terriersmad
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terriersmad - Comments

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#189826 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
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744
14 Aug 2014 20:58:24
By Number 1 | On 11 August 2014 - 20:19 PM
Fair enough. Still seems incredibly early for such a move.

I've seen the fact "Norwich sacked Bryan Gunn after 1 game in 2010 and look how that turned out" but are Huddersfield realistically anywhere near promotion?

Nope. But he felt he'd lost the fans and the players. And after a run of 6 wins in 23, going back to last season, the board accepted his resignation. It's clear there's still a lot of respect between the club and Robins, though. And if he finds the right balance between technical, passing football and the physicality which we didn't have, he'll still be successful. He's a better manager than many who'll be touted for jobs in this division, even with his shortcomings.
#189760 Capital One Cup 2014/15
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
14 Aug 2014 17:21:20
WE HAVEN'T GOT CHARLTON!

We have got Nottingham Forest, which is pretty much the same thing! Same division, wear red, are a boring draw.
#189590 Capital One Cup 2014/15
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
13 Aug 2014 20:03:36
Beat Chesterfield 5-3 after extra time in a bonkers game. We were 3-1 down with 5 minutes to go, when one of their lads had a rush of blood to the head and decided to kick Stead's standing foot just inside the area. Wells scored the penalty and then their keeper made a hilarious cock-up to let Stead score - a certain amount of karma after he'd spent the whole second half wasting time by doing his gardening for every single goal kick without getting spoken to. We were awful in the first half but bossed it from about the 55 minute mark, but struggled defensively.

We're now unseeded in this round after being seeded in the last, in a move designed to a) not make sense and b) favour the big clubs. At least we avoid Charlton for now.
#189056 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
11 Aug 2014 18:33:43
By Number 1 | On 10 August 2014 - 10:19 AM
Huddersfield confirm Mark Robins "has left the club" (i.e. been fired).

That is amazingly early in the season for such a move.

Resigned, that's why. The board didn't stop him, but he walked.
#188456 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
09 Aug 2014 17:08:00
You know it's going to be one of those days when an offside goal stands after 24 seconds in which you haven't touched the ball.

Thing is, we were shite. No bones about it. We deserved to get pumped and we were. But the goals themselves... First was so far offside he was in a different postcode. The second was as clear a push as you'll see in your life about a yard in front of the linesman from which he ran through and scored. The third was a further country mile offside (yes, linesman, if a shot comes in and is saved and falls to a man who was offside when the initial shot came in you should stick your flag up, it's not seen as a different phase you useless prick). And the fourth was a double deflection three yards out which wrongfooted Alex.

But we were crap. And we deserved that. No power up front - Wells toiled all afternoon and Ward had a day where he couldn't trap a bag of cement. The wing-backs got murdered by men in behind. Crooks had a debut to, if not forget, certainly not put in the scrapbook - certainly can't blame him for any of the goals, but he doesn't look like a centre-back and kept getting pulled too far wide and getting isolated when his wing-back went wandering. The midfield was powder-puff, with Norwood spending the game hiding yet again, Majewski getting in the wrong areas and Hogg not having the on-the-ball quality to create something.

Bournemouth created problems and took chances. An orthodox 4-4-2 did for us because they had two strikers who bullied a back three who lacked (this thing again) power and strength. They ran the channels and controlled the midfield. And it's embarrassing because they're not that good, despite the money they've spent. They've got so many average players who were made to look like world-beaters. Simon Francis - Simon fucking Francis - was made to look good.

If Robins can't see we need a big central defender and a big striker with some power and presence we're in serious trouble. The players we have need some more support because although we're technically good enough we're physically a very small team and we will get bullied. We're also too nice - three dodgy goals against and only one protest, we just resigned ourselves to it when we should have been prepared to show a bit of fight because if we don't we will get steamrollered by big, strong teams.

Final note to Town fans: get a braincell or two. Smithies might have done better with the fourth, but when he brought down their lad for the penalty there's no need to be chanting 'off, off, off'. Fucking morons. And there's a lad on Twitter who's giving me stick for saying Crooks did OK (which he did, in fairness) and that he wasn't part of the back three. Yeah, how dare I say a kid on his professional debut did OK in the position he played, considering the circumstances. Lynch, on the other hand, had a nightmare.
#188385 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
09 Aug 2014 11:16:30
The Clayton saga drags on. He suddenly wants to go to Brighton rather than Middlesbrough. It all sounds fair enough, but a) we haven't agreed a fee with Brighton and we had with Middlesbrough and b) I have no doubt that his head will have been turned by someone at Brighton saying they'll offer him more than Boro.

