Chris Hughton

Christopher Hughton (born 11 December 1958) 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. Hughton managed Birmingham City for a single season, leading them to fourth place in the league, before joining Norwich City in June 2012. Norwich sacked Hughton in April 2014.
Following his departure from Norwich, Hughton became manager of Brighton & Hove Albion midway through the 2014–15 Championship season, securing the club's safety within the division. In the following 2015–16 season, Hughton guided Brighton to an impressive third-placed finish, narrowly missing out on promotion to the Premier League through an inferior goal difference of two goals. Brighton would go one step further in the following season under Hughton's management, earning promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their history, and returning to the top flight of English football for the first time since 1983. Under Hughton's management, the club secured a second season in the Premier League by enjoying a 15th-placed finish in their first season in the division.
Brighton sacked Hughton on 13 May 2019 after a poor run of form in the second half of the 2018–19 season meant the club narrowly avoided relegation by two points, finishing 17th.