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Who Needs Benzema When We Have Grant Holt? - Notes for Huddersfield
Friday, 24th Oct 2014 11:20 by HarryFromBath

HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Saturday's game by delving into their forums.

"At the moment we're on the up and we should all enjoy it", "It's not often I have been so upbeat going to a Town match", "We might just be starting to see a different Huddersfield Town from the one we all know", "I'm happy to keep the unbeaten run going", "I can tell thee now I'm excited."

The Terriers arrive at Portman Road on Saturday on a five-match unbeaten run. Wins over Millwall (2-1), notably at Wolves (3-1) and a scoreless draw at Blackburn before the international break were followed by a 4-2 home victory over Blackpool last weekend and a 1-1 home draw with Brighton on Tuesday.

"People who don't know the club think we are struggling. We are still regarded by many outsiders as relegation fodder. It's time for Town to shine and change people's opinions", "We are looking like a solid mid-table side and that's a pretty remarkable transformation in a few short weeks."

Chris Powell

The Terriers did not make the customary strong start following the appointment of a new manager when former Charlton boss Chris Powell took the reins from Mark Robins at the start of September. One point in three games and a "horror show" 3-0 defeat at Leeds left supporters feeling nervous.

That was just before their unbeaten run. "I'm delighted he's proving my fears wrong", "Powell is no mug. He's been learning things all the time and sorted out what needed doing", "It is incredible how he has galvanised the boys after the shambles at Elland Road."

"One strong feature of his time at Charlton was their strong team spirit", "That was exactly what was needed. We have plenty of players with ability who haven't performed consistently or with enough desire or team spirit", "This guy is starting to instil a lot of confidence in his players."

Terriers have been impressed with his man-management and his solid tactical judgement. "I'm impressed with his round pegs in round holes philosophy", "We have all known that this team has potential. It has taken a sound hand to use tactics suited to our players and Powell has sorted that."

"Steady improvements are being made, and this is what counts", "This is new territory for Town fans, calmly going about our job and creeping steadily up the table. I think that we had become addicted to roller-coaster rides in the past however many years."

The arrival of Grant Holt from Wigan on a short-term loan has coincided with their unbeaten run. "The catalyst was bringing in Holt as Powell knew how he wanted to play and he needed that type of player", "We'll make a better judgement when a Holt returns to his parent club in early November."

Defensiveness

One concern that has been flagged up with the new manager is a slight cautiousness. Fans were frustrated when they didn't attack a Brighton team which was sitting back, happy to take a point on Tuesday night. "We showed them too much respect and were too conservative in our approach."

"I'm disappointed that we didn't chance our arm more. It's hard when the other team has every man behind the ball, trying to catch us on the break", "Powell has probably overdone the defensive mind-set early on, but I can see why. We were shipping goals for fun and he had to start at the back first."

Defence

Terriers are very happy with how well their back four are defending. "It was a pretty quiet day for the centre-backs against Blackpool. I don't think they'll have an easier one", "Brighton bossed possession, but Smithies in goal did not really have a save to make and we defended very well."

Alex Smithies

"Praise be to Smithies for two fantastic saves against Brighton in the second half", Credit to our keeper who didn't put a foot or hand wrong - two great bits of keeping to go with the great save on Saturday." The 24-year-old youth product is regularly praised for his shot-stopping prowess.

"Next time he makes an error, maybe folk will remember games like these before calling him a liability", "There is room for improvement, particularly his positioning for free-kicks and corners, where he stands too far out or right alongside attackers who restrict his movement."

"Smithies' shot-stopping and saves are excellent, but his kicking could be better", "His kicking, his control of his area and his leadership are all poor", "There are too many dodgy moments", "He is a good shot-stopper, but there's more to than when you are goalkeeping."

Huddersfield have their own Tommy Smith in defence, the 22-year-old right-back having joined after leaving Manchester City in 2013. "He has been a great find, and has been solid but unspectacular since making his debut last season", "He looks very comfortable at Championship level."

"Smith was obviously under instruction not to get out of his defensive position and over the halfway line too often at Wolves and that seemed to suit Sean Scannell on the right-wing in front of him", "In our current situation, Powell has got the balance right between defence and attack on the flanks."

This cautious use of their full-backs was echoed when discussing Jack Robinson, the Terriers' regular starting left-back. The 21-year-old played on loan for Blackpool last season from Liverpool and is on a season-long loan with Huddersfield from his new parent club QPR.

"Robinson does his work quietly and effectively", "I'm glad he got a mention as he had an excellent game against Brighton", "He looks like he could bomb forward but doesn't have the confidence or is being restricted by Powell", "He has a tendency to just pass backwards or sideways."

