This is the first of a two part series of articles. Rather than produce a balanced preview of Huddersfield Town’s chances in the coming season, I’ve separated the positive and the negative. And because I’m a Town fan, I’m going to start with the negative.
This article will look at the reasons why Town fans can feel gloomy about the season ahead. I’ll be posting the article with reasons to feel positive soon, so keep your eyes peeled.
Corberán is inexperienced
The fact Corberán is managing in the Championship for the first time means he’s an unknown quantity. It’s possible he’ll be brilliant but he could also be rubbish. He has some experience abroad and as a number two in the Championship but neither will have fully prepare him for what lies ahead this season.
There are good signals, such as his reputation in the game, the fact he’s worked closely with top managers, talks a good game and has a clear vision. But Mick Wadsworth arrived at Town with top coaching qualifications and an excellent reputation and that ended u pleasantly (we sacked him but them unsacked him because we couldn’t afford to pay him off).
Karlan Grant’s departure
It seems very likely we’ll see Grant leave the club this window and that means we’ll lose 19 goals from last season’s squad. It’s not clear exactly where there’s goals will come from, as nobody else seems likely to step up.
My personal opinion is that we don’t need a single player to take on the same scoring record, we need five or six players that regularly chip in with goals. Who will they be though? Bacuna looks like he could get 5 – 10 goals, Ward similar, then we either need Diakhaby, Pritchard and Mbenza to show an instinct in front of goal that has been absent so far in their Town careers.
The losing habit
There’s no getting away from the fact that Huddersfield Town have lost a lot of games in the last three seasons and it’s become a habit. There’s a familiar feeling whenever Town go behind in a game and heads start to drop.
The Cowleys did well to somewhat reverse this trend and change the mood at the club but the confidence in this team (and among fans) is incredibly fragile.
Top teams treat defeat like an imposter that should be shunned at all costs. At Town defeat is a familiar old friend that we embrace at the slightest sign of difficulty.
The new style of play adds extra pressure
I thought this was an excellent point raised by the lads on the Not The Top 20 podcast this week. The emphasis on changing the style of play at Town will in many ways make it harder not easier to win games.
Danny Cowley switched to a more negative approach to games at the end of last season because we needed to scratch together points to survive. If we had tried to play expansive football during those tense games then I think it’s likely we’d have gone down.
So if Corberán refuses to opt for more pragmatic tactics under pressure then he’s potentially making his job harder for himself. Not that I disagree with the plan to create an identity but it’s worth acknowledging it may lead to short term pain for long term gain.
Teams will work out our system quickly
It’s been stated many times this summer that Town will have one style of play from the academy through to the first team. In fairness, I like the ambition of this intended style. Hard pressing, attacking, possession-based football sounds great, like we played under Wagner but with more goals.
The difficulty with having that kind of style is that other clubs work it out quickly and know how to play against it. Even in our prime under Wagner we often struggled to break down teams that set up to defend despite often notching 70% or more of the possession. How likely is it that our current attacking lineup have the abilities to unlock a resolute defence?
Our squad is thin
Our squad is very low on Championship quality players right now. We’ve let a lot of experience go since the end of last season and not adequately replaced it. Nearly every Town fan is keen to see youngsters given a chance under the new regime but it would be like throwing them to the lions to assume we can replace seasoned pros with kids and still maintain ourselves in the division.
The clearout that has taken place over the summer at Huddersfield Town was needed because there were so many players suffering from a relegation hangover and earning decent money despite underperforming. Those departures needed replacements though and we’ve not yet seen them come in. Even if we were to make significant moves in the transfer market before the window closes, it may be too late because the season will be well under way by then.
There is pressure on Town’s recruitment team
The part of the club that we are most reliant on at the moment is also the part that many fans have almost no confidence in. We desperately need quality players to be identified, negotiated for and then assimilated into the squad.
With the exception of Karlan Grant, our recruitment committee has been shocking over the last few seasons. Last January was an exception but at that time Danny Cowley had a more active involvement in recruitment than Corberán will ever have.
I’ve said in the past that I don’t like the committee approach to transfers. Despite it making sense on paper, I think it’s better for managers or head coaches to pick the players they want to work with rather than being given a list to choose from.
Our goalkeepers all have question marks next to them
Hamer and Pereira are keepers in a similar position in terms of their form. They’re both likely to have the skills needed to do their job well but are error-prone and most likely struggling for confidence. This would be a problem at the best of times but the new tactical approach requires the keeper to be confident with the ball at their feet and able to safely pass the ball up the pitch.
I saw a comment from a Hearts fan that genuinely thought Pereira cost them around 15 points last season. If that is true then how many will he cost us? Will Hamer be more costly?
Many will see Ryan Schofield as the potential saviour of this position but he’s still relatively inexperienced and is overcoming an injury, so will need to be gradually introduced.
