst internally speculating that he was off to Londinium to sign a high profile striker, I couldn't help but notice how personable he was.

Nothing over the top but he seemed to really engage with the staff, who seemed to respond really well. The two stewards who had previously been passively minding their own business seemed to want to show him to the right train personally.

It would seem that one of his greatest strengths is that he makes people want to do their jobs well, without feeling dominated.

My Geordie in-laws still mourn his sacking and it's rare that they accept anyone from south of York!!
 




Dick Knights Mumm

Take me Home Falmer Road
Jul 5, 2003
19,653
Hither and Thither
Almost perfectly correct........................one small point I would disagree with but I may not have my facts correct on that matter so I wouldn't want to contradict................I wonder if Jolly Red Giant and I perhaps know each other

Well thank you both for posting. It is always refreshing to read posts where opinion is backed by experience. I tend to put store on what supporters of previous clubs think and with Hughton on a football front it was shall we say "mixed" from Norwich fans. What was a surprise was how vitriolic some voices were.

To me the jury was out even after saving us from relegation. Now, they are back in and the accused can walk out of the court a free man with an apology from the judge for the case ever being brought.
 


Sheebo

Well-known member
Jul 13, 2003
29,319
How good was his interview after Tuesday's game!? Just comes across so calm & chilled :)
 






NooBHA

Well-known member
Jan 13, 2015
8,588
Well thank you both for posting. It is always refreshing to read posts where opinion is backed by experience. I tend to put store on what supporters of previous clubs think and with Hughton on a football front it was shall we say "mixed" from Norwich fans. What was a surprise was how vitriolic some voices were.

To me the jury was out even after saving us from relegation. Now, they are back in and the accused can walk out of the court a free man with an apology from the judge for the case ever being brought.

Some fans of Norwich were awful with Chris. I started to hate some of them. Thankfully, I got to know some of them who appreciated what he achieved there. Its all water under the bridge now anyhow. He is manager of Brighton now and happy in his work. Chris himself tends to get over such things very quickly. Better then I did at the time but then again a football manager knows what they are letting themselves in for. The don't get the big bucks for nothing
 


Monsieur Le Plonk

Lethargy in motion
Apr 22, 2009
1,858
By a lake
Some fans of Norwich were awful with Chris. I started to hate some of them. Thankfully, I got to know some of them who appreciated what he achieved there. Its all water under the bridge now anyhow. He is manager of Brighton now and happy in his work. Chris himself tends to get over such things very quickly. Better then I did at the time but then again a football manager knows what they are letting themselves in for. The don't get the big bucks for nothing

Good stuff.
So tell us more. Has he and his family settled well down South and could you imagine him settling here for a few years or does he have greater aspirations?
 






Tony Meolas Loan Spell

Slut Faced Whores
Jul 15, 2004
18,067
Vamanos Pest
Certainly was on the fence after our pathetic limp displays towards the back end of last season.

It looked like after that little purple patch of beating Brum, Ipswich, Leeds and Derby we were going to stay up quite comfortably - mid table even. Then we regressed maasivelty and stayed up by the skin of our teeth. Yes job done but even so.

HOWEVER this season has been brilliant so far BUT for me the caveat is lets see what he does after a couple of defeats. Granted we now have much better (and fit) players at our disposal, its fair to say one leg off the fence but the other is still there.
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
73,888
West west west Sussex
As we, quite rightly, get carried away with CH's success this season.
We'll do well to remember the team is winning by odd goals on the back of some outstanding defending.

Last season we lost by odd goals on the back of some outstanding defending with an occasional error.
Tuesday's game last season would have, at best, been 2-2.

We're still talking fine margins between 'The Chrissy Caravan' and 'Can the Chris'.
 


fleet

Well-known member
Jul 28, 2003
12,229
Certainly was on the fence after our pathetic limp displays towards the back end of last season.

It looked like after that little purple patch of beating Brum, Ipswich, Leeds and Derby we were going to stay up quite comfortably - mid table even. Then we regressed maasivelty and stayed up by the skin of our teeth. Yes job done but even so.

HOWEVER this season has been brilliant so far BUT for me the caveat is lets see what he does after a couple of defeats. Granted we now have much better (and fit) players at our disposal, its fair to say one leg off the fence but the other is still there.

What is this word "defeat" that you speak of?

