Chris Hughton needs a new job but will Championship strugglers Stoke City offer him a return to management at the Bet365 Stadium.
Championship crisis-club Stoke City will offer Chris Hughton a return to the dugout if they decide to part company with Nathan Jones, according to the Mirror (16 September, Football pull-out, page 18).
If the Potters thought last season was bad, 2019/20 is shaping up to be even worse. Stoke were a Premier League team just over a year ago but, as it stands, they are bottom of the Championship table with just one point from a possible 24.
Former Luton Town coach Jones has won just three of his 29 games in charge and the pressure is reaching almost intolerable levels with Stoke at genuine risk of suffering relegation to the third tier.
According to the Mirror, Stoke have already chosen Hughton as Jones’ potential replacement with the affable 60-year-old looking for a new job after being sacked by Brighton and Hove Albion at the end of last season.
Hughton, 14 years Jones’ senior, has a superb record in the Championship. He led Newcastle to the second-tier title in 2010, took Birmingham City to the play-offs, and even guided Brighton into the Premier League for the first time in their history.
Yet, if Hughton does get the Stoke job, his first task will be to drag the Potters away from the bottom three. This would be a very different task for a man used to competing at the other end of the table.
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