Opinion – Page 9 – Terrier Spirit – Huddersfield Town FC blog

Sep62020 by Terrier Spirit7 Comments

6 thoughts about Huddersfield Town getting dumped out of the cup by Rochdale

Matches, Opinion

Huddersfield Town were knocked out of the league Cup by Rochdale in a game that highlighted some of the issues Huddersfield Town currently face. Going out of the cup isn't the worst thing to happen but the manner of the defeat was disappointingly familiar to Town fans. It's too early to write this season off but there were some troubling signs in this match. It now seems obvious that Carlos Corberán has a very difficult job on his hands. Fragile optimism crushed Rather than talk about the football I want to start talking about the impact this defeat has on the fans. After seeing some improvements in the style of football in the two friendly games I was cautiously optimistic that the new coaches had a plan that could make a difference, as were many other supporters. That fragile optimis...

Sep52020 by Terrier Spirit6 Comments

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...

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 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...

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...

Aug212020 by Terrier SpiritNo Comments

Huddersfield Town fixture opinions – who do we play, when and what could it all mean?

Matches, Opinion

Huddersfield Town's fixtures for next season have now been released. I usually look forward to this day as its a chance to think about the season ahead and plot out potential away trips. It feels a bit hollow this time, as the season is certain to start behind closed doors and could well end with away fans not being allowed in. While it's not the greatest hardship for football fans, when considered against the wider context of coronavirus, it takes a lot of fun out of supporting a team (when there's or been much fun lately at the best of times). Anyway, after that whinge, here are some of the highlights of the fixture list… A tough start - Norwich (h), Brentford (a), Nottingham Forest (h) Town look to have a tricky start to season ahead of them with an opening game against Norwich, wh...

Aug202020 by Terrier SpiritNo Comments

HTAFC transfer opinions – Ward’s arrival, Brown’s departure, contract news, Arsenal snap up our youngster and Sohbi saga continues…

Matches, Opinion

Everything still feels like it’s happening at a very slow pace behind the scenes at Huddersfield Town. By this stage, I would have hoped that the majority of Town’s business would be concluded and Corberán would be given time to get his ideas over to the whole squad in advance of the season starting. But as it stands we’ve only one deal in done and only rumours of more to follow. Here’s a roundup of some of the business that has happened and what I think about them all. Danny Ward’s arrival - solid but uninspiring business I'm neither under or overwhelmed by this signing. It's not a stunning piece of business or an awful one. It's the exact kind of signing we need. While it won't set pulses racing, its not likely to blow up in our faces either. The fact he's arrived on a free is obviou...

Aug152020 by Terrier SpiritNo Comments

The best Huddersfield Town XI currently available to Carlos Corberán

Matches, Opinion

We all know that Huddersfield Town’s current squad is likely to be very different to the one we have when the transfer window closes in October. However, I thought it might be interesting to look at the best starting eleven that could be put together based on the current squad. I’ve used the 4-3-3 system, as the club has been very vocal about playing attacking football using this system. It does make it hard to fit players like Alex Pritchard into the system but he’s going to have to adjust if he wants to get game time at the club. Goalkeeper: Schofield This is an area that we are likely to strengthen but, as it stands, I’d like to see Ryan Schofield given a shot at the number one spot. We don’t know much about him but he’s always highly spoken of by coaches that he’s worked with. Hamer...