player ratings – Terrier Spirit – Huddersfield Town FC blog

Aug72023 by Terrier Spirit4 Comments

“Cumbersome and off the pace” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s opening day defeat to Plymouth Argyle

Matches

Huddersfield Town came away from the south coast empty handed, after falling to a 3-1 defeat to Plymouth Argyle on the opening day of the season. It was a mildly infuriating result, as while the defeat was deserved, Town were the architects of their own downfall with poor finishing and sloppy mistakes the biggest factors in why they lost. Plymouth deserve credit too, because they exploited our weaknesses and finished their chances but this still felt like an avoidable defeat. Having said that, there were some positives to be taken from the game. It’s easy to think the sky is falling in after this sort of result but there were glimmers of hope for optimists to cling on to in this performance. And I’d be genuinely stunned if we concede three goals as bad as that in a game again this seas...

Dec192022 by Terrier Spirit5 Comments

“His killer instinct has abandoned him and his time at Huddersfield is up” Player ratings for Town’s defeat to Watford

Matches

Town were well beaten in the end by Watford, although they put up a decent fight for at least half an hour they ultimately couldn't cope with the quality, strength and speed of their opponent. It wasn't a complete hammering but the scoreline perhaps flatters Town as Watford has a clear penalty shout turned down in the first half and spurned some glorious scoring opportunities. It wasn't all gloom though, as Town showed some nice moments against a strong opponent that hints at the possibility that we might look a bit better when we're up against teams with fewer superstar (for the Championship) players. Here are my ratings for each individual player in yesterday's game. Lee Nicholls - 8 out of 10 Stopped what looked like a certain goal as well as pulling off some other mo...

Oct312022 by Terrier Spirit3 Comments

“The closest thing we have to a Lewis O’Brien replacement” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s win over Millwall

Matches

After I confidently predictee defeat before the game, regular readers of this blog will have not been surprised to have seen Huddersfield Town’s players make me look silly. On Saturday afternoon Town put in a performance that few saw coming and outplayed Millwall for 90 minutes and came out worthy winners, even if it took a goal that required an outrageous piece of fortune to win the game for the Terriers. While Millwall fans might curse the circumstances that led to the winning goal, few will argue that Town were the better team on the day and, if anything, I think 1-0 flattered the London team and Town really should have converted their dominant spells into a more commanding lead. That minor quibble aside, it was an excellent afternoon’s work for Town, so expect generous scores to f...

Oct112022 by Terrier Spirit8 Comments

“He looked happier on the pitch” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s 2-0 win over Hull

Matches

Huddersfield Town managed to shake off a dodgy start and end up comfortable winners of their Yorkshire derby against Hull, giving Mark Fotheringham his first win. It wasn't a completely convincing Huddersfield Town performance but there were plenty of positives anyway, most of them came in the second half when Town established themselves as the dominant team. While it was clear that Hull are not a good team, it was pleasing to see Town manage to finish the job against a weaker opponent and hold on to a lead. It felt like a third goal was close for Town on several occasions but in the end we had to settle for a 2-0 win. Here's what I thought of each individual performance… Lee Nicholls - 6 out of 10 There was a slightly hairy moment in the second half where he became a sweeper kee...

Aug172022 by Terrier Spirit5 Comments

“Opposition teams are singling him out as a weak link” Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s defeat to Norwich

Matches

Huddersfield Town's first half woes continued against Norwich last night when they quickly found themselves 2-0 down, mostly down to good play from Danel Sinani down Norwich's right. A second-half red card for Tom Lees made Town's job harder but they still managed to look better organised.and more threatening after the break. These games where Town's performance levels vary hugely from one stage of the game to another make it very tricky to do player ratings because some players have produced both excellent and shocking moments in the same game whereas other are consistent across the whole game. I'll do my.best to average it out and see if I can give a fair score for everyone. Lee Nicholls - 7 out of 10 Couldn't do much for the first but came off his line for the second goal an...

Aug142022 by Terrier Spirit7 Comments

“He’s going to be a new fan favourite” Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s 3-1 win against Stoke City

Matches

I've never felt more confident of a Town defeat going into a game but thankfully the team that emerged onto the field against Stoke were a completely different proposition to the limp and ineffective ensembles that have capitulated in all three of our previous games. After three consecutive false starts, it felt like this was the first time that Danny Schofield got the team selection and his tactics right and his good judgement was backed up by players that put in, on the whole, a decent shift. While not perfect, it was a dramatically improved Town performance and the fans showed that they are willing to heap praise on their team when they see enough effort being put in. Here are my individual player ratings. Lee Nicholls - 8 out of 10 I've not seen a replay at the time of ...

Aug62022 by Terrier Spirit15 Comments

“He’s really dragging the team down” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s 2-1 defeat to Birmingham City

Matches

Huddersfield Town lost 2-1 to Birmingham City last night in a game where they struggled badly in the first half and weren’t able to turn an improved second-half into the goals we needed to get anything from the game. It’s a result that adds pressure onto Danny Schofield, as he’s now lost his opening two games in charge at Town and both performances have been unconvincing at best. Schofield showed a lot of faith in the team that failed to perform against Burnley last week, only making two changes when far more players could have been dropped. That faith was not repaid, after the same mistakes were repeated in another poor first half performance, with sloppy passing and poor positional play leading to Birmingham dominating the play. Schofield’s post-match comments hinted towards a bad ...

Jul302022 by Terrier Spirit13 Comments

“The footballing equivalent of Bez from the Happy Mondays” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s 1-0 defeat to Burnley

Matches

Huddersfield Town were played off the park by Burnley in the first half last night but showed a bit of Terrier Spirit in the second half when they fought their way back into the game and at least showed a bit of fight. It wasn’t always pretty to watch from a Town perspective but by the end of the end of the game there were a few positives that could be taken away from the game, though that may not be reflected in some of the player ratings below. So strap yourself in for a pretty brutal first player ratings article of the season… Lee Nicholls - 6 out of 10 Made a decent save shortly after their goal and some other fairly regulation stops. He did, however, get away with a bit of a howler, when he got closed down with the ball at his feet which could have cost us a goal. This had b...

May82022 by Terrier Spirit2 Comments

“He may have done enough to earn another contract.” Player ratings for Town’s win over Bristol City

Matches

Huddersfield Town registered a comfortable 2-0 victory over a misfiring Bristol in the final game of the regular season despite fielding a weakened team. The game had the feel of a dead rubber at times but Town managed to raise their levels enough during certain spells to become dominant and create good chances. Forest conceding a late equaliser against Hull meant that Town finished above them and now face Luton Town in the playoff semi finals. Those games will provide a much stiffer challenge than a relatively poor Bristol City but it’s to Town’s credit that they managed to competently beat their opponent without expending more energy than they had to. Here are my individual player ratings. Jamal Blackman - 7 out of 10 Made a couple of smart saves from close range. Probably t...

Apr192022 by Terrier Spirit5 Comments

“He still has a lot to offer despite recent doubts.” Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s superb away win at Middlesbrough

Matches

Huddersfield Town put in one of their best performances of the season in a masterclass of counter attacking football that saw them win 2-0 despite spurning a string of presentable chances. Maybe it was a bad day at the office for Middlesbrough but Town hardly put a foot wrong despite only even though they only had about a third of the possession. Expect plenty of high scores as every player stuck to their task over the course of the game, kept a solid shape and were a constant threat when going forward. Lee Nicholls - 7 out of 10 Not his busiest afternoon between the sticks but he snaffled up everything that came near him, including a few threatening balls that sneaked past our defence. A lot of the skill in Nicholl’s game comes in keeping the players in front of him organised we...