Terrier Spirit

Dec22020 by Terrier Spirit25 Comments

“I’m struggling to think of the thing he’s good at” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s 3-0 defeat to Cardiff

Matches

Carlos Corberán made five changes to the starting lineup against Cardiff, showing that he’s willing to shake things up and try something different. The gamble largely failed and Town' turned in a poor performance and were deservedly beaten. Here’s how I rate each individual player from the night: Ben Hamer - 6 out of 10 Despite letting in three goals, he didn't have a particularly poor game. His distribution could be criticised but it's unfair to blame him for passing the ball short so much when it's clearly the explicit instruction from the bench for him to do that regardless of the pressure the defenders are under. Demeaco Duhaney - 4 out of 10 Another unimpressive performance from the right back. I'm struggling to think of the thing that he's good at. Neither attacking nor defendin...

Dec12020 by Terrier Spirit15 Comments

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Cardiff

Matches

Huddersfield Town will play against Cardiff tonight in south Wales. The Terriers will be hoping to build upon their decent win against Middlesbrough at the weekend but face stiff opposition after Cardiff beat Luton 4-0 last Saturday. I can imagine it will be a tough, physical battle against the Bluebirds and Town will most likely have to mix it up a bit before they can play the free-flowing, passing game they aspire to. There are a few tricky choices for Carlos Corberán tonight, mostly around whether to favour youth or experience. I think we'll see broadly the same starting players as at the weekend but Stearman's twanged hamstring guarantees at least one change. Goalkeeper - Ben Hamer Ryan Schofield has done pretty well in his last two starts but I think Hamer should return to the st...

Nov292020 by Terrier Spirit12 Comments

The Carlos Corberán selection that takes Huddersfield Town from 1 point per game to 1.67

Matches

If I told you that a single decision Carlos Corberán makes can change Huddersfield Town’s points per game from 1 to 1.67 then you would probably assume I’m talking about a key player or a particular formation that is changing Huddersfield Town’s fortunes. This selection, however, is more to do with Corberán’s physical appearance than his team selection. After crunching the numbers, it appears to me that Huddersfield Town enjoy a significantly better points tally in the games where he wears his famous cream skinny chinos. Yesterday’s well-earned victory against Middlesborough was the sixth game of the season where Town’s head coach squeezed into these seemingly lucky trousers and was the third time he’d won wearing them. A look at the trouser-related data I’ve been called a sad act for s...

Nov222020 by Terrier Spirit11 Comments

“Not good enough for a player of his experience” – Player ratings from Hudersfield Town’s defeat to Stoke

Matches

Huddersfield Town lost to Stoke in an entertaining game that saw a clash of footballing philosophies where the more direct and physical team won over Town’s possession-based approach. The defeat was mostly the result of silly defensive mistakes and poor decisions in our own third but there were also plenty of positives to take from Town’s attacking play. There were some varied performances yesterday, with some players looking great and others struggling to find a rhythm. Here’s what I made of each individual player. Joel Pereira - 4 out of 10 Not the best debut for a keeper that had a lot to prove before he's even pulled on the shirt after the less than glowing references he received from Hearts fans who watched him last season. Could have done better with at least one but more likely t...

Nov212020 by Terrier Spirit17 Comments

Predicted Huddersfield Town lineup to take on Stoke

Matches

Huddersfield Town face a stern test in their first match back after the international break when they head to the Potteries to play Stoke. After the start we’ve had under Carlos Corberán we don’t need to fear any opponent but we will need to be at our best to beat a team with one of the strongest squad’s in the Championship with a canny manager at the helm. Carlos will have a mostly fit squad to pick from though Pritchard and Pipa are both confirmed as being unavailable. He will also have the luxury of picking nine subs and the potential to make five changes during the game, which gives him more opportunity to tinker with his gameplan. Here’s how I think Town are going to lineup: Goalkeeper: Ben Hamer The stopper celebrated his 33rd birthday yesterday and will hope to keep a clean shee...

