It might suprise some, but probably not Newcastle fans, that Chris Houghton is the second favourite manager to be sacked after Roy Hodgson. Now Roy Hodgson i think we can all agree, is out of his depth at Liverpool. The team is second from bottom with one win in eight games. Also, Liverpool is a team expected to challenge for Silverware.
So what of Newcastle? Well, they've just been promoted after winning the Championship comfortably under the guidance of Houghton. They lie 16th in the Premier League with two wins from 8 games. One win could send them as high as 7th in the league. They've been very hit and miss, with a 6-0 win over Aston Villa and 2-0 loss to Blackpool summing that up. Two of their 4 losses have come against Man City and Man United, teams expected to challenge for the title. So are Newcastle fans expecting too much from this team and their manager? I think so. The Newcastle side that was relegated was far better than this one. Players like Shea Given, Michael Owen, Damien Duff, Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins have all left since then. Nobody has really come in to replace them. The loss of Hatem Ben Arfa who was on loan is unfortunate but honestly, Premiership survival is all that this squad can hope for.
The off-field problems of star striker Andy Carroll are also doing no favours for the manager.
Unless there is significant investment, and lets face it under current owner Mike Ashley that's not going to happen, this team will struggle. They are essentially a Championship team. The beacon of hope they have is that there are so many poor teams in the Premiership this season, they may just survive. How there is any calls for Houghton's head is beyond me. Who will replace him and what could they achieve with such a limited squad? One win at home is not good enough and that is certainly were they could improve but does this show the pressure on the players from an over-expectant home support? The next two weeks could be vitally important with West Ham away and Sunderland at home. Hopefully Houghton gets the time he deserves for bringing them back up to the Premiership.
To be honest, as a Newcastle United fan, I've not heard calls for Hughton to be sacked, so hearing he's second favourite for the sack at the bookies is quite surprising. I disagree that the team that got relegated were better than this one - yes, there were more star names, but less team players. It was a team where the sum of the parts was significantly more than the whole, which is an awful place to be in. Hughton has cultivated a great team spirit with an impressive keep-your-head-down-and-get-on-with-the-job attitude, which is exactly what was needed at the club. I also disagree that they are essentially a Championship team - and the way in which they walked that league last season is proof of that. However, they are a relegation-battling Premier League team and 17th would be a good place to be in at the end of the season. There was a bit of really clever investment in the team during the summer - Dan Gosling and Sol Campbell on free transfers, Hatem Ben Arfa on a season-long loan and Cheick Tioté, who looks like being a brilliant signing for a mere £3m. So, although there was no big spending on players, there was some clever spending, for which Hughton again must be congratulated. As for Andy Carroll, he must surely be walking a tightrope at the moment, any further problems from him and I'm sure his career at NUFC - or any other club - would be in serious doubt. Glad to see Joey Barton, on the other hand, regaining some form and showing glimpses of the player that once received an England cap. All in all, Hughton is doing an unspectacular, yet very sturdy job and there should be no reason at all for his position to be under any kind of threat at this stage.
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