Are we repeating past mistakes by giving outcast players another chance?
It seems like Mbenza, Diakhaby and Kongolo are all being given another opportunity at Huddersfield Town after being put out in the cold by Danny Cowley after the awful Bristol City away game last season.
Kongolo’s situation is slightly different to the other two as he clearly has ability but his attitude really let him down last season. In the final few games he played for Town he was so rotten that it seemed like he was doing things badly on purpose. If he comes back from his foot injury and shows a willingness to work hard for the team then I’d be tempted to give him another chance. Unless we can get anything close to the money we spent on him back, in which case it would be better to recoup whatever we can of his transfer fee and free up the wage bill.
Mbenza and Diakhaby aren’t like Kongolo because neither has ever really looked like being a decent player for Town. Both have shown poor attitudes on the pitch at times, with lots of arm flapping and sullen looks on their faces. Other times they’ve seemed more interested and willing to put the required effort into their games. Both seemed to be in a more positive mindset when they came off the bench against Rochdale last weekend.
My concern with these two is that they’re now on their fourth Town manager (and each has played on loan for other managers too) and haven’t yet shown anywhere close to the level of ability their transfer fees suggest they should be capable of. It’s not their fault that we paid so much for them but I worry that a fourth chance is a chance too many and they’re taking up slots in the squad that could be occupied by genuine talent rather than pace with the odd glimmer of potential.
Apologies if this preview has left you feeling sad about Town’s prospects this season. I will be posting my happy-clapper, sunshine and kittens preview shortly, which may help to lift the mood. I just hope I can find enough reason to be optimistic to fill up a blogpost!
Quite a comprehensive insight to the present position of the club. At least under the Cowleys they managed their players who were willing to try quite well. Keeping the club up was their number one priority. It was a shame their vision for the future was not shared by the decision makers at the club. Their only contribution over the last two years have been shambolick to say the least.
I would prefer we were still under the Cowleys regime. Reading between the lines of Danny Cowley’s comments, he wanted the club to spend money on quality Championship players that were ready to push for promotion. He also wanted to choose the players. This was the basis that Cowley joined the club, so I think he was unfairly treated when the club decided to go in a completely different direction.
I was far moe optimistic with the Cowleys than I am now. Their points record last season over a full season would be acceptable. When they were appointed I could not see a way out of the mess we were in but, despite the squad they inherited, they dug us out of a hole and kept us up. Last January was our best transfer window in 2 years. Like you I do not agree with a “transfer committee”. Managers should rise or fall depending on the success or failures of their purchases.Corberan is an unknown quantity so the success of his appointment remains to be seen. I think that under the Cowleys we would have at least been mid table this season which I would be pleased with. Now I am not so sure.
I think, with the right backing, we’d have seen steady but consistent progress under the Cowleys. Under the new regime it could go either way, disaster or success. Much more of a gamble but could be interesting.
One comment which i think could be challenged is the first regarding his experience, let us not forget his experience is arguably better than Wagner’s was except of coarse for their respective playing careers. As for the system being worked out by the other teams does anyone know of a system that will not be worked out
I’m not sure you can argue the experience point. He has very little and comparing him to a past manager doesn’t seem like a good basis for an argument. Time will tell I suppose.
I too, would have had more optimism under the Cowleys. I hope I’m proved wrong but I’m a realist and I cannot see anything other than a season of struggle.
Once Grant has gone, the others are really going to have to step up with goals.
Here is a thought… practice set pieces…. I think we were in the bottom three for both defensive and offensive last year.
Set pieces really cost us last year at both ends. I hope we can sign someone that can play a decent delivery (or Ben Jackson kicks on, as he strikes the ball very well) and maybe a few big lads who can get on the end of them.
The Cowleys only came if they were to be managers not coaches. When they actually tried to do their job, recruiting new players of their choice and actually asking for investment, it was “shock horror. We can’t have them telling us who to recruit and we don’t want to spend any money so they’ll have to go”. Given support from the management I am sure that they would have done well this season.
I agree John. I’m finding it hard to get past that and support the new approach. But Carlos deserves a chance and I’m really hoping he succeeds even if I’d have preferred Danny Cowley to stay.
Whilst I would have preferred the Cowleys to stay, I really hope that Corberán is as successful as the new owner hopes he will be.
I agree Terry. He talks a good game, let’s hope he can deliver it on the pitch too.
