23/24 Squad building - Wing wizards
(Image: The Mango Man via HTAFC)
Matt Shaw, Founder.
Twitter: @TTCMatt
Ah, the wing. Get chalk on your boots, son! Get to the byline and stand it up to the far stick. Isolate your man. Express yourself, create the space, you know you can win, don't give up the chase! Beat the man, take him on, you never give up, it's one on one… EXPRESS YOURSELF… Just like that the article has unintentionally descended into song. Anyway, let’s feed the beast and indulge ourselves.
Express yourself) It's one on one
(Express yourself) It's one on one
(Express yourself) You can't be wrong
(Express yourself) When something's good, it's never gone
Love's got the world in motion
And I know what we can do
Love's got the world in motion
And I can't believe it's true
Ok let’s cut to the chase. The old kick n run. Catch me if you can cos, I’m the podcast man and what we’re looking at is the master plan. Right, enough of that bloody, catchy song! Last season Town were wildly inconsistent out wide due in part to the large number of players used on both flanks. I make it that around 13 players at some point played as a winger or wide midfielder (not including wing back) during the course of last season. Town’s options this season certainly look more limited as many have since departed the club and perhaps some yet still to follow others out of the door.
As for the type of player that Huddersfield look for here. Well, you’ve got to work hard, defend in a unit and put the team first. It’s boring, I said the same thing last year but I can’t imagine that the goal posts have shifted. Neil Warnock tends to prefer older players who show a good character and will work hard for the team and track up and down the pitch, how he meshes with Sorba Thomas will be interesting. Thomas having fallen out with Mark Fotheringham last year is back, he came back early again in pre-season and has worked hard to get himself into contention. Warnock likes him but a section of supporters doesn’t and will not be afraid to give him short shrift should he even show the slightest negativity in his body language. The abuse and derision directed at Sorba last year was something that we talked about at length on the podcast. We found it utterly ridiculous at times and it didn’t put some supporters in a great light. Yes, his performances weren’t great at times but the scale of which his bad games were treated in comparison to other players was chalk and cheese.
It’s all well and good having those hard workers, the hod carriers, the work-horses etc, but you also need a little touch of magic in these wide areas and you also need goals. Do Town have enough? Let’s take a look…
The systems of Carlos Corberan Neil Warnock
The experience matrix indicates that we have 3 players coming into their peak years in Koroma, Thomas and Mahoney. Although, I think I’d argue that Mahoney’s peak years were when he was a prodigious teenager back at Blackburn. Seeing as these articles take me forever to write, we’ve also signed Delano ‘Dr’ Burgzorg who is a bit of a wildcard but also heading into a good age-relative period of his career.
OUTS
Rolando Aarons - free
Danny Grant - free
Joseph Hungbo - returned to parent club
Anthony Knockaert - returned to parent club
INS
Delano Burgzorg - Loan from Mainz.
Jo Hungbo despite not starting every week was a popular figure who weighed in with a handful of important goals. Can Town replace this from the right hand side? Do they need to? Let’s have a look.
Sorba Thomas
Age: 24
Contract: Expiring 2026
Verdict: Get back to his best.
It’s a sad indictment on Town’s lack of creativity that Sorba had a poor season by his 2021/22 standards, didn’t play for the club from January 7th onwards yet still ended up as top assister. All eyes have turned to Neil Warnock to see if the old man management master can light a fire under a player that clearly lost his head after Mark Fotheringham walked through the door last September. The early signs are promising, Sorba has created chances in every game so far this season but Town still need more from the Welsh International, the fans demand it and I’m sure Sorba will demand it of himself too. A marmite character with Town fans but a player who Town need to hit form this season to stay away from the bottom 3.
Josh Koroma
Age: 24
Contract: Expiring 2025
Verdict: Warnock to work his magic.
Everyone who listens to the podcast knows that I’ve always been a Josh Koroma fan. He thrills and frustrates me in equal measure but when he cuts in on that right foot in space, you’d rather no one else was eyeing up that far corner. Koroma’s end of season form including his three goals and 1 assist in the run-in were pivotal to Town staying in the 2nd tier, the old master Neil Warnock had orchestrated another fine tune. With a new 2-year deal under his belt, it’s important that Koroma doesn’t rest on it. He HAS to push on, he HAS to demand more of himself and he HAS to start becoming more consistent. If Town are to stay clear of the bottom 3 then both Sorba and Koroma’s form will be pivotal in doing so but we need more from both.
