Rival Lines Match Preview
Huddersfield Town v AFCB
Huddersfield Town v AFCB
CC: I caught up with Elliott at Talk of the Town this week to see how life was at the club currently sitting bottom of the league. It must be hard when you know there is little hope for your team staying up and I probably expected to see that happen at AFCB before now considering how hard it is to compete in the Premier League. But while our Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall continue to make miracles, it didn't turn out that well for David Wagner at Huddersfield this season. Now there is a new man in charge - Jan Seiwart, but I'll be honest I don't know much about him! We'd better ask Elliott what he knows.
CC: Do you think Huddersfield needed to sack David Wagner?
TOTT: With an understanding that David Wagner would be leaving the club at the end of the season, regardless of whether Town stayed up or not, the mutually agreed decision for David Wagner to leave sooner than expected was a tough decision, but ultimately, a necessary one.
David Wagner had taken us as far as he could and with him not planning to remain at the club beyond the end of the season, with the club’s best interests at heart, he felt that leaving mid-way through the season would allow the club to put themselves in good stead to be well prepared for next season.
It has meant that Jan Siewert has had the opportunity to assess the squad and begin to implement his philosophy with next season in mind, as relegation is near enough confirmed.
CC: What is the atmosphere like at the moment for home games - are the fans sticking behind the players?
TOTT: The atmosphere at the moment is a mix. Loud, vociferous and defiant with the fans standing as one behind this group of players. In many ways, it hasn’t been a lack of effort or trying but simply a lack of quality that has undermined our season. It’s meant that the atmosphere which is often one of the most boisterous in the Premier League has been underpinned by the underwhelming feeling that we are simply not good enough this season.
CC: What did you put the win against Wolves down to - was it the new manager effect? TOTT: For me, it was a win that had been coming for a while. Having lost 13 games this season by a single goal, we’ve often found ourselves on the wrong side of close encounters, with contentious refereeing decisions or moments of misfortune, often proving fatal.
Against Wolves, it was one of the rare occasions this season where the fine margins were in our favour. We simply outplayed a Wolves side that didn’t seem to be up for the challenge and it’s certainly stoked some confidence that we can build some positive momentum, particularly at home, for the remainder of the season.
CC: When you played Bournemouth earlier in the season I thought Huddersfield were much the better side, but putting the ball in the back of the net was your problem that day and it remains so doesn't it?
TOTT: It was the story of our season. If you look at the table and see how many points adrift we are, you would think that we are simply a lost cause. However, the frustrating thing is the fact that we have put in plenty of good performances. Many that exceeded our performance against Wolves last Tuesday and yet we haven’t got that we’ve deserved.
Ultimately, as you say, we are severely undermined by an impotence in front of goal and unlike last season, our excellent defensive record has disintegrated somewhat with us conceding soft goals that we simply weren’t last season.
CC: What do you make of Jan Siewert and another German manager?
TOTT: With the culture of the club now being an almost continental one, it seemed to be clear that we would continue with another manager from Germany.
But, the decision to bring Jan Siewert who is not only relatively inexperienced but also the second youngest manager in the Football League, it was certainly a brave and bold decision.
It is a move that makes sense though, Siewert has a reputation for bringing through young players and there is an increasing emphasis on finding a pathway for academy players to break through into the first team set-up, already we’ve seen Siewert give debut to Demeaco Dehaney as well as featuring Matt Daly in the matchday squad for Saturday.
However, the big change is Siewert’s philosophy of providing attacking free flowing football, something we so desperately lacked under David Wagner.
We were a resolute heavily structured outfit that were difficult to break down, but we lacked that fluidity needed to create more chances and score more goals, therefore like I say, the appointment made plenty of sense.
CC: Which players do you think will have to go at the end of the season?
TOTT: Most likely, there will be a high turnover of players in the summer, with our midfield in particular being the most likely to be dismantled. Philip Billing has been one of the shining lights this season and at the age of 22, he has the attributes, talent and potential to go to the very top.The obvious choice is Aaron Mooy who has been the living heartbeat of this side for the past three years. However, seemingly settled with a young family, I have a sneaky suspicion that he may stay for another season at least, with his international hopes likely to remain undented from a stint in the Championship. If that is the case, it could prove massive for us.
CC: Who has been the most disappointing player for Huddersfield this season?
TOTT: It is always difficult to pinpoint one in a season like this, but Mathias Jorgensen (Zanka) has particularly stood out. Towards the end of last season, he was a behemoth for us at the back and it was his performances alongside Terence Kongolo and Christopher Schindler that helped us defy the impossible and stay up.
However, this season, he just hasn’t looked the same player. Ever since his return from the World Cup with Denmark, he just hasn’t had the same hunger to put in the same sort of defensive performances that we grew used to seeing last season.
CC: What injuries have Huddersfield got at the moment?
TOTT: We will be without Adama Diakhaby and Isaac Mbenza, two of our summer arrivals. As well as Tommy Smith and Danny Williams.
CC: How do you expect Huddersfield to line up against Bournemouth?
TOTT: Most likely, we will continue with the shape as we have in our last few matches. A 4-4-2 with a midfield diamond:
CC: How confident are you of Huddersfield getting two home wins in a row?
TOTT: With the players that look set to return for Bournemouth, it’s certainly going to be a tough ask. As always, I suspect that it will be an end to end affair with Bournemouth causing Town plenty of problems in the transition, so I’m going to go with a score draw, 2-2.
CC: Do you think Huddersfield needed to sack David Wagner?
