Terrier Spirit

Apr192022 by Terrier Spirit5 Comments

“He still has a lot to offer despite recent doubts.” Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s superb away win at Middlesbrough

Matches

Huddersfield Town put in one of their best performances of the season in a masterclass of counter attacking football that saw them win 2-0 despite spurning a string of presentable chances. Maybe it was a bad day at the office for Middlesbrough but Town hardly put a foot wrong despite only even though they only had about a third of the possession. Expect plenty of high scores as every player stuck to their task over the course of the game, kept a solid shape and were a constant threat when going forward. Lee Nicholls - 7 out of 10 Not his busiest afternoon between the sticks but he snaffled up everything that came near him, including a few threatening balls that sneaked past our defence. A lot of the skill in Nicholl’s game comes in keeping the players in front of him organised we...

Apr182022 by Terrier Spirit5 Comments

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Middlesbrough

Matches

Town continue their hectic run of games with a trip to Middlesbrough this lunchtime. It comes with just two days gap since their somewhat disappointing draw with QPR on Good Friday and the tight turnaround means it's likely Carlos will shuffle the pack when making his team selection today. Middlesbrough have become a very good side under Chris Wilder since he took over earlier this season and they are in with a good shout of reaching the playoffs. Given the stiff opposition and the tired legs in the camp it will require a fine balance of keeping things fresh but playing the strongest possible lineup. Here's how I think we'll look today… Goalkeeper: Nicholls There's very little to say about Nicholls selection, he's one of the best keepers in the league a...

Apr172022 by Terrier Spirit1 Comment

Wild Chelsea loanee theories, square pegs in round holes, tactical errors, ugly points, pitch invader review and greediness – Notes on Town’s draw with QPR

Matches

The dust has settled on Huddersfield Town’s 2-2 draw with QPR on Good Friday and I’m still feeling disappointed about the result. We’re still in a great position in the league, we’ve passed the 70 point mark, and there are any number of reasons to feel good about Town but I still feel a bit annoyed that a winnable game ended in a draw. Worse than that, Town were probably a bit lucky to escape with a point after QPR had a couple of excellent chances to score a winner in the closing stages. Here are a few of my thoughts from the game. I thought it was a bit of a nothing sort of game and I'd not have a lot to say but somehow it turned into a whopper. Enjoy! Square pegs in round holes I know Carlos has spoken often about how he values having flexible players that can be d...

Apr162022 by Terrier Spirit5 Comments

“He looks miles off the pace” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s 2-2 draw with QPR

Matches

Huddersfield Town took the lead twice and were pegged back twice against QPR this evening. It wasn't a vintage performance but at least Town managed to take a point from it. Results elsewhere suited Town and mean they are still in a commanding position in the playoff race without many games left to play. Peformances in this game were a mixed bag, some players struggled in unfamiliar roles, others were OK and a couple were poor without much excuse. Here's what I thought… Lee Nicholls - 7 out of 10 Not at fault for either goal, reliable with his distribution and commanded his area well when coming for crosses. There were very few saves for him to make but he did everything required of him. Oli Turton - 6 out of 10 Didn't get tight enough for several crosses an...

Apr152022 by Terrier SpiritNo Comments

Predicted lineup, formation, tactics and score for Huddersfield Town v QPR

Matches

Huddersfield Town take on QPR today in yet another televised game, this time with the odd kick off time of 5.30pm. Town come into the game buoyant after their crucial 2-0 win against promotion rivals, Luton Town. Not long ago it would have seemed like playing QPR would have been another game against playoff rivals but a run of five straight defeats has all-but ruled them out of contention for the playoffs and they come into this game in stinking form. I can’t be bothered to go back into the records to check if my hunch is correct, but Town seem to always help opponents end bad runs by losing to them. Most notably this season we played Nottingham Forest at home after a spell when they had been absolutely awful under Chris Hughton but sadly they had sacked their manager and beat us comfo...

Apr132022 by Terrier Spirit1 Comment

A moment of magic, a sloppy wave, a soft penalty and a team that lost their heads – How Town beat Luton 2-0

Matches

Huddersfield Town beat Luton Town on Monday night in a victory that solidifies their position in the top six and leaves them in a commanding position. It was a hard-fought victory that relied on character and grit as well as a moment of exceptional skill and beauty to open the scoring. Town and Luton are both unfashionable teams that find themselves competing at the top end of the table to the surprise of everyone in the football world. Both teams are well-organised, hard-working and tough to play against, so it wasn’t a surprise that things were very tight in the first half. The second half was more of a spectacle as Town took the lead then Luton won a penalty that was missed before Naby Sarr secured the three points with his headed goal towards the end of the 90 minutes. Here are...

Apr112022 by Terrier Spirit4 Comments

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Luton

Matches

It feels like a long time since Town beat Hull a week last Friday, so tonight's match against Luton can't come soon enough for me. It's fourth plays fifth in the league and the winner of tonight's game (if there is one) will feel that they have a very good chance of making the playoffs after a few other promotion chasers dropped points over the weekend. Luton are a tough opponent and will not make things easy for Town. They don't have any superstar players but work incredibly hard and can be tough to break down. It's exactly the kind of team Town typically struggle against and tonight is a test of whether they can break down a stubborn defence without leaving the backdoor open. Here's how I think Town will lineup. Goalkeeper - Nicholls Lee Nicholls seems like...

Mar192022 by Terrier Spirit2 Comments

Predicted lineup, momentum, tactics, form and score prediction for HTAFC v Bournemouth

Matches

Huddersfield Town face Bournemouth today in a game that Town have to win to keep alive even a distant prospect of taking the second automatic promotion slot. While Town are only three points behind today’s visitors in the league, Bournemouth’s three games in hand over us mean it’s almost certain they’ll pull clear of Town unless we beat them today. I’m not sure automatic promotion is a realistic objective anyway but bouncing back from Wednesday’s poor showing against Millwall has to be a priority. Regardless of the result, I’m hoping to see Town looking more competitive today and showing more fight. Predicted Huddersfield Town lineup to take on Bournemouth I don’t think there are going to be big changes to the lineup today, so I’m not going to run through the whole team she...

Mar172022 by Terrier Spirit8 Comments

“He can’t keep starting games if he’s getting the basics wrong.” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s defeat to Millwall

Matches

Huddersfield Town’s unbeaten run came to an end last night when they came up against a Millwall team that outhought and outfought them on the night. It’s hard to get too upset about a defeat when we’ve not lost in the league since November but it’s fair to say that several players were off their best on the night. Despite Town starting the game strongly, Millwall controlled the game well and deserved all three points. While it would be easy to say that Town were awful, I think it was just a slightly jaded performance which wasn’t enough to overcome a team that are usually tough to beat but are also enjoying a good spell of form. Nicholls - 9 out of 10 He made a string of incredible saves over the course of the game as well as a few regulation ones too, the push onto t...

Mar112022 by Terrier SpiritNo Comments

West Brom manager Steve Bruce’s awful Striker! novel – listen to it for free

News

Steve Bruce didn't do particualrly well in his time as Huddersfield Town manager but he did, strangely enough, write a series of football themed novels during his time at Town. While the novels lack literary merit they are quite funny to read. The original paperback copies of the novels have become collectors items and have been known to change hands for large sums of money. However, below is an audio version of Striker, Bruce's first novel. Given that Huddersfield Town will face Steve Bruce's West Brom tonight it seemed like a good time to share this intereting piece of footballing history. The reading of the novel was produced by TalkSport a while ago and released as a podcast. The narration is pretty good, with the soft Geordie tones of Bruce well replicated and there are ...