Chris Hughton at the Amex in 2013
Image by: Paul Hazlewood
Brighton & Hove Albion have appointed former Spurs and Republic of Ireland international defender Chris Hughton as first-team manager on a three-and-a-half-year contract.
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The 56-year-old former Newcastle United, Birmingham City and Norwich City manager will take charge with immediate effect.
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Chairman Tony Bloom said, "Chris has an excellent record in coaching and management. He's hugely respected, both nationally and internationally, and he has great contacts within the game.
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"He is someone who has a real wealth of experience in the top two divisions, from nearly 15 years at Spurs as a coach, assistant and interim manager, through to his more recent work in the Premier League and Championship.
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"Chris is also a manager who has a track record for developing talent at all levels from academy upwards and will embrace the work we've been doing at the club in this area in recent seasons.
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"Importantly, we also felt Chris is someone who can improve our immediate situation, while also having the management credentials and skills to plan our long-term future and help us to get back to progressing in the way we have in previous seasons.
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Hughton added, "I'm thrilled to be back in management and Brighton & Hove Albion is a fantastic club, with a first-class infrastructure both in footballing and business terms.
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"We've got one very obvious initial challenge, and I am aiming to hit the ground running, but I am confident with the resources at the club we can succeed in retaining our status in the Championship.“Once that is achieved we can work towards getting the club back challenging at the top end of the division."
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Meanwhile, Bloom has paid tribute to the role Nathan Jones has played as interim boss over the past nine days, and says he now has an important role to play as part of Hughton’s coaching team.
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Bloom added, "Anybody who saw Nathan's reaction at full-time at Fulham on Monday evening at Craven Cottage knows just what this club means to him and how important this football club is to him.
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"He's an important part of our club and will be a vital part of Chris's team. During his interim spell in charge, he has done a superb job in tough circumstances, with suspensions, injury and illness.
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"Nathan has further underlined his coaching ability by lifting us out of the drop zone and giving the fans one of the best away days for some time.
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"I am really grateful to Nathan, Joaquin Gomez, Antti Niemi, Simon Rusk and the rest of the backroom team, and I thank them all for their efforts."
[h=3]ALBION V brentford
[/h]saturday 17th january, KICK-OFF 3PM
[h=3]Albion v ipswich
[/h]SATURDAY 24TH JANUARY, kick-off 3pm
[h=3]Albion v nottingham forest
[/h]SATURDAY 7TH februARY, kick-off 3pm
Original article