‘Newcastle is always with me’: Chris Hughton on his time as Toon boss

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The memories associated with Chris Hughton’s time at Newcastle United are very positive ones. Whether it be the exceptional Championship season where they finished the season with 102 points.

Or the 6-0 thrashing of Aston Villa and 5-1 thumping they gave Sunderland at St James’ Park. Some fans felt that Hughton was sacked very prematurely, the club was 11th when he was fired.

Despite his stint on Tyneside ending on a sour note, Hughton looks back very fondly on his time with the Magpies. Since then the ex-Newcastle boss has managed Birmingham, Norwich, Brighton and Nottingham Forest.

Hughton never has to look back on his time with Newcastle, it’s always with him

Hughton spoke to The Chronicle about his time managing the Toon.

“I don’t look back on my time at Newcastle – because it’s always there with me, once you’ve been part of the club it never goes away.

“So for me, Newcastle is always with me, always there, it was an incredible time.

How much I enjoyed living in the area and how welcome the Geordie public made me feel.

“And what an incredible season in the Championship it was.

“I also enjoyed the Premier League season for the time I was there.”

The former Republic Of Ireland international is an important figure in the history of the club. He was present when they suffered their first relegation from the Premier League in 2009.

He was able to steady the ship and move a lot of players who didn’t want to be there away. There was a lot of worry around the club at the time. It was in a mess and the concern was they’d stay in the second tier indefinitely, or worse slip down the leagues.

Additionally, he didn’t spend lots of money in the Championship. Instead, we saw young players like Andy Carroll burst onto the scene.

Furthermore, characters like Kevin Nolan, Joey Barton, Jose Enrique and Fabricio Coloccini were all outstanding in that league winning season. They would also play a part in keeping Newcastle in the Premier League after Hughton went.

In a lot of ways, Hughton really set the foundations for Newcastle’s return to the Premier League. The club would stay in the league until 2016, suffering relegation under Rafa Benitez.

Hughton got the Toon to bounce back instantly. In the process, he built one of the greatest Championship sides of all time. His sacking was very harsh and definitely deserved more time. However, the work he did for the club won’t be forgotten.