Will Hammers put the final nail in the coffin for Hughton?
Following last weekend’s embarrassing 7-0 defeat to Manchester City, questions were inevitably asked on whether or not Chris Hughton was the right man to manage Norwich City in what is shaping up to be a difficult season for the Canaries.
It has been a poor start to the season for Norwich, who have only managed two wins in ten games. This bad form has seen them slip all the way down the table and into the relegation zone, as they currently sit third from bottom with Sunderland and Crystal Palace the only teams below them.
The warning signs were there towards the end of last season when Norwich were in a real fight to stay in the Premier League in Hughton’s first year following the departure of Paul Lambert to Aston Villa. Is this poor run of form a result of the manager’s decisions?
Hughton signed Ricky van Wolfswinkel during the summer but the hilariously named striker hasn’t been able to make any sort of impact. Luciano Becchio was also brought in but he is proving to be a strictly Championship level footballer.
By that same token, could Chris Hughton be seen as strictly a Champions level manager? You’ll remember his excellent tenure with Newcastle, in which he lead a team that amassed over 100 points in the Championship on their way to automatic promotion, and Hughton’s role in that success deserves great credit. He rightly received praise for leading them to a bright start in their return season in the Premier League but was sacked after what many viewed as a harsh decision by the Magpies’ chairman.
Chris Houghton is undoubtedly a talented manager, but to see him struggle with a Norwich side that has received a fair bit of investment is puzzling. Their defending has been abject and Manchester City exposed all their shortcomings in a horrible 90-minute display. Perhaps Hughton should have used the money at his disposal on enhancing his back four as opposed to his forward line.
Anyway, the late kick off on Saturday sees Norwich host West Ham and this will be a game where Hughton will want to see a reaction from his players. Sam Allardyce is notorious for his ability to churn out draws away from home and his team will be set out as such, meaning Norwich’s forward line will have to prove their worth.
If Norwich win and Stoke fail to grab all three points away to Swansea then the Potters will replace the Canaries in the drop zone, with some of that pressure on Hughton being alleviated. Anything other than the three points, however, and it might be time for change in Norfolk.
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