Nov82020 by Terrier Spirit16 Comments

“Not a happy chap right now” – Player ratings from Huddersfield Town’s 1-1 draw with Luton

Matches

Huddersfield Town shared the points with Luton in a scrappy game that Town might have won with a bit more cutting edge at the top end but equally could have lost had Eiting not managed to score a looping header that was very difficult to score from. So it’s one of those games you can either feel happy to have taken something from or angry about not collecting a win. I’m probably somewhere in between and think a point is about right for a game where we failed to find a rhythm and didn’t do enough to create good quality chances. Here’s how I’d rate each individual performance… Ben Hamer - 6 out of 10 Not at fault for the goal, which was smartly finished by the Luton player. His passing wasn’t always perfect but he was at least trying to be a bit more creative with how he tried to pick ou...

Nov72020 by Terrier Spirit16 Comments

Predicted Huddersfield Town starting XI to take on Luton

Matches

Town play Luton this afternoon in their final game before the international break. Town's defeat to Luton during lockdown was one of last season's worst performances, seeing Town dominate possession but looking toothless in attack against a resolute Luton side (sound familiar?). Town have struggled already this season against defensive teams so it's likely to be a tough afternoon and a real test of how much the team have progressed under Corberán. Here's who I think should start the game today. Goalkeeper: Hamer It's a game that could come down to fine margins, so it's important we have a safe pair of hands between the sticks. Hamer is doing far better than I expected this season and I have no issues with him continuing as our number one. Defence: Pipa, Stearman, Sarr, Toffolo We've ...

Nov32020 by Terrier Spirit7 Comments

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Bristol City

Matches

Huddersfield Town entertain Bristol City at the John Smiths’ Stadium this evening in a match where the hosts are the bookies' favourites and the visitors haven’t won in five matches. The omens for this match seem to be in Town’s favour but we always seem to falter at the point we are hitting our stride so I wouldn't pay too much attention to the omens. Regardless of the outcome at least we can now expect to see this Town team work their socks off in every match and that’s been one of the real differences we’ve seen under Corberán. We might not always win games but 100% effort is put in by every player and that’s something that makes this team extremely likeable to watch. Here’s who I think will line up for Town tonight... Goalkeeper: Ben Hamer I thought Ben Hamer's Millwall performance...

Nov12020 by Terrier Spirit14 Comments

“Delighted with his improvement” – Player ratings from Huddersfield Town’s victory over Millwall

Matches

Huddersfield Town made five changes to their starting lineup against Millwall and the reshuffle paid off with the Terriers winning the game 3-0. The scoreline doesn't reflect how hard Town had to battle for their three points against a talented and physical Millwall side. There wasn't a single Town player who had a bad game yesterday, which makes it a pleasure to write the player ratings. Ben Hamer - 8 out of 10 Before the game I said he needed a quiet game today after some recent shaky moments but he was busy for all the right reasons. He commanded his area very well and got on the end of everything he went for. Pair that with a few decent saves and it was a return to top form for Hamer. He even played some great passes out from the back, picking out the fullbacks and wingers with 30 y...

Oct312020 by Terrier Spirit7 Comments

Predicted starting XI to take on Millwall

Matches

My heart always sinks when I see we’re playing Millwall. I’m not sure they could be officially counted as a bogey team statistically but it certainly feels like they’re a team we rarely do well against. They thumped us in the final (admittedly meaningless) game of last season and farther back but more memorably, broke our hearts by knocking us out of the League One playoff semi-final in 2010. The song goes that no one likes Millwall but I feel like we’ve got more reason to dislike them than most. Millwall are actually a pretty decent Championship team these days too, to make matters worse. So it’s going to be a tough task for Town to break their two-game losing streak and bounce back at The Den later today. Carlos Corberán will need to get his team selection spot on to have a chance. Here...