Blog – Page 26 – Terrier Spirit – Huddersfield Town FC blog

Sep182021 by Terrier Spirit6 Comments

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Nottingham Forest

Matches

I used to work with a Forest fan that became inexplicably cross whenever I referred to her team as Notts Forest rather than saying Nottingham Forest. I never understood it but as a tribute to her, I’ll be referring to Town’s opponents today as Notts Forest despite knowing full well that isn’t the correct name. That’s how petty I am. Back to Huddersfield Town, and things are going surprisingly well as we sit in fourth place in the table, are picking up decent results regularly and look like a good team all of a sudden. While it seems inconceivable that we’ll be able to sustain our current form over the whole season, Derby’s slide into administration and Notts Forest inability to register a win yet means we’re already pulling well clear of some of the teams towards the bottom of th...

Sep142021 by Terrier Spirit4 Comments

Do Huddersfield Town really always lose midweek away games? – Blackpool preview

Matches

On the latest episode of the And He Takes That Chance podcast one of the hosts mentioned that Town never seem to win midweek away games, so I thought I’d look up the details and see if this was true. I’m not one of those fans that can immediately recall every Town result from years past but a quick Google search reveals that Town do indeed have a horrendous recent record when they play away from home on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Here's a look into this unusual stat and a bit of a preview of tonight's game too. How long is it since Town won a midweek away fixture? Last season saw far more midweek fixtures than typical because the pandemic caused the season to start late and therefore have less time to complete the same number of fixtures. So there were far more...

Sep132021 by Terrier Spirit4 Comments

Plan B, basic mistakes, unknowns and terrace sexism – Notes on Town’s defeat to Stoke

Matches

Huddersfield Town were beaten 2-1 at Stoke in a tight game which was decided by set pieces and individual errors. A draw would have been a fairer result but we can’t really complain after riding our luck in the recent wins against Sheffield United and Preston. The good news is that this wasn’t the kind of defeat that suggests the wheels are falling off for Town. There were obviously things that could have been better but the optimism that came with three consecutive wins has only been slightly dented after another disciplined performance from the Terriers. Here are a few of my thoughts on the game: Town now have a way of playing against better teams Phil Hodgkinson talked in his recent interview about how all the bad eggs have now been weeded out of the club and we’ve got a gr...

Sep112021 by Terrier Spirit6 Comments

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Stoke

Matches

After an international break that seemed to last forever, Town are finally back in action this afternoon when they take on Stoke in the Potteries. This game represents a tough test for Town but our opponents won’t relish playing us either, after we’ve won our last three games. It’s still too early to get over excited about Town’s good form lately but there are signs that Town are now much stronger at the back and are able to score goals even in games where there aren’t many clear cut chances. Carlos Corberan admitted in his prematch press conference that he has a few selection headaches this weekend, so there are going to be some tough choices to make. Here’s how I think we’ll line up. Goalkeeper: Lee Nicholls I’ve been very impressed with Nicholls so far despite him not...

Aug292021 by Terrier Spirit7 Comments

“Unplayable” Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s 4-0 win over Reading

Matches

After a decent performance in the midweek defeat to Everton, I went into this game feeling positive about Town’s prospects but I didn’t see this result coming at all. Town dominated an admittedly poor Reading team from start to finish and fully deserved their emphatic victory. While Sorba Thomas stood out as the star man on the day, several other players were very good too and I can’t think of a single Town player that was under par. With that in mind, expect some high scores to follow… Lee Nicholls - 7 out of 10 Had very little work to do in terms of saving shots, with Reading limited to potshots from outside the box. However, he did come off his line confidently on several occasions, once cutting out a threatening attack with a clever header when he was outside his area. Calm a...

Aug282021 by Terrier Spirit6 Comments

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Reading

Matches

Town are back in action again this afternoon when they face Reading. Unusually for Town, we go into this game feeling pretty positive after back-to-back wins in the league followed by a respectable 2-1 defeat to Everton where we were unlucky to not at least go to penalties. I wasn’t able to find time to write a full article about the Everton game but it was unusual to enjoy a game involving Town so much. Maybe it was the freedom that comes with playing in a relatively unimportant cup fixture but the players seemed to express themselves more going forward and it was the best Town have played in a long time despite fielding a supposedly weakened team. The players that came into the starting lineup on Tuesday have now given Carlos a few selection headaches for this afternoon. Here’s ho...

Aug272021 by Terrier Spirit14 Comments

Huddersfield Town transfer rumour roundup

Transfers

The transfer window closes next week and usually things would be starting to heat up around now but so far things are relatively quiet for Huddersfield Town. The whole transfer market seems to be moving a lot more slowly this time around, with fewer clubs willing to spend and others not wanting to lose prize assets. Town also managed to do much of their business early in the window, which was the right thing to do but means there’s less to speculate about. Newspapers have column inches to fill regardless of whether transfers are happening or not, so there are still a few rumours knocking around. Here I’ll try to summarise the most likely comings and goings from Huddersfield Town before the window shuts. The tug of love over Lewis O'Brien continues Harry Kane’s failed attempt to o...

Aug242021 by Terrier Spirit7 Comments

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Everton

Matches

Huddersfield Town play Everton at the John Smith’s Stadium tonight in the second round of the league cup. After winning our first cup game in a very long time against Sheffield Wednesday in a penalty shootout three weeks ago we have been rewarded with the chance to host a Premier League club in our stadium for the first time since relegation. Both teams are likely to rotate their teams considerably tonight, so trying to predict Town’s lineup is a bit like trying to guess the lottery numbers. While it makes sense to rest players that aren’t fully fit, I only hope that the team we put out is one that at least has a chance of competing against Everton’s second string - which could include the likes of James Rodriguez. Here’s how I think we’ll line up. Goalkeeper: Lee Nic...

Aug232021 by Terrier Spirit6 Comments

Limbs, super subs, soaking up pressure, concerns, optimism and formation switches – Notes on Huddersfield Town’s last-gasp victory over Sheffield United

Matches

Huddersfield Town bounced back from their 5-1 thumping against Fulham by winning two games in a week and completely reversing the narrative. The win against Preston was one of the ugliest I've seen while following Town but Saturday's 2-1 victory over Sheffield United felt less the result of luck and more the reward for sticking to a game plan and frustrating an out of sorts but talented opponent. While it would be nice to watch Town play beautiful, flowing football, watching them grind out narrow victories has its own appeal and it felt like a role reversal to see the Blades dominate possession but struggle to break down our defensive unit. Here are a few of my thoughts on the game now there's been time to let the dust settle. The atmosphere in the away end I...

Aug222021 by Terrier Spirit5 Comments

“Sensational” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s last gasp 2-1 win over Sheffield United

Matches

What a weird game football can be. Last Saturday I couldn’t have felt lower about Town’s prospects but yesterday afternoon I was going bonkers behind the goal at Bramhall Lane as we secured our second win of the week with an injury-time winner. Suddenly things don’t seem nearly as bleak, even if both our wins came from negative tactics, luck and opponents that couldn’t finish chances. In some ways it feels even better to win when most neutrals would say we didn’t deserve it. Player ratings are tricky for this kind of game. While the football Town played was poor for at least 70 minutes of the game, they did seem to be executing a game plan that mostly worked. We were solid at the back and kept our shape well for long periods but didn’t offer nearly enough going forward until Carl...