notes – Page 8 – Terrier Spirit – Huddersfield Town FC blog

Jan242022 by Terrier Spirit6 Comments

Wembley hotel booking, our hat-trick hero, unleashing the attack, Reading relegation fodder and a leaky defence – Notes on Reading away

Matches

Huddersfield Town came away victorious from a seven-goal thriller against Reading at the weekend. The game was a hodge podge of great attacking football, woeful defending and a wide range of tactics and formations for each unique part of the game. There are some games where it’s a struggle to think of talking points to fill a blogpost but the opposite is true of this game. There are almost too many things to talk about. So rather than waste time on these introductory paragraphs that most people skip over, I’ll get straight into it. Hat-trick hero The only possible candidate for Man of the Match is Danny Ward, his three goals and incredible graft made this the high point of his return to Town after some fairly dark days in the not-too-distant past. Almost no T...

Jan172022 by Terrier Spirit6 Comments

Poisoned pen programme notes, midfield questions, The Balon b’Ore and tippy tappy tactics – Notes on Town’s draw with Swansea

Matches

Draws can be like those Rorschach tests used by psychologists in films. Rather than an ink blot that looks like a reproductive organ, a draw allows a football fan to project their deep rooted feelings about their team onto it. So if you've got reservations about Huddersfield Town then Saturday’s result was proof we can't hold leads, lack presence in midfield and blew an opportunity to win. If you're on the Carlos promotion party bus then this game was a valuable point against a team that were better than us on the day but weren't able to press home their advantage because we're such tricky Terriers. I'm not sure how I feel about this game but I'll probably work it out by the end of this article. What was the game plan? Our game plan worked in the first half but failed in th...

Dec312021 by Terrier Spirit20 Comments

Giving Hoyle a “problem”, withstanding a siege, O’Brien class and bold management – Notes on Nottingham Forest away

Matches

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 incon...

Dec132021 by Terrier Spirit7 Comments

Asking for trouble, stale tactics, lacking ambition, Carlos’ job security and unexpected stats ‐ Notes on the draw with Coventry

Matches, Opinion

Despite getting a draw against one of the league's better teams on Saturday, I was left with a bitter taste after sitting through the game. Despite Town's respectable league position, alarm bells are ringing for many fans and it feels like we're a team on the slide. Coventry played fairly well but most teams would have when their opponent allowed them so much time on the ball and space to get away shots at will. Had Coventry been slightly clinical with their finishing we could have been hammered in this game. Though if Matty Pearson had nodded home his straightforward chance in the second half we would almost certainly have gone on to win, so it's not worth dwelling on hypothetical too much. Here are a few more of my thoughts on the game: Defending a lead badly ...

Sep282021 by Terrier Spirit3 Comments

Predicted Town XI for tonight, being consistently inconsistent, the Sorba slump and the Swansea inquest – Another Huddersfield Town roundup

Matches

Huddersfield Town were beaten 1-0 by Swansea at the weekend, in a game that could easily have been a much heavier loss for the Terriers if it hadn’t been for excellent goalkeeping work from Nicholls and some wasteful finishing from the Swans. Thankfully there isn’t a lot of time to dwell on this defeat as Blackburn will be travelling to the John Smiths’ tonight to give us a chance of arresting the mini slump we’ve entered. Prior to the Forest game the weekend before last, things had been incredibly positive around Huddersfield Town football club but consecutive defeats have brought the doom mongers out from wherever they hide when things are going well. Avoiding defeat tonight is essential to change Town’s momentum and keep them at the right end of the table. Here’s another roundup ...

Sep132021 by Terrier Spirit4 Comments

Plan B, basic mistakes, unknowns and terrace sexism – Notes on Town’s defeat to Stoke

Matches

Huddersfield Town were beaten 2-1 at Stoke in a tight game which was decided by set pieces and individual errors. A draw would have been a fairer result but we can’t really complain after riding our luck in the recent wins against Sheffield United and Preston. The good news is that this wasn’t the kind of defeat that suggests the wheels are falling off for Town. There were obviously things that could have been better but the optimism that came with three consecutive wins has only been slightly dented after another disciplined performance from the Terriers. Here are a few of my thoughts on the game: Town now have a way of playing against better teams Phil Hodgkinson talked in his recent interview about how all the bad eggs have now been weeded out of the club and we’ve got a gr...

Aug232021 by Terrier Spirit6 Comments

Limbs, super subs, soaking up pressure, concerns, optimism and formation switches – Notes on Huddersfield Town’s last-gasp victory over Sheffield United

Matches

Huddersfield Town bounced back from their 5-1 thumping against Fulham by winning two games in a week and completely reversing the narrative. The win against Preston was one of the ugliest I've seen while following Town but Saturday's 2-1 victory over Sheffield United felt less the result of luck and more the reward for sticking to a game plan and frustrating an out of sorts but talented opponent. While it would be nice to watch Town play beautiful, flowing football, watching them grind out narrow victories has its own appeal and it felt like a role reversal to see the Blades dominate possession but struggle to break down our defensive unit. Here are a few of my thoughts on the game now there's been time to let the dust settle. The atmosphere in the away end I...

Aug192021 by Terrier Spirit21 Comments

An awful way to win, no obvious gameplan, touchline antics, a few positives and a look ahead – notes on the PNE win

Matches

This writeup of Town’s win against Preston North End is a bit on the late side. I’ve been busy since the game but I’ve also held back from writing about the game because I’m still not sure how I feel about it. Before the match I’d said getting three points would be good regardless of how we played, even though an improved performance was the ideal. But it doesn’t feel like a victory and I’m almost as glum about Town’s prospects as I was before the game. I keep telling myself that it’s too early in the season to know what’s in store for Town. The psychotically optimistic part of my brain is also desperate to cling to the fact that goal difference (already among the worst in the league) is the only thing keeping us out of the playoff spots in the embryonic league table. But I’m sti...

Aug152021 by Terrier Spirit26 Comments

Goodwill squandered, Fulham too good, Carlos in trouble and Schofield out of confidence – Notes on Town’s drubbing by Fulham

Matches

Wow! I was so excited about going back to the stadium that I didn't think I was all that bothered about the result. Yet Town still managed to throw away all that goodwill that was available by turning in one of those performances like we saw at Norwich, Bournemouth and Blackburn last season. We'd been encouraged to believe that the new signings we've brought in this season would mean we didn't meekly surrender to opponents any more. Yet it happened again yesterday and will most likely continue to happen this season unless something significantly changes. Here are a few of my thoughts on the game and what it means for Town. A glorious day was quickly spoiled Regardless of the results, it did feel very good to be back inside the stadium again. As much as the game was painful ...

May42021 by Terrier Spirit15 Comments

Baffling formations, repeating mistakes, dissecting their goal, limping over the line and thinking about summer – Notes on Town’s 1-1 draw with Coventry

Matches, Opinion

It's a couple of days since Town's 1-1 draw with Coventry and it's already a struggle to remember anything of great consequence from the game. Despite this season being exceptional for off the pitch reasons, we had to sit through another unexceptional Town performance where a point was a little bit fortunate. All the usual problems reared their head during the game and it was only results elsewhere that guaranteed Town's safety. In previous seasons beating the drop had been something to celebrate but this time it's slightly embarrassing as it doesn't feel like we deserve to survive after a woeful 2021. Playing three or four different formations at once Could you confidently say what the formation was for Town on Saturday? I was preoccupied by this question for long sp...