Charles Hughes (28 July 1933 – 13 August 2024) was an English football coach and author who was the director of coaching for the Football Association. He authored the FA's official coaching manual and was an early developer of long ball tactics.[3]
Charles Hughes | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 July 1933[1] |
| Died | 13 August 2024 (aged 91) |
| Nationality | English |
| Known for | Director of coaching for The Football Association[2] |
Coaching
editHughes 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.[2] 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.[4] 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.[5][6][7][8]
Tactics
editHughes 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.[9] 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.[10]
Death
editLegacy and criticism
editMany 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.[12][13][14][15][16][17]
Work
editThe Official FA Guide to Basic Team Coaching ISBN 0-340-81600-7
References
edit- ^ a b c "Charles Hughes, FA football coach who made his name as a champion of the 'long-ball' game – obituary". The Telegraph. 24 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ a b Football: Learning to live with football's bogeyman: Dave Hadfield lived next door to Charles Hughes - and survived Hadfield, David. The Independent. 13-08-94, Accessed 08-06-10
- ^ Fox, Norman (28 November 1993). "Profile: The professor breaks cover: Charles Hughes". Independent. London. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
- ^ "Maximum Opportunity". Theblizzard.co.uk. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ Wilson, Jonathan; Auclair, Philippe; Smyth, Rob; Lowe, Sid; Macintosh, Iain; Montague, James; Hunter, Graham; Delaney, Miguel; Vickery, Tim; Levinsky, Sergio (3 March 2014). "The Blizzard - The Football Quarterly: Issue Twelve". Blizzard Media Ltd – via Google Books.
- ^ Cox, Richard William; Russell, Dave; Vamplew, Wray (2002). Encyclopedia of British Football - Richard Cox - Google Books. p. 63. ISBN 9780714652498. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ Anthony, Strudwick (7 June 2016). Soccer Science. Human Kinetics. p. 566. ISBN 9781450496797 – via Google Books.
- ^ Andrews, Ian (2013). "It's A Man's Game: English Football and Socio-Cultural Change" (PDF). etheses.lse.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ^ "Grim Reep". When Saturday Comes. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
- ^ Robson, Bobby (2005). Farewell but not Goodbye. Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 978-0-340-82346-0.
- ^ "Former FA director of coaching Charles Hughes passes away at the age of 91". The Football Association. 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ Lawton, James (12 November 2001). "England must develop the creative instinct". The Independent. London.
- ^ Cartwright, John (25 November 2007). "England managers need direction". Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 26 November 2007.
- ^ Stevenson, Jonathan (17 December 2007). "How will English football develop?". BBC.
- ^ Hughes, Rob (24 November 1993). "Will the Bulldog's Fall Give Rise to a New Breed of English Soccer?". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
- ^ Hughes, Rob (14 June 1995). "The New Boys From Brazil". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
- ^ Kingstone, Steve (3 June 2005). "Brazil's coach in plagiarism row". BBC. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
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