The list of potential candidates to replace Stephen Kenny as Republic of Ireland manager has not exactly inspired much much enthusiasm among Irish supporters.
Lee Carsley would be a popular choice, with the excellent work he has done with the England U21s making him an intriguing prospect. Outside of that, the likes of Neil Lennon, Steve Bruce, and Roy Keane have all been widely panned when it was suggested that they would be in the running for the role.
Another name that has been mentioned is Chris Hughton.
A former Ireland international and assistant manager under Brian Kerr, he is someone that has been linked with the Irish job on various occasions in the past. He has been highly praised for the work he did at the likes of Brighton, Norwich City, and Birmingham City over the last decade or so.
Hughton is currently the manager of Ghana and is set to lead the nation at the African Cup of Nations in January.
In saying that, there are suggestions that he could be available after (or even before) that tournament. In fact, the criticism directed at him from within Ghana has been increasing in recent months despite the fact that he was only appointed as manager back in February.
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Ghana fans turn on Chris Hughton amid Republic of Ireland links
Ghana's results have been mixed since Chris Hughton's arrival as manager. He did help the nation to AFCON qualification, with the side earning two wins and two draws in the qualifiers that the oversaw.
However, they would fall to heavy defeats in friendlies against Mexico and USA in October. They would then suffer a shock defeat against Comoros in their second World Cup qualifier this month, having just scraped past Madagascar a few days prior.
In all, he has won only four of his nine games in charge despite largely coming up against lesser opposition.
Discontent with Hughton has been steadily building over the last couple of months.
Following the November international window, Ghanaian media personality Javier Clemente dismissed the team's chances of performing at AFCON under his management.
He is not the only one to share such an opinion.
Ghanaian manager Neil Armstrong-Mortagbe said that he would already be getting rid of Chris Hughton if the decision was his to make.
He has also come under criticism for some of his team selections, saying he was not selecting some players due to their lack of playing time at club level only to then break this rule for other members of the squad.
Chris Hughton told us he can’t start Ashimeru because of match fitness but started Andre who hasn’t played football this season.
This & many reasons why I think the black stars coach is not consistent in his decisions. https://t.co/HSMRN0fgxs pic.twitter.com/z9UHbJhtkU— DelSoka On YouTube (@delaliphrank) November 22, 2023
While the manager role with Ghana has been an unstable one in recent times, some of the issues raised in relation to Chris Hughton's time in charge of the team might give pause to those who are calling for him to be given the Ireland job.
His results with one of the strongest sides in African football would suggest that he has struggled somewhat to adapt to international football during his first stint at that level, not a great sign when you consider that he would often face more talented sides were he in charge of Ireland.
His conservative approach is also something that would give many supporters pause, especially when you consider the way he struggled in his most recent club job at Nottingham Forest.
Chris Hughton will no doubt come under consideration for the Ireland job if he is displays an interest in the position, but all of the issues mentioned above could well count against him.
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