The Admirable Hughton

It's often said that life at Newcastle United is the stuff of great drama. A theatre of the unpredictable, and occasionally, the absurd. You couldn’t make it up. You couldn’t write it. Oh, but you could. In 1902, J.M.Barrie wrote a play called “The Admirable Crichton”. If Newcastle United’s former manager - a cultured, intelligent and civilised man - ever chances across a revival of this work, he may allow himself a wry smile. Very briefly, the play is about a loyal and resourceful butler who works for an aristocratic family. Crichton’s purpose was to serve, but due to extraordinary circumstances he became, for a while, the leader. He and the family were shipwrecked on a desert island and Crichton was the only person who knew how to keep them alive. He did a fine job as leader, but eventually they were rescued, the status quo returned, Crichton went back to service and eventually, so as not to cause any social embarrassment, he left the family. Does this ring any bells ?

Chris Hughton became Newcastle Manager by accident. He was the last man standing after the dreadful relegation from the premier league. Alan Shearer never got a phone call, no decisions were taken during the uncomfortable summer of 2009 and when the new season rolled around they needed someone to pick the team. So the club turned to the Admirable Hughton and asked him to keep them alive after they were shipwrecked in the Championship. And he flourished. He was the loyal, resourceful man who knew what was required in these extraordinary circumstances. He united a fractious group of players and encouraged a strong sense of collective responsibility. Newcastle United enjoyed a successful, uplifting season, winning the Championship at a canter. The Admirable Hughton had rescued Newcastle United. They were back in the premier league and the status quo had been restored. No one should be surprised at the events that have unfolded since then.

Rememner, once the status quo was restored, the family no longer needed the loyal and resourceful servant to be their leader. They wanted someone more appropriate to their social status, so as not to cause embarrassment. So the Admirable Hughton was cast aside in favour of a bigger name, a more experienced manager, or a more appropriate drinking buddy.

The football argument is that the Admirable Hughton was JUST a coach, NOT a manager. He was the perfect man to steer a superior squad through the Championship badlands, but now they're dining at the top table again, Newcastle require someone used to mixing with the aristocracy. If you absolutely must stretch the point to it's limits, you can maybe, sort of, see something in that.

But the Admirable Hughton's achievements offer a very persuasive counter-argument. There was promotion, silverware and redemption. This season has touched perfection at St James Park (you know what day I mean) and while there have been bad days, the league position and the points-to-games ratio were absolutely fine. Added to that were the unseen elements, the factors that don't show up on the stats sheet. The unity of the dressing room and the one-for-all-all-for-one spirit. The vague and unusual feeling (illusion) of stability. There must be a danger that at least some of that will drain away.

But it's up to the aristocracy in this particular version of the drama. It's up to Mike Ashley. It's his club and if he thinks the loyal, resourceful Admirable Hughton has served his purpose, then the rest of the family just has to accept it and move on. Those are the rules of the game. They're always the rules of this game. It's sad, but don't dwell too long on the moral argument, the idea that the Admirable Hughton is a good man and deserves so much better than this. That argument is absolutely 100% true. But there's no such thing as a moral argument in this game. Time to move on.

The Admirable Hughton leaves with his head held high and with his reputation significantly enhanced. He will always have a place in the hearts and the history books at St James Park.

5 thoughts on 5-1.

