Thank goodness Chris proved us all wrong. Heading into the 2009/10 season, the club was staring into the abyss. They had just been relegated, loads of big names had left, quite literally no one had come in to replace them, Alan Shearer had been shunned as manager and they'd just lost 6-1 to Leyton Orient in a pre season friendly. Step forward Chris Hughton, a man that had lost every single caretaker game he had been in charge for in the past, who was given the job until the end of the season. Surely United were going to get relegated for the second season in a row? Hughton was having non of it. Newcastle were in desperate need of a real figurehead to lead the club to promotion, and to everyone's surprise, Chris was the man to do just that. He rallied the club and went far and beyond every single expectation that anyone could have had. Making a mockery of a tricky league in The Championship as he led United to promotion with 102 points. Then, in The Magpies' return to the Premier League, and after a summer where not a lot of proven Premier League quality came through the door, he had the side sitting pretty in 11th heading into the Christmas period with memorable wins over Sunderland, Arsenal and a very good point against reining champions Chelsea on his CV. For some reason, which remains unclear to this day, Hughton was shown the door to make way for Alan Pardew. Disgusting treatment of a man that worked minor miracles at St James' Park.