"Lee Peltier was an outstanding right-back when we were in League One and I always admired him as a player. He has come back and has been played everywhere but his best position. He's no longer our best right-back, centre-back or holding midfielder. A solid, unspectacular substitute he shall be."

The 27-year-old former Leeds player has not been used regularly in recent successful run of games. "Peltier is not good enough with the ball at this level. He doesn't sprint with it and cannot dribble or pass forward", "He lacks an attacking dimension and is incapable of bombing forward."

Joel Lynch

"Joel Lynch has the natural talent to play in the Premier League. He has pace, is strong, is good technically and a good tackler but we only see this when Lynch is in the right frame of mind. Too often he just goes through the motions", "Apart from Lynch, we lack pace at the back."

"Lynch appears not to be interested or throws in costly mistakes far too regularly", "He needs to cut out the aimless waist-high clearances to the centre circle", "He does make the most half-hearted challenges. At other times, he glides past forwards who had a start on him and clears it up."


The 27-year-old former Forest centre-back frustrates fans, but has played well lately. "Is he getting more reliable alongside captain Hudson?" "He certainly has been a different player since Hudson arrived", "He read the Blackpool game superbly, coming out on top in all his 1 v 1 encounters."

Mark Hudson

Chris Powell was widely praised for handing the captain's armband to the 32-year-old former Cardiff centre-back instead of Lee Peltier. "Hudson is not the most vocal of captains. He doesn't shout at players but encourages and directs them, leading by example and is a calming influence."

"He's our man mountain defensive Goliath", "Hudson's a bit like John Terry. He never lets himself get isolated against quicker forwards", "He reads the game so well and is in the right place to cover most of the time", "He certainly has given us strength at the back."

His slowness is regularly mentioned. "His pace was criticised by Cardiff fans but he won over the doubters", "He has been great so far but he struggled in the air but that was against Blackpool's two giant forwards", "He's really strong and loves going up for corners where he is such a threat."

Central Midfield

"I don't think our midfield is better than two years ago man for man, but we seem to have a good balance and they are more mobile", "Butterfield, Coady and Hogg all complement each other very well. It looks like we might have an effective midfield in those three."

Huddersfield have opted for a three-man midfield in a 4-3-3 system rather than playing with two strikers in recent games. "Brighton did a pretty good job at flooding the midfield", "We would have been too open with just two as Brighton looked dangerous on the counter-attack."

Fans want to see the central midfielders break forward and not leave the strikers isolated. "I don't know why our midfield was so risk averse. We faffed around at the back a lot, and when we did get behind the Brighton defence, only Holt was in the box with the rest of the team 30 yards back."

Several supporters would like to see former Forest attacking midfielder Radoslaw Majewski feature more, but the 27-year-old Poland international has been a peripheral figure. "He's a very skilful player with a decent goal return. He's surely worth a 15-minute cameo between the lines late on."

"Conor Coady does a massive amount of work. He reads where the danger might be, breaks things up and does the simple things exceptionally well", "He seldom stands still, making himself available to receive a pass or cover a breakdown and he's capable of doing this for 90 minutes."

Terriers are quick to praise the industry of the 21-year-old ex-Liverpool holding midfielder. "Coady is a player who does the simple things throughout the game and never the spectacular. He keeps it ticking over and it's easy to think he's not involved when what he's doing isn't showy."

Jonathan Hogg

"I'm glad to see Hogg is getting the credit he deserves", "An unsung hero who makes tremendous tackles and perfect passing", "His passes are always on the ground and are occasionally more than 15 yards. He does the nitty-gritty bits that allow Coady and Butterfield to be more expansive."

The 25-year-old former Watford midfielder "was unbelievable against Blackpool. He chased and picked up everything. He's finally showing what he is about and has been great in the last four games", "When the team sat back, he was the one who took the game to Blackpool."

"We have a player of true quality", "Hogg looks so much better now that he is playing deeper, breaking up attacks, pressing the opposition and playing simple passes", "I felt sorry for Hogg against Brighton. He bust a gut to press them but nobody came to help, making it completely pointless."

Jacob Butterfield

"I liked Adam Clayton [the Terriers' high profile sale to Middlesbrough this summer], but I love watching Butterfield. He always wants the ball. Sometimes he'll move it on straight away while running into space to link it up again. He's working the ball constantly and making it do the work."

The 24-year-old joined from Boro this summer. "He rarely loses possession and links the deeper lying midfielder with Holt, freeing up the wingers", "He gets stuck in and does a lot more defensive work than I expected", "Butterfield is more of a box-to-box midfielder in his style than a playmaker."

