Shepherd, Bruce and Nolan offer support to Hughton as sacking rumours persist.
Posted on October 29th, 2010 | 109 Comments |
Hughton’s position as Newcastle manager has recently been called into question by journalists such as the People’s Alan Oliver and the Daily Hate Mail’s Colin Young, and bets on whether Hughton would be sacked were suspended at Ladbrokes recently. In response, the club issued a club statement after Wednesday’s League Cup defeat against Arsenal. The statement said:
“Chris is our manager and will remain our manager, and it is our intention to renegotiate his contract at the end of the year.”
Speaking in an interview for Talk Sport meanwhile, Freddy Shepherd said of Hughton’s time as the Magpies’ manager:
“I think Chris has done a great job, when you bear in mind the restrictions that he’s had of him and that’s football today.
“How can people complain about him? He brought them back up last season and I think he’s doing a great job. I don’t know how people can have a go at him, it’s just impossible.”
In another interview, Sunderland manager, Steve Bruce, also paid a similar tribute to the Cockney Colossus, saying:
“Football management is never easy and what he has done at Newcastle, for someone who has never managed a club before, is outstanding. The way Chris has conducted himself and the way he has galvanised them, has been terrific.
“I have the greatest respect for what he has done.
“When I see people are calling for him to go, or giving him undue criticism, I think it is appalling.
“He is one of football’s really good lads in a world of cut-throats.”
Finally, Newcastle United captain, Kevin Nolan, also had words of support for his gaffer, saying:
“No matter what happens on Sunday we are going to still be 110 per cent behind Chris Hughton,” he told Sky Sports News.
“For the statements, for anything else we don’t care what anyone else says outside. As a group of players, as a squad, as a staff and I believe as fans too we believe we are going in the right direction and the main focal point and the main leader in that is Chris Hughton.
“I think the talk is absolutely ridiculous on him having to win a game to stay in his job, it is absolutely ridiculous.
“No matter what we want to see Chris Hughton in charge of us and we believe we are going in the right way with him in charge of us.”
Can I just ask why the club are not talking to him about a new contract until the end of the year? Bit strange if you ask me.
Still say there’s something fishy going on.
More importantly, he desperately needs an assistant. He cannot do it all on his own.