It’s A Good Job The Bottom Three Are Pants - Notes for Huddersfield Sunday, 5th Apr 2015 11:33 by HarryFromBath HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Easter Monday’s game by delving into their forums. “What are we trying to achieve this season? The answer has to be to stay in the Championship. With the current squad that is comfortably achievable”, “The odds are we will survive but that is about all you can call it, survival. It has been a bad season”, “We are coasting towards 21st place.” “It has been a pretty drab season.” Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough saw Huddersfield’s winless run stretch to seven games.  While the Terriers are nine points clear of safety with only six games left, many fans are unhappy watching their team in an apparent drift to the end of the season. “Where Town are concerned, I’m more of a glass… ‘Bollocks, I’ve spilled it and it’s running down the drain’ kind of person”, “I’m normally very optimistic, but this season has knocked the stuffing out of me and I just can’t see us winning again”, “Other teams will see us in free-fall and smell blood.” Chris Powell“We have got to go for it in the second half against Fulham?”, “Have you forgotten who our manager is? Substitutions must only be made after the 86th minute”,”Oops - I had forgotten about Powell’s Law”, “Chris ‘Play for a Point’ Powell — that’s why we don’t go for it.” Terriers are most critical of the former Charlton boss for setting his teams up too cautiously, often going on the offensive only after falling behind. Many feel he lacks a clear footballing philosophy and is incapable of motivating his players. “Where is the next win coming from? I can’t see it and Powell does not have many options”, “Powell was never the future. He could never drill or organise a defence”, “He went 4-5-1 after our first goal against Norwich. They could press us and gather impetus after we had them on the back foot.” Some fans are more supportive, believing that the club is marking time before a squad overhaul for next season. “I hope and expect Powell to have next season after reshaping the squad in the summer. It was obvious our minimal January dealings meant he would have greater flexibility in the summer window.” FormationThe Terriers have consistently used a three-man central midfield in recent games, starting with three at the back and two strikers in most recent games while occasionally playing four at the back and one up front. The starting XI against Fulham [below] showed just one change from their previous Norwich draw. SmithiesEdgarHudson (c)LynchScannellHoggCoadyButterfieldSmithMillerWells
“We have a threadbare squad that is riddled with injuries and players that aren’t good enough”, “The policy of playing with such a small squad and hoping to get away with it until the end of the season is just lunacy”, “The squad is poorly balanced and has all the backbone of a jelly.” SmithiesRobinsonHudson (c)LynchBunnHoggCoadyButterfieldSmithLolleyVaughan
The starting XI in their recent draw at Birmingham (above) had the same midfield at its core, but the lack of depth has hit the Terriers hard since this game. The losses of Jack Robinson with a knee injury and Harry Bunn with a hamstring problem have especially left them struggling for options on their left flank. This lack of depth has led to a pattern of players either playing out of position, being rushed back too soon or suffering from weariness through being constantly played. For some Terriers, the recent problems have had as much to do with their inflexible tactics and a weak mentality on the pitch. A Lack Of Leadership“The quality of football we play is the problem, not the team. Our tactics are absolutely dreadful and we really don’t look like we have any sort of plan in place”, “I’m very worried about the lack of fight in this team”, “We started the Fulham game like we had been on the Ovaltine again.” “We need some nasty bastards who care. There is no intensity, no desire, no bottle, no pace added to a lack of ability in some quarters”, “There is no winning mentality within the club’s DNA - poor decisions on the pitch and a lack of speed and urgency in our build-up play and technique.” Playing in a Straitjacket“Our style of play is too restricted to me. We’re not an out-and-out long ball side, but we have no fluidity. We in possession, we don’t make or take chances. Everyone seems to stick to their positions, rarely leaving them to support the ball carrier or do something different.” “The football is over-engineered”, “We have no concept of support play at all. Everyone is too static and unprepared to leave their positions to take a chance going forward”, “There is little creativity at times. We don’t seem to be able to play off the cuff. Team shape is more important than creative play.” Sheffield Wednesday 1 — 1 Huddersfield“The King’s Arms 1, The Black Swan 1, a dire game played out on a poor council pitch between two sides who looked like they didn’t get in until late after a very heavy night”, “Christ that was awful, but given the lateness of our equaliser, a point is something”, “Most of it was like watching an open wound.” “You’re not missing much. It’s dire.” Two late goals brought a turgid game to life, with substitute Ismael Miller’s 89th minute shot cancelling out The Owls’ Sergiu Bus’s scramble home three minutes earlier. “That was a good away point, Town”, “Get your tin hat on. That’s a bit controversial around here.” SmithiesEdgarHudson (c)LynchScannellCoadyButterfieldSmithJamesVaughanWells
