Hughes - the manager who announced his own sacking

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It's not often a manager announces his own sacking, but that was the bizarre case with David Hughes and Newport County earlier this month.

Welshman Hughes confirmed his departure during a BBC Radio Wales post-match interview following County's 1-0 defeat at Shrewsbury Town on 15 November.

It left the League Two club playing catch-up, later confirming Hughes' exit along with his assistant Wayne Hatswell.

Hughes told the Feast of Football podcast that he was informed of his sacking after the game, a decision he "fully respects".

"I needed to do the press and I guess I felt it my responsibility to let people know," he said.

"The honest part of all of it is, whatever I'd done or whatever I do, I always try and be myself."

Hughes, 47, had seemed like the right fit for Newport given his impressive reputation at youth level.

He led academies at Cardiff and Southampton before joining Manchester United in 2022, but the offer of a first senior management job was enough to lure him away from one of the biggest clubs in the world.

Hughes was appointed Newport boss in May but only won three from 16 games, leaving the Exiles bottom of the table and at serious risk of falling out of the football league.

"Coaching for me is about trying to progress and evolve the people you're working with, the team, yourself, that's all we try to do and unfortunately it didn't harvest what we hoped it would, but I've definitely got no regrets," said Hughes.

"I feel really fortunate to have worked with some unbelievably talented people in development, you learn bits off everybody and being able to put some of those into practice was something I feel really fortunate to do."

Christian Fuchs has been given the responsibility of pulling off Newport's great escape this season.

The former Leicester City defender has signed a "long-term contract" in what is his first managerial role.

And while Newport had been late to the party in announcing Hughes' departure, they were criticised for being a little too obvious in who they wanted to replace him.

Fuchs was reported to be in the crowd for Newport's game at Accrington Stanley on 11 October, something that didn't go unnoticed.

"A friend of mine rang me... he said he'd taken a call that Christian had been invited to watch the game and that the club may be looking to make a change," Hughes said.

"I've got no problem with it, I could sit here and go 'it's disgusting', but it's not, we hadn't won enough games and the chairman has every right to be looking."

Hughes also spotted another out of work manager in the stands at that game.

"The dugouts at Accrington are almost in the stand, there was a manager - I won't name him - who may as well have been sat in the dugout, he was sat so close to me.

"Don't have any respect for me, but please have some for yourself, you may as well have just jumped over the wall, it just made me chuckle."

Despite the unfortunate events that unfolded for Hughes, he said he was overwhelmed by the support in the last couple of weeks.

"The amount of people that are out there offering support and picking up the phone is terrific, I can't thank people enough," Hughes said.

He also wished Newport success, hoping Fuchs could provide the "bounce" they so desperately need.

"I said to the players just after I'd been told I'd be leaving 'don't change what you are, you're a great group of lads'," Hughes added.

"There is nothing more I would like than to see the club get success."

Hughes admits he is now "kicking his heels" after not working for the first time since he was 16.

"I've loved the last three or four months... would I work back in development? Of course I would. I don't believe I can cherry-pick what I want to do.

"I love football, I love coaching and if there's a manager out there that thinks I can add some value then naturally I'd be delighted and if there's somebody out there that thinks that I can add some value as a coach, equally I'd be ecstatic.

"It's definitely not taken away any thirst or hunger that I've got to be back out coaching and working with players."

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