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Fotheringham gets it wrong, QPR bad, the triple sub lift and old hands falter – notes on Huddersfield Town’s draw with QPR

Huddersfield Town drew with QPR on Saturday in a game which saw Town look absolutely abysmal in the first half but actually finished the game on the front foot and were pushing for the victory. 

It will depend on your perspective on Town (and maybe life in general) whether there was enough to satisfy you in Town’s good moments to offset how bad they were at their worst in this game. We really stank when we were bad but once Knockaert came on in the closing stages we suddenly looked like we could attack with purpose and creativity. Judging from the boos at the end of the game, many fans remain unconvinced but I think there was enough to encourage the optimistic Town fan.

Team selection and tactics all wrong 

I think a lot of Town’s difficulties in the first half of this game came from Mark Fotheringham getting the team selection and tactics wrong. While the individual players have to take responsibility for their actions on the pitch, the set up for this game didn’t work.

I can understand why Fotheringham moved away from the five at the back he’s relied on for the past few months to a 4-5-1 shape as in theory this would be a more positive formation in a home game against an out of form opponent we needed to beat. However, the players looked unfamiliar with the system and didn’t look drilled on their roles. We left huge gaps for QPR to exploit when they had possession (Chair and Field were both popping up unmarked on the edge of the box regularly.) More alarmingly, this system wasn’t working and we couldn’t get the ball out of our own half or build decent possession but the bench did nothing to adjust it until the triple substitution on the 64th minute.

Then there’s the issue of putting square pegs in round holes, such as Lowton at left back and Scott High, who I think was meant to be the more attacking of the midfield trio but was so ineffectual, it’s hard to say what his role was with confidence. We were told Lowton could cover both fullback slots when he arrived on loan but on this evidence he looked like every other right back on the left, awkwardly turning inside whenever he was on the ball and generally looking out of sorts. His error for the goal can’t be blamed on being out of position but the decision to play him out there seems strange to me.

Clingingto tactical systems that aren’t working and playing players out of position is often a last-gasp strategy of a manager that’s under pressure. Despite the confident talk in his press conferences, I suspect how he’s managing his team is showing us that Fotheringham is starting to feel the pressure and it’s leading to some quirky decision making. Thankfully he got his substitutions right in the second half, which I’ll talk about later.

Horrible first half

My memory isn’t the best but I can’t remember many worse halves of football this season than the opening 45 minutes against QPR. In fairness, the first half against Preston in the league cup was worse but otherwise I think this was as dismal as I’ve seen Town this season. There were just so many mistakes and so little to admire about them.

What made it worse was the players that were making terrible mistakes were the ones we expect to be safe and steady hands. Jonathan Hogg had an absolute horror show, where everything he did had a referee Midas touch effect and he was forced to make several foils to rectify the horrible mistakes he’d made. Tom Lees also suffered a crisis of confidence that saw him completely lose his head for about fifteen minutes and do some really daft stuff. Though nobody did anything as disastrous as Matt Lowton’s dodgy header, which only he knows whether it was a back pass, a clearance or a deliberate act of self-sabotage. 

The three players I’ve singled out for criticism are old enough and experienced enough to know better and really can’t repeat that kind of performance again, not with Town in the position they are in. It wasn’t just those three either, I’d say only Kasumu and Hungbo showed any real drive and determination on the ball, everyone else looked very sluggish and pedestrian on the ball. 

The fact we went in at half time level was quite shocking, particularly as we barely entered their third with an attack but I suppose that’s the beauty of set pieces. Thankfully Hungbo managed to test the keeper enough to mean the ball went loose and we snaffled it up to equalise. It certainly didn’t seem likely or deserved but those are the best kind of goals to score.

QPR as bad as Town

I’ve been quite critical of Town up to now but it’s worth considering our opponent for a moment too. They’re in poor form right now but had started the season very well until they lost their manager. It was a tense and tight start to the game but after they went ahead thanks to some generous Town defending and a smart finish from Lowe, they grew in confidence and bossed the game.

When QPR were playing well I was stunned they hadn’t picked up more points lately. The combination of Lowe, Chair and Willock up front is as good an attacking trident as any other Championship team outside the top two and they caused us lots of problems. 

But if QPR became dominant thanks to their lucky goal, we got a foothold back in the game after scoring against the run of play. It was pretty much one-way traffic the other way when Waghorn scored and 2-0 seemed far more likely than 1-1 but going level seemed to knock the stuffing out of QPR and for reasons I don’t really understand they never looked the same after we pulled level.

