Charles Hughes (football manager)

Hughes began his coaching career with the England national amateur football team and Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic football team between 1964–74 winning 48 matches out of 77. He began football coaching in 1964 by being assistant coach to Allen Wade, and used the experience he gained from studying for a degree in physical education at Loughborough University.{{cite web|url=https://www.theblizzard.co.uk/article/maximum-opportunity|title=Maximum Opportunity|website=Theblizzard.co.uk|access-date=28 August 2019}} Hughes would later become the Director of Coaching for The Football Association and publish his book, The Winning Formula, which would be the basis of how English football would be played and coached for several decades.{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6mLXBQAAQBAJ&q=charles+hughes+football&pg=PT49|title=The Blizzard - The Football Quarterly: Issue Twelve|first1=Jonathan|last1=Wilson|first2=Philippe|last2=Auclair|first3=Rob|last3=Smyth|first4=Sid|last4=Lowe|first5=Iain|last5=Macintosh|first6=James|last6=Montague|first7=Graham|last7=Hunter|first8=Miguel|last8=Delaney|first9=Tim|last9=Vickery|first10=Sergio|last10=Levinsky|date=3 March 2014|publisher=Blizzard Media Ltd|via=Google Books}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JKbb02bg6zYC&q=charles+hughes+the+winning+formula&pg=PA63 |title=Encyclopedia of British Football - Richard Cox - Google Books |page=63 |isbn=9780714652498 |access-date=2 September 2012|last1=Cox |first1=Richard William |last2=Russell |first2=Dave |last3=Vamplew |first3=Wray |year=2002 }}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=61pNDAAAQBAJ&q=charles+hughes+soccer&pg=PA566|title=Soccer Science|first=Strudwick|last=Anthony|date=7 June 2016|publisher=Human Kinetics|page=566|isbn=9781450496797|via=Google Books}}{{cite web|url=http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/696/1/Andrews_A_man%27s_game.pdf |title=It's A Man's Game: English Football and Socio-Cultural Change |last=Andrews |first=Ian |date=2013 |website=etheses.lse.ac.uk |access-date=14 November 2019}}

Hughes presented his ideas in the magazine Match Analysis and concluded most goals were scored from three passes or fewer, therefore it was important to get the ball quickly forward as soon as possible. He based this analysis on over one hundred games at all levels, including games involving Liverpool and the Brazil national team, as well as many England youth games. His ideals were developed from those previously developed by World War II Wing Commander Charles Reep.{{cite news |title= Grim Reep |work= When Saturday Comes |url= https://www.wsc.co.uk/the-archive/918-Playing-the-game/2502-grim-reep- |access-date= 15 September 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120623000304/http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/2502/29 |archive-date= 23 June 2012 |url-status= dead }} From his statistical analysis, Hughes emphasised the importance of particular areas of the field from where goals were most often scored. He called these areas the 'POMO' – Positions Of Maximum Opportunity – and asserted that players would score if the ball was played into the 'POMO' enough times. He stressed the importance of set plays and crosses into the penalty area.{{cite book|last=Robson|first=Bobby|title=Farewell but not Goodbye|publisher=Hodder and Stoughton|year=2005|isbn=978-0-340-82346-0|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/farewellbutnotgo0000robs}}

Hughes died on 13 August 2024, at the age of 91.{{Cite web |date=13 August 2024 |title=Former FA director of coaching Charles Hughes passes away at the age of 91 |url=https://www.thefa.com/news/2024/aug/13/charles-hughes-1933-2024-20241308 |access-date=13 August 2024 |website=The Football Association}}

Many coaches and managers in England advocated his long-ball philosophy but some critics have derided his philosophy for encouraging a generation of players who lack basic technical skills and understanding of different tactical playing strategies.{{cite news |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/england-must-develop-the-creative-instinct-9231552.html |title= England must develop the creative instinct |work= The Independent |date= 12 November 2001 |location= London |first= James |last= Lawton }}{{cite news|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/11/25/sfncar125.xml|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071126014132/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/11/25/sfncar125.xml|url-status= dead|archive-date= 26 November 2007|title= England managers need direction |work= Daily Telegraph |date= 25 November 2007| location=London | first=John | last=Cartwright}}{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7137071.stm|title= How will English football develop? |publisher= BBC |date= 17 December 2007| first=Jonathan | last=Stevenson}}{{cite news|title= Will the Bulldog's Fall Give Rise to a New Breed of English Soccer?|work= The New York Times |date=24 November 1993|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/24/sports/24iht-rob_1.html |access-date=15 September 2010|first=Rob|last=Hughes}}{{cite news|title= The New Boys From Brazil|work= The New York Times |date=14 June 1995|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/14/sports/14iht-rob_0.html |access-date=15 September 2010|first=Rob|last=Hughes}}{{cite news|title= Brazil's coach in plagiarism row |work= BBC|date=3 June 2005|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4608743.stm|access-date=15 September 2010|first=Steve|last=Kingstone}}

The Official FA Guide to Basic Team Coaching {{ISBN|0-340-81600-7}}

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Category:1933 births

Category:2024 deaths

Category:People from Clitheroe

Category:Alumni of Loughborough University

Category:The Football Association

Category:English football managers