Mark Hughes: Southampton boss signs new three-year contract

Last updated on 25 May 2018.From the section Southampton250

Southampton boss Mark Hughes has signed a new three-year contract after guiding them to Premier League safety.

Hughes signed a short-term deal in March, replacing Mauricio Pellegrino with the club in danger of relegation.

The Saints avoided the drop on the final day of the season despite losing to champions Manchester City.

"Now it is vital that we take the unbelievable support we received from the fans during the last few games into next season," said Welshman Hughes, 54.

Assistant manager Mark Bowen and first-team coach Eddie Niedzwiecki have also signed what the club described as "long-term contracts".

"Mark and his team had a massive impact from the first day on the players, staff and fans alike, and was able to pull together everyone involved with the club to deliver the results needed," Saints said.

"It is important now, under Mark's leadership, for everyone to move into the new season with a renewed focus and energy alongside the continued and valuable support of our fans."

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Comment posted by thinkb4uwrite, at 22:47 25 May 2018
So pathetic and ridiculous all this "small" club rubbish, as if only "big" clubs should be in the PL. Glory hunters too often support "big" clubs from when they were influenced in primary school. People with backbone and local loyalty support other clubs all of whom deserve where they get for better or worse.
Comment posted by ChilcoSaint, at 22:50 25 May 2018
Those embittered Stoke fans blaming Hughes for their misfortunes have missed the point. Hughes was Stoke’s most successful manager in the Premier League, and the Stoke board let him down. When he was at Man City he brought in many of the players, including Vincent Kompany, with whom Mancini won the league.

Saints fans will now be hoping that our board backs him in the transfer market.
Comment posted by DJ, at 03:27 26 May 2018
Hughes has been a manager for 18 years and has done good work, improving players and teams, for around 15 years of that time. It's easy to throw stones at someone when things go wrong and they did go wrong in his last year at Stoke, but for three years before that he did a good job. I'm a Swansea fan and we'd still be in the PL if he hadn't breathed life into Southampton. He earned this contract.
Comment posted by deribryn, at 23:17 25 May 2018
Nice to see a British manager in the premier league not many of them about nowadays
Comment posted by owboll, at 22:38 25 May 2018
Why three year deal? He won't last those three years. Give him two instead, these clubs will never learn.
Comment posted by jigsaw, at 22:28 25 May 2018
Congratulations hughes, wish you success
Comment posted by wemarchon, at 22:34 25 May 2018
I think he is a perfect fit. Got the link between the fans, players and staff which had been severely lacking. Once a Saint, always a Saint.
Comment posted by AO18, at 22:31 25 May 2018
Well deserved Sparky. All the best
Comment posted by PixelJared, at 22:34 25 May 2018
Good signing by Southampton, they will be much better next year
Comment posted by Well blow me down, at 06:52 26 May 2018
How many more comments, Southampton sell their best players, they don't, their best players are enticed by big offers from the big money teams. To a man they refuse to play on, some very publicly, like Lovren and Van Dijk and the rest privately. This also goes for Managers, look at Poch secured 42Million contract this week, he would not get that on the South Coast.
Comment posted by U14669251, at 00:01 26 May 2018
I still dont think Stoke would of went down had they still kept Hughes, as he showed right at the end he got the points that mattered, when everyone was mocking him for going to be taking two clubs down.I dont support either team but feel the criticism Hughes got was very unfair to say the least.
Comment posted by D1679388525133, at 23:14 25 May 2018
As a nuetral i'm genuinely shocked by this. I sincerely wish the Saints all the best & Hughes proves the majority of us wrong.
Comment posted by stranraer1616, at 22:45 25 May 2018
as a WHU fan , im not on here to knock the saints and their decent supporters but a 3 year deal ? really? , just means he will leave before that time when the struggle is on , and a relegation battle seems inevitable again unless major investment is made with a huge pay out . How good a manager is Hughes ? lets just say he wasnt on any other clubs shopping list was he ?
Comment posted by ChilcoSaint, at 23:24 25 May 2018
@51 That’s a fair point, and hopefully we won’t give him that much freedom. It’s unlikely giventhe club’s structure. He’s not the most exciting manager in the world but he has earned this chance. The improvement in team spirit when he arrived was palpable.
Comment posted by SHEEP ARE ON FIRE, at 23:01 25 May 2018
Neutral here. Surely Sparky earned it by keeping Saints up? 3-years is a standard contract term so I don’t think there is anything shocking in that. A manager on a rolling one year deal can’t persuade/sign players. If Saints have to pay off a year if it doesn’t work out it is no big deal. It’s the EPL player contracts that need a reality check. Regular substitutes earning 30k-50k p/w is the issue.
Comment posted by Soots, at 09:16 26 May 2018
Another rubbish PL manager gets another high paid job. Utterly ridiculous.
Comment posted by Harry Kanes Thesaurus, at 22:40 25 May 2018
I sincerely hope he does well as I have a soft spot for Southampton but whether it be sooner or later I fear it will unravel and the team start to slump.

Hope to be proved wrong and that the Saints have a stable window without their squad being picked apart.
Comment posted by kenis, at 10:13 26 May 2018
All these people bemoaning the manager merry go round - saints tried mangers not proven in the premier league, two got poached by richer clubs, one bored us to death (but should have been given another season) and one was walking a pretty decent squad into the championship. Yes we all want to unearth the next Pochettino or find another Koeman with a point to prove but they are the exceptions!
Comment posted by LuThe, at 07:48 26 May 2018
Was Hughes entirely responsible for the signing of Imbula, Wimmer, Berahino? Was it his decision to send them on loan? If answers to both questions are yes, then I'd agree he was responsible for their relegation.

It wasn't what happened on the field, it was £50m of players, their most expensive, for whatever reason being on loan.

And the sale of Arnautovic (which MH was bitter about).
Comment posted by D1679168225719, at 22:46 25 May 2018
well done sparky......he did what was asked of him.....so before you trolls slate him..he deserves his chance.