With Jonathan Hogg out with a hamstring injury, David Edgar was switched into a holding role and new loan signing from Manchester United Reece James made his debut at left wing-back. “We were appalling, ponderous and uninventive and our decision-making in key areas was atrocious.” “We only showed any attacking intent when we went behind. Powell is so bloody negative.” One familiar criticism reappeared after the final whistle. “We never showed we wanted to win this game”, “We concede so many late goals because Powell instils this ‘hold on to what we have’ mentality.” Huddersfield 0 — 2 Fulham“One result never tells a story and it’s a hard loss to take but the reality is that we have had three years of this. We lost at home, conceded late on and failed to kill off a team we had on the ropes. A half-good side would have won 3-0 under the circumstances. Town are just way, way too soft.” Terriers were left crestfallen after losing to a 10-man Fulham team in a game they dominated on the Saturday before the international break. Goals by Kacaniklic and Fofana at the start and finish of the game won the visitors the points, with Nahki Wells managing to miss two Terriers’ penalties. “How on earth we didn’t get anything from that game is beyond me”, “This sums up our problem. We dominated the game and should have won”, “Town reminded me of the current England cricket team, going from one shambles to the next”, “We deserve to go down. It’s a circus at the moment.” Huddersfield 2 — 2 Norwich“A draw which felt like a defeat”, “A good point, although our defending is comical.” Town ended with a point after a dramatic finale to their game against the Canaries. Wes Hoolahan came on from the bench and quickly cancelled out Ishmael Miller’s opener in a move down the Terriers’ left flank. James Vaughan was booked for a foul, scored against his former team and picked up a second yellow card for removing his shirt in the third, fifth and sixth minutes of stoppage time. Jamar Loza then equalised in turn a minute later. Terriers were happy with a point but left rueing their defending. “All season long we have done well in games against the sides that come to attack us”, “After we first took the lead the gap between the midfield and our forward players was too big. As a result we couldn’t control possession and relied on long stuff up the pitch.” Defence“We need lots of defenders, lots of defenders”, “We cannot defend to save our lives”, “How many set-piece goals and individual cock-ups have we conceded from?” The Terriers have conceded 68 goals, the third-worst total in the division this season. “It seems like a shambles at the back.” “Sitting too deep cost is both goals against Norwich. We dropped back and invited them on twice and it cost us two goals”, “They just seem relieved to get the ball away from our goal as soon as possible. It gets lumped up the field and keeps coming back at us sooner than it should.” The lack of cover, especially on the left side, is a huge concern. “We have our own problems at left-back”, “It’s very odd that we own one full-back up to first-team standard”, “The word without doubt has gone around that we have a severe weakness down our left hand side.” Alex Smithies“I would have to give Alex Smithies Player of the Season simply for having to play behind that defence.” The 25-year-old youth product “has been far busier that he should be. It is a good job he has had a good season or we would be in massive trouble”, “The best we have and the best we can realistically afford.”  “Smithies does get blamed for his distribution but sometimes you have to look at the outfield players. The defenders and midfielders don’t help with their movement”, “I do think his progress has stalled a bit here”, “Being behind a porous defence hasn’t helped him but he is one of the best at this level.” David Edgar joined on loan from Birmingham City in January. The former Burnley man is “district league standard”, “Bloody hell, he’s the one who got sent off against Bournemouth in the 8-0 and made an utter balls-up with the first goal too. It’s not promising, but I’m talking about seven minutes of football.” “If this is the calibre of player Powell rates then we are doomed.” The 27-year-old “had a nightmare game against Fulham”, “He kept playing those terrible passes against the Owls putting us in trouble”, “For all the stick Edgar gets, he showed defensive discipline in the ‘poor man’s Hogg’ role.” “We need a captain on the field and we haven’t got one in Mark Hudson.” The 32-year-old ex-Cardiff centre-back “is probably the slowest player I can remember playing for us. Add to this his weakness in the air and lousy use of the ball”, “He is so slow and ponderous and has no spring in his legs at all.” “There is no obvious sign of the leadership we are supposed to get from Hudson”, “I just don’t see the leadership and organisation he’s supposed to being to the party”, “To class him as a defender surely breaks the Trades Descriptions Act”, “His distribution can be woeful”, “Not as good as we expected.” “We bought Tommy Smith as a centre-back and have barely played him there. His best game for us was his debut when he played there. Bring a right-back in and get him back in his natural position.” The 22-year-old ex-Manchester City youth player has struggled having to plug gaps out wide in the defence. “This is Tommy Smith’s routine at full-back — receives pass and stops ball, looking square. If no-one’s there he looks back. If the move to Smithies is blocked off, just lob it aimlessly forward and hope for the best. Repeat ad infinitum”, “He is not a natural going forward. He will never push on and put in a cross.” “Jake Carroll was hung out to dry by Nathan Redmond.” The 23-year-old former St Patrick’s Athletic left-back was targeted by