Huddersfield Town clung on to a 1-0 lead and emerged from their match against Nottingham Forest with all three points in a gritty performance that also required a hefty slice of luck to see us over the line. While the performance might not have been perfect, the victory leaves Town still in the playoff positions, at least until the teams below us play their games in hand.
This game was Town’s third consecutive victory and caps off a fine finish to 2021 after a poor run of form in November and the first half of December. I’m still not convinced about the current Town team and coaching set up if I’m honest but the results don’t lie and Town are, for now at least, genuine playoff contenders. It seems strange to say that but if you’re sixth after more than half the season it seems an incontrovertible fact.
Here are a few of my thoughts on the game.
Withstanding a siege on our goal
It feels quite nice to come away from a game with a win when you deserved to lose and it’s hard to argue that Forest didn’t deserve more. They registered 23 shots over the course of the game and quite a few of those chances really should have been buried. I was a bag of nerves throughout the majority of the game as Forest kept looking to have opened us up to then fail at the final hurdle.
It wasn’t just good luck that helped us to the clean sheet though, Nicholls had another fine game between the sticks, pulling off a series of saves which he wouldn’t have been blamed for letting past him. He also put on another masterclass in timewasting at dead balls. His ability to enrage rival fans, suck up time and take away momentum from opposition teams helps to get results like this one over the line. Who would have thought that picking up MK Don’s backup keeper on a free would be such a key signing for us this season?
While allowing Forest to have 23 shots doesn’t sound like a great defensive performance, I would say that Town’s defence was mostly in a decent shape and the majority of these chances were speculative efforts from range, of which most didn’t even hit the target.
Carlos makes bold decisions in the game
If I had been managing during this game I would have been very tempted to make a negative change to try and stem the tide of Nottingham Forest attacks, particularly in the early stages of the second half when wave after wave of attacks were coming at our goal. Jon Russell was on the bench and it seemed sensible to bring him on as a defensive midfielder at the expense of one of our attacking players.
Instead Carlos more or less stuck to his guns tactically. While it didn’t lead to the second goal we needed to make things comfortable, we did manage to craft a few decent chances. Sinani spurned the best of these when he failed to convert the guilt-edged chance Rhodes squared to him after pressing high led to Forest coughing up possession in a dangerous area.
The substitutions Town made showed an ambition to try and cause problems for Forest rather than to shore things up at the back and the fact we won the game suggests it was the right decision. Taking off Thomas for Koroma seemed like an overly aggressive change but in retrospect I can now see the logic, as Koroma is more of a threat on the break and is more comfortable with the ball at his feet. Thomas generally relies on knocking the ball into space and using his pace but Koroma can receive the ball in tight spaces and use his dribbling skills to carry the ball up field and relieve pressure on the defence.
Pipa for Sinani is another change that gave us more threat and ball carrying ability. While the Spaniard looked a little rusty at times, there was a clear intention for him to get up field with the ball and create counter attacking opportunities.
The last two Town games have seen Corberán make more aggressive changes from the bench and it has paid off for him. While this might not be the right strategy in every situation, it’s good to see him using his bench more and not merely making like-for-like substitutions that don’t change the flow of the game.
O’Brien’s continuing good form
I’ve been very impressed with O’Brien in the last few weeks and this game was a continuation of his good form and increasing influence for Town. He had a real battle at times with Garner, the Manchester United loanee, and got the better of him the majority of the time.
O’Brien played as a winger when he was in Town’s youth team and you can see why when he gets the ball and drives at the defence. He is so good at picking up the ball and moving up field, even when surrounded by a pack of players he tends to be able to find space to move into. In the past I’ve said that I don’t think he’s ready for a move up to the Premier League but his recent performances suggest he may be able to compete at a higher level.
Despite O’Brien signing a new deal this season, it’s possible that we may see more interest in him from top-flight teams after it was widely reported his new deal includes a stipulation that Town will allow him to leave if a bid above a certain level comes in. Whether other teams will pay our valuation is another matter but he will be sorely missed if he does leave in January.
