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Southampton: Mark Hughes is an uninspiring, but well-needed appointment

By Chris Hughes

COVENTRY, ENGLAND - JANUARY 06: Mark Hughes, Manager of Stoke City ahead of the The Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Coventry City and Stoke City at Ricoh Arena on January 6, 2018 in Coventry, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
COVENTRY, ENGLAND - JANUARY 06: Mark Hughes, Manager of Stoke City ahead of the The Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Coventry City and Stoke City at Ricoh Arena on January 6, 2018 in Coventry, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images) /
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Yesterday evening Mark Hughes was appointed Southampton manager until the end of the season – a decision that has divided the crowd in the footballing world.

On one hand the Saints have hired a seasoned, experienced manager with over a decade of Premier League experience, whereas it’s arguable that they have also hired one of the band of British managers who regularly rotate the Premier League with fairly limited success.

But Southampton are not in a position to be picky – with eight Premier League games remaining they have a very realistic chance of getting relegated which offers also opens up another dilemma.

As a team sitting in 17th, the appeal of managing the Saints isn’t what it was, and therefore there’s no way the club could appeal to the likes of Pete Bosz, Thomas Tuchel or any of the other established candidates the fanbase of thrown into the hat.

At this point in time a manager like Hughes was a smart and well-needed appointment. The club’s choice to only bring in him initially until the end of the season was clever and means that the side aren’t stuck with a boss that doesn’t suit their normal quota for managers.

Next: Southampton sack manager Mauricio Pellegrino

STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 23: Mark Hughes, Manager of Stoke City reacts during the Premier League match between Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion at Bet365 Stadium on December 23, 2017 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by Alex Morton/Getty Images)
STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 23: Mark Hughes, Manager of Stoke City reacts during the Premier League match between Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion at Bet365 Stadium on December 23, 2017 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by Alex Morton/Getty Images) /

The Welshman – who will reportedly pocket a seven-figure bonus if the Saints stay in the Premier League – is proven in the top flight and is a lot less of a risky appointment in comparison to those previous, especially given the time of the season.

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With the bottom half of the table tighter than ever, a few wins in your favour and the Saints could easily be 14th or 13th at which point they could realistically attract a different band of manager to if they were to scrape 17th under Pellegrino.

Supporters from the other teams may see Hughes as an uninspiring appointment and in truth he almost certainly is, but that doesn’t make him a bad acquisition by the Southampton board.

Whilst a lot of the blame for the Saints’ failure will be attributed to Pellegrino’s shortcomings as a manager, a lot of responsibility has to fall on the players’ shoulders. Hughes is outspoken and he will almost certainly get the players in shape.

The likes of Dusan Tadic and Shane Long have struggled for regular form and it seemed like Pellegrino regularly brushed over problems whereas Hughes will hopefully address a lot of the problems currently within the squad.

The 54-year-old may not have the Saints playing the best football but if he can secure Premier League survival it’s surely an absolute no-brainer for Southampton and their fans.