It’s exactly two years since one of the most clearcut examples of Player Power and – coincidentally – almost that long since Mark Hughes left the world of club management.
Disbelieving Southampton fans currently have smiles as wide as Mick Channon’s collar when they check the back pages and see the Saints sitting pretty near the top of the Premier League – it’s there in black and white. Indeed, recently they were even top of the heap. But, not that long ago, they were in serious plight with Mark ‘Sparky’ Hughes at the helm of the sinking ship.
That was until their centre-forward at the time, Charlie Austin, piled into the Man Utd, Chelsea, Barcelona and Wales playing legend with this outspoken rant on Match Of The Day.
Following Austin’s outburst, gruff gaffer Hughes knew that his spark had faded and that the door of St. Mary’s would soon close on him.
Rather than hang around to mess with another club, the wily Welshman – still out in the cold two years later – has opted for the heat of Qatar and Premier League punditry. No doubt he hopes Wales will qualify for the Qatar 2022 World Cup so he’ll earn enough to manage without managing.
