Opposition View: Huddersfield Town

It’s been a roller coaster couple of years for Huddersfield Town who not only secured one of the more improbable promotions to the Premier League in recent years, but then confounded the pundits and the bookies further by managing to stay up last season.

Unfortunately for the Terriers, it looks like the fairy tale is going to come to an end come May as they sit bottom of the table and are currently 1/10 to be relegated across football betting apps. David Wanger, the instigator of such good times, has also departed from the John Smith’s Stadium with another Borussia Dortmund Reserve team manager taking his place with Jan Siewert appointed back in January.

Despite their struggles this season, the Terriers will come to the Amex buoyed by victory over high-flying Wolverhampton Wanderers in midweek. They also have a decent recent record against an Albion side who have traditionally struggled against sides who aggressively press such as Town under Wagner and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

Could the Terriers plunge Brighton further into the mire with victory at the Amex? We spoke to Elliott Wheat-Bowen from Huddersfield blog Talk of the Town to find as well as gathering his thoughts on Alex Pritchard and his favourite memories of Albion v Town games from the past – including that 7-1 defeat.

Most pundits seem to think Huddersfield are as good as relegated already. Is there still life in your season yet?
I think most realistic Town fans would agree with this assertion as unless Town manage to pull off an escape that surpasses what Leicester did under Nigel Pearson, starting with a win on Saturday, then relegation seems inevitable. I think what is important – and the appointment of Jan Siewert confirms this -is that the club hierarchy isn’t daunted by the prospect of relegation and instead is looking to the mid-to-long term sustainability of the club as a top half of the Championship/lower Premier League side. So, there is some life in our season, but it is more about planning for next season and building up some momentum and positivity around the club which has been lacking in recent months, in order to hit the ground running next season.

David Wagner’s departure seemed like a strange one from the outside. What were the reasons behind it?
It was a heart-wrenching decision in many ways. For most fans, including myself, he had given us memories and an opportunity to see Huddersfield Town in the top flight which I didn’t even think was possible. This season, underpinned by some very poor recruitment, we seemed to stand still, and you can’t do that in a league as competitive as this one.

In terms of Wagner’s departure, he was set to leave at the end of the season regardless and he felt for the sake of the club that leaving earlier would allow his successor to come in and give Town a better chance to breathe some life back into us for the remainder of the season. The term mutual agreement is banded around a lot but in this case, it was very much the case. Wagner’s decision was with the club’s best interests in mind, which I find makes the amicable split quite rare in the modern game.

Your new boss is Jan Siewert. Could you tell us a bit about him and what do Huddersfield fans make of him so far?
Well, as the second youngest manager in England’s top four divisions, it’s certainly a risk for Huddersfield to take. He arrived from Borussia Dortmund’s reserve side, much like David Wagner did and in similar circumstances too. However, I don’t think any Town fans are expecting him to pull off any miracles. I think most fans have taken to him, he’s got us a fluid style of football and the attacking impetus is certainly there and he’s not afraid to turn to the academy if he feels that they’re capable, all promising signs for this season, next and beyond.

Brighton came very close to signing Alex Pritchard in the summer of 2016 before he turned his car around on the M25 and headed for Norwich City instead. How is he getting on at the John Smith’s Stadium?
In all honesty, I think it’s been a mix bag. There have been moments of brilliance and performances where you think that he can take the responsibility as Town’s chief creator but then he drifts out of games – there’s certainly been a struggle for consistency. Having said that, I don’t think we’ve got the best out of him, nor is he suited to Premier League football. He certainly has the footballing intelligence, he picks up space well and works in the half spaces excellently. But he lacks the physicality and the turn of pace needed to be a success in this league.

I think next season is where we need him to justify the price-tag. He is renowned as a top tier Championship player and there will be a level of expectation that he, with the experience gained from a season-and-a-half in the Premier League, will push on and take the mantle as Town’s chief creator, especially if Aaron Mooy is prised away in the summer.

We’ve had plenty of battles through the divisions over the last 15 years or so. What are your favourite memories of games against Brighton?
Three occasions spring to mind. There was the 7-1 victory under the lights at our place, the game with which Jordan Rhodes really started to make a name for himself having joined us from Ispwich Town. He was truly unstoppable on that night.

The 3-2 victory over Brighton which was the last game at the Withdean Stadium, I believe you lifted the League One title at the end of the game, that was another favourite memory of mine. Lastly, the 3-1 victory over Brighton at our place, the season before last in the Championship. Live on Sky, it was probably our most comprehensive performance under David Wagner through the entirety of his tenure and to do it against such an excellent side, it was probably my favourite game of that promotion season, Wembley aside.

If you had to pick one player from the current Brighton side to sign for Huddersfield, who would it be?
Without a shadow of a doubt, Pascal Gross. We have really struggled for creativity and goals from midfield and I think Gross would provide both in an abundance. It really is testament to Brighton’s approach in the transfer market that they found such a gem for such a reasonable transfer fee.

What did you make of our meeting at the John Smith’s Stadium back in December?
It was quite a bizarre encounter! A sliced clearance from Bruno in the first minute setting up a goal seemed to set the tone and the somewhat contentious dismissal of Steve Mounie was undoubtedly the turning point. Having said that, in all honesty, Brighton very much deserved their 2-1 victory and the three points. They bossed the game despite conceding earlier and capitalised against a side desperately short of confidence.

Who are likely to be the Terriers biggest threats on Saturday and what would be Chris Hughton’s best game plan for beating Huddersfield?
Steve Mounie seems to always have an impact on this fixture, one way or the other. Aaron Mooy can be the difference on any given day, but Karlan Grant is one I’d be keeping an eye on. Signed from Charlton in January, he looks to be a real livewire and whilst he’s certainly raw, he causes problems by his progressive runs in behind. In terms of the best game plan to beat us, Siewert has struggled to get to grips with an effective style of play to use away from home, with a lot of space being left between the lines which Newcastle United brutally exploited. We seemed to turn the corner against Wolves, and I expect us to use a similar system on Saturday but, having said that, we still seem extremely susceptible on the counter and that will be Brighton’s best chance of winning.

Based on what you’ve seen this season, where do you think the title is going and who is getting relegated?
I couldn’t see past City winning the title again and despite Liverpool giving a good fist of it, I still think City will win it by a few points. In terms of relegation, I think ourselves and Fulham are near enough confirmed. In terms of that third side, can’t see beyond Cardiff. I think they’ll be inevitably dragged into it.

Finally, a prediction for the game?
Brighton are extremely strong at home but I think that win against Wolves will have given us a lot of confidence, I think a score draw of some description, I’ll go for 2-2.

Thanks to Elliott for taking the time to answer our questions – and the reminder of the time they scored seven past us, the time they hammered us live on television and the time they were the party poopers for the final game at Withdean! You can check out his excellent coverage of the Terriers at Talk of the Town.