Hughton ignores calls for permanent United role

Oct 18 2009 by Neil Farrington, Sunday Sun

CHRIS HUGHTON last night ignored renewed calls for him to get the Newcastle manager’s job permanently as he mourned a potentially costly defeat.

The caretaker United boss saw his side beaten for the second time in the Championship and failed to return to the top of the table.

And not even a glowing job reference from victorious opposite number Billy Davies could lift Hughton’s mood.

“In my humble opinion, the job of managing Newcastle United should go to the guy who is doing it now,” said Nottingham Forest manager Davies.

But Hughton’s focus remained firmly on a game which put United’s promotion credentials under the microscope.

“That’s nice for him (Davies) to say, but at the moment it’s not a nice feeling I’ve got,” said Hughton.

“We came here to get something from the game.

“Against a side in very good form we knew it would be difficult, but it’s still very disappointing.

“We have paid the price for our performance in a first half when Forest were better than us.

“When you have that, it’s crucial you don’t concede a goal, and we would have been delighted to go in at half time at 0-0, but we were left needing to score.

“If there was one team who were going to do that in the second half it was us, but they (Forest) defended very well.

“We are still at the end of the table we want to be, but these are valuable points lost.”

Hughton must lift his team – now second behind West Brom in the table on goals scored – ahead of Tuesday night’s trip to Scunthorpe still shorn of first choice defenders Steven Taylor and Fabricio Coloccini.

But Hughton denied that Taylor could be out for six weeks with a hamstring problem, and is hopeful that Coloccini – and maybe even Taylor – may feature in next Saturday’s game against Doncaster.

Davies, meanwhile, was insistent that Hughton and fellow coach Colin Calderwood should be handed full-time charge at St James’ Park.

“If you look at the club, at the game and the situation he and Colin are under, I’ve got to say they done brilliantly” said the Forest manager.

“In the time they’ve had, they’ve come through a difficult period under tough circumstances superbly.”