1. OLD VALUES TRUMP NEW SYSTEMS. How do you win a Derby ? You drink in the atmosphere and you thrive on it. You let the occasion propel you to a higher level of performance. You let the wonderful, visceral, tribal noise fill your heart and soul and inspire you. Newcastle United did all of this on Sunday. You absolutely MUST NOT be afraid of it. You absolutely MUST NOT retreat into your shell and hope your team mates will get the job done for you. You absolutely MUST NOT allow the game to pass you by. Sunderland did all of that on Sunday. It meant the much-anticipated battle of the formations was completely irrelevant. Tactical anoraks were wondering if Sunderland's modern 4-5-1 would confuse and frustrate the Magpies more straightforward 4-4-2. But it just didn’t matter in the end and anyway, Newcastle’s formation was slightly looser than it looked, with Barton, Guttierez and, crucially, Nolan all encouraged to roam.
2. YOU CAN’T WIN A DERBY WITH KIDS. Who were the best players on Sunday ? For me, it was Nolan, Barton, Ameobi and one other. I’ll come to that name in a moment. But the other three were totally in control of their emotions. They embraced the occasion, but they didn’t play the occasion. They sized up the opposition and played cleverly, managing the game for Newcastle in crucial areas of the field. Nolan and Barton are aged 28. Ameobi is aged 29. Compare and contrast with Sunderland. 6 members of their starting 11 were aged 23 or under and not one of those players had a game they would want to remember. I admit, it’s not a hard and fast rule, largely because the other name on my list of the best players on Sunday is 21-year old Andy Carroll, who was simply immense. But you get the point, Sunderland didn’t have enough old heads in key positions. Newcastle did. Steve Bruce admitted as much in his post-match press conference.
3. GIVE THAT MAN A CONTRACT, BUT DON’T WORRY TOO MUCH IF HE DOESN’T GET ONE YET. Chris Hughton has done a remarkable job at St James Park and the tittle-tattle last week was shameful really. The rumours about him losing his job were a new media/internet creation rather than a story with genuine substance. It’s ridiculous to suggest his job should be under threat. On the back of Sunday’s result there’s been a big emotional appeal from fans and players to get the contract situation sorted out. It’s a persuasive argument and it really does feel like a good time for the men upstairs at St James Park to give their manager what he deserves. But these are the Ashley austerity years at Newcastle. Money isn’t splashed around Gallowgate as freely as it was ten years ago. Hard bargains are driven with agents, players and managers. The club have already said they’ll renegotiate Hughton’s deal at the end of the year and they might well feel there’s no need to bring that timetable forward. They’re also fortunate that Hughton is a manager almost without ego, so they know he’s unlikely to rock the boat. Especially when everyone in the boat seems pretty happy right now.
4. DON’T THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATHWATER. BUT CONSIDER CHANGING THE BATHWATER. The only credit Sunderland took from Sunday is that they were very honest in their response to it. They adopted a mea culpa approach. They had no choice really. It was a terrible day for the Black Cats and there were no excuses given for their performance. There must be a reaction to this, but they must be careful not to over-react. The system that has served them well for two months was ripped apart and gigantic flaws were exposed. But that doesn’t mean they should abandon everything they’ve done up to now. The Black Cats have played some very good stuff so far this season and they’ve got to trust themselves to put this right. The fans need to trust them too. Personally I think it’s now time to get Asamoah Gyan into the team, as Darren Bent is far too isolated up front. But it’s up to Steve Bruce. He has to make at least one change next weekend with Titus Bramble suspended, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was considering another 4 changes. I don’t think he’ll abandon the 4-5-1 system completely, but a little shake up might be good therapy for everyone right now.
5. BEWARE DERBY DAY FOOLS GOLD. It’s not just three points. It’s not just another match. It IS a special occasion which offers a big payoff in terms of emotion and good will. It IS about pride in your team and your city. It definitely IS about lording it over the neighbours if you win and taking it on the chin if you lose. But it’s unlikely to define your season. Newcastle aren’t definitely going to run roughshod over the premier league just because they put five past Sunderland. The Black Cats aren’t definitely going to suffer a huge crisis of confidence and get drawn into a relegation battle. The emotional high of a Derby win can make it seem like everything. But it’s only 1/38th of the premier league season and Newcastle haven’t cracked it just because they hammered their nearest and dearest, just as Sunderland’s campaign isn’t a complete write-off because of this one result. Two years ago Wearside dined out on a famous Derby win at the Stadium of Light and considered it a launch pad for future success. About six weeks later Roy Keane had gone, they were back in the bottom three and back to square one. I don’t actually think the players or managers on either side will get carried away with this result, but there is a danger that the fans will. The nature of the result means it'll be talked about for years, but in terms of the long term progress of both teams, it's unlikely to mean that much. It’s different in the short term though. Newcastle fans are absolutely entitled to revel in their glory this week and Sunderland fans just have to take it on the chin. Those are the rules of engagement on Derby Day.