Either they decided a point away from home was enough, which is bizarre after they had us on the rack for so long or they couldn’t cope with Town once we got a bit of confidence after we equalised, which also seems strange.

QPR epitomise the Championship and how fine the margin between playoff contender and relegation struggler can be. While they’ll probably end the season in midtable, a run of either good or bad results could see them with an interesting run in. Based on their mixed game against Town, I couldn’t predict what’s in store for them.

The triple sub turning point 

Back to talking about Town, the triple sub was a key turning point. Maybe not just in this game either, it could mark a point when our season chances too. The mood on the pitch felt different and we seemed to be a team that were having a go,.after look8ng so laboured and dour before this change.

Anthony Knockaert had question marks over him when he was announced as our loan signing, as he’s recently been on loan out in Greece, which isn’t the highest standard of football. However, he showed in this short cameo that he still has the swagger and a few tricks up his sleeve to help stir something in the crowd. 

Another notable substitute was Josh Koroma, who didn’t make a hige impact, but it’s impressive that he’s come back from a failed League One loan spell and managed to become part of Mark Fotheringham’s plans. If he can recpature his form from a few seasons ago, when he was scoring for fun, then he could be a useful asset. 

I hope that the formation and players that finished the match on Saturday are close to the selection that starts against Blackpool tomorrow night. The players seemed a lot more comfortable with the 4-2-3-1 shape and we managed to get the ball out of defence much more easily than in the first half. Not to mention it allows us to field more attacking players, which gives the opposition more to worry about and therefore we are less likely to spend as much time defending.

Two points dropped 

Despite the fact we came back from a goal down, I came away from this game feeling like we’d missed an opportunity. QPR were there for the taking in the second half and despite a much improved performance, we couldnt make the breakthrough we needed to win the game. On another day we might of… but we’re running out of other days.

While we might not have been able to play Knockaert for the full 90 minutes, could Town have played a more aggressive 4-2-3-1 formation with Diarra starting instead of the ineffectual High? It would have been a gamble but QPR dominated this game for long spells because Town couldn’t get their attacks going, which I think is partly down to our best attacking talent starting the game on the bench. 

Whether this point is a good one or not will depend on the next few results. Win the next two and we’re undefeated in three and climbing the table. But if we continue dropping points and this will be another gamw we’ll look back on with regret.

12 Comments

  • Beck Lane

    Pace, speed of mind and passing ability are the basic requisites to survive at Championship level; Hogg, Lees, High, Lowton, Waghorn and possibly Rhodes have at least one of these missing, sadly in some cases all three. Hogg in particular had an awful game against Coventry last week and even worse one against QPR, some folk say it’s his organisational abilities that keep him in the side. I don’t see that. I see someone staring at the ball totally unaware of what’s happening elsewhere on the pitch, leaving players unmarked. He has to go,

    Also the people responsible for not dealing with the left hand side of the pitch during the January window; left back, left of midfield attacking left, they/he have/has to go too. They seem to think that it’s a much better idea to cram the playing staff with right sided specialists.

    Lowton capped an average performance at right back last week with an awful one at left back this week, Lees is a liability at the moment, High suffers for being paired with Hogg, Waghorn offered next to nothing, Rhodes was a distinct improvement.

    The first half was a painful watch. I quite enjoyed the latter stages of the second half with Knockaert, Diarra, Kasumu, Hungbo and surprisingly Koroma supplying something worth watching.

    Those not mentioned incur neither wrath nor praise including the much maligned MF who like us has to watch this incompetence. He can’t speak the truth at the end of matches, which is why he utters endless falsehoods. One also has to add that the last two games have been against teams with far more points than us but with poor recent records yet we came away with just the solitary point.

  • Scrooge

    Summing Town up at the moment, Slow in movement and thought. No plan or tactics other than defend with 11 men. Square pegs in round holes. Some pegs wouldn’t fit in any holes. Delusional coach with very little idea other than training the players to death. Generally we have a decent but not outstanding set of players, worse than, but similar to last season. The coach this time hasn’t got the nounce to get the best out of what he’s got as Corberan was able to do. The players also give the impression that they don’t want to play for him anyway. He has pushed out our best attacking player, Thomas. He plays people like High but ignores Camara. Why isn’t Jackson playing? In other words he has favourites and those who don’t suck up to him, as he does to the likes of Bromby and Baldwin, don’t get a chance. We are in a terrible state and it will not get any better unless Fotheringham goes and it has to be quickly before our position becomes too bad to rescue.