the Canaries in their recent game. “He stood out like a sore thumb, constantly losing the ball and with players turning him with ease. He lost the ball for Norwich’s first equaliser.” Terriers are divided over 22-year-old ex-Falkirk man Murray Wallace. “He has had some cracking games this season where he has looked every bit a Championship player, but he has had some real shockers where he has looked a couple of levels out of his depth”, “He is a bit too lightweight and is not a unit.” New loan signing Reece James made his debut on the left flank on Saturday. “Surely we need to look at bringing in a loan signing because out current options are not good enough to replace the injured Jack Robinson”, “Now we have a wing-back and I think he will play there in Jack’s role.” “The new lad did okay.” Sheffield Wednesday targeted the 21-year-old debutant, but Terriers felt he acquitted himself well. “Reece James looked okay. He was horribly exposed a couple of times though, but it was not his fault”, “He had a fairly solid debut, nothing spectacular but held his ground well.” Joel Lynch“We cannot defend for toffee without Lynch”, “He is the best defender at the club by a mile”, “Powell asked him back to shore the defence up [in a 2-0 home defeat to 10-man Rotherham] when he looked like he needed another week”, “He looked like someone playing with an illness and with no energy.”  The 27-year-old former Nottingham Forest man is “one third great, one third poor and one third on the treatment table with some innocuous injury”, “It’s like he has a quota to fill each season, with 15 games of each”, “He has struggled at full-back. With his lack of pace, the whole defence drops back 10 yards.” Central Midfield“Our central midfield has less drive and energy to get about the pitch than me”, “We lack pace in the middle of the pitch and the ability to pick a pass”, “The midfield is not a worry for me but we can be incredibly static at times”, “We often look a bit sluggish in through and deed through the middle.” “Conor Coady looks class and has been a great performer this season but has been well out of form in recent weeks.” The 22-year-old former Liverpool man “is better deeper for me. He hasn’t got that acceleration or nimble feet to get away from people in the final third like Butterfield.” “I would like to see Coady demand the ball more. He has a tendency not to look for it when we are being pinned back”, “He timed his runs well earlier in the season so acceleration wasn’t an issue, but we have been too deep recently”, “Tiredness is taking its toll, as his performances have dropped recently.” “Radoslaw Majewski hardly playing at all has been one of the mysteries of the season for me. An established player of his ability should surely have featured more.” The 28-year-old Forest loan signing “has played poorly in the odd games in which he has played”, “It seems like a wasted year for the lad.” “Oscar Gobern plays the ball neatly when given a chance without any fuss.” The 24-year-old ex-Saint has also featured infrequently. “He is a better player than people give him credit for, especially when it comes to moving the ball forward”, “He must be gutted when Edgar plays in the middle ahead of him.” “Jonathan Hogg sets the tone by closing down in the final third when we don’t have the ball. No-one else in our midfield does that or has the legs to do that late on in the game. He presses, gets opponents boxed in and forces mistakes. He gets the team playing on the front foot.” The 26-year-old ex-Hornet missed Saturday’s game with a hamstring injury. “Without him we ended up regaining possession deeper”, “He is so important in setting the tempo”, “His movement and ball-work is excellent”, “He struggles when teams put all their men behind the ball, with no-one to chase or harry.” Jacob Butterfield“Butterfield is the best midfielder I have seen at Town. He is as good technically as Anthony Pilkington for us, although he needs to score more and his set-piece deliveries need to improve.” The 24-year-old former Middlesbrough man “could have done better against Hoolahan for Norwich’s first goal.”  “There are times when Butterfield is on the ball looking for a positive forward pass and both Coady and Hogg are sat behind him. Neither breaks forward and the move breaks down”, “He has the best forward-thinking brain, the best touch and the best shot”, “A smashing little player who is there to make us tick.” Wide Midfield“No Bunn this Easter”, “We are light on the wings if Scannell or Bunn get injured.” The loss of left-winger Harry Bunn with a hamstring injury has hurt the team’s balance. Sean Scannell has no wide partner on the opposite flank occasionally having to cover there. The left-back position has also been left exposed. “The trouble with starting Joe Lolley is that we have to start Scannell on the left and he isn’t as effective there.” The 22-year-old former Kidderminster right-winger “makes good promising runs often with little support”, “He has nothing like the same defensive side and lacks composure narrowing in on goal.” Sean Scannell“As usual, team-mates do what they often do for Scannell. They give him the ball and leave him to do the rest on his own.” The 24-year-old former Palace right-winger has been the scourge of many left-backs this season. “Give it to Scannell, light the blue touch paper and stand well back.”  “Scannell runs well with the ball at his feet and beats his man more often than not, but as his statistics show his final ball still isn’t great”, “He has always lacked a bit of composure on crosses. He tends to flash them into space rather than pick out a player.” “Sean has had dips in form but he hasn’t been used to playing as many games or being relied as much before. His work-rate isn’t appreciated enough. The majority of times we lose the ball he is sprinting back into a wing-back role”, “He might have fewer players marking him if anyone moved to support him.” Strikers“Let’s bring on a substitute striker. Oh, no — we only have three in the squad”, “Our attackers sit up on defenders and wait for the ball to be played to them, whereas other teams get attackers to run at our defenders from midfield. Our strikers risk getting isolated as a result.” Nahki Wells“I’m beginning to think that Nahki Wells just really isn’t going to click at Town. I know he’s top scorer, but nine isn’t great for this stage of the season and there is very little else to his game. His first touch is awful, he doesn’t exactly create many chances and isn’t exactly a battler.”  “Wells is a lightweight, luxury player.” The 24-year-old ex-Bantam and one-time Ipswich trialist suffered the indignity of missing two spot-kicks against Fulham. “I have never seen a player missing two in my 40 years watching Town”, “We have got to get some confidence back into the lad. The guy has had both poor service and injuries.” “Wells needs to be in the penalty box as much as possible because of his poaching skills”, He can play in behind to pick up on rebounds, parries and second balls”, “His first touch is suspect, but he’s a good talent and will do okay if he keeps doing what he is doing.” James Vaughan“It was hardly a Jimmy Glass or Manchester United in 1999 moment.” Many Terries were annoyed with the 26-year-old for picking up a second red card for removing his shirt after scoring against his old club. They were less concerned with the visitors’ late equaliser than him missing the next crucial Fulham game.  “He actually had a poor game against Norwich. He won few headers and generally didn’t put the effort in when their defenders were in possession”, “He is nowhere near his best. His control and touch have been poor recently and his fitness levels seem low. He has still been scoring and is our talisman.” “Vaughan has come back from his latest injury a different player. Whether it is injuries taking their toll or him changing style to avoid further knocks, he is a different animal”, “He definitely needed to cut out the lunging around the pitch”, “His quick thinking and skill set him apart from anyone else at the club.” Ishmael Miller
“It’s Miller time. What an equaliser.” The 28-year-old former West Brom and Blackpool striker joined the Terriers in February. “His hold up play is superb at times and he had good feet as well as a willingness to work hard”, “He is excellent at rolling his man”, “I have no idea — is he clumsy or good?” He has blown hot and cold. “Miller has been an enigma his whole career and he has encapsulated it perfectly in his spell with us so far. He can be a handful, holding the ball up and in the air. On the other hand he has not looked interested, getting brushed off the ball and looking like a pub player.” Terriers’ Views on ITFC and the Game“Looking forward to Monday’s game now. I hope it’s as entertaining as the last two home games but with a better outcome”, “We've taken points off Watford, Norwich and Bournemouth this season. I wouldn't be surprised if we did the same to Ipswich.” Most Terriers are predicting a narrow away win, but a few have noted their decent home record against the division’s stronger teams. “We’re going to get another home spanking”, “Ipswich just seem to be hard to break down.” “We owe Ipswich one after they played stuck in first gear last season when we were utter crap”, “We were so bad that many in the crowd were laughing at our pathetic efforts. An Ipswich player who was not in their squad told my mate that he felt that only a few of our players were properly trying.” “Ipswich have been in this division for many years, operating within their means, building steadily. Their patience and building is starting to bear fruit and they are having a strong season. We are basically doing just what they have, but we are just a few years behind them.” “The one thing I have learnt over my 52 years following this club is simply never to take anything for granted. I was once planning for life in the Premier League until we sold Marcus Stewart to promotion rivals Ipswich.” With not a huge amount riding on the game for Terriers they have touched on themes ranging from our competing finances, through to last year’s corresponding game (their worst of the season) and the sale to us of Marcus Stewart. They also had some kind words to say about our manager. “I've always liked Mick and hopefully one day he'll be manager of Town”, “I suspect he'd be a little too forthright in his views and honest in interviews for many a Town fan”, “I like him. He seems to tell it how it is. He rarely blames refs like most do”, “I would have him at Town in a heartbeat.” “A dour po-faced Yorkshireman managing a team supported by dour negative fans is a perfect recipe”, “After Roy Keane twatted off from the Irish squad, Mick said live on the BBC, ‘Sod him, it's my arse in the bacon slicer’. Every time I see Mick McCarthy, imagine the pictures running around my brain.” WebsitesThe busiest Terriers forum is the knowledgeable and well-informed Down at the Mac.
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“Miller had an excellent composed finish against Norwich and the ex-Premiership Sebastien Bassong couldn’t cope with him. He is so strong, and it was the best game he has had”, “I could not remember Bassong making a fair challenge on him all game”, “The bloke is a beast but is also quite quick and mobile.”