Town will be pissed off because we need that deal to go through to make another couple of signings and Boro will be pissed off because they thought they had their man.
#187857 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
06 Aug 2014 16:37:28
There were a couple of great goals in the game, tbf.

We've signed Conor Coady from Liverpool on a 3-year deal. The Examiner reports the fee as an initial £375,000. If Butterfield and St Ledger also sign, we'll suddenly be looking much more like it. If in need of a striker.
#187824 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
06 Aug 2014 13:04:01
The long-running transfer saga of the summer looks set to be completed today or tomorrow, with Adam Clayton moving to Middlesbrough for £1.5m plus Danny Butterfield. I'll be sad to see him go, but that's a cracking deal for Town for a player who's only got one year left on his contract and who cost us only £300,000 two years ago.

Sean St Ledger is also trying to prove his fitness at the club and earn a contract. He'd be a decent free transfer for a year or two if he's over his injuries.

But we still need a striker with Vaughan being so injury prone. Stead played well last night, and might be able to fill in if he shows his ability better than last year, but I'd prefer a new striker with a bit of experience and presence.
#186381 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
30 Jul 2014 18:18:30
We've signed Radosław Majewski on a season-long loan from Nottingham Forest. Good signing, I reckon, gives us someone who can unlock a defence and takes the pressure off young Lolley and Holmes. Though we do still need a commanding centre-half, a nasty midfield bastard and a striker who can cover for Vaughan's inevitable injury absences. I think we should do all right this season, though. Still need experience bringing in, given the youth of the squad, and a bit more physical presence, but we're comfortably better than at least eight teams in this league for me.
#182863 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
17 Jul 2014 18:33:44
I suspect Steady will be moving on. I think he's stayed in the UK to train with the development squad while the first team spends a week in Portugal with the aim of fitting himself up with a new club. He just can't cut it in the Championship any more. It's a bit sad, really - for years we wanted him back and we weren't able to give him what he wanted, which was second tier football, and when we can give him just that he's no longer able to compete at this level. He ended last season on loan at Bradford, who seemed to rate him quite highly, and a move to League One is probably the best he can hope for now - that or retirement, given he wants to stay up north and stop moving his family around as he has two daughters these days.

Still, he scored a cracking winner against Leeds in October, and he's a Town fan which, along with his first spell at the club as a kid, will mean he's always fondly thought of. Always gives the impression of being a modest bloke as well, and a proper family man interested in community causes, which gets him plenty of respect. Just a shame that at 31 he's not able to play in the higher divisions any more.
#182836 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
17 Jul 2014 17:28:46
To be fair, they did offer Matthew Gilks a new contract. Which he quite sensibly rejected to go and play for Burnley. So they almost had a goalkeeper.

I really don't think it matters about the second game of the season, lads. They've cancelled a pre-season tour and only have two pre-season games fixed up (just to run a comparison, Town have played two already and have another 6 lined up, not counting behind closed doors fixtures). With 23 days to the start of the season, they have 8 players. Any players who come in now won't have had a pre-season. They'll be 3 weeks behind at least when it comes to their fitness, and even further behind when it comes to playing with their new team-mates.

I assume Blackburn have a fairly settled squad this season. It'll be much easier for the manager to get hold of the players and mould them because they've got that experience of playing together. Blackpool won't. They might sign a handful of great players between now and then, but they're not going to have played together and won't have had the time on the training ground to be able to play together as an effective team. They might be 10 games behind their rivals. They might put a performance on against you; more likely they'll still be a mess.

After the way they ended last season, given the instability at the club, and considering the quality of players already there, I reckon they're as close to down as you can get with three weeks to go of the season. They need to sign players, and soon.
#181317 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
12 Jul 2014 10:11:07
I prefer to remember his hat-tricks against Exeter x2, Brentford, Leyton Orient, Preston North End, Sheffield Wednesday, Wycombe Wanderers...

Watched his four-goal haul against Wednesday again last night. Three were all about being in the right place at the right time with good movement leading to one-touch finishes. For the fourth, he isn't the quickest but he's strong enough to hold off Reda Johnson when he gets between the defenders and place it - when 4-3 down in the 97th minute, knowing it's the last kick of the game - on the outside of his right foot into the bottom corner before the keeper even has a chance to set himself. Just a shame about our shambolic defending.
#181245 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
11 Jul 2014 21:02:55
If Jordan Rhodes stays in the Championship for his entire career, scoring 20 goals a season in the league for the next 10 years, plus another 3 or 4 in the cups, he'll score around 380 career goals at club level. If he keeps up his current rate, averaging 30 a season, it'll be nearer 450. Just to give you a rough idea, the most prolific Football League goalscorer on a consistent basis over the last 40 years is probably Steve Bull - he managed 'just' 311 and was good enough to go to Italia '90.

