7 Dec 2010

Newcastle sack manager Hughton

7:01 am on 7 December 2010

Newcastle United have sacked their manager Chris Hughton, saying they needed someone with more experience to stop them making an immediate return to the second division Championship.

Hughton was appointed full-time manager in October 2009 and led Newcastle back to the Premier League last season but rumours of his dismissal have swirled around St James' Park for months.

On Sunday, Newcastle lost 3-1 at West Bromwich Albion to slip to 11th in the standings after collecting two points from five games.

The new manager will be the 12th in the last 13 years to be given the task of trying to revive the north-east club's glory days.

Hughton, a former Tottenham Hotspur and Ireland fullback, spent 14 years as a coach at Spurs before joining Newcastle as a coach in 2008.