Early February saw a very surprising managerial appointment in League Two as struggling Carlisle recruited the services of former Manchester United, Barcelona and Chelsea star Mark Hughes to help save their season. The Welshman has not been in work since leaving Bradford City in 2023 and it seemed like he was out of the game. Desperate times call for desperate measures, however, and it is hoped that the experienced mind of the 61-year-old might just give Carlise some renewed hope of avoiding relegation.
Williamson Sacking Creates Vacancy
It would be unfair to say that Carlisle did not give Mike Williamson a decent chance. The former MK Dons boss led the Cumbrians for 25 matches but only managed to secure a mere five wins. This might have been borderline acceptable for a team expected to go down but not one that had promotion hopes coming into the season. At the start of the campaign, the bookies had Carlisle as 12/1 for the title (6th favourites) and a short 5/2 to secure promotion.
Club statement. ⤵️https://t.co/9vQ4e6mn4s pic.twitter.com/CpXuCzKf5m
— Carlisle United FC (@officialcufc) February 3, 2025
So the fact that Williamson had guided Carlisle to rock bottom of League Two means he can have few complaints about his dismissal. The final straw was the 5-1 home defeat to Swindon Town. Prior to this, the Blues had only been losing matches narrowly (their previous five defeats had been by one-goal margins) but being hammered at home by a mid-table outfit understandably forced the Carlisle board into action.
Hughes Facing a Big Challenge
Wales legend Hughes inherits a side facing a real threat of back-to-back relegations. The situation at the time of his appointment saw Carlisle sitting in 24th place, five points away from safety. This is not an insurmountable gap by any means but significant improvements are needed. The northwest side lost seven of their final 10 games under Williamson, which is very much the form of a relegation team, not a side dragging themselves to safety.
| Pos. | Team | W | D | L | Goal Diff | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19th | Barrow | 8 | 7 | 13 | -5 | 31 |
| 20th | Harrogate Town | 8 | 6 | 16 | -16 | 30 |
| 21st | Accrington Stanley | 7 | 8 | 12 | -11 | 29 |
| 22nd | Tranmere Rovers | 6 | 8 | 14 | -25 | 26 |
| 23rd | Morecambe | 6 | 5 | 18 | -19 | 23 |
| 24th | Carlisle United | 5 | 6 | 17 | -24 | 21 |
Hughes will be hoping for a good start to lift the spirits around the club and he is faced with a relatively kind run of fixtures to start him off. Across his next five opponents, four find themselves in the bottom half (at the time of his appointment) and the only exception is Grimsby in 10th. So, Hughes will have a realistic chance of collecting some valuable points in this period.
It is also worth remembering there are still 18 games to be played in the campaign. Looking at previous seasons, a tally of 45 points would likely see Carlisle beat the drop. They currently sit 24 points shy of this target so all the club needs is eight wins, or six/seven with some draws. For a team that began the season with promotion hopes, this is not an unrealistic aim. The bookies are a bit less optimistic mind you as even following Hughes’s appointment, all had the Cumbrians at an odds-on price to face the drop.
New Recruits Can Play a Big Role
Hughes is not the only new face at Brunton Park. As well as a change of head coach, Carlisle were extremely busy in the January transfer window. Among the new recruits are former Newcastle left back Paul Dummett, Blackpool’s Elliot Embleton, promising young right-back Josh Williamson and MK Dons midfielder Stephen Wearne. The second-lowest scorers in League Two also brought in forward Cedwyn Scott for an undisclosed fee. The Englishman, who briefly played for Carlisle years ago, netted the first goal in the 2-1 win over Fleetwood in late January.
Wearne, who scored 11 goals for Gateshead in the 2023/24 season, will also be hoping to chip in with some goals and they are desperately needed. At the start of Hughes’ reign, the club’s top goalscorers were defender Sam Lavelle and Luke Armstrong (loaned to Motherwell) tied on three. Of course, the Blues could do with tightening up defensively too, but you need to score goals to win games so Hughes will need to find a way to get his side firing.
Is Hughes The Right Man For the Job?
Once manager of Manchester City, it is fair to say that Mark Hughes’ stock has declined somewhat over the years. Following an awful stint at Southampton in 2018, which saw him win just five of 27 matches, this basically marked the end of his Premier League managerial career. Rather than disappear forever though, Hughes eventually returned over three years later, becoming the surprise new head of Bradford City.
Mark Hughes Teams Managed
| Team | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Wales | Aug 1999 | Sep 2004 |
| Blackburn Rovers | Sep 2004 | Jun 2008 |
| Manchester City | Jun 2008 | Dec 2009 |
| Fulham | Jul 2010 | Jun 2011 |
| Queens Park Rangers | Jan 2012 | Nov 2012 |
| Stoke City | May 2013 | Jan 2018 |
| Southampton | Mar 2018 | Dec 2018 |
| Bradford City | Feb 2022 | Oct 2023 |
| Carlisle United | Jan 2025 | Present |
Fans have mixed opinions about his time in Yorkshire but during his only full season in charge he got the League Two side into the play-offs (having finished 14th and 15th prior to this). The next season began fairly poorly with just three wins in 11 league games but to say it was a poor appointment overall, at a club that rarely shows managers much patience, would be unfair.
No manager is ever guaranteed to be a success or failure at a club but in the case of Hughes, it really does seem like it could easily go either way. His Bradford stint suggests there is some ability still there but he doesn’t have the best record when managing one of the weaker teams in a given division (see QPR and Southampton). Additionally, there is a feeling that is perhaps just a little out of touch having held just one post since the end of 2018.
With Hughes on simple a rolling contract, unusual for a manager, this also does not suggest a high level of confidence either. That said, it is probably a deal that suits both parties as Hughes seems unlikely to want the experience of managing in the National League should Carlisle go down.
Our Verdict
Although we don’t particularly rate Mark Hughes highly as a manager these days, sometimes a struggling club will benefit from a change and a fresh start. Hughes is a stark contrast to former boss Williamson and given how busy the Blues have been in the transfer window, we think Carlisle will be able to avoid the drop.