"We looked dangerous in the first half against Brighton when Butterfield was at his scheming best", "He plays in a much more advanced role. He looks up and moves forward with the ball at his feet and under control", "He looked a little lost in the second half as we tired and played further back."

Wide Midfield

Terriers were thrilled to see their team score four goals last Saturday, with much of the threat coming down the flanks. "Blackpool looked absolutely shocked by our pace, power and direct running", "I love Powell's tactics - 11 shots on target. That's what I call entertainment."

These tactics wasn't quite so effective against the Seagulls as the attacking players were isolated. "We have good wide men capable of putting crosses into the box and no one to meet them", "There is no point in our wingers and full-backs getting down the flanks is there is nobody to aim at in the box."

"Danny Ward is let down by his finishing and unfortunately he's judged by this", "He's more of a wide striker than an assist-producing winger." The 23-year-old former Bolton left-sided attacking player has been a regular substitute in recent games, but he divides opinion.

"Ward has been second in our assist charts for the last three seasons", "He's decent at almost everything without being exceptional at one thing", "He's had a few high-profile misses", "He has had a fair crack of the whip, but has failed to show a consistently high level of performance."

Harry Bunn

"We may have unearthed a real gem in Bunn. I can see him being right up there with the division's top scorers if he keeps his place", "You can see his strength and directness", "He seems to be able to bundle through players whilst the ball sticks at his feet", "He's been an absolute revelation."

The 21-year-old left winger joined from Manchester United this summer, having played on loan for a number of Northern clubs. "Bunn is as strong as an ox", "He shows that you don't need tricks and step-overs. Just run at defenders", "He looks like scoring when he has half a chance."

Sean Scannell

"Blackpool had to change their left-back after 16 minutes and that said it all today", "What a performance today." The 24-year-old ex-Crystal Palace winger ran riot last Saturday on the right flank. "What a performance today", "He was the best player on the park."

"Remember 'Weebles wobble but they don't fall down'? Scannell's a bit like that. They can't push him off the ball - he just bounces back. He doesn't seem to have a lot of pace compared to some wingers. It's just that defenders can't get near him", "He's the most improved player at the club."

"Scannell cannot be waved off every time he is given the ball. Someone has to back him up", "It's not as straightforward as passing the ball to him and expecting everything to be hunky-dory." He struggled against Brighton without support from the midfielders, especially late in the game.

Strikers

The Terriers let rip last Saturday against Blackpool, with Scannell and Bunn on the flanks effectively becoming a three-man strike force. "We played positive attacking football that was almost sublime at times."

One of Powell's biggest calls - for which he has been praised - was dropping star striker Nahki Wells when moving successfully to playing Grant Holt as a lone central striker. "A month or so ago it would have been inconceivable that Town would start a game without Wells or Vaughan taking part."

Most Terriers are at the point of giving up on 26-year-old former Canary James Vaughan, given his injury record. He was substituted in September's home defeat to Middlesbrough. How many games before he gets crocked again?", "I wish him back to full fitness, but honestly can't see it."

Nahki Wells

"Wells will have a major role to play. Powell will change the team when it suits how he wants to play", "He doesn't think that Wells can play as a lone striker so he needs to play with Holt or Bunn beside him", "Why change anything with the way the front three are playing at the moment?"

The 24-year-old former Bradford City striker and one-time Ipswich trialist is praised for his effort. "His work-rate earns him a lot of friends", "Dropped isn't the right word, as it implies he hasn't been playing well", "Our style of play doesn't suit him right now. The ball has to be played into channels or over the top of the full backs."

"Wells is not a line-leader. He will score goals at this level in a front two alongside the right man", "His frailties were on display against Blackburn. His losing possession was nearly fatal on a couple of occasions when our defenders were on the front foot against a quick counter-attack."

Grant Holt

"Grant Holt caused Millwall's defence a whole world of problems. He got stuck in and you could see that he loved it", "He was dragging defenders all over the place and puts himself about. He has nous and good physical strength", "He's the poor man's Alan Lee", "He's just what the doctor ordered."

The 33-year-old former Barrow loanee was brought in to replace the injured Vaughan on a short-term loan which expires on November. 8th "It was good to see someone win aerial balls up front. He was a breath of fresh air as not quite as slow as I expected."

"Holt is certainly far from the fat lump Wigan fans made him out to be", "He's an irritation to most defenders. He gets in their faces, forces them into errors and messes them about", "He has adapted perfectly to how Powell wants him to play. He adds experience and muscle to a passing team."

