Blog – Page 44 – Terrier Spirit – Huddersfield Town FC blog

Sep42020 by Terrier Spirit2 Comments

Key Huddersfield Town players back in training (and a look at why we’ve had so many injuries)

Matches, News

Jonathan Hogg and Christopher Schindler were both seen back in training yesterday after missing some of preseason with injuries. Hogg had suffered a recurrence of the hip injury that bothered him for spells last season and I don't recall the club giving a reason why Schindler wasn't able to train. In totally unrelated news, it's now two weeks since the club announced they had a "small number" of positive coronavirus cases. So the undisclosed personnel that had to self isolate will now be able to return if they are well. (Adama Diakhaby is also back in training too, but he's got a long way to go before he can be described as a key player. I'm all for players getting another chance but he's got a lot to prove after his previous lacklustre efforts for Town.) How important are Hogg and Sch...

Sep32020 by Terrier Spirit12 Comments

Which transfer deals could soon go through at Huddersfield Town?

Matches, Transfers

The transfer market has been moving at a similar pace to Alan Lee in his slippers this last few weeks. Despite Huddersfield Town desperately needing players, only two incoming deals have got over the line in this transfer window, with Danny Ward arriving on a free and Joel Pereira coming on loan from Manchester United. Rumours have been circulating for weeks about players being on the verge of signing for Town but then nothing would materialise. I though it might be useful to recap the deals that have been reported but not completed. There have been dozens of players names connected to Town but some have been more consistently mentioned. I've written below about the four most likely to happen. While I can't see Town signing all these players before Saturday's game against Rochdale, I'd h...

Sep22020 by Terrier SpiritNo Comments

What can Sheffield Wednesday fans expect from Elias Kachunga? A HTAFC fan’s opinion

Matches, Player profiles

Elias Kachunga was announced as Sheffield Wednesday's latest signing today. Prior to his release last month, he had been a Huddersfield Town player for the last four seasons. I thought it might be interesting to put forward a Huddersfield Town fan's point of view on what kind of player Elias Kachunga is. The best things about Elias Kachunga My favourite thing about Kachunga is his work rate. He's a player that puts maximum effort into every game. This means he closes down well, makes runs into the box when the other winger is attacking and generally puts himself about. Kachunga is also a good character to have around the team. He's always smiling, having a laugh and lifting the morale of his teammates. This is easy to do in good times but he showed real professionalism during spells wh...

Sep12020 by Terrier Spirit2 Comments

What are Huddersfield Town fans expecting this season?

News, Opinion

What are Huddersfield Town fans expecting this season? On Sunday I ran a fairly unscientific Twitter poll to gauge the expectations of Huddersfield Town fans for the forthcoming season. I think it's interesting to see the different levels of optimism, pessimism, realism and delusion among the fan base. Before we get into the details, it's worth stating that 232 people answered the poll and the respondents are likely to be my followers, so not necessarily representative of all Town fans. Here's what the poll shows. Mid-table mediocrity The most popular answer by a significant margin was that Town will finish comfortably in the middle of the table. Nearly half of respondents (48%) think we're not likely to be close to either going up or down this year. It feels like every season contai...

Aug312020 by Terrier Spirit6 Comments

The player I think Carlos Corberán will transform this season at Huddersfield Town

Opinion, Player profiles

Juninho Bacuna. I could be wrong but I think this could be the breakthrough season for the young man with the ever-changing hair colour. Bacuna arrived in the summer in the middle of Town's two seasons in the Premier League. He's definitely not one of the signings you would point to as bad business (he's one of the few decent signings from that period) but I still don't think we've seen the best of him. Here's why I think he's due to have a big season for Town if he makes a few adjustments to his game. Bacuna's strengths It's not hard to think of Bacuna's strengths, he's got skill on the ball that looks natural and effortless but is usually the result of hard work and practise. With the ball at his feet he's capable of dazzling opponents and pulling off...

Aug302020 by Terrier Spirit6 Comments

7 thoughts about Huddersfield Town’s draw with Manchester United U23s

Matches, Opinion

Thoughts about Huddersfield Town's draw with Manchester United U23s Huddersfield Town participated in a high-scoring friendly against Manchester United Under 23s yesterday afternoon. It was the second and final preseason friendly for the team before their first competitive game next Saturday. Here are some of my thoughts on the game and what it means for Huddersfield Town. Another enjoyable friendly After a series of tense but stale games during lockdown it’s been refreshing to watch Town play with more freedom and less pressure. This isn’t an attempt to diminish the achievements of Danny Cowley to guide Town to survival but the friendlies this week have hinted towards the new vision at Huddersfield Town and its much better to watch. It’s no surprise that Town have failed to keep clea...

Aug292020 by Terrier Spirit2 Comments

Huddersfield Town 3-3 Manchester United U23s – Player ratings

Matches

Huddersfield Town played out an entertaining draw with Manchester United youth team this afternoon. Town only fielded seven of their senior players, so it was another chance to see some of our exciting academy products in action. Here are my ratings for the players this afternoon. Before reading it’s important to note that most players didn’t play the full 90 minutes, it’s only a friendly and I was watching on a fairly blurry YouTube stream so might have missed a lot. With that in mind, take all these ratings with a pinch of salt. Hamer - 4 out of 10 Made a huge error for the opening goal and looked nervy for a good while after. I’ve watched the goal several times to try and work out what he did wrong. He knew the Man United player was coming but turned his back on him anyway and took f...

Aug292020 by Terrier Spirit16 Comments

5 reasons why I’ve just renewed my Huddersfield Town season ticket

Matches, Opinion

The new league season starts two weeks today and Town fans have until next Friday to renew their season tickets. There's still some uncertainty over exactly when and how fans will return to the John Smith's Stadium but it's expected a limited number will return from the start of October. While I can understand why some fans will be reluctant to renew with so much uncertainty I feel like the club are still offering a good deal based on the circumstances we find ourselves in. Here are the reasons I renewed my season card last night. Getting back into the stadium Like most Town fans, I've hugely missed going to the stadium to watch Town play. I don't understand those football fans that literally never watch their team inside a stadium. Watching football on TV is good but nothing compares t...

Aug282020 by Terrier Spirit4 Comments

What’s changed with Huddersfield Town’s tactics under Carlos Corberán?

Matches, Tactics

Huddersfield Town have only played one friendly under their new manager, Carlos Corberán, so it's a bit early to draw too many conclusions about the tactics he's going to use. Having said that, Leigh Bromby has made it clear that we're moving towards a new "identity" built around a 433 shape which will be attack-minded and involve high tempo pressing. There were signs in the Bradford friendly that things have changed with the way Town were setting up and players were being asked to do things differently. Here's a look at each area of the pitch and how the positions have changed under Carlos' new system. Goalkeeper - playing out from the back The big difference with the goalkeeper position on Wednesday was how much we played the ball out from the back. Whenever the keeper had the ball h...

Aug272020 by Terrier Spirit9 Comments

5 thoughts about Huddersfield Town’s 2-1 victory over Bradford

Matches, Opinion

Finally, some football to talk about! Huddersfield Town ran out 2-1 winners in an enjoyable to watch friendly. The first half was a mixed bag, with defensive frailties and attacking intent on display from Town. The second half was the most entertaining, when Town's academy players showed why they are so highly thought of by the club's hierarchy. While it's important to not get too carried away by a preseason game against League Two opposition, there were some very encouraging signs in this game. Here are a few of my thoughts. First half - adapting to a new style of play There was an awkwardness to Town's play in the first half against Bradford as players adjusted to the new way they are expected to play under Carlos Corberán. The highlight was the sheer numbers of bodies we committed fo...