Argue that goals alone don't make a player. But we're talking about a phenomenal goalscorer. He's the sort of player where it doesn't matter what level he plays at. When he gets a chance he will take it. Space and time are hard to come by at the top, but he'll score goals in the Premier League because those are exactly the things he'll create with his movement. How many teams do well in the build-up but lack the cutting edge where it matters?
#181187 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
11 Jul 2014 18:17:51
I don't understand why Premier League clubs don't make moves to sign Jordan Rhodes. Norwich got relegated because of their failure to sign a decent striker last season, and there's a lad in the Championship who will get 15 goals a season in the Prem, which might be the difference. Worth £15m? Absolutely, when you consider Van Wolfswinkel and Hooper cost £14m between them for a total of 6 goals.
#179151 2014/15 Kit Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
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744
04 Jul 2014 23:28:58
Made quite a bit for charity when he dyed it blue and white. It was just ridiculous by the end, though.
#179096 2014/15 Kit Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
04 Jul 2014 19:12:22
http://www.footballkitnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/New-Huddersfield-Town-Puma-Kit-2014-15.jpg

Erm... I won't be getting it. Fading stripes wouldn't look bad if they started at the top, but the different tone of blue on the collar looks wrong, as does the white across the top, and the fact the sponsor is on a white patch. It looks very, very amateur. At least Clayton has finally got rid of the face fuzz.
#176089 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
23 Jun 2014 19:05:39
Town have re-signed Lee Peltier on a free transfer after he mutually terminated his contract at Leeds. From our point of view, cracking signing as he covers right-back, centre-back and even midfield, areas we were light after letting Peter Clarke and Calum Woods go. From the Leeds point of view, I suspect he'll be the first of quite a lot of departures.

Rumours of Anthony Pilkington returning are, sadly, pie in the sky.
#175214 Group D - Costa Rica, England, Italy, Uruguay
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
20 Jun 2014 17:45:25
Or alternatively a good side who played well against us and not so well against Costa Rica. They've been lethargic today. They've taken Costa Rica for granted in what has been a pretty typical Italian group performance.

Also, give Costa Rica credit. Been terrific so far this tournament.
#175054 Group D - Costa Rica, England, Italy, Uruguay
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
19 Jun 2014 21:33:56
Here's Luis Suarez. He's got a bad knee. Let's fucking stand off him and not force him into twists and turns he doesn't want to make. Why didn't we get a foot in when he had the ball? Not kicking him - tackling him, forcing him to twist and turn and stretch those ligaments by getting tight and restricting space for him to run in a straight line. Take it from someone who's had a knee injury or two, the last thing he wanted to do was put real pressure on that knee, and we obliged him superbly. Too nice, too naive, not professional enough.
#174666 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
18 Jun 2014 18:47:29
Bournemouth at home first up, followed by Cardiff and Reading away. Quite fancy us to get 6 points out of those, actually.

We've also signed Joe Murphy on a free from Coventry as backup to Alex Smithies. Good reserve goalkeeper to have at this level.
#168435 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
27 May 2014 19:40:12
By Shedender | On 26 May 2014 - 17:09 PM
Fleetwood promoted to League 1, beat Burton 1-0 because of a goalkeeping error imo.

To be fair, he had to come for that one and the Fleetwood man was a yard offside. Bit unlucky.
#167829 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
24 May 2014 16:15:55
The Football League can fine QPR, but it can't be enforced. The Premier League has also washed its hands of the issue. Absolute nightmare. Half the division complies with FFP, most of the rest try to comply with it but can't for perfectly honest reasons, and then there are one or two clubs who openly break the rules and QPR have managed to go on and get promoted by doing just that, which will lead to many other clubs trying the same thing because if they go up the FL can't touch them - which then makes it very hard for those who do follow the rules to make any kind of headway. Live-tracking of accounts would help solve this, but clubs voted against that just this week.

