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Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to face Rochdale in the Carabao Cup – Outcasts, old heroes and new blood.

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to face Rochdale in the Carabao Cup – Outcasts, old heroes and new blood.

Matches, Opinion
Huddersfield Town have their first competitive game of the new season today against League One's Rochdale. Town's preseason has been blighted by injury and has only seen them play two friendly games, with many first teamers missing from these games for various reasons. It's very hard to make accurate team predictions but Carlos Corberán dropped a few hints about his plans in his press conference yesterday. Schindler, Hogg, Diakhaby and Mbenza are all going to feature after recovering from injury. Corberán also confirmed the team will be a mix of academy and first team players. Here's how I think Town will lineup: Goalkeeper: Joel Pereria I can't remember the last Town manager that took the league Cup seriously and I don't think Corberán is going to break that streak. This game will be...
Key Huddersfield Town players back in training (and a look at why we’ve had so many injuries)

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...
Which transfer deals could soon go through at Huddersfield Town?

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

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

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...
Huddersfield Town 3-3 Manchester United U23s – Player ratings

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

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

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

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...
What do Huddersfield Town’s squad numbers tell us about Carlos Corberán’s plans?

What do Huddersfield Town’s squad numbers tell us about Carlos Corberán’s plans?

Matches
Last night Huddersfield Town confirmed the squad numbers for the upcoming season. While they don't always mean a great deal, I think there are a few hints at Carlos Corberán's plans this season. Here's what we can work out. Ben Hamer is our number 1 I'd say the shirt number that holds the most significance is the number 1 because getting this number is a clear sign from the hierarchy that you are the first choice between the sticks. Ben Hamer has been given that honour which sparked outrage online last night when it was announced. It seems that part of the club's new direction is to make the most of our existing assets and that means we may have to accept Hamer as our keeper. He made a series of howlers when he last played for Town and didn't do much better while on loan at Derby last ...