John Hughes (footballer, born 1964) facts for kids
Hughes in 2009
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Hughes | ||
| Date of birth | 9 September 1964 | ||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1988 | Newtongrange Star | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1988–1989 | Berwick Rangers | 41 | (14) |
| 1989–1990 | Swansea City | 24 | (4) |
| 1989 | → Alloa Athletic (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 1990–1995 | Falkirk | 134 | (7) |
| 1995–1996 | Celtic | 31 | (2) |
| 1996–2000 | Hibernian | 72 | (4) |
| 2000–2002 | Ayr United | 48 | (2) |
| 2002–2005 | Falkirk | 79 | (5) |
| Total | 434 | (38) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2003–2009 | Falkirk | ||
| 2009–2010 | Hibernian | ||
| 2012 | Livingston | ||
| 2012–2013 | Hartlepool United | ||
| 2013–2016 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | ||
| 2017 | Raith Rovers | ||
| 2020–2021 | Ross County | ||
| 2021–2022 | Dunfermline Athletic | ||
|
|||
John "Yogi" Hughes (born on 9 September 1964) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. He is often called 'Yogi' because he shares a name with another famous footballer, John 'Yogi' Hughes.
Hughes mainly played as a central defender. He played for several clubs, including Falkirk (twice), Celtic, Hibernian, and Ayr United.
Later in his career, Hughes started coaching. He became the manager of Falkirk in 2003. He helped Falkirk get promoted to the Scottish Premier League. He also led them to a Scottish Cup Final. In 2009, he moved to manage Hibernian. He left Hibernian after about sixteen months.
In 2012, Hughes became the manager of Livingston. He then moved to the English club Hartlepool United. He left Hartlepool in 2013 after the team was relegated. Hughes was appointed manager of Inverness Caledonian Thistle in December 2013. He led them to win their first major trophy, the Scottish Cup, in 2015. They also played in European football for the first time.
After leaving Inverness in 2016, Hughes had a short time with Raith Rovers. They were relegated to Scottish League One. His next job was with Ross County, where he helped them avoid relegation. Hughes became Dunfermline Athletic manager in November 2021. He resigned in May 2022 after they were relegated.
Contents
John Hughes' Playing Career
John Hughes grew up in Leith as one of six children in a working-class family. He began his football journey in junior football with Newtongrange Star.
He started his senior career with Berwick Rangers. There, he played as a striker, scoring goals for the team. After a brief time with Swansea City, Hughes found his main position. He became a strong central defender at Falkirk.
His playing career reached a high point when he joined Celtic in 1995. He scored an important goal in a big game. It was a late header against Rangers at Ibrox on 17 March 1996.
After Celtic, he played for his local club Hibernian. He also played for Ayr United. Finally, he returned to Falkirk. This time, he was both a player and a coach.
John Hughes' Coaching Journey
Managing Falkirk Football Club
Hughes got his first manager job in 2003. He and Owen Coyle started as co-managers of Falkirk. Later, Coyle left, and Hughes became the sole manager.
He guided Falkirk to promotion to the Scottish Premier League in 2005. They stayed in the SPL for four seasons. Hughes also led Falkirk to the 2009 Scottish Cup Final. They played against Rangers but lost 1–0.
Leading Hibernian Football Club
Hughes became the manager of Hibernian in 2009. In his first season, he led the club to qualify for the UEFA Europa League. They finished fourth in the SPL, which was a great achievement.
However, the next season started with some tough results. Hughes left the club by agreement on 4 October. This happened after a 2–0 loss against St Johnstone.
Coaching Livingston Football Club
Hughes was appointed manager of Livingston on 14 February 2012. He worked there for nine months.
Taking Charge at Hartlepool United
After Livingston, Hughes moved to the English club Hartlepool United. He took over when the team had not won a game in 20 matches.
The team's performance improved under him. He even won a Manager of the Month award. Despite his efforts, Hartlepool was relegated to Football League Two. Hughes wanted to stay, but he was let go on 9 May 2013.