(In case you think I'm not joking see post 14 on this thread)
 
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jay d

jay d n coke
Nov 16, 2014
833
brighton
Wel im eating humble pie, happy to admit it, and happy to be proved wrong
. Wel done chris
 


Machiavelli

Well-known member
Oct 11, 2013
17,044
Fiveways
Here is the thing that has surprised me about what has happened.

Normally, Chris teams start very slowly in matches and very often go behind because he is usually too cautious in the opening 20 minutes or so - This happened a lot when he was in charge if both Birmingham and Newcastle in the Championship. Newwcastle I think actually came back from losing positions and won 5 or 6 times in that season.

This year his team get on the front foot right from the first minute which is very good to see. I watched both his seasons with Newcastle and Birmingham and saw quite a lot of the games during those seasons. Newcastle accumulated over 100 points when they went up.

I havn't actually been down for a match at Brighton this season but I did promise to do so when Jamie was playing so should do so soon; however, I actually think that this is a better side than both his Newcastle and Birmingham teams. Newcastle had better individuals and Birmingham was a very hard work ethic team but this team he has put together at Brighton has both individuals and a good work ethic. So for that reason, I think they could even be one of the best sides he has put together.

Norwhich was actually the best side he had put together as far as I have seen but the Norwich Board and fans never appreciated what he had put together in terms of a team. I think they actually saw themselves as a team which should be top 10 team in the Premiership with the smallest playing budget. Very delusional as they will find out this year. Their loss is Brighton's gain

With you on this. We now start games with incredible intensity, and dominate early. It's only against Blackburn (where things just didn't work) and, to a lesser extent, Forest that this hasn't been clearly in evidence. But this seems part of a wider game plan in which we go in with the view that we'll control the game from the start, and adapt according to how it is developing. We're scoring a lot of early goals. I suspect this will continue for a while. What I'm less hopeful about is being able to hang on, which we've also been extremely successful in doing. We need to take more chances early. Against both Hull and Rotherham, and perhaps even Ipswich, we should have been further ahead by half-time. This may well come too, as confidence appears to be developing through the players. I'm hoping Baldock goes on a goalscoring run, and that the other wide players start chipping in too: Murphy, Manu, Rosenoir. Then there's always the possibility of goals from other areas: the defence, and Zamora/other forward substitutes.
 


Monsieur Le Plonk

Lethargy in motion
Apr 22, 2009
1,858
By a lake
As we, quite rightly, get carried away with CH's success this season.
We'll do well to remember the team is winning by odd goals on the back of some outstanding defending.

Last season we lost by odd goals on the back of some outstanding defending with an occasional error.
Tuesday's game last season would have, at best, been 2-2.

We're still talking fine margins between 'The Chrissy Caravan' and 'Can the Chris'.

I don't think many of us are getting carried away. The opposite.
The humble restraint shown by everyone is great to behold. We have been here and done it before and we have first hand experience of failure to push on. I think our history has instilled an inherent pessimism within the fan base that can't help but expect the worst. On balance though, I'd hope we are coming across as being neither arrogant or smug.
My concern is we are not allowing ourselves to enjoy our current position, however fleeting that may be. It should be fun.
 


Triggaaar

Well-known member
Oct 24, 2005
50,560
Goldstone
Tuesday's game last season would have, at best, been 2-2.
It would have been 1-1 (I'm not referring to the fact that it was 1-1). Rotherham couldn't score 2 against us, but then we couldn't score 2 either.
 




NooBHA

Well-known member
Jan 13, 2015
8,588
Good stuff.
So tell us more. Has he and his family settled well down South and could you imagine him settling here for a few years or does he have greater aspirations?

His family are all grown up now, so they didn't need to move but he has place down there and his grown up family and all the grandchildren and parents are often down there for matches. Chris wants to manage in the Premiership again. He thinks he can achieve that with Brighton.

There is nothing to stop Brighton getting there and staying there if the Board continue to support him like they are now. He turned other jobs down before taking the Brighton job so he must see them as having similar aspirations to his own otherwise he would have waited for another job.

I am very surprised by how quickly he has turned things around but it's early days and he himself won't get complacent. He knows you don't get success in football unless you work hard. If he can continue to get that across to his players he will get what he is after - To manage in the Premiership with Brighton
 


Lifelong Supporter

Well-known member
Aug 4, 2009
2,070
Burgess Hill
Football is all about fine margins and the idea is that you get players that make them go your way for the majority of the time. CH has got the players in to give the best chance of them going our way and has been reasonably backed by the Board. Not silly money but very good money. Anything other than top 6 this season will be a disappointment.
 


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