So for most, it seems obvious that Hughton has made a massive difference to the way our team is set up. He's meticulous in his preparation and seems to a) know his players and their strengths and b) know his opposition and be tactically nimble where possible.
However, two things stand out as key differences between Hughton's Albion and Hyypia's:
1) Consistency: playing a settled team, changing little things here or there but creating a team that knows each other and their jobs is vital to a functional unit;
2) Captains: Under Hyypia, Greer was injured, Calderon didn't play unless Bruno was injured or suspended, Stockdale was very much in and out of form and our team lacked on field leadership. Now, Stockdale, Greer, Calderon and especially Kayal have given a spine of leadership throughout the team. They take responsibility and it makes a huge difference to the teams confidence.
Whether Hyypia was unlucky or Hughton is just better is not necessarily for me to say but these two aspects have been key to our turnaround. This pleases me. That is all.
However, two things stand out as key differences between Hughton's Albion and Hyypia's:
1) Consistency: playing a settled team, changing little things here or there but creating a team that knows each other and their jobs is vital to a functional unit;
2) Captains: Under Hyypia, Greer was injured, Calderon didn't play unless Bruno was injured or suspended, Stockdale was very much in and out of form and our team lacked on field leadership. Now, Stockdale, Greer, Calderon and especially Kayal have given a spine of leadership throughout the team. They take responsibility and it makes a huge difference to the teams confidence.
Whether Hyypia was unlucky or Hughton is just better is not necessarily for me to say but these two aspects have been key to our turnaround. This pleases me. That is all.