[Albion] How much of our success is down to Chris Hughton?

[worthingseagull123]

Very true.

Although you need competence with signings.

 

[mikeyjh]

I’ll prefix this by saying I think Hughton is an absolute legend, generally under-rated as a manager and apparently a thoroughly decent human too. I hope he stays with us for a long time.

However I’ve noticed with some irritation, particularly after yesterday’s result, that the default opinion of pundits is that our success in the past couple of years is entirely down him.

Kelly Cates on 606 yesterday was a particular example, talking about how he had turned the club around from relegation form in the Championship to promotion and now closing in on safety in the Prem.

No mention of the fact that we’d been in the playoffs the two previous seasons, nor that we consistently had some of the biggest home crowds in the Championship etc. A fleeting mention of Barber and Uncle Tony but only in passing.

It was like Hughton had arrived and waved a magic wand and suddenly we were promotion candidates. I was a bit surprised as usually Cates knows what she’s talking about.

So it got me wondering what other people think... is Hughton responsible for the lion’s share of our success? Or were we on a trajectory where we were heading up sooner or later anyway, and other managers could have done just as good a job?


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You cannot overlook the impact that Bloom has had on Brighton, think back a couple of years before the stadium was built - Martin Perry and Dick Knight were going round with a begging bowl, the banks weren't lending, the project was on its knees so without Bloom, those crowds you mentioned wouldn't be there and the facilities, obviously, would not be the same.

All that said, many clubs are in a similar position in terms of infrastructure but have been unable to make the strides that Brighton have under Hughton, I think he deserves massive credit. Few clubs have been as fortunate as Brighton to have that level of funding but all that means little on a Saturday afternoon - If you had a 'manager of the last 3 years' competition, Hughton would have few peers.

 

[Billy the Fish]

I think [MENTION=16359]JBizzle[/MENTION] had given the closest answer here.

You can't give 100% of the credit to Hughton, but he does probably take most of it.
Paul Winstanley and the recruitment team have to take some credit for our transfer business, and also Bloom and Barber for overseeing the whole operation. Chris has been given an environment that he can thrive in.

 

[Joshski]

Who knows around 70-80%, just look at what the big Fin did with a similar squad..., I know that Chris has had better luck with injuries, especially this season. Players have been fantastic too of course.

 

[dazzer6666]

I personally didn't mind his caution. Last August I envisage us getting zero points against mega expensive squads such as Everton, Stoke, Stains, Bmuff and Palace, but in our first season with a quasi-Championship squad, we gained critical points in those games that look likely to keep us up.

Managers that went toe to toe such as Wagner, haven't fared quite as well, and our GD is superior too.

They talked about this on MOTD2 on Sunday.......deliberate caution until Jan, get some points where we can keeping things tight at the back and then start to be more expansive as we grow into the prem and strengthen the squad. They had some good stats on shots pre/post January, even though possession was more or less the same. It's beginning to look like CH has managed the season like a true master of the game.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

I just think the whole thing is one 20-year journey from the Goldstone and Hereford to get where we are today, and we are most definitely still on the journey.

It starts with the fans getting Archer out, to Gritt and Storer and Reinelt keeping us up, to Dick Knight stabilising us and bringing us back to Brighton, to Adams, Zamora, Kuipers, Cullip, Oatway, Mayo, Hart and the rest getting us out of the bottom division at long last, and with Taylor and McGhee giving us a sighter of the championship, to Hinshelwood and Wilkins getting our youth set-up back up and running, to Dick and Martin Perry and so many others getting that stadium approved and built, to Tony paying for the dream to come true and the players to grace that stadium, to Poyet, Bridcutt, Buckley, Calderon bringing great football and the championship play-offs for the first time, to Bloom and Barber and Winstanley and the professionalism they brought to running the club, the new training ground, the women's set-up, the transfer successes, and now to Hughton, Dunk, Bruno, Knockaert, Murray and the rest getting us into, and competing in, the premier league....

... and where will it go now? Sometimes we've taken a step backward, but we soon march forward again, and the trajectory continues ever upwards....

 

[Withdean]

Remember on the day we won promotion? His comment to the press is that he had to get back to work for this season.
His feet are very firmly placed on the ground. That helps his squad.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

I just think the whole thing is one 20-year journey from the Goldstone and Hereford to get where we are today, and we are most definitely still on the journey.

