Terrier Spirit

Feb202022 by Terrier Spirit11 Comments

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. Bu...

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

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 ru...

Feb192022 by Terrier Spirit4 Comments

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 amaz...

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

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 ball...

Feb122022 by Terrier Spirit3 Comments

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Sheffield United, predictions for the game and thoughts on PNE draw

Matches

Huddersfield Town take on Sheffield United this lunchtime in an early kickoff at the John Smiths’ Stadium. Town are now 13 games into an unbeaten run but come up against an opponent in decent form and will most likely find it a tough test. After an attritional point was earned at Preston on Wednesday night I have a feeling that we may be in for another game where Town fans see our opponent have more of the ball. But when we played Sheffield United earlier in the season they did the same and Levi Colwill scored late on for us to snatch the three points. So I think Town have a chance of taking three points today even if we aren’t the team playing the nicest football. Predicted lineup to take on Sheffield United Many managers would rotate their squad when playing Wednesday nigh...

Feb92022 by Terrier Spirit1 Comment

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Preston North End

Matches

Huddersfield Town take on Preston tonight and will be hoping to extend their incredible unbeaten run to 13 games. PNE are always a tough opponent though and it won't be as simple as turning up and collecting three points. While Town won't have it all their own way this evening, we're also a team that other clubs won't relish playing these days. We've got dangerous attackers, a massively improved defence and a goalkeeper that has turned dawdling over a dead ball into an art form. Here's how I think we'll line up. Goalkeeper: Lee Nicholls Jamal Blackman was absolutely fine on his debut against Barnsley but he'll step aside tonight anyway and Nicholls will return. Having two established professionals in the goalkeeping department makes me feel much happier ...

Feb92022 by Terrier Spirit5 Comments

Injury updates, praising Holmes, being “self demanding”, Carlos losing his voice – Pre-Preston presser bullet points

Matches, News

In another attempt to expand the kind of thing I write about on the blog, I'm going to put together a summary of the main points from Carlos Corberán's press conference ahead of tonight's game. It's obvious from the views these videos get on YouTube that not every fan watches these conferences but there's usually some useful information in them. Here are the main points: The first half against Barnsley was good but we should have scored more. We lost control of the game in the second half because we couldn't cope with Barnsley changing shape. Carlos praised the backup players that came in last weekend and that some of them are unlucky not to have had more chances. Pipa had a scan yesterday and it was positive news. He's injured for tonight but could feature after the S...

Feb72022 by Terrier Spirit6 Comments

Outrageous diving, spurned chances, the Jon Russell love-in, a dodgy ref and cup magic – Notes on Town’s 1-0 win over Barnsley

Matches

Huddersfield Town will face Nottingham Forest away in the next round of the cup after their victory over Barnsley saw them into the last 16. Like most of Town's recent games, against Barnsley there were good bits, bad bits and some key moments that went Town’s way. Town's unbeaten run is now standing at 12 games and it's hard to ignore the fact that this team are pretty good. For all the fears of doom and relegation at the start of the season, if we can beat a team that are currently below us in the league table in the next round we'll be in the quarter finals and one game away from a semi-final at Wembley. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself but surely that's part of the magic of the cup. Anyway, here are a few of my thoughts on the game. A deserved win that could...

Feb62022 by Terrier Spirit6 Comments

“He may not play many more games for Town” – Player ratings for Town’s 1-0 cup win over Barnsley

Matches

Huddersfield Town qualified for the next round of the FA Cup by beating Barnsley 1-0 yesterday. It wasn’t vintage Town but they just about deserved the win and could actually have been more comfortable winners if they had been less wasteful in front of goal. It was a mixed bag in terms of individual performances, with some players really catching the eye and several not looking up to speed. Getting into the hat for the next round was the main objective and Town managed that, so there’s no use complaining too much. Here are my player ratings for the game. Jamal Blackman - 6 out of 10 Barnsley failed to register a single shot on target in the game, so there wasn’t much opportunity for Blackman to show off his shot stopping credentials. He looked good otherwise, with some decent...

Feb52022 by Terrier Spirit1 Comment

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Barnsley in the FA Cup

Matches

Huddersfield Town take on Barnsley in the FA Cup this afternoon. Town’s recent history in the cups has been shocking, so even getting into the fourth round has been an achievement but given Barnsley’s grim recent form and Town’s current unbeaten run, today represents a very good opportunity to progress even further in the cup. As usual, Carlos Corberan has made all the right noises in the build up to the game about respecting the competition and picking a strong side. But we know from history that we can most likely ignore that and expect to see a much changed team this afternoon from the one that played against Derby in midweek. At least Town’s squad this season is big enough to have quality backup in the majority of areas on the pitch and we should still field a decent team. Here’s...