Terrier Spirit

Jan282023 by Terrier Spirit8 Comments

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Coventry City

Matches

After last weekend's game against Blackpool was postponed due to a frozen pitch, it feels like forever since we had some football to talk about. So I'm actually pleased this game was moved forward to this weekend, even though it was harsh on those fans that had already made travel plans for the previous midweek date it was planned for. Had this game not been rearranged to today, we'd have faced another Town-less Saturday, and as much as they are a near-constant source of disappointment and frustration, I actually really miss it when they don't play. I'm not going to pull at the thread of why I seem to enjoy something that also brings me such pain, this is a football blog, not therapy. Instead, I'm going to try and predict the team Mark Fotheringham will select against Coventry today. ...

Jan162023 by Terrier Spirit6 Comments

Rudoni targetted by bullies, ugly football, missing Lee, sitting deep and turning to the grown ups – notes on Huddersfield Town’s draw with Hull

Matches

Huddersfield Town drew with Hull on Saturday thanks to them conceding a 97th-minute equaliser. The game was far from a classic, as neither team found any fluency or played with any great flair but after Town led for so long, it was a bitter blow to not come away with all three points. Having said all that, there were plenty of positives to take from a battling away performance against a team that had been in relatively good form before this game. Town will now look to another crucial away trip next Saturday when they play Blackpool in a relegation six-pointer. Town pay the price for sitting deep There was an element of bad luck with the late goal that Town conceded but we invited the possibility of Hull finding a way through by dropping deep and not showing enough ambition in the...

Jan102023 by Terrier Spirit12 Comments

Fotheringham’s interview confusion, defensive errors, Ayina subbed before red, misfiring strikers – notes on Huddersfield Town’s defeat to PNE

Matches

Huddersfield Town lost 3-1 to Preston and saw themselves leave the FACup at the third round stage despite taking the lead early in the second half. It was a game that the Terriers probably could have won “on another day” , to borrow a phrase our head coach is fond of using. But rather than looking forward to a fourth round tie against Tottenham Hotspur, like PNE are now doing, we are instead having to rue our missed opportunities and convince ourselves that we wanted to concentrate on the league anyway. What tosh, I’d much rather have a bit of cup glory as a distraction from the drudgery of a relegation scrap. Here are a few of my thoughts from the game… Defensive errors cost Town dearly All three of Preston’s goals looked bad in real time and are even worse when y...

Jan72023 by Terrier SpiritNo Comments

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

Matches

Huddersfield Town take on Preston North End yet again today, this time in the FA Cup third round. Having already played them in the league cup and twice in the league, it's safe to see we've seen enough of Preston. While it's not exactly likely, it is technically possible that we could break some sort of record if we finish in the playoffs and end up playing them twice more in the playoff semi finals. Chuck in an FA Cup third round replay that nobody wants and there's the possibility of playing Preston seven times in one season, realistically though, today should be the final time we face them unless the game ends in a draw, which neither team will want. Predicting today's team is a fool's errand as Mark Fotheringham is almost certain to make wholesale changes to rest his first teamer...

Jan62023 by Terrier Spirit5 Comments

Thoughts on Kamberi, Lowton, Luton, HTSA questions, loan recalls & January transfer window

News, Transfers

Rather than try and rush out five blogposts on various different Town-related topics in one day, I thought I’d do a quick roundup article to cover off all the relevant goings on that occurred this week for Town. It’s been a pretty busy week, with the aftermath of the Luton game to pick over, two new arrivals, the supporters’ association publicly demanding a meeting with the club and plenty of transfer rumours and plenty of loan recalls. Here are my thoughts on the latest Huddersfield Town goings on, in no particular order… Looking back on Luton I’m way too late to get too deep into the Luton game last Sunday and I think the bones have already been picked over that game. Here are my bullet point thoughts on the game: Luton had more cutting edge in the final third and that...

Dec292022 by Terrier Spirit4 Comments

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Rotherham

Matches

Town face Rotherham tonight in their middle game of three game week, after beating Preston on Boxing Day on Monday before facing Luton at home on Sunday. Mark Fotheringham’s selection for tonight will be interesting as he’ll have to decide whether to trust the fitness and momentum of the players that won the last game or whether to freshen things up and use his squad. This isn’t a game for taking risks either, as any mistakes could be huge at the end of the season as Rotherham could end up being one of the teams we are grappling with for survival. We’ve already given them three points earlier in the season in the reverse fixture, so getting the team selection right tonight is vital. It’s not just a question of fresh legs either, should we play it safe or throw caution to the wind...

Dec292022 by Terrier Spirit2 Comments

Why was Sorba Thomas dropped?, Diarra the difference maker, the change that improved Rudoni and is Fotheringham actually quite good? – Notes on the win at Preston

Matches

I appreciate this post-Preston game blog is a bit late, given we’re playing Rotherham tonight but I’ve been struck down with the bug that’s going round, so I’ve got behind on things. The win at Preston was huge, not least because it was the first time we’d won there in around 500 years (my zero key got stuck but it feels about right). The three points also mean we can now imagine a world where we’re not stuck at the bottom of the table and things don’t feel quite so miserable. Or at least they don’t for me, because I have an unfathomable tendency towards optimism when it comes to Huddersfield Town, despite years of evidence where events have played out the other way. Anyway, here’s my look back at the Preston game…. if I get the chance I’ll do a team prediction for tonig...

Dec202022 by Terrier Spirit7 Comments

Pretendance, Watford’s weird tactics, bleak future, gulf in quality – Notes on Town’s loss to the Hornets

Matches

There have been a few days for the dust to settle on Saturday’s defeat to Watford and it still hurts. Even though it was one of the division’s better teams and Town played relatively well in patches, we still looked completely toothless and struggled to lay a glove on our opponent. The post-match reaction that I’ve seen makes me think that other fans may have taken the defeat harder than me but it was still a bitter pill to swallow. With off the pitch issues looking almost as bleak as the results on the pitch, it’s not a great time to be a Town fan. But things can turn around quickly in football (it’s only seven months since we were two denied VAR decisions from a place in the Premier League). Here are a few of my thoughts on Saturday’s game. A positive start sq...

Dec192022 by Terrier Spirit5 Comments

“His killer instinct has abandoned him and his time at Huddersfield is up” Player ratings for Town’s defeat to Watford

Matches

Town were well beaten in the end by Watford, although they put up a decent fight for at least half an hour they ultimately couldn't cope with the quality, strength and speed of their opponent. It wasn't a complete hammering but the scoreline perhaps flatters Town as Watford has a clear penalty shout turned down in the first half and spurned some glorious scoring opportunities. It wasn't all gloom though, as Town showed some nice moments against a strong opponent that hints at the possibility that we might look a bit better when we're up against teams with fewer superstar (for the Championship) players. Here are my ratings for each individual player in yesterday's game. Lee Nicholls - 8 out of 10 Stopped what looked like a certain goal as well as pulling off some other mo...

Dec172022 by Terrier Spirit5 Comments

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Watford (and other preview bits)

Matches

I didn't write about last weekend's game as I watched it on my phone on an iffy 4g connection on the train, so I didn't have the best perspective from which to judge the action. So this game marks the blog's return to action after the World Cup hiatus. Town sit bottom of the table and in desperate need of points or they risk being cut adrift from those above them on the table. Yet it isn't likely to be easy to get them today against a team that are so far above them in the table. Here’s my preview of the game… Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Watford Fozzy Bear’s hands are tied somewhat for his selection today, as apparently he shouldn’t have played Hoggy as much as he did last weekend, so he won’t yet be ready to start today. The same can be said for the man-mo...