It starts with the fans getting Archer out, to Gritt and Storer and Reinelt keeping us up, to Dick Knight stabilising us and bringing us back to Brighton, to Adams, Zamora, Kuipers, Cullip, Oatway, Mayo, Hart and the rest getting us out of the bottom division at long last, and with Taylor and McGhee giving us a sighter of the championship, to Hinshelwood and Wilkins getting our youth set-up back up and running, to Dick and Martin Perry and so many others getting that stadium approved and built, to Tony paying for the dream to come true and the players to grace that stadium, to Poyet, Bridcutt, Buckley, Calderon bringing great football and the championship play-offs for the first time, to Bloom and Barber and Winstanley and the professionalism they brought to running the club, the new training ground, the women's set-up, the transfer successes, and now to Hughton, Dunk, Bruno, Knockaert, Murray and the rest getting us into, and competing in, the premier league....

... and where will it go now? Sometimes we've taken a step backward, but we soon march forward again, and the trajectory continues ever upwards....

This is it, of course. A story of steady progress, often against the odds, but all backed by solid teamwork, which has included the fans. The team is a lot bigger now, and so are the challenges. As for Chris Hughton, he makes the decisions that affect the team on the field, and their success dictates how successful everything else is, so he is hugely important. But I have absolutely no doubt that TB and PB have names in mind as potential replacements in case of emergency.

 

[Nitram]

He seems, like Bloom, a modest man, who are happy to underplay their roles in the success of the team. In a football age of bloated egos this makes a refreshing change. Doesn't seem to take anything for granted but these traits are what makes him an exceptional manager. The way he has transformed a championship side with new signings into a premiership side and got them all working together is a remarkable achievement. When I looked at the bench on Sunday you could see how far the team has developed in a year. Deserves all the accolades he can muster. Well done Chris don't think it would been achieved by another manager from where we were.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

He is. He got the time higher than Poyet or Garcia did - and they were both very good managers.

But Hughton got a part-relegation squad facing the same way, and everyone playing for him. He sets the tone, the tactics, the work ethic and the effort. Of course others are involved, but he is the boss.

I think he has made a major, major contribution, but that was maybe the missing piece in an almost complete jigsaw. Everything else had to be right as well.

The article in the Observer about him on Sunday was enormously complimentary about his honesty, integrity, style of management etc, so he has had a major part to play imho. It's been highlighted elsewhere, but herewith the link, and it's well worth a read. A lot of it is comments from Steve Sidwell about how good CH is, with a comment from Liam Rosenior as well. He respects everyone, gives them time, and is respected in return.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/mar/03/chris-hughton-brighton-premier-league-sidwell

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

You cannot overlook the impact that Bloom has had on Brighton, think back a couple of years before the stadium was built - Martin Perry and Dick Knight were going round with a begging bowl, the banks weren't lending, the project was on its knees so without Bloom, those crowds you mentioned wouldn't be there and the facilities, obviously, would not be the same.

All that said, many clubs are in a similar position in terms of infrastructure but have been unable to make the strides that Brighton have under Hughton, I think he deserves massive credit. Few clubs have been as fortunate as Brighton to have that level of funding but all that means little on a Saturday afternoon - If you had a 'manager of the last 3 years' competition, Hughton would have few peers.

But presumably Bloom and Barber would have had some say (slight understatement) in the hiring of Chris Hughton. They are both decent people and good operators, and would appoint someone in their mould, or with whom they were confident they could work, to take charge of that playing part of the whole thing. Things are just "right".

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

I personally didn't mind his caution. Last August I envisage us getting zero points against mega expensive squads such as Everton, Stoke, Stains, Bmuff and Palace, but in our first season with a quasi-Championship squad, we gained critical points in those games that look likely to keep us up.

Managers that went toe to toe such as Wagner, haven't fared quite as well, and our GD is superior too.

I have no problem with his caution either. It is doing us OK at the moment.

But there have been a couple of occasions when listening to after match comments that I thought the team were more cautious than he would have liked them to be, or maybe that the quality of the opposition or their game-plan was such that it thwarted CH's ambitions. There are two teams in every match. and the opposition can fight back.

 

[Rogero]

It's exciting to think how far we can go. Year 1 he saved us from relegation, year 2 playoffs, year 3 promotion, year 4 staying up, year 5 top 8 maybe,etc

 

[Deano's Right Foot]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41710640

This is an interesting article about Watford and their relative stability despite managerial changes (or more accurately Head Coach changes) and whilst it's not completely relevant I think that ours looks like a club that has the infrastructure to flourish during a managerial change. Having said that I think that Hughton is doing an amazing job here, both with the planning and organisation of the team where everyone knows their job for each match including exploiting Arsenal's zonal marking to get the back post corner in for the first goal for example, and of course the team spirit which seems to be so strong even through the bad runs.

 

[The Gem]

I just think the whole thing is one 20-year journey from the Goldstone and Hereford to get where we are today, and we are most definitely still on the journey.

