Chris Hughton could not be facing more appropriate opponents than Birmingham City for his 100th match as a Championship manager.
Albion's boss brings up his second tier century at the Amex tomorrow against the club where he arguably achieved more as a No.1 than any other.
Hughton has managed in the Premier League at Spurs, Newcastle and Norwich.
He steered Newcastle to the Championship title five seasons ago with more than 100 points and only four defeats.
That is no mean feat in the pressure-cooker atmosphere in the North-East, but Newcastle were well-equipped for a return to the top flight with the resources and playing squad at Hughton's disposal.
That was not the case when Hughton took over at Birmingham for the 2011-12 campaign. They were in turmoil on and off the pitch.
They had just been relegated after winning the League Cup under Alex McLeish, who quit to join arch-rivals Aston Villa.
Hughton met the squad he inherited in his first day at work and then watched 12 of them walk out in an asset-stripping exercise ordered by absent owner Carson Yeung, who was facing money-laundering charges in Hong Kong.
Hughton reacted in a manner confirming his reputation as one of the game's nice guys.
The job was made doubly difficult by Birmingham's qualification for the Europa League via their League Cup triumph, piling more fixtures and travel onto the congested and exhausting Championship programme.
Against this background of disadvantage, Birmingham enjoyed a remarkable season under Hughton's command.
He led them to the group stages of the Europa League in the club's first European campaign for half-a-century by seeing off Portugese side Nacional.
In October he was named Championship manager of the month for a run of four wins and a draw.
Birmingham reached the fifth round of the FA Cup and held Chelsea at Stamford Bridge before losing the replay back at St Andrew's.
Most impressively of all, Hughton almost guided them straight back into the Premier League.
They finished fourth and lost narrowly on aggregate in the semi-finals of the play-offs 3-2 to Blackpool.
There was no outcry from Birmingham supporters when Hughton left to return to the Premier League with Norwich, only appreciation for the year he had given them.
When Lee Clark was sacked in October, Hughton was the overwhelming choice of fans to replace him in an online poll run by the Birmingham Mail newspaper.
Former player Gary Rowett landed the post after catching the eye at Burton Albion.
He galvanised the team but their form has tailed off and the off-field problems have resurfaced.
With Yeung convicted last March and jailed for six years, the club's parent company Birmingham International Holdings Limited went into receivership this week, blaming "fractious and inharmonious relations within the management".
It is a reminder of the odds Hughton overcame at Birmingham which will assure him of a warm reception tomorrow - from both ends of the Amex.
Hughton In The Championship
Newcastle 2009-10 P46 W30 D12 L4 F90 A35 Pts 102 Win% 65.2
Birmingham 2011-12 P46 W20 D16 L10 F78 A51 Pts 76 Win% 43.5
Albion 2014-15 P7 W2 D2 L3 F6 A7 Pts 8 Win% 28.6
Total P99 W52 D30 L17 F174 A93 Pts 186 Win% 52.5
Original article
Albion's boss brings up his second tier century at the Amex tomorrow against the club where he arguably achieved more as a No.1 than any other.
Hughton has managed in the Premier League at Spurs, Newcastle and Norwich.
He steered Newcastle to the Championship title five seasons ago with more than 100 points and only four defeats.
That is no mean feat in the pressure-cooker atmosphere in the North-East, but Newcastle were well-equipped for a return to the top flight with the resources and playing squad at Hughton's disposal.
That was not the case when Hughton took over at Birmingham for the 2011-12 campaign. They were in turmoil on and off the pitch.
They had just been relegated after winning the League Cup under Alex McLeish, who quit to join arch-rivals Aston Villa.
Hughton met the squad he inherited in his first day at work and then watched 12 of them walk out in an asset-stripping exercise ordered by absent owner Carson Yeung, who was facing money-laundering charges in Hong Kong.
Hughton reacted in a manner confirming his reputation as one of the game's nice guys.
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The job was made doubly difficult by Birmingham's qualification for the Europa League via their League Cup triumph, piling more fixtures and travel onto the congested and exhausting Championship programme.
Against this background of disadvantage, Birmingham enjoyed a remarkable season under Hughton's command.
He led them to the group stages of the Europa League in the club's first European campaign for half-a-century by seeing off Portugese side Nacional.
In October he was named Championship manager of the month for a run of four wins and a draw.
Birmingham reached the fifth round of the FA Cup and held Chelsea at Stamford Bridge before losing the replay back at St Andrew's.
Most impressively of all, Hughton almost guided them straight back into the Premier League.
They finished fourth and lost narrowly on aggregate in the semi-finals of the play-offs 3-2 to Blackpool.
There was no outcry from Birmingham supporters when Hughton left to return to the Premier League with Norwich, only appreciation for the year he had given them.
When Lee Clark was sacked in October, Hughton was the overwhelming choice of fans to replace him in an online poll run by the Birmingham Mail newspaper.
Former player Gary Rowett landed the post after catching the eye at Burton Albion.
He galvanised the team but their form has tailed off and the off-field problems have resurfaced.
With Yeung convicted last March and jailed for six years, the club's parent company Birmingham International Holdings Limited went into receivership this week, blaming "fractious and inharmonious relations within the management".
It is a reminder of the odds Hughton overcame at Birmingham which will assure him of a warm reception tomorrow - from both ends of the Amex.
Hughton In The Championship
Newcastle 2009-10 P46 W30 D12 L4 F90 A35 Pts 102 Win% 65.2
Birmingham 2011-12 P46 W20 D16 L10 F78 A51 Pts 76 Win% 43.5
Albion 2014-15 P7 W2 D2 L3 F6 A7 Pts 8 Win% 28.6
Total P99 W52 D30 L17 F174 A93 Pts 186 Win% 52.5
Original article