Newcastle United sacked Chris Hughton two years ago, and now the boss is looking down the table at them with Norwich City.
Newcastle shocked football two seasons ago when they sacked Chris Hughton, and now the turnaround in fortunes is complete.
Hughton is now boss of Norwich City, and has led them to eighth in the Premier League after 17 games.
It is a quite superb achievement, especially considering the Canaries 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Fulham. The club have turned it around since then, registering victories over both Arsenal and Manchester United, winning six of their last 10 games.
Newcastle meanwhile are stuck on a slide, in 15th place in the Premier League, amazingly just two points clear of the relegation zone.
Eight points separates the two sides, and Hughton’s replacement Alan Pardew faces a real fight to turn the club’s fortunes around.
Injuries and poor form have place a cloud over Newcastle’s season, who have also had the Europa League to contend in, and can take comfort that they have progressed to the next stages.
Newcastle have it all to do to turn it around, while Norwich are full of confidence, and would certainly take finishing in the position they currently occupy.
When Hughton was sacked, many decried it as the wrong decision, but Alan Pardew did a fine job of winning over the support and critics, and re-shaped the Newcastle side, ditching key faces like Barton, Nolan and Carroll, and did it so successfully their former boss was not missed, as they finished fifth in the Premier League last season.
Hughton was left to pick up a difficult job in the Championship, at a relegated Birmingham side forced to sell off key players, and they could easily have struggled.
Instead he steadied their ship and took them into the play-offs, where they narrowly lost to Blackpool. It was enough to earn him another shot in the Premier League with Norwich. One look at Birmingham struggling in the bottom half without him shows what he gave to the side.
His reputation is ever growing- And to finally be able to look down on his former club will be immensely satisfying for him. For even the most ardent Norwich fan would not have predicted Norwich to be above Newcastle at this point.
Pardew won last season’s manager of the year award, but at this rate Hughton has every chance of emulating him.
Can Norwich finish ahead of Newcastle?
image: © mickyb59
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