SIX AND OUT FOR SPARKY Latest failure at Saints leaves Hughes in limbo
MARK HUGHES has been pushed off the Premier League’s managerial merry-go-round again.
And it is impossible not to wonder when – or even if – he will be invited to climb back on it again.
A legend and major trophy winner as a player, Hughes has been unable to hit the same heights as a top-flight boss.
After six attempts so far, the Welshman, 55, strangely remains something of an unknown quantity.
Third-bottom Southampton ended his latest spell yesterday, pulling the trigger following Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Manchester United.
Stints at Blackburn, Manchester City, Fulham, QPR, Stoke and now Southampton total 466 Premier League games in charge for Hughes. But there is no clear indication of what type of manager he is.
There is no reason for any topflight outfit to turn to him over any other candidate.
With the other bosses to have racked up a stack of Premier League clubs, you can see where the attraction lies.
Sam Allardyce has the most with seven clubs and is considered English football’s No.1 firefighter.
Hughes is next on six while Harry Redknapp, Roy Hodgson and Alan Pardew have all managed five sides.
David Moyes, with four, landed the West Ham job through his reputation for organisation and discipline and duly kept them up.
Reputation
Hughes has had his moments too – back-to-back FA Cup semi-finals and a top-six finish at Blackburn.
And there were three creditable ninth-placed finishes with Stoke.
But he has not earned a reputation for any of the redeeming features that have helped the other multi-job managers get re-employed.
Nor does he have one of the other qualities that might make a Premier League manager stand out – a distinct style of football, winning trophies or even finding transfer market gems or developing players, to name but a few.
Hughes has not yet been relegated but only kept that record narrowly last year.
The fear at Southampton was that if they did not make a change, he would not be able to say the same next May.
Also, what he highlighted as his big selling point when he was appointed on a short-term deal in March – his ability to gather points and win games – has been horribly destroyed at Southampton.
Hughes departed with a win percentage of 13.6 per cent, having won just three out of 22 league games.
Two wins in eight games kept Southampton up by the skin of their teeth last season and Hughes was rewarded with a three-year deal.
Just one win 14 has followed this season, despite spending around £50m in the summer and bringing in five new faces. Yesterday’s news has been a long time coming. The hope was that September’s 2-0 victory at Crystal Palace would be a springboard but Southampton have not won a league game – or any match in 90 minutes – since.
Players were left baffled by some of his methods and results were poor.
Fears grew that Southampton were no closer to regaining their identity and morale plummeted. Something had to give. The sacking of executive vice-chairman Les Reed last month also left Sparky without a key ally.
The draw against United, after leading 2-0 early on, meant Saints have dropped 20 points from winning positions in the league, eight more than any other side since his appointment.
That has been one feature of Hughes’ reign at St Mary’s.
But it is not one any manager would want to be known for.