It starts with the fans getting Archer out, to Gritt and Storer and Reinelt keeping us up, to Dick Knight stabilising us and bringing us back to Brighton, to Adams, Zamora, Kuipers, Cullip, Oatway, Mayo, Hart and the rest getting us out of the bottom division at long last, and with Taylor and McGhee giving us a sighter of the championship, to Hinshelwood and Wilkins getting our youth set-up back up and running, to Dick and Martin Perry and so many others getting that stadium approved and built, to Tony paying for the dream to come true and the players to grace that stadium, to Poyet, Bridcutt, Buckley, Calderon bringing great football and the championship play-offs for the first time, to Bloom and Barber and Winstanley and the professionalism they brought to running the club, the new training ground, the women's set-up, the transfer successes, and now to Hughton, Dunk, Bruno, Knockaert, Murray and the rest getting us into, and competing in, the premier league....

... and where will it go now? Sometimes we've taken a step backward, but we soon march forward again, and the trajectory continues ever upwards....

Nice one, made the hair on my neck stand thinking of all those times.

 

[Tooting Gull]

I just think the whole thing is one 20-year journey from the Goldstone and Hereford to get where we are today, and we are most definitely still on the journey.

It starts with the fans getting Archer out, to Gritt and Storer and Reinelt keeping us up, to Dick Knight stabilising us and bringing us back to Brighton, to Adams, Zamora, Kuipers, Cullip, Oatway, Mayo, Hart and the rest getting us out of the bottom division at long last, and with Taylor and McGhee giving us a sighter of the championship, to Hinshelwood and Wilkins getting our youth set-up back up and running, to Dick and Martin Perry and so many others getting that stadium approved and built, to Tony paying for the dream to come true and the players to grace that stadium, to Poyet, Bridcutt, Buckley, Calderon bringing great football and the championship play-offs for the first time, to Bloom and Barber and Winstanley and the professionalism they brought to running the club, the new training ground, the women's set-up, the transfer successes, and now to Hughton, Dunk, Bruno, Knockaert, Murray and the rest getting us into, and competing in, the premier league....

... and where will it go now? Sometimes we've taken a step backward, but we soon march forward again, and the trajectory continues ever upwards....

Wow. Seeing that so excellently laid out...it's not been dull for us, has it? That amazing ride and rise is almost enough to make you forget about the original slide into near-oblivion, Gillingham and the interminable fight for Falmer!

 

[NooBHA]

This was an interesting read for me - Some inaccuracies in the recruitment process and timing but apart from that almost all the posts made good points but here is my bias views on the origininal question.

It is not all down to CH - Sometimes doing nothing on the part of a Chairman is the best thing they can do. By that I mean some Chairman and Chief Execs think they know more about coaching and players than a Manager does and then try and interfere in team selections etc. It happened in the past but here there is no interference in such matters. So the doing nothing on that front I think the Hierarchy have to be given massive credit so they d what they are good at in providing the funds.

The recruitment team get told what positions need strengthening and they do a brilliant job in identifying players needed and if good enough and within budget we get them.

And finally, for me the success is down to ''patience'' - Knowing that within the budget we have that progress cannot be ''instant'' . It has to be done gradually and bit by bit. So the people at the Top having that patience and trust in CH is very important.

But the footnote is that CH is an absolutely brilliant coach. He is a brilliant man manager. He is a workaholic who is driven buy his desire to succeed on the pitch as opposed to finance driven. Everyone deserves credit mentioned above and add to that the fans belief in him then it is a ''group success''

 

[BensGrandad]

It has to be said that the squad has been assembled and playing to the way that CH wants so he must be the biggest single factor in our playing although TB and PB must take credit for getting the club to the position that we are in to capitalise on CH ability as a coach and manager.

 

[Marshy]

It's exciting to think how far we can go. Year 1 he saved us from relegation, year 2 playoffs, year 3 promotion, year 4 staying up, year 5 top 8 maybe,etc

Steady fella... we are not safe yet

 

[Brovion]

Some great posts on this thread. Football's a team game - and that team isn't just the eleven players on the pitch at any one time. All the off-field team members: the manager, the chairman, the CEO, the Recruitment guys, the other board members, all the way down to the proverbial tea lady have played their part. Good shout too for players like Sidwell and Rosenior who are contributing whilst not actually playing. And Kalimantan Gull makes an excellent point that our current success didn't just happen, it's built on the incredible hard work of previous legends such as Knight and Perry - to say nothing of BISA and the fan campaigns.

I've said this before, but I'll repeat it: this is 'Peak Albion', (copyright Bozza) this is easily the best era in the history of Brighton and Hove Albion FC. I've been a fan since 1966 and this era knocks everything before it into a cocked hat. Enjoy it because it WILL end someday, although hopefully we'll never sink as low as 1997 again!