Shadow

Author: Terrier Spirit

Feb282022 by Terrier Spirit6 Comments
Deleted tweets, Birmingham poor, comfortable cushions, going up the right way and rotation rewards – Notes on Birmingham away

Deleted tweets, Birmingham poor, comfortable cushions, going up the right way and rotation rewards – Notes on Birmingham away

Matches
Town continued their miraculous unbeaten run by beating Birmingham at the weekend, also giving them their third win in eight days. Beating a relatively poor Birmingham side may not be as attention grabbing as our recent exploits, but it was a professional and disciplined job from the Terriers and further boosted our playoff credentials. Here are a few of my thoughts on the game. A 2-goal cushion makes life more comfortable One of my favourite things about this game was how Town managed to win without being particularly exceptional. They got their noses in front, then got a second goal and after that we looked to be mostly in control. Pot shots from range by Hernandez and Bacuna went close to going in but Nicholls and the woodwork meant we kept our clean sheet. Beyond those two mo...
Read More
Feb272022 by Terrier Spirit2 Comments
“He keeps playing well despite being shunted all over the pitch” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s win over Birmingham

“He keeps playing well despite being shunted all over the pitch” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s win over Birmingham

Matches
Huddersfield Town achieved something incredibly rare yesterday: a straightforward victory. After putting in a defensive masterclass against Fulham and then coming from behind in the final moments of the Cardiff game, this game was far less dramatic with Town getting comfortably ahead in the game and then doing enough to keep their hosts at bay. It’s very rare for Town to win by more than a single goal so I feel like this result represents another step forward for this team. It was also another clean sheet to add to the tally, which the defence deserves credit for after withstanding a lot of Birmingham pressure in the second half. Here are my player ratings. Lee Nicholls - 8 out of 10   There’s a concept called the “hedonic treadmill” which states that whenever you ha...
Read More
Feb262022 by Terrier Spirit1 Comment
Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Birmingham 

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Birmingham 

Matches
We've barely had time to fully savour the win against Cardiff on Wednesday but such is the relentlessness of the Championship that there’s another game to look forward to today. This time it's Juninho Bacuna's Birmingham City away and another opportunity to extend our unbeaten run.  Huddersfield Town’s starting eleven has become increasingly hard to predict recently as Carlos has started to rotate his squad more and is tweaking his tactics to suit the opposition. As my predictions tend to be a bit wayward at the best of times, expect today’s efforts to be less accurate than even the usual low standard! Goalkeeper: Lee Nicholls One selection we can be fairly confident of is our keeper, who pulled off some decent saves against Cardiff on Wednesday in the first half. Paul Cleme...
Read More
Feb242022 by Terrier Spirit6 Comments
Low blocks, soggy towels, pointy elbows, Fiver Fans, a wardrobe on legs and promotion dreams – Notes on Town’s late win against Cardiff

Low blocks, soggy towels, pointy elbows, Fiver Fans, a wardrobe on legs and promotion dreams – Notes on Town’s late win against Cardiff

Matches
Huddersfield Town beat Cardiff last night in a game that had a boring start and middle but a thrilling end. Cardiff were the better team for long periods, soaking up pressure with little problem and being a threat on the break, but Town managed to find a way through them late in the game and two goals in quick succession meant Cardiff left the John Smiths’ Stadium empty handed. Here a few of my thoughts on the game.  Low block problems eventually overcome I wrote before the game about how Town struggle against teams like Cardiff, so it wasn’t a huge surprise to see Town Gissing the ball with 70% possession in the first half but failing to create a meaningful chance. While Cardiff sat back, soaked up whatever we threw at them and then picked us off on the break. Nicholls came...
Read More
Feb232022 by Terrier Spirit3 Comments
Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Cardiff – how does Colwill fit in?

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Cardiff – how does Colwill fit in?

Matches
Huddersfield Town host Cardiff at the John Smith's Stadium tonight and will be hoping to extend their unbeaten run to 16 games. The win against Fulham at the weekend means Town will come into the game with their confidence sky high and maybe even a bit of a swagger. Cardiff are tough opponents though and will put up stiff opposition.  Carlos Corberán will have to decide whether to keep faith with the players that did so well at the weekend or to shuffle the pack and tailor his starting lineup to the particular challenges Cardiff present.  Here's how I think Town will line up: Goalkeeper: Lee Nicholls  There's not a lot to say about Nicholls that hasn't already been said. He is superb and is a huge part of Town's success this season. So consistent, so calm, so go...
Read More
Feb222022 by Terrier Spirit5 Comments
Why do Huddersfield Town struggle against teams like Cardiff and how can they beat them?