I understand the concept where everyone is working off the same hymn sheet thus the club is said to have an “identity” but identity is not a word that I have ever liked. If your name is Klopp then “identity” works because you have the players good enough to fulfil the plan put in place by the manager. Wagner tried to have the same identity but it didn’t work because the players were not good enough to carry it out. Identity = Predictability and other clubs soon work out how to counteract your style of play – unless your players are so good that even if they know they can’t do anything about it. Wagner became a one trick pony because when his plan or identity didn’t work out there was never a plan B. This is my biggest fear for Corberan. I am sure he has good ideas but will the players that he has be good enough to carry them through and if it doesn’t work is he going to be flexible enough or have the players to try other ideas. He will soon lose the dressing room and support if he loses 4 or 5 matches – and then we are back to square one. I wonder if the Cowleys are still available!!
Looking at our opening sequence of games it’s conceivable we’ll soon see what happens with the new vision when go on a losing run. I hope that Corberán is backed because he’s not responsible for the deep lying problems at the club.
Very true. I think he’s been dealt a bad hand. I hope we’re all wrong and we’re challenging for promotion in 6 months.
It’s hard not to agree with Terrier Spirit in this instance. I was shocked and bewildered after the Cowley’s were dismissed after achieving their remit, and particularly following such an outstanding performance that all but confirmed our safety. I think the Chairman, on second thoughts, was unhappy with having a manager that was having the final say on recruitment, therefore giving him too much control. Under the current climate, all the clubs are having to struggle, I believe this will have had some bearing on his decision. Judging by the comings and goings up to press, it appears that we are going to recoup as much as we can out of the previous poor recruitment, and replace it with the best of the promising youth that we have on our books.
This of course will save a massive amount on wages. I like the ideas of the new manger, but
championship isn’t the place to rebuild a side, unless you are prepared for relegation at the end of it.
8 agree about the academy lads. They look good but we can’t play five or six in the starting eleven without getting found out.
Look what happened at Millwall.
I THINK TOWN SHOULD BE ASHAMEDTOW THEY TREATED COWEYS THE BOARD SHOULD ALL GO IF THEY SELL GRANT. Having Said that could get J RHODES BACK HERE STILL NO WORD OVER GOTT BUT WE ALWAYS BEEN A SELLING CLUB WHEN WE GOT PROMOTED TO OLD DIVISION ONE WE FANS WAS TOLD BY IAN GREAVESWE WOULD SPEND MONEY WHAT HAPPENED SOLD LAWSON SOLD BIG FRANK SOLD MCNAB, CHERRY GAVE AWAY ELLAM WEFANS SUFFERED A LOT OVER THE YEARS WHEN HOYAL TOOK OVER WE THOUGHT BETTER DAYS AND YEARS WAS TO COME WITH WAGNER BUT NOTHING CHANGES DO`S IT NO AMBITION FALSE PROMISES VEN SHANKLEY HAD ENOUGH I WAS WATCHING EVEN THEM WE WANT A NEW BOARD ALL TOGETHER TOWN NEED SUPPORT CLUB TO TAKE OVER OR SOMEONE ELSE AND GET COWLEYS BACK
I’m not sure if I’d take Rhodes back. He had his best years in a Town shirt and a series of poor decisions has meant he hasn’t fulfilled his potential. One of the most natural finishers I’ve seen live but wouldn’t fit in with the new system we’re playing.
It’s quite hard to follow what your saying with everything being in capital letters and jumping about in time. I like your passion though and agree with the sentiment that the Cowleys had a rough deal at Town (though probably did well financially from it all).
You can play 3 or 4 youngsters max if one includes the goal keeper. Ideally, one at the back, one in midfield and one up front, so that you have QUALITY experience around them in each department, providing the right balance.
Absolutely, blooding too many at once isn’t fair on them and risks wasting their potential. Same with chucking them in before they’re ready.
Tony’s comments are easily understood by those of us around in early seventies. He dreads a repetition. With good reason!
You can play 3 or 4 youngsters max if one includes the goal keeper. Ideally, one at the back, one in midfield and one up front, so that you have QUALITY experience around them in each department, providing the right balance.
I agree with regards to playing too many young/inexperienced players. We do need experienced players around them, something which we now lack.
Transfers in over the past 2-3 season has been woeful, except last Jan. However if Karlan goes, and Steve M has gone, we should invest that money in good players. In my opinion we need an experienced striker and also a creative midfielder at least.
If money is not invested, then promises of keeping season tickets at £249 sounding attractive now for next 2 seasons, will be less so in League 1 – which is where we’ll be.
We need to act now in the transfer market, otherwise it’ll be too late to get the better players, we’ll end up paying more for worse players, and pre-season will be lost to them for tactics etc.
If there is to be no investment then perhaps we need a change at the top in owners/directors.
I agree about the need to strengthen midfield and up front. We missed having a player like Mooy that can control the play, dictate the pace of the game and being in the players around him. O’Brien is good but not that kind of player.
I’m not sure we’ll be able to get rid of the owner all that easily, look at Ashley and Newcastle. There would have to be someone silly enough to want to buy Town off Hodgkinson and he’d have to be willing to sell.