Pat Jones
Age: 20
Contract: Expiring 2025 (1 year option)
Verdict: More minutes
I am an absolutely massive advocate of Pat Jones. If the club can find a way to help him get over a multitude of soft tissue injuries, then I genuinely think that Town have a potential Premier League footballer on their hands. Jones is rapid, he can go to the left, to the right, he can create and he has an eye for goal - the lad is so multi-dimensional it must be so frustrating to all when he pulls up holding his hamstring. My big hope this season is that Jones (aka The Postman) can put these injury worries behind him and play more first team minutes, if he can then there is no reason why by the end of the season, he can’t become Town’s premier wide man. It’s a big, bold claim but I think he has the natural ability to be a big hit.
Connor Mahoney
Age: 26
Contract: Expiring 2024 (1 year option)
Verdict: Find another club for him.
No need to go into too much detail, it’s not worked, it’s time for Connor to move on to pastures new.
Aaron Rowe
Age: 22
Contract: Expiring 2024
Verdict: New pastures needed.
Aaron Rowe has failed to rediscover the form he showed in 2021 and only played 44 minutes on loan at Stockport last season. It’s probably time to draw a line under his time here and help Rowe reignite his career with a move further down the pyramid.
Delano “Dr” Burgzorg
Age: 24
Contract: Loan
Verdict: Let’s see what you’ve got!
Well, this came from left-field! Burgzorg seems like a complete wildcard who will frustrate and excite, but mostly frustrate. This is one of those signings whereby it’ll either be genius and he becomes a cult hero or he leaves at the end of the season with everyone forgetting who he is as soon as he walks out of the door. It’s time for a new hero.
Best of the rest
Myles Bright played 5 times for Hemel Hempstead Town last season but now needs to push on if he is to force a career in HD1. Bright is only 20, but with his contract expiring at the end of this season he may have to do a little bit more to be registered with The Terriers next season.
WINGERS Verdict
Consistency is the worry. Josh Koroma and Sorba Thomas have shown plenty of ability in the past but both have shown to be ‘streaky’ for prolonged periods when it comes to form. Town can’t afford for both wingers to have a spell out of form concurrently. Pat Jones sits waiting for his opportunity, but he has yet to have a consistent spell without injury and then new signing Delano Burgzorg hasn’t played regularly since 2021. Having said that, the main wide options are also full of ability, potential and excitement. With Thomas on the right, Town possess a wide option who can hug the touchline and deliver crosses into the box and are able to use Pat Jones on the right as a left footer cutting in to change the dynamic of the attack. Brahima Diarra has also played wide right and could offer something different if Mr Warnock wanted to use him there. Out on the left, Town have several options. Koroma offers a goal threat cutting in onto his right foot, Burgzorg looks like he could inject pace and mystery whilst Pat Jones, Jaheim Headley and Ben Jackson offer width and the ability to go on the outside like Thomas does on the right. Town are fairly well stocked.
Like I mentioned above, consistency though is the issue and most of this will come through the man management skills of Neil Warnock, can he keep Koroma and co focussed and on form? Can Sorba Thomas get back into double figures for assists? Can Koroma get into double figures for goals for the first time since he was a young 20-year-old finding his way at Leyton Orient in the National League? It’s going to be an interesting season out wide and there’s a lot of pressure on management to keep on top of our options.
Signings?
I wouldn’t count on any more specialist wide-men incoming and it’s more than likely Mahoney and/or Rowe leave if there is interest. Town might sign a striker who could play wide but I think we’re done in the wide areas and Town do have several options and several different types to choose from. Perhaps Town don’t have that ‘X-Factor’ wide man and should one become available for loan or transfer then maybe we might do something because ultimately scoring goals is going to be the biggest challenge, we face this season. Neil Warnock needs at least one or possibly two players to score 10/15 goals and if it doesn’t matter if this comes from out wide or through the middle.