Perhaps I’m thinking about what’s best for Town rather than O’Brien but I hope that he at least stays until the summer so he can continue his development and move on at a time when we’ll find it easier to replace him. In the meantime I’ll continue to enjoy him for as long as we have him.
Un-Town-like performances
I don’t know whether it’s just me, but I don’t think I’ve seen Town win so many games where they’ve not been the best team as we have done this season. Thinking back to the Lee Clark era I can remember countless games where we’d dominate the other team for 90 minutes and somehow come away having dropped points. Even as recently as last season we had a few games where we had possession pushing towards 70% but conceded silly goals and failed to convert nice football into goals. So to nick a goal and then ride our luck feels very unlike Town.
I don’t really know why some teams are better than others at getting fortunate results but I’m delighted that Town seem to be able to pick up unlikely and undeserved victories and it’s a welcome change. This lucky streak may explain why we’re so far up the table despite only playing genuinely good football in a handful of games.
It’s worth noting that few fans moan about the lack of free-flowing attacking football when we pick up wins with 42% possession and playing mostly on the counter. These arguments come out when we fail to pick up points but the majority of football fans will take a victory however it comes (regardless of how much they may profess their preference for quality football).
Does Dean Hoyle now have the “problem” he asked for?
In a recent At The Town committee meeting, the now departed Mark Devlin stated that Dean Hoyle had challenged the board to “give him a problem” in January. The clear implication being that he doesn’t want to dip his hand into his pocket to strengthen the team but if Town are doing well then the temptation to improve the squad and make a push for the Premier League may be too great.
While Devlin has been relieved of his duties this week, the players and coaching staff have clearly done enough to at least give Hoyle a decision to make as we head into the New Year in the playoff positions.
I would like to see Town make a few quality additions to the squad in January, whether on loan or a permanent basis. This feels like one of the worst Championships there have been in many years and it wouldn’t take much to make Town genuine contenders for promotion. A quality midfielder who can control games and a prolific striker would be the top of my wishlist but neither would come cheap.
The off-the-pitch stuff
As things seem to be clicking into place on the pitch it is looking ever more chaotic off the field, with Dean Hoyle now interim CEO as well as the paying out to cover the day-to-day shortfall in running costs. Phil Hodgkinson is still technically the majority owner and chairman but all references to him lately have been about how he is focussing his efforts on trying to deal with the fallout of his other businesses’ collapse.
While I’m pleased to have Hoyle back at the helm and would welcome him taking back full ownership, I’m not sure it’s a good idea for him to be CEO for any length of time. Taking over in the interim to steady the ship seems sensible but I think it’s a bad idea for him to take on the role for the long term. The chief executive is answerable to the person that owns the club ultimately, so if these people are both (effectively) Hoyle then it feels a bit like he’s marking his own homework and there’s nobody holding him to account. I’d rather see the ownership issue resolved quickly and then a high-quality replacement for Devlin being brought in to take charge for a while.
Despite his disastrous performance in the club’s training ground tour video, I feel a bit sorry for Devlin. I think he had a good idea about what Town needed to do to succeed and he talked sense but we didn’t have the resources to become the Brentford of the North. I suspect he’s suffered from being Phil’s appointment and has had to make way to allow for changes behind the scenes at Town. Arguably he’s seen Town through a turbulent part of their history and leaves with the team in better shape than when he arrived. I know he wasn’t popular with many fans but I think he’s done OK with the fairly poor hand he was dealt.
The thing I find slightly disappointing about this latest boardroom change is how frequently we seem to be changing CEOs and Directors of Football. The continental model of having a head coach rather than a manager is meant to mean you have more continuity because the overall direction is dictated by those higher up than the head coach. This isn’t happening at Town because we keep replacing the people in the top positions every year or two and starting again with a new long-term strategy. So I hope the next appointment is one that can stay at the club for the long haul rather than a disposable fall guy or someone using Town as a stepping stone.