"Our angriest striker is Holt. He was set to explode on several occasions against Blackpool", "Lee Peltier saved the referee's life by dragging Holt away", "It's all about putting pressure on the match officials", "I'd rather he put the pressure on opposing defenders."

The ex-Workington forward also didn't impress everyone when starved of service on Tuesday. "I wasn't a fan of his antics tonight. I've had enough of the moaning already and he looks a bit of a flat track bully. I would have preferred a bit more craft than the moany pointer we saw tonight."

"He had a bit of a stinker too against Brighton - too much whinging and not enough thinking", "I'm sorry, but he can't half moan and be petulant. Come on now, no more - just concentrate on playing", "He was moaning at his team-mates too", "He will get sent off because of his petulance."

Terriers' Thoughts on ITFC and the Game

"I doubt Holt will be rested against Ipswich. There is even talk of Norwich fans coming to watch him and he will get a very hostile reception", "Holt should be bang up for Ipswich, being a Norwich legend", "He will get shedloads of abuse given his Norwich connections. I'm sure he'll cope."

"We could get something from the Ipswich game", "We shouldn't be afraid of Ipswich. Their last three games were draws and they lost at Cardiff", "I've got a good feeling about it. We haven't coped with Murphy in the air in the recent past but I think Hudson will hoover him up."

Terriers are cautiously optimistic and feel they might have a chance down the flanks with our reorganised defence. Their discussions ahead of the game have covered a wide range of topics, from how they felt that they should have had something from last year's game to praise for Alan Lee.

"Fair play to the genius Mick McCarthy for his thrifty excellence in assembling a very competitive side", "McCarthy is the one who is responsible for how his team is over-achieving", "They are the archetypal average Championship team that we aspire to be."

Daryl Murphy is seen as our danger man. "I suspect that our defence will have to be at their best on Saturday to cope with Ipswich's aerial prowess", "Someone needs to mark Murphy. He's brilliant in the air", "I think we'll go back to being more defensive away against Ipswich."

"It looks like they will have the highly rated (and wanted by Arsenal) Tyrone Mings missing after picking up his fifth booking which means they will have to re-shuffle their back line around", "I think if Bunn and Scannell can really get at them we can snatch something on Saturday."

"We never seem to do much against Ipswich", "We played superbly in the first half at Ipswich last season and should have been two or three up at half-time", "We murdered them for much of the game last season and they robbed us blind. We owe them one."

"I am in the 'pro' Alan Lee camp. He always gave his all and made things happen when he came on, if not always for the right reason. He's clearly a legend and it would be good if Ipswich gave him a cameo spot on Saturday. Alan, Alan Lee!" "I hope he gets a good reception on Saturday."

Websites

The busiest Terriers website is the well informed Down At The Mac.


Photo: Action Images



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TR11BLU added 11:37 - Oct 24
Brilliant! As ever Harry.
We will need to keep tabs on Scannell, he usually does well against us and lets wind up the whingeing lump of lard that is Holt. Would be good to see him red carded!!!
0

StowTractorBoy added 12:26 - Oct 24
With our reshuffled defence and the abundance of pace Huddersfield have, I am really worried about tomorrow. The last two seasons we have got something out of the games at Portman Road when Huddersfield should have been out of sight. Holt will undoubtedly get stick which will wind him up and will our full backs cope with the pace of Scannell and Bunn ? Could really have done with Mings tomorrow. We are difficult to beat at home so obviously hoping for a home win.
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tractorgrl added 13:12 - Oct 24
Grant Holt meet Christophe Berra!
11

NITFC added 13:28 - Oct 24
"He's the poor man's Alan Lee"

"too much whinging and not enough thinking", "I'm sorry, but he can't half moan and be petulant"

Sound just like Alan Lee to me LOL !
0

WadeyBlue added 13:30 - Oct 24
I'm not worried. Think we'll beat them comfortably. Holt is long past being any trouble and will be in Berra's pocket.

McGoldrick and Murphs to score tomorrow. 3-1 home win.
1

ArnieM added 14:42 - Oct 24
Wouldnt be surprised to see this end in s very hard fought draw.
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Sindre94 added 14:55 - Oct 24
Pleasure as always Harry. I hate to say it's a must-win game but bearing in mind that we are challenging for promotion; wins against teams in the bottom half of the table, especially at home, are vital. Hopefully we'll pick up the three points and kick on.
Also, good to see you at Cardiff Harry :-)
2

groovyASH added 22:46 - Oct 24
Barrow loanee and Wokington forward lmao, I love it Harry
1


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