TOTT: With an understanding that David Wagner would be leaving the club at the end of the season, regardless of whether Town stayed up or not, the mutually agreed decision for David Wagner to leave sooner than expected was a tough decision, but ultimately, a necessary one.
David Wagner had taken us as far as he could and with him not planning to remain at the club beyond the end of the season, with the club’s best interests at heart, he felt that leaving mid-way through the season would allow the club to put themselves in good stead to be well prepared for next season.
It has meant that Jan Siewert has had the opportunity to assess the squad and begin to implement his philosophy with next season in mind, as relegation is near enough confirmed.
CC: What is the atmosphere like at the moment for home games - are the fans sticking behind the players?
TOTT: The atmosphere at the moment is a mix. Loud, vociferous and defiant with the fans standing as one behind this group of players. In many ways, it hasn’t been a lack of effort or trying but simply a lack of quality that has undermined our season. It’s meant that the atmosphere which is often one of the most boisterous in the Premier League has been underpinned by the underwhelming feeling that we are simply not good enough this season.
CC: What did you put the win against Wolves down to - was it the new manager effect? TOTT: For me, it was a win that had been coming for a while. Having lost 13 games this season by a single goal, we’ve often found ourselves on the wrong side of close encounters, with contentious refereeing decisions or moments of misfortune, often proving fatal.
Against Wolves, it was one of the rare occasions this season where the fine margins were in our favour. We simply outplayed a Wolves side that didn’t seem to be up for the challenge and it’s certainly stoked some confidence that we can build some positive momentum, particularly at home, for the remainder of the season.
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CC: When you played Bournemouth earlier in the season I thought Huddersfield were much the better side, but putting the ball in the back of the net was your problem that day and it remains so doesn't it?
TOTT: It was the story of our season. If you look at the table and see how many points adrift we are, you would think that we are simply a lost cause. However, the frustrating thing is the fact that we have put in plenty of good performances. Many that exceeded our performance against Wolves last Tuesday and yet we haven’t got that we’ve deserved.
Ultimately, as you say, we are severely undermined by an impotence in front of goal and unlike last season, our excellent defensive record has disintegrated somewhat with us conceding soft goals that we simply weren’t last season.
CC: What do you make of Jan Siewert and another German manager?
TOTT: With the culture of the club now being an almost continental one, it seemed to be clear that we would continue with another manager from Germany.
But, the decision to bring Jan Siewert who is not only relatively inexperienced but also the second youngest manager in the Football League, it was certainly a brave and bold decision.
It is a move that makes sense though, Siewert has a reputation for bringing through young players and there is an increasing emphasis on finding a pathway for academy players to break through into the first team set-up, already we’ve seen Siewert give debut to Demeaco Dehaney as well as featuring Matt Daly in the matchday squad for Saturday.
However, the big change is Siewert’s philosophy of providing attacking free flowing football, something we so desperately lacked under David Wagner.
We were a resolute heavily structured outfit that were difficult to break down, but we lacked that fluidity needed to create more chances and score more goals, therefore like I say, the appointment made plenty of sense.
CC: Which players do you think will have to go at the end of the season?
TOTT: Most likely, there will be a high turnover of players in the summer, with our midfield in particular being the most likely to be dismantled. Philip Billing has been one of the shining lights this season and at the age of 22, he has the attributes, talent and potential to go to the very top.The obvious choice is Aaron Mooy who has been the living heartbeat of this side for the past three years. However, seemingly settled with a young family, I have a sneaky suspicion that he may stay for another season at least, with his international hopes likely to remain undented from a stint in the Championship. If that is the case, it could prove massive for us.
CC: Who has been the most disappointing player for Huddersfield this season?
TOTT: It is always difficult to pinpoint one in a season like this, but Mathias Jorgensen (Zanka) has particularly stood out. Towards the end of last season, he was a behemoth for us at the back and it was his performances alongside Terence Kongolo and Christopher Schindler that helped us defy the impossible and stay up.
However, this season, he just hasn’t looked the same player. Ever since his return from the World Cup with Denmark, he just hasn’t had the same hunger to put in the same sort of defensive performances that we grew used to seeing last season.
CC: What injuries have Huddersfield got at the moment?
TOTT: We will be without Adama Diakhaby and Isaac Mbenza, two of our summer arrivals. As well as Tommy Smith and Danny Williams.
CC: How do you expect Huddersfield to line up against Bournemouth?
TOTT: Most likely, we will continue with the shape as we have in our last few matches. A 4-4-2 with a midfield diamond:
Lossl
Bacuna Kongolo Schindler Durm
Stankovic
Mooy Hogg
Mooy Hogg
Pritchard
Mounie Grant
CC: How confident are you of Huddersfield getting two home wins in a row?
TOTT: With the players that look set to return for Bournemouth, it’s certainly going to be a tough ask. As always, I suspect that it will be an end to end affair with Bournemouth causing Town plenty of problems in the transition, so I’m going to go with a score draw, 2-2.
CC: Many thanks to Elliott at Talk of The Town for filing such detailed answers. I don't think it is easy supporting any side in the bottom three and we were there a lot of last season and each week it is painful so thanks to Elliott for being honest with his feelings. I tend to think that once a side has been in the Premier League for a couple of years it is at a big advantage in the Championship and we may see Huddersfield bounce back. I expect they are already preparing fro next season and yet they'll be keen to take a scalp or two before then so I don't see this as anything but another difficult game for AFCb, especially with Bournemouth's away record.
Make sure you make a visit to Talk of the Town
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