The opportunity is there to grasp a playoff position and we need a brave and adventurous owner to kickstart a transfer window to enable Town to really go for promotion.What have we got to lose? the time is now right since the pandemic has ruled all our lives over the past two years and for Town to secure promotion would indeed be a tonic for our weary fans.So come on Dean Hoyle use some imagination and make yourself even richer by securing promotion.Up the Town
As much as I’d like to see Town have a great finish to the season, I think I’d rather see us in the Championship next season rather than getting promoted and being whipping boys again. Maybe I’m being unambitious but Norwich were brilliant in the Championship and they’ve still not coped with the step up. I’d prefer we built over time and went for promotion when we’ve a better chance of establishing ourselves at that level.
I agree with that sentiment entirely Terrier Spirit. It might sound an odd thing to say but we hit the Premier League far too early in the original 5 year master plan. Wagner building a squad to enable Town to at least have a chance of vying for at least a Play Off place was the ultimate aim and nobody in their right mind expected it to happen in just 18 months. We didn’t have the infrastructure or Finances to cope. Of course the disaterous Transfer policy at the start of the second season didn’t help but despite that we were always going to struggle. It’s likely we would indeed become the whipping boys once again if we pulled off another ‘miracle.
As for the current squad, and despite his flaws, Corberon has pulled off a minor miracle all of his own. A team full of journeymen with no real stand out star has gelled to a certain extent and got us into a position we could only dream of at the start of the season. I find his distractors slightly tiresome in their constant critisism completely failing to understand that he’s basically having to operate with one hand tied behind his back when It comes to funds for improving the squad.
It is totally lacking in ambition to want to stay in the Championship and if you’re waiting for them to build into a club capable of actually competing in the Premier League it’ll never happen. Town are a small town club who have and are punching above their weight. There are a lot of clubs in the Premier League now who just can’t compete with the Man City’s of this world. Even clubs such as Leeds and Newcastle are struggling to stay in so we might as well aim high and if we fail, so be it. If we succeed then 1 or 2 seasons in the top division fills the coffers (or should do!) and we get to see the top teams at the John Smiths.
Totally agree, John. It’s absurd to think you can ‘pick your year’ to get promoted. And equally absurd to aim for mediocrity so you end up neither up nor down.
It’s like riding a bike – if you keep moving forward, you’ll stay upright and make progress; try and stand still and you wobble and fall off.
I just can’t imagine going into any activity and having no desire to win. Well, maybe playing board games with the grandchildren.
Very good points and a great analogy with the bike.
Standing still is actually going backwards, as the world is always moving forward. A boss told us that at work. He was an idiot to be fair.
If it comes along grasp it with both hands.This time buy a little quality not waste money on players we had never heard of. Buy known quality not expensive, waste of space video players sold to our idiot directors at the time.
I agree entirely that supporting Town comes with a health warning. Not for the first time this season I have been sitting on a knife edge as, for too long a period, wave after wave of attacks are thrown at us and we are hanging on, mainly to luck and poor finishing. It is a dangerous game to sit back on an early lead.
When Carlos was appointed I thought we would play an attacking game, not hanging on for 60 minutes. Having said that, it is a results game and I would rather be winning and in the top half of the table than fighting a relegation battle.
Apologies for correcting you but Pipa replaced Sinani. Like you, I would have liked to have seen Jon Russell as a defensive midfielder and would I would have preferred Aaron Rowe to Pipa
Thanks Terry, I’ve changed it to Sinani now. I think Carlos wanted us to attack more yesterday but mostly through counter attacks. The problem was that we weren’t managing to contain Forest when they attack and there was too much opportunity to shoot. Then again, we got the clean sheet so it’s hard to grumble too much.
Good write up Mr Spirit, though surprised at your reply to Tony’s comment, which sounded a bit like Ayrehead when he said the club were working to a 3 year promotion plan to excuse / justify the sale of Stewart to Ipswich. The rest, as they say, is history.
I’d love to have the “problem” of reaching the Premier League again. Hopefully we’d make a better job of it second time round having learnt from our mistakes before, ie. buying multiple players for £10m+ on the strength of a 3 minute highlights clip.
As ever, TS, I agree with pretty much everything you have said.
The backroom stuff is tedious so I’ll leave that alone; doubtless your summary is quite right.
