Reasons for Optimism

Picture from HTAFC.com

Callum Male, Writer.
Twitter: @Cmale1994

It has been 75 days since Town wilted, losing 2-0 to Ipswich, confirming their relegation from the Championship and return to League One for the first time since 2012. Town’s innate ability to somehow survive the drop season after season, sometimes in miracle fashion, had finally expired. Nagle and the Club’s dream of heading on an upward spiral towards Premier League dreamland seemingly lay in tatters. So, it would be normal to expect a drab summer of gloom, disappointment and constant moaning.

However, as we stand today, there is a quite different atmosphere around the club and the fan base, something we have heard about, perhaps tasted at times but for the last few seasons has been something other teams get to experience, not us… excitement.

So, with the Euro’s finished and England falling so close yet so far again, we return to focus on club football. Here are some reasons why there is cause to be optimistic even after the Town’s worst season in over a decade:

No longer the whipping boys:

Barring two marvellous seasons, the promotion season under Wagner in 2016/17 (makes me nostalgic every time), and the so nearly season under Carlos Corberan in 2021/22, the Championship has been tough going for Town. In the 8 other seasons Town have spent in the Championship, they have never finished above 16th or had a positive goal difference. Under a stable of managers, some of whom can definitely be described as questionable, Town fans have often been forced to endure the knowledge that we are going to lose quite a bit more than we are going to win. However, this could be about to change. Who said it’s not good to be a big fish in a small pond? We have been swimming with sharks for too long and I for one cannot wait to wake up on a Saturday believing, my god perhaps even expecting to win! Some of that long-lost joy and fun that apparently is supposed to be part of being a football fan may return for us. We can perhaps not immediately scroll to the bottom every time we check the league table. I am not suggesting we are going to go unbeaten to waltz the league by March, but I am cautiously optimistic that we will top last season’s 9 wins, perhaps be on the winning side of some heavy scorelines for a change, and enjoy watching football once again.

Michael Duff:

I won’t say too much about Duff, as you can read more in Joel’s article here. However, as a fan who lives for any YouTube content the club puts out, having watched his interview and how he has interacted with the players in the brief videos we have had so far, I am excited. His record with Barnsley and the way he got the team to play is promising. He understands this league well, and how to win in it. As much as I have enjoyed the club’s stance on sometimes experimental managers in the past, Duff feels like a high calibre of manager for a relegated club. His call for fit and strong players who can play with the ball at their feet, alongside the club’s desire to bring in players who actually want to play for Town, feels like the building of a squad that the fans will be able to relate to and get behind again.

Previous League One Success:

The last touch Huddersfield Town had in League One back in 2012 was Alex Smithies superb penalty in the play-off final shootout before Steve Simonsen sent the ball into row Z sending the blue and white sections of Wembley into delirium. But that wasn’t the only success the club had in the third tier. Of the 8 seasons Town spent in League One, if you remove the anomaly of a 15th-place finish in 2006/07 (the end of the Peter Jackson dream), Town never finished lower than 10th and made the playoffs 4 times. This spell also included a record 43-game unbeaten run (not including playoffs) in 2011. League One has been a happy hunting ground for Town in the past, we are a large-sized club for this level, especially now we have spent two seasons in the premier league (I love you so much Wagner). I see no reason it can’t bring happier results once again in 2024/25.

Transfers:

I don’t know whose turn it is to do the washing up, but Kevin is definitely doing the cooking. Nagle, Cartwright, Duff and everyone else involved with recruitment deserves praise for how Town’s incoming transfers have gone so far. We heard all the right things at the end of the last season about the need for new players, issues in the squad and a need for a squad overhaul. Whilst the overhaul in terms of outgoing players may not have yet come to pass (more on that later), the incomings have started very well. Mickel Miller from Plymouth and especially Lasse Sorensen from Lincoln look like exciting attacking wing-backs, hinting at where Duff sees width and creativity coming from this season. Last season a blind fan could see that Town’s midfield was woefully lacking, especially in the ability of players who can create and find the passes to unlock defences. Town have certainly looked to correct this, bringing in Herbie Kane from Barnsley and Antony Evans from Bristol Rovers. Both players are highly rated by their old clubs and will bring new energy and technical ability to a midfield that sorely lacked both for the last few years. The Club hierarchy has been positive that this isn’t the end of the incomings, with a striker, a centre-back, another midfielder and a winger still required to truly overhaul the squad. But with a month and a half left of the transfer window, things are looking much more positive, especially when compared with last season’s car crash of a summer window that really set the tone for the season, this certainly brings optimism and excitement.

Return of the feel-good factor:

For all these reasons, there is a renewed sense of belief and anticipation ahead of the new season. 3 decent performances so far in pre-season friendlies (I know they don’t mean anything but still), have added to that optimistic atmosphere. Add to that the fact that the Club have decided to bring back new versions of some of our most beloved past kits. The home and retro away are beautiful, with rumours of a red and black third, they need to take all the money. It feels like a cliché that gets thrown around at Huddersfield but, is anyone else getting that 2016/17 Wagner preseason feeling… just me?

However, having said all that, it is only fair to point out one or two reasons to be cautious and not to get too far ahead of ourselves. As mentioned, although the incoming transfers have so far been good, they haven’t been perfect. Missing out on you know who to Birmingham was undoubtedly a blow and leaves a question mark of who will join Healey up front if Duff plays a two. I feel there is enough depth and promise in our striking cartel to do a job, but it feels the club are still searching for a striker which maybe suggests they don’t share that view. As for outgoing transfers, aside from departing squad players Conor Mahony, Aaron Rowe, and Jordan Rhoades (blessed be his name), Jack Rudoni remains the only member of the core first team to depart for a fee. This leaves our current squad feeling bloated whilst still missing that overhaul feeling we all want for the new season. The club still have plenty of time to correct this, and with two international tournaments this summer, transfer activity is now likely to increase in the higher leagues, and that will cause a trickle-down to League One. The second reason to not get ahead of ourselves is that coming from the Championship to League One is historically no guarantee of success in your first year. Between 2002/03 and 2022/23 of all the teams relegated to League One from the Championship, 73% did not achieve immediate promotion back to the Championship. League One is a tough and physical league, with a large variety of clubs to play and an insanely hectic schedule with many games. Whilst it will be a tough season, and there are clearly no guarantees, Town are a club in a very stable financial position, not having to sell all our best assets. It’s also fair to point out that even if Town do not get promoted but have a season closer to the top of the table than the bottom, playing a clear style with players giving their all, and some fun and exciting big wins along the way, in a strong position to contest in 2025/26, most fans would call that a success.

Whilst we are only halfway through pre-season, and a lot of Town’s success this year will depend on what happens between now and the opening game against Peterborough (I want revenge), with just over 3 weeks to go till the season begins, this feels the most invested and optimistic I have felt at my chances of seeing good, fun and enjoyable football from Huddersfield Town in quite a few years.