Chris Hughton is not frustrated that he flies under the radar for top jobs.

He just wants to avoid failure and keep rewarding Albion owner-chairman Tony Bloom.

Hughton's name hardly ever gets mentioned when bigger jobs become available, even though his managerial record with Newcastle, Birmingham, Norwich and the Seagulls is better than most.

Southampton boss Mark Hughes has described him as "very underrated" ahead of their meeting at St Mary's tonight.

Hughton (below) told The Argus: "It's always very nice when people speak well about you but it's never anything that I think about or that grates me (going under the radar).

The Argus: "In our game you have to work as hard as you can, do as well as you can, but you always know there can be bad times around the corner.

"That's what keeps you on your toes as a manager, very much so."

Hughton has plenty of credit in the bank, having steered Albion from the Championship relegation zone to Premier League consolidation in the early stages of his fourth full season in charge.

Enough to buy him time in those bad times?

"I never think that way," he said. "As a manager and the game itself, it's all about ups and downs. There will be very big managers riding high at the moment that in a year's time might be completely different.

"It's the nature of our game but it's what drives you on. With all managers there has to be that bit of not wanting to fail that drives you on. Certainly that's what drives me on.

"It's not a fear of failure, because you can't get to a stage where it doesn't allow you to do your job properly.

"There's two sides, not wanting to fail and wanting to succeed. There's your balance.

"Some are motivated by ambition and success, some are motivated - and I am probably in the category - by doing the best job that I can for a lot of people I have a responsbility to, firstly the owner of this football club."

This evening's south coast clash brings together two of the six British managers in the Premier League - Roy Hodgson, Eddie Howe, Sean Dyche and Neil Warnock are the others.

Former Spurs stalwart Hughton, 59, and ex-Manchester United striker Hughes, 54, have followed similar paths from top clubs in their playing careers into management.

"I know Mark well and I know his staff very well as well," Hughton said. "I've always had a lot of respect for the job that he does.

"Mark's one that gets on with the job with little fuss. He has a way of playing, he has a way of having good people around him and I think he is a manager that players enjoy playing for.

"We are about the same age. He has probably been in management - although his route in was international management (Wales) - a bit longer than I have but yes, similar eras, and I'd like to think a mutual respect."

Hughes' club career as a a manager with Blackburn, Manchester City, Fulham, QPR, Stoke and now Saints has taken a couple of hits.

The Argus: He lasted only 11 months at Loftus Road and, after guiding relegated Stoke to a hat-trick of ninth-placed finishes, then 13th, left them in trouble before saving Southampton from going down as well.

Hughton said: "I think in the game he is a very well respected manager. I suppose we are going through an era , and what clubs want and a way of playing, of a lot of foreign managers coming in from big clubs.

"So I think the game has changed in that way in how people see management. But there are a lot of managers in the game who are what I regard as secure managers. You know what they do and they do it very well.

"All managers will have ups and downs, because it is impossible not to. But I think in the game Mark is regarded as a very good manager.

"It's not a surprise to me that when he got the (Southampton) job last season that he did the job that they asked him to do.

"And at this moment, taking that club into the season, the team are playing well. They are playing a good brand of football and I think they will do well this season."