OPINION
Darren Gough was baffled after Adrian Durham told him Chris Hughton had spoken to West Ham which in turn implied they could be considering him to be the next manager of the club.
While the talkSPORT host insisted that the Hammers may have spoken to Hughton about something completely unrelated to the club’s manager position, especially as Manuel Pellegrini is still sat in the hot seat, this didn’t stop Gough holding back on his opinion.
The former England cricketer couldn’t understand why the Hammers were being linked to Hughton as he would play the complete opposite style of football to Pellegrini and Gough questioned if the club’s board even had a plan they were working off.
“Well, that’s the total opposite to the football they play now,” said Gough on talkSPORT, as seen in a clip on the station’s Twitter account.
“This is what I’m saying, what is going on at these football clubs?
“I’ll tell you what let’s try and play fantasty football then get another manager in who is going to say let’s tighten up the defence and get a 1-0 or 2-1 victory, I just don’t get what’s going on.
“It’s happening at Everton and if that’s the truth with Chris Hughton talking to them now, that’s going from one extreme to another.
“There’s nothing wrong with Chris Hughton and the way he manages, we said what a great job he did at Brighton and they’ve gone from one extreme to another.
“Is there any plan whatsoever?”
Gough’s remarks surely prove why many West Ham fans should be baffled by the club’s reported manager hunt, which seems to be occurring despite Pellegrini’s job being safe for now, as it does imply the Hammers have no long-term direction.
It’s as if the Hammers chiefs are throwing darts at the board and don’t care where it lands, as long as it does.
After all, Pellegrini is known for a more attacking style of football, yet Hughton, Rafa Benitez, Burnley’s Sean Dyche and David Moyes have all been reported as being potential replacements for him, but they’re all known for a defensive style of play. (Source: The Guardian/The Sun)
While those managers in question probably could encourage an attacking style of play if they wanted, they’re all experienced names, their normal preference dictates they’ll only do that if someone forces them to.
The whole point of having a long-term plan in place is that if things don’t work out with one manager, you bring in someone else with a similar psychology, for the club firstly not to confuse its players and secondly so there’s some stability in place.
Can anyone name a club where chopping and changing managers has worked out in the long-term for them? No, and there’s a reason for that.
So with that in mind, Gough’s remarks show why West Ham fans should be baffled over their club’s reported manager hunt as the names in the hat suggest the club have no idea what identity it wants to be stamped on the Hammers.