Why do Huddersfield Town struggle against teams like Cardiff and how can they beat them?

Matches, Tactics
Huddersfield Town play Cardiff tomorrow night and will feel confident after beating the league leaders on Saturday and extending their unbeaten run to 15 games. However, Cardiff are in relatively decent form and are the exact type of team that Town have struggled against this season.  A physical challenge against an opponent that is happy to play long and sit deep is likely on the cards and Town don’t do particularly well in this kind of game. Or at least they haven’t until recently. This game could represent an opportunity to show how much Town have improved over the course of the season and it will be intriguing to see how the tactical side of the game plays out. Don’t expect an easy win for Town   It’s easy to look at the league table and think that Cardiff will...
Read More
Feb202022 by Terrier Spirit11 Comments
Yesterday’s Huddersfield Town starting eleven cost less than a two bedroom flat in Fulham

Yesterday’s Huddersfield Town starting eleven cost less than a two bedroom flat in Fulham

Matches
I was tagged in a tweet today where a Town fan speculated about how much yesterday's starting eleven would have cost and how the likely small fees involved in building our squad show how good a job Carlos has done. Because I'm a bit of a sad act, I went to Google and investigated how much our team cost and was not surprised to see it was not very much at all (in footballing terms at least).  In fact the transfer fees of the players that started yesterday's game wouldn't even cover the cost of a two bedroom flat in Fulham, though admittedly it would get you a pretty decent place to live in God's own county.  How much did Huddersfield Town's starting eleven cost? It's tricky to put a precise number on the transfer fees involved as we live in the age of undisclosed fees. B...
Read More
Feb202022 by Terrier Spirit6 Comments
“Last season we had a tribute act and now we’ve got the real thing.” Player ratings for Town’s amazing win against Fulham

“Last season we had a tribute act and now we’ve got the real thing.” Player ratings for Town’s amazing win against Fulham

Matches
It seemed certain that Town's unbeaten run would come to an end at Fulham but after Town put in their best defensive performance of the season they extended the run to 15 games without defeat. Talk of a playoff push sounded fanciful around the New Year but Town now look like genuine contenders for the top six and have proven in the last two games that they can get results against the best teams in the league.  The win against Fulham was a result of an all round team performance, where every player committed to the game plan and executed it with 100% energy. Every player deserves a good score after putting in such a massive shift so don't be surprised to see high numbers on these ratings.  Lee Nicholls - 8 out 10  He made some decent saves but I most enjoyed his shenanigans when r...
Read More
Feb192022 by Terrier Spirit4 Comments
Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Fulham

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Fulham

Matches
Huddersfield Town face their toughest test of the season today when the take on Fulham at Craven Cottage. We tend to perform poorly whenever we play Fulham away and this season we’re up against the best team in the Championship with a striker that is far too good for this level. So it’s going to be a tough day’s work for the Terriers and we will have to be at our best to get anything out of the game. But we’re unbeaten in 14 games and have a track record of being hard to beat this season. After two consecutive nil nils many fans will be hoping for goals but I think another goalless draw would be a decent point for Town. Here’s how I think Town will line up. Goalkeeper - Lee Nicholls One comment I’ve heard about Lee Nicholls this season has been that he’s not made that many ama...
Read More
Feb132022 by Terrier Spirit8 Comments
“It’s clear why he’s not starting many games” Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s draw with Sheffield United 

“It’s clear why he’s not starting many games” Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s draw with Sheffield United 

Matches
Wednesday's 0-0 with Preston North End was a tedious affair but yesterday's goalless draw with Sheffield United was actually an entertaining game and both sides played some nice football. I think Sheffield United were just about the better of the two teams but Town had a perfectly good goal ruled out and a few penalty shouts waved away so both teams can be happy with the point.  Even though Town didn't score, I thought we played some lovely football at times and the tactical tweaks made before the game meant Town were a different proposition and several players were able to put in excellent shifts.  Lee Nicholls - 8 out of 10 Pulled off an unbelievable fingertip save to push the ball onto the post and then somehow cleared with his feet as he was falling to guide the bal...
Read More