Success with Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Hughes became manager of Scottish Premiership club Inverness Caledonian Thistle on 4 December 2013. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract.
Soon after, he led Inverness CT to their first major final. They beat Hearts in a penalty shootout in the 2013–14 Scottish League Cup semi-final. In the final, Inverness drew 0–0 against Aberdeen. They lost 4–2 on penalties after extra-time.
In the 2014–15 season, Caley Thistle played very well. Hughes won the SPFL Manager of the Month award for August. He won it again for January 2015.
In April 2015, Hughes led Caley Thistle to their first ever Scottish Cup final. They had a exciting 3–2 win over Celtic. At the end of April, he was nominated for PFA Scotland Manager of the Year. On 3 May, Hughes won the award.
More success followed as he guided Inverness to their highest ever league finish. They came in 3rd place. This meant the club would play in European competition for the first time. Hughes also won the SFWA Manager of the Year award. He led the club to win their first major trophy, the Scottish Cup. They beat his old club Falkirk in the 2015 Scottish Cup Final. This was the club's most successful season ever.
Hughes left Inverness at the end of the 2015–16 season.
Time at Raith Rovers
Hughes was appointed manager of Scottish Championship club Raith Rovers in February 2017. The club finished ninth in the Championship. They were relegated to League One after losing in the play-offs to Brechin City. After the game, Raith announced that Hughes would be leaving the club.
Helping Ross County Stay Up
On 21 December 2020, Ross County appointed Hughes as their manager. At that time, the club was at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership. They were four points behind and had won only one of their last 16 league games.
He guided the club to a tenth-place finish in the Premiership. This meant they avoided relegation by three points. He left at the end of his contract in May 2021.
Managing Dunfermline Athletic
Hughes became manager of Scottish Championship club Dunfermline Athletic in November 2021. The club finished ninth in the Championship. They were relegated to League One after losing in the play-offs to Queens Park. Hughes resigned later that month, in May 2022.
Managerial Statistics
Here is a summary of John Hughes's record as a manager for different teams:
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Falkirk | 31 January 2003 | 31 May 2009 | 283 | 117 | 61 | 105 | 41.3 |
| Hibernian | 8 June 2009 | 4 October 2010 | 54 | 19 | 12 | 23 | 35.2 |
| Livingston | 14 February 2012 | 13 November 2012 | 27 | 12 | 5 | 10 | 44.4 |
| Hartlepool United | 13 November 2012 | 9 May 2013 | 29 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 27.6 |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 4 December 2013 | 20 May 2016 | 121 | 50 | 30 | 41 | 41.3 |
| Raith Rovers | 10 February 2017 | 13 May 2017 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 26.7 |
| Ross County | 21 December 2020 | 24 May 2021 | 21 | 8 | 2 | 11 | 38.1 |
| Dunfermline Athletic | 15 November 2021 | 19 May 2022 | 25 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 24.0 |
| Total | 574 | 223 | 131 | 220 | 38.9 | ||
Honours and Achievements
John Hughes has achieved several honours both as a player and as a manager.
As a Player
- Falkirk
- Scottish First Division: 1993–94, 2002–03
- Scottish Challenge Cup: 1993–94
- Hibernian
- Scottish First Division: 1998–99
As a Manager
- Falkirk
- Scottish First Division: 2004–05
- Scottish Challenge Cup: 2004–05
- Stirlingshire Cup: 2006–07, 2007–08
- Scottish Cup: runners-up 2008–09
- Inverness Caledonian Thistle
- Scottish Cup: 2014–15
- Scottish League Cup: runners-up 2013–14
Individual Awards
- SPL Manager of the Month: December 2006
- SPL Manager of the Month: September 2009
- League One – Manager of the Month: February 2013
- SPFL Manager of the Month: August 2014
- SPFL Manager of the Month: January 2015
- PFA Scotland Manager of the Year: 2014–15
- SFWA Manager of the Year: 2014–15
