page_title: Chris Hughton
section_title: Club career
hierarchical_section_title: Chris Hughton / Club career
caption_attribution_description: English: Ajax vs Tottenham Hotspur 1981 European Cup Winners’ Cup first round
context_page_description: Christopher William Gerard Hughton is a former professional footballer and football manager who was most recently manager of Brighton & Hove Albion. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland national team and in 1979, he became the first mixed race player to represent the nation.
  After making his professional debut aged 20, Hughton spent most of his playing career with Tottenham Hotspur as a left back, leaving in 1990 after 13 years. After relatively brief spells with West Ham United and Brentford, Hughton retired from playing in 1993 at age 34. He earned 53 caps representing the Republic of Ireland, scoring one goal and starting in all three of Ireland's games at UEFA Euro 1988 in West Germany.
  From 1993 to 2007, Hughton served as coach and then assistant manager for Tottenham. He joined Newcastle United as first team coach in 2008, and, following their relegation, became caretaker manager. He led Newcastle back to the Premier League in his first season in charge, along the way breaking a number of records and securing the permanent managerial position. He was sacked as manager by Mike Ashley the following December, with his side 12th in the table.
context_section_description: Hughton first joined Tottenham Hotspur's youth system in 1971 at the age of 13. He signed as a part-time footballer in 1977, and trained as a lift engineer. He signed to become a full-time  professional footballer in July 1979, and made his first team debut that year in the second round of the 1979–80 League Cup against Manchester United. He started off playing as a Winger in the early days at the club. He then became a full back who can played on either side even though he is naturally right-footed, before settling into the left-back position. He is considered one of the best full-backs to have played for the club.
  Hughton played 398 games for Tottenham in all competitions, scoring 19 goals. He was a member of the Tottenham side that won both the 1981 and the 1982 FA Cups, the 1984 UEFA Cup, and finished runners-up in the 1982 League Cup.
  By 1986, injuries and competition from other full-backs meant that Hughton could no longer secure a regular place in the starting lineup. He did however played in the 1987 FA Cup Final after Danny Thomas was injured, finishing as runners-up in the competition.
  In November 1990, West Ham United signed Hughton, initially on loan as cover for the injured Julian Dicks, then signed on a permanent basis by West Ham manager Billy Bonds on a free transfer. He played two seasons at West Ham, making 43 appearances in all competitions without scoring, and helped them win promotion from Division Two in 1991.
  In 1992, he signed for Brentford, again on a free transfer. He helped Brentford win the Third Division title in the 1991–92 season. He played for a year for Brentford, before retiring at the age of 34 due to a knee injury in early 1993.
caption: Chris Hughton in 1981, Ajax vs Spurs
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