O’Brien – I totally agree, he’s been much more like the O’Brien we know and love. A few months ago, I definitely thought he was overrated and overvalued, take the money and run, but now he really does offer a lot. If he could find a better shot and balloon fewer over the bar, that would be great! Like you, I hope we can hang on to him until the summer.
The Championship – for Town to be in the top six says more about the Championship than it does about Town’s ability.
Nicholls – I keep waiting for a disastrous performance but it doesn’t happen. What a signing! The likes of Lees and Pearson have undoubtedly improved the defence but I can’t help wondering how they’d have looked playing in front of the skittish,, erratic, can’t catch, stick-on-my-goalline Schofield.
Attack is better than defence – the positivity from Corberan suggests he’s learned that we do need to retain an attacking threat if we are to successfully defend a lead.
January signings – a proven quality midfielder is top of my wish list. I know High has his fans but I’m afraid I’m not one of them.
Thank you for your continued thoughts, TS. Always a good read. Here’s wishing you a happy & healthy new year.
Simon, I can see you’re a glass half full man…maybe Schofield would keep goal better with decent defenders in front of him?
History tells us that solidity in defence emanates from the ‘keeper giving confidence to the central defenders, and not vice versa.
Didn’t we have a goalkeeper once who was widely ridiculed and harshly seen as ‘a clown’ (I’m probably going back before your time but as you know your history that shouldn’t matter) but whose stats show him to have been one of our most effective ever keepers at preventing goals? I think that bit of history said more about the quality of our defenders than it did about his goalkeeping skills.
Not much is ‘before my time’, Gavin, but I don’t know who you’re referring to I’m afraid.
Tim ‘Coco’ Clarke.
I can’t see us spending much next month, a decent midfielder loan perhaps to get the most out of Ward and Rhodes. I know the players would love promotion but 7th would be good for me and keep on building the team. Plenty of us can’t forget the misery of the second season in the prem. Not sure about Sinani buy clause, I thing a fit Vallejo may be just as good, O’B deserves a good move, but not before the summer please. I don’t understand the digs on Hoyle , personally I think if he wasn’t at the club we would be visiting Oldham on match days…just my opinion. Anyway, here’s hoping for a healthy world in 2022, and a proper leader for us all.
Hitting the crossbar within the first minute and missing the easiest chance of the evening suggests an easy victory; it was an extraordinarily fortunate three points.
We played some really attractive football at times belting the ball at each other, controlling it moving with it, then passing again; unfortunately, interspersed with dross, as usual, the ball was given away on numerous occasions through sheer incompetence. The goal was a gem, inter-passing instant control between Toffolo and Holmes with a clean strike from Holmes, too much of the rest of his play was sub-standard, along with High, Thomas, Sinani and Rhodes and Colwill’s passing yet again.
Three of our last four goals have been outstanding in combinations of passing, crossing and execution; anything could have happened with Thomas’ second against Blackpool.
It will be fascinating to see what happens against high flying Blackburn as it will to see what transpires off the field. I would be terrified if this team is promoted!
I’m in total agreement, BL.
Just to emphasise a point in another thread, you being “terrified if this team is promoted” is not the same as not wanting it to happen. I’d be equally terrified. You just have to assume that better signings in the summer would automatically follow.
The key to Town’s best moments in recent matches has been the basiic skill of ‘first touch’. The Holmes goal was a case in point. The Toffolo cross/pass was not easy to control but that first touch made the finish relatively straightforward. Same with Sorba Thomas – if he gets the ball down and immediately into his stride, he’s a threat; but all too often we see Thomas and the rest require 2 or 3 touches to get the ball in the right place to make a pass or take a shot; and by that time , they’ve been closed down. It’s the difference between Championship and Premier League players – speed of control and then speed of thought to assess options and execute. The execution is the easiest part.
Having just seen the “highlights” of Blackburn vs Barnsley I would say that Town have nothing to fear in the next match. High flying they may be but Blackburns players looked slow and heavy and if Barnsley hadn’t been so poor they could have won. If Town play as well as they can we have quicker players who could run rings round the Blackburn defence. I will not be surprised if Town win this one easily.