Manager’s VAR anguish would be permissible if it did not entirely oppose his previous grumble over Southampton’s treatmentAlmost 20 years into his career as a manager, we finally appear to have reached peak Mark Hughes. Following Southampton’s Carabao Cup defeat on penalties at Leicester, he used his post-match interview to complain about a refereeing decision that had not gone his team’s way. In itself, that was not unusual – rarely a weekend goes by in which Hughes does not publicly lay blame for their many shortcomings at the door of officialdom. Long before Donald Trump developed a reputation for tediously ranting and raving about the perceived injustices repeatedly inflicted upon him by the Fake News Media, Hughes had earned one...
Southampton’s manager went for the jugular with three centre-forwards and Saints are as good as safe after a wonderfully chaotic relegation showdownIt is a league of billions, of the most famous managers in the world, which prides itself on being the shiniest show in town, that moneyed owners seeking a splash of reflected glory flock to. Who knew the biggest game of the season would be between Swansea and Southampton?It was not so much a game of football, more a 90-minute test of constitutions. The top division of English football hasn’t seen a relegation play-off match in 30 years but purely on the basis of this chaotic affair it might be an issue to reconsider. Because this was essentially a...
Whether or not Southampton stay up, their status as a model club for others to follow has fallen victim to a familiar short-termism and harsh financial realitiesThere came a point during the first half at the London Stadium last Saturday when the stewards could have been forgiven for identifying Mark Hughes as a person of interest. After all, if anyone seemed likely to stage a pitch invasion it was the Southampton coach, who could only have looked more furious if someone had crept up behind him, leant in and whispered “Marko Arnautovic”.What an achievement it was for Southampton to make West Ham, a team held together by old bubblegum and in the grip of a bitter civil war between owners...
Mark Hughes’s spell at Stoke ultimately ended in failure but a Southampton survival mission over eight games could provide just the fresh start both manager and team needThe month of March is never a great time to be changing managers but when Southampton became the ninth Premier League club this season to decide a new man may do the trick they probably fell just on the right side of the line between bold decision-making and blind panic.There are eight games remaining. Not much time for a complete turnaround but with enough potential points on offer for the club to climb away from trouble. Southampton are one point above the bottom three, barely keeping their heads above water, and there appeared...
The former Stoke City manager signed 33 players permanently in four and a half years but few lived up to their billing and he can have few complaintsWith time running out against Coventry City, Stoke City had two forwards up front, two in central midfield and two playing at wing-back. From one angle this was Mark Hughes chucking the sink at it; doing everything he could to prevent a humiliating defeat in the FA Cup third round. Another viewpoint, however, was that it was an indictment of the bad planning and organisation that has led to the Welshman losing his job after four and a half years at the club.Hughes was hired in May 2013 as a replacement for Tony...