‘Football retires you’ – Mark Hughes explains why he joined club bottom of EFL

Mark Hughes is adamant that the timing was perfect for him to return to the world of football management with Carlisle United for the first time.

Following a hiatus of fifteen months, the former manager of Manchester City took over the management of the club that finished last in the Football League earlier this month.
Hughes has been given what is arguably the most difficult managerial assignment he has ever been given, as Carlisle is currently five points away from safety with fourteen games left to play.

Hughes, a former striker for Wales, is still looking for his first win as the manager of the Cumbrians. He has lost his first two games in charge of the Cumbrians despite registering back-to-back games that ended in a goalless draw.

Hughes, who is Welsh, has not been deterred from returning to the rigours of club management despite Carlisle’s precarious position. Hughes acknowledges that the club’s current predicament is new territory for him.

On the other hand, I see it as the challenge that it is. “It is abundantly clear that we are at the bottom of the Football League,” Hughes stated to talkSPORT.

I have been in relegation battles in the past with different teams, but I have never actually been at the bottom of the league, so this is something that I have never experienced before.

“This was an opportunity for me to come in and assist the club, as they are currently dealing with a challenging circumstance that they are trying to get out of.

“I was asked if you would be willing to come in and assist, and to be honest, it just struck a chord with me at the perfect moment.”

In response to the question of what his first assignment was upon arriving at the club, Hughes provided an intriguing insight into the sequential methods of acclimating himself and his coaching team to their new surroundings.

According to his explanation, “First and foremost, you need to get an understanding of what has been going on beforehand, what problems they’ve had and where they were falling down in terms of results, and the thinking behind what we could do to affect that,” he said.

“The players have been very good in terms of their efforts to embrace what it is that we are attempting to accomplish. As a result of the fact that we are still waiting for our first victory, the new manager’s bounce needs to occur a little bit more quickly than it has done up until this point.
Hughes continued by saying, “I have to say that the play has been good.” When it comes to taking advantage of the opportunities that we have created, we are lacking at the top end of the pitch.

The fact that I’ve been satisfied with the quality that I’ve discovered is always a plus. On occasion, you might enter a club and believe that we do not possess sufficient resources to escape this predicament; however, this is not the case in this particular instance.

I believe that we have players who are capable of redeeming the situation that we have found ourselves in if we are able to get the ball in our possession and get our noses in front of the competition.

Hughes has spent the majority of his managerial career in the Premier League, overseeing teams such as Blackburn, Fulham, Stoke, Southampton, and QPR. His tenure in the Premier League has been extensive.

It was during his previous position at League Two club Bradford City, which lasted until October 2023, that he made his first foray into the world of professional football elsewhere.

Hughes acknowledges that despite the fact that he is now 61 years old and has the opportunity to manage in the Premier League once more, he still has a strong desire to continue his career in football.

Hughes stated, “It is what I do, and it is something that I have done for a very long time.” In the past, I have taken breaks, and in more recent times, I have done things that have made me feel as though I may be finished.

The fact of the matter is that football is a sport that retires you, and you don’t really retire from playing golf. There came a time when I was prepared to go back in again. I was ready to do so. I still have the endurance, I am in good health, and I am in good enough shape to complete it.