  • Peter James

    Peter James , This manager is useless and has not got a clue what it means to manage a football team , he might be good as a second in charge when another man makes the decisions , it is about time he was shown the door and get a proper manager in even if it means dropping down a division , let’s get somebody in who knows what they are doing . Peter James

    • Gavin

      Don’t let Bromby choose any more recruits – Players or managers – for goodness sake. Since Froth arrived we have at least got some players with Championship pedigree into the squad.

  • Derek Haigh

    Well you were right in your assessment of Town and yes QPR were worse than Town we have lost a lot of players from last season this bunch would struggle in Div 1 Roudini seesa lot of the ball but does nothing with it his corners are dire Hogg and lees are not Championship level anymore there legs have gone and we have a Coach who couldnt make Shepley look good no offence think new Goalkeeper was at fault in not saving the QPR goal ive noticed there’s no atmosphere and a lot of fans aren’t even turning up the next few games starting at Blackpool will be intetesting if we loose them all will Fotherington Best young coach in Getmany (a legend in his own mind )be still there a lot of the blame lies at Brombys feet

  • Keith

    Well, no need to be optimistic as per. They played like a team with absolutely no confidence in themselves and their team mates. They don’t know what to do with the ball, they dither and give it away. I thought Rudoni was going to be a good signing, but why does he keep on popping up on the wing, he has no pace, and judging by his corners he can’t cross the ball, keep him in the middle. We’ve been crying out for a striker with some pace, and yet we sign like for like. Left hand side of defense, nothing done about it ! Koroma has a point to prove and I surprise myself by thinking perhaps he should be getting more game time. Diarra driving forward means at least there are no poor passes involved, and it’s good to watch. But I’m afraid we are going down.

  • yorkyterrier

    Other than the gift to QPR for their goal, I don’t recall them testing Vaclik at any other point in the game. It seems cool to say how a team fashioned great chances and had us on the rack, but when the boot is on the foot then we are guilty of lacking the killer touch. Please give us a break from your negativity.

  • Ray

    The club and who/how it operates needs resolving. Three things for me: Coach/manager, not good enough. Playing staff: Limited abilities. Club: have we got a long term plan? I doubt that, as Dean wants to sell along with Phil. Kirklees should have got out years ago and recovered the public’s money it invested into the new stadium. We need a new owner and a new direction, not downwards. I am sure the fans wish to see that the club has ambitions and a forward plan, but we need stability for that to happen. HTFC is in the entertainments business, this has been missing for many seasons. They get their house in order I shall return as a season cardholder, rather than an armchair fan.

  • Gavin

    I agree the move to a back four was exactly the right call by Froth. I also agree with Froth that – for all his limitations on the left and his preference for the right – Lowton is a better left back than Ruffles. It’d be nice to have replaced Toffolo but it’s not the managers fault we didn’t.
    Turton is an example of Bromby’s shoddy recruitment over recent years but Froth was right to return him to the team at the earliest opportunity. I’d almost forgotten what it was like to have a (barely) competent right back.
    I’m not blaming Froth for Hogg, Lees and Helik having stinkers in the first half. If he can’t truly on those players who CAN he rely on?
    And I agree with Froth that it makes little sense to put Knockaert in the starting line up. He’s been injured. He’s been playing abroad. He’s probably not fit. But his skill, his attitude and his enthusiasm already mark him out as an important player for us. He needs nursing through games, he needs looking after and he is most likely to be effective when his opponents have already been running around for an hour.
    I’m not blaming Froth either for the fact Waghorn is no improvement on either Ward or Rhodes – though he is more use than Simpson at the moment. Nor am I blaming the manager for the fact that a team with so many new faces (even if they are of a higher quality) struggle for half a game to get it together.
    We were probably lucky to grab an equaliser but after that the signs were every bit as positive as we have any right to expect. Possibly more so.
    It’s a shame we’ve waited until January to get some quality into the squad when it was blindingly obvious in August that was required.
    We are where we are. Froth is here until June. Recent loan signings have at least provided some hope. Let’s see what happens. If we go down, no Town fan will be surprised. But all is not yet lost.

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