John "Yogi" Hughes (born 9 September 1964) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player.
Hughes played primarily as a
central defender
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
for several clubs, including
Falkirk
Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...
(two spells),
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foot ...
,
Hibernian and
Ayr United. Towards the end of his playing career, Hughes took on coaching responsibilities, and was appointed manager of Falkirk in 2003 (initially as co-manager with
Owen Coyle
Owen Columba Coyle (born 14 July 1966) is a professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Indian Super League club Chennaiyin. He played as a striker for several clubs in England and Scotland, and made one appearanc ...
). Hughes guided the club to promotion to the
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the Scottish football league system, top-level league competition for professional Association football, football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Foo ...
and a
Scottish Cup Final during his time in charge. He eventually left Falkirk to take up the managerial role at Hibernian in 2009, but left by mutual consent after sixteen months.
Hughes was appointed manager of
Livingston in February 2012, but left in November to take over at English club
Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system.
They were founded in 190 ...
. He departed Hartlepool in May 2013 after being unable to prevent their relegation to
League Two. Hughes was appointed manager of
Inverness Caledonian Thistle in December 2013. He led the club to their first major silverware with the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,[Raith Rovers, which ended in them being relegated to ](_blank)Scottish League One
The Scottish League One, known as William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional association football, foot ...
. His next spell as a manager was with Ross County, where he managed to help them avoid relegation. Hughes was appointed Dunfermline Athletic
Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently compete in the after winning the 2022–23 Scottish League One title. Dunfermline play at ...
manager in November 2021, but he resigned from this position in May 2022 following their relegation.
Playing career
Hughes is "one of six kids from the classic, working-class family" in Leith
Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith.
The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...
.Berwick Rangers
Berwick Rangers Football Club is a football team based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed in England, who play in the Scottish football system. Founded in 1881, they currently play in the , the fifth tier of Scottish football, despite being ba ...
, where he played as a striker. After a brief stint in the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...
with Swansea City, Hughes established himself as a central defender
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
at Falkirk
Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...
.
His playing career peaked when he signed for Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foot ...
in 1995.Old Firm
The Old Firm is a collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply embedded i ...
derby against Rangers at Ibrox on 17 March 1996.
He subsequently played for his local club Hibernian, Ayr United and finally returned to Falkirk in a joint player and coaching role.
Hughes shares his name with former Celtic, Crystal Palace and Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
player John 'Yogi' Hughes. As a result, Hughes is often referred to as 'Yogi' himself.Mo Johnston
Maurice John Giblin Johnston (born 13 April 1963) is a Scottish former football player and coach. Johnston, who played as a forward, started his senior football career with Partick Thistle in 1981. He moved to Watford in 1983, where he scored ...
was being interviewed for STV's '' Scotsport''.
Coaching career
Falkirk
Hughes landed his first managerial job in 2003, when he and Owen Coyle
Owen Columba Coyle (born 14 July 1966) is a professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Indian Super League club Chennaiyin. He played as a striker for several clubs in England and Scotland, and made one appearanc ...
were appointed co-managers of Falkirk
Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...
. Coyle subsequently left Falkirk to join Ian McCall at Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish professional association football, football club based in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923. United are nickname ...
, leaving Hughes in sole charge. He then guided Falkirk to promotion to the Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the Scottish football league system, top-level league competition for professional Association football, football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Foo ...
in 2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
.
Hibernian
Hughes was appointed Hibernian manager in the 2009 close season.Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
qualification in his first season in charge, as they finished in fourth place in the SPL. Poor results at the start of the following season, however, led to fans jeering their own team. Hughes left the club by mutual consent on 4 October following a 2–0 defeat against St Johnstone.
Livingston
Hughes interviewed for the Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded as Swindon A ...
job in the 2011 close season.
Hartlepool
After nine months at Livingston, Hughes moved to English club Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system.
They were founded in 190 ...
.Football League Two
The English Football League Two, simply known as League Two and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet League Two, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League Two is the fourth division of the English Football League (EFL ...
.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Hughes was appointed manager of Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, also known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Scotland and the highest level of the Scottish football league system. Th ...
club Inverness Caledonian Thistle on 4 December 2013 on a two-and-a-half-year contract. Soon after this appointment, Hughes led Inverness CT to their first major final after beating Hearts in a penalty shoot-out
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
in the semi-final of the 2013–14 Scottish League Cup
The 2013–14 Scottish League Cup was the 68th season of Scotland's second-most prestigious football knockout competition.
Format
The competition is a single elimination knock-out competition. In each round, fixtures are determined by random dr ...
. Inverness drew 0–0 against Aberdeen
Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
in the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
, but, after extra-time
Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required t ...
, lost the tie 4–2 on penalties.
At the beginning of season 2014–15, ''Caley Thistle's'' excellent early performances led him to receive the award of SPFL Manager of the Month for August.Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,[Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foot ...](_blank)
, and at the end of the month he was shortlisted for PFA Scotland Manager of the Year. On 3 May, Hughes was announced as the winner of the managerial award ahead of Ronny Deila, Derek McInnes and Robbie Neilson.Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,[2015 Scottish Cup Final to conclude the club's most successful season.
Hughes left Inverness at the end of the 2015–16 season.
](_blank)
Raith Rovers
Hughes was appointed manager of Scottish Championship
The Scottish Championship known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional association footb ...
club Raith Rovers in February 2017. The club finished ninth in the Championship, and were relegated to League One after they lost in the play-offs to Brechin City. Immediately after the game, Raith announced that Hughes and his assistant Kevin McBride would be leaving the club.
Ross County
On 21 December 2020, Scottish Premiership club Ross County appointed Hughes as their manager until the end of the season, at the time of his appointment the club were four points adrift at the bottom and had won only one of their last 16 league games. He guided the club to a tenth-place finish in the Premiership, avoiding relegation by three points, and he left at the end of his contract.
Dunfermline Athletic
Hughes became manager of Scottish Championship club Dunfermline Athletic
Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently compete in the after winning the 2022–23 Scottish League One title. Dunfermline play at ...
in November 2021. The club finished ninth in the Championship and were relegated to League One after they lost in the play-offs to Queens Park. Hughes resigned later that month.
Managerial statistics
Honours and achievements
Player
;Falkirk
*Scottish First Division
The Scottish Football League First Division was the second tier in the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. It was replaced by the Scottish Championship.
History
The First Division was introduced in 1975–76 in Scottish footb ...
: 1993–94, 2002–03
*Scottish Challenge Cup
The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,[1993–94](_blank)Scottish First Division
The Scottish Football League First Division was the second tier in the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. It was replaced by the Scottish Championship.
History
The First Division was introduced in 1975–76 in Scottish footb ...
: 1998–99
Manager
;Falkirk
* Scottish First Division
The Scottish Football League First Division was the second tier in the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. It was replaced by the Scottish Championship.
History
The First Division was introduced in 1975–76 in Scottish footb ...
: 2004–05
*