Can't see it in this instance

If the backroom staff were hired before or a while after Hughton, then yes, I'd take your point.

But where the assistants etc are the Manager's placemen - eg Villa Boas's team at Tottenham recently - I'd say they tend to come and go as a unit. Taking recent examples, Tim Sherwood wasn't the assistant, he was an outsider to AVB's immediate team. Keith Downing pre-dated Steve Clarke. Meulensteen (probably?) was hired in anticipation of Jol being fired? The Cardiff situation backs up your point but that may have been a clash of personalities rather than lack of ability/fiath in the managerial team (given how hard Dalman tried to keep Mackay there).

I strongly suspect that Calderwood and co would be sacked/walk with Hughton. (But you could well be right. God help us.)

Moot point though I suspect as the Board won't have the balls to do anything in advance of the Hull game. If they were going to take such a bold decision, they'd have done it weeks (or months) ago. The Board wont act until it is backed into a corner. Which, I fear, is now too late.

Posted By: CWC, Jan 15, 21:27:41