Chris Hughton

Lore & Background

After making his professional debut aged 20, Hughton spent most of his playing career with Tottenham Hotspur as a left-back, leaving in 1990 after 13 years. After relatively brief spells with West Ham United and Brentford, he retired from playing in 1993 at the age of 34. He earned 53 caps representing the Republic of Ireland, scoring one goal and starting in all three of Ireland's games at UEFA Euro 1988 in West Germany. From 1993 to 2007, Hughton served as coach and then assistant manager for Tottenham.

He joined Newcastle United as first team coach in 2008, and, following their relegation, became caretaker manager. He led Newcastle back to the Premier League in his first season in charge, along the way breaking a number of records and securing the permanent managerial position. He was dismissed as manager by Mike Ashley the following December, with his side 12th in the table. Hughton managed Birmingham City for a single season, leading them to fourth place in the league, before joining Norwich City in June 2012.

Norwich dismissed him in April 2014 following a run of poor results. Following his departure from Norwich, Hughton became manager of Brighton & Hove Albion in December 2014. Three years later in 2017, he led the club to promotion to the Premier League for the first time in its history. He avoided relegation for two successive seasons before being dismissed in May 2019 due to a run of poor form.

Hughton was appointed as manager of Nottingham Forest in October 2020, before being dismissed in September 2021 after a poor start to the season. He acted as technical advisor to the Ghana national team for the period of their World Cup qualifiers in March 2022. In February 2023, he was promoted to the position of head coach of Ghana following the resignation of Otto Addo after the failure of the Black Stars team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

However, following Ghana's group-stage exit at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Hughton was relieved of his duties as head coach.

Reader's Guide

Hughton first joined Tottenham Hotspur's youth system in 1971 at the age of 13. He signed as a part-time footballer in 1977, and trained as a lift engineer. He signed to become a full-time professional footballer in July 1979, and made his first team debut that year in the second round of the 1979–80 League Cup against Manchester United. In his early days at the club, he played as a winger.

He then became a full back who played on either side – even though he is naturally right-footed – before settling into the left-back position. He is considered one of the best full-backs to have played for the club. Hughton played 398 games for Tottenham in all competitions, scoring 19 goals. He was a member of the Tottenham side that won both the 1981 and the 1982 FA Cups, the 1984 UEFA Cup, and finished runners-up in the 1982 League Cup.

By 1986, injuries and competition from other full-backs meant that Hughton could no longer secure a regular place in the starting lineup. He did however play in the 1987 FA Cup final after Danny Thomas was injured, the team finishing as runners-up in the competition. In November 1990, West Ham United signed Hughton, initially on loan as cover for the injured Julian Dicks, then signed on a permanent basis by manager Billy Bonds on a free transfer.

He played two seasons at West Ham, making 43 appearances in all competitions without scoring, and helped them win promotion from Division Two in 1991. In 1992, he signed for Brentford, again on a free transfer. He helped Brentford win the Third Division title in the 1991–92 season. He played for a year for Brentford, before retiring at the age of 34 due to a knee injury in early 1993.

Hughton qualified to play for the Republic of Ireland as the son of an Irish mother and a Ghanaian father, becoming the first mixed-race player to represent the country. He made his debut for Ireland in October 1979 in a friendly against the United States. He won 53 caps for the Republic from 1979 to 1991. Hughton was part of the nation's final squads for UEFA Euro 1988 – playing in all three matches – and the 1990 FIFA World Cup, where he did not play (Steve Staunton played instead).

He scored his only international goal in a 6–0 win against Cyprus in the qualifiers for the 1982 World Cup. Hughton was awarded a testimonial, staged on 29 May 1995 at Lansdowne Road.