A solution to this would be to, once the FFP flouters come down, enforce the fine and transfer embargo and also relegate them straight to League Two. It'd also make the Premier League think twice about not co-operating with FFP enforcement (which is the biggest problem, as it doesn't have its own rules in place in line with the Football League).
#165882 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
14 May 2014 21:58:46
4th is a failure. A wage bill bigger than two of the last four Champions League finalists should see them storming the division and winning it by 10 clear points and then going on to secure European football. Instead it's turned them into a team overly reliant on set-pieces and one very talented striker.

They did win the U21 Second Division play-off final with Shaun Wright-Phillips and Andy Johnson in the team though. Which is nice.
#165429 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
12 May 2014 21:42:54
Fair point. Genuinely thought he'd walked.
#165416 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
12 May 2014 20:29:21
Oscar Garcia's bottled it and resigned as manager of Brighton.

If they had a manager who could face failure they'd get promoted. But the last two to fail have both gone and bottled it almost immediately afterwards. Show some courage and leadership and the players would respond when the chips are down rather than go into a big game and instantly capitulate. The talent's there, the willpower isn't.
#164768 New four-point plan to boost England football
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
10 May 2014 11:55:14
English players don't break through because there's always going to be a player in front of them. Teams don't dare pick an untried youngster. Instead, they go out and buy the 'finished article', because it's guaranteed results. The youngster then goes out on loan, but doesn't get top-level experience. A year later, he's still behind the other lad because he doesn't have that top level experience. He sits on the bench at best, stagnates, and finds himself destined for a career of ifs, buts, and maybes in the lower leagues.

How is a B-team league going to solve this at all? All it will do is ruin the pyramid.

It is worth pointing out that the panel has made other, much more sensible suggestions. But those are being overshadowed by this ridiculous proposal. It says it all when the Premier League, Football League, and Football Conference are all dead set against it. Even Scudamore has spoken out against it!
#162838 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
04 May 2014 15:05:50
Cambridge into the Conference play-off final after beating Halifax 2-1 on aggregate. Halifax will be kicking themselves after failing to take advantage of sustained spells of pressure in both games. I suspect they'll struggle next time out unless more quality is brought in and Gregory stays.
#162640 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
03 May 2014 18:09:01
We've managed a thumping 4-1 win with a brilliant display down at Watford. Joe Lolley got his first Football League goal to set the ball rolling in the first minute of the second half after being a thorn in Watford's side in the first half, before Danny Ward hit a hat-trick (which was started by some very generous goalkeeping). Watford got one back with a last-minute penalty given after a really bizarre incident.

Watford got a set-piece on the right. Town made a hash of clearing it. The ref blew just as Watford rifled in a shot that cannoned off the underside of the bar and - going by the Watford fans' and players' reaction - over the line. The linesman didn't give the goal, and the ref indicated an indirect free-kick to Town. The Watford team went bonkers, the ref overturned the decision, and gave a drop-ball 6 yards out, which Town smuggled out for a corner. From the corner, the ref blew for a penalty that really wasn't apparent from our end (that isn't a criticism - he was on the spot, and might have seen a pull or a tug, but in context it did seem very much a charitable decision, and it was bloody annoying to lose the clean sheet).

Word on the mascot: cock. Nicked beach balls off the Town fans and threw them into the building site. All for banter, that that was ridiculous. Thieving bastard.
#161975 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
01 May 2014 09:26:11
By Ad. | On 26 April 2014 - 23:56 PM
Well, we're down. I was gutted for all of thirty-minutes. It's been coming, and in a strange way it's nice to have confirmation and no more false hope. Time for a clear out and a rebuilding pre-season.

TM - I've not been on here for a while, so I've not noticed your recent posts, but I wanted to ask what your opinion of Robins is?

I personally like him. I do have a problem with his policy on strikers, though (loan all the buggers out so we're down to one fit striker who, good as he is, is 5'7" and receives sod all support). At times this season we've played exhilarating football, on occasion not getting the result we've deserved, such as against Reading both times and at QPR, but the last third of the season has been pretty grim. Not all down to him, but he does need to get some more physical players into the team because we're far too easily bullied.
#160631 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
19 years ago
5 years ago
744
26 Apr 2014 20:21:52
We really need to get some more physical players in. Technically, we're not far short. Physically, we're too easily out-muscled in the battle and don't make enough of an impression on the back line. Wells worked his balls off again for sod all reward - he's been great up on his own, and I really hope we can get Vaughan fit for 35 games next season to play with him because he's a real bright spot. I'd also love to see a big, horrible bastard in the middle who gives us real presence there.

We also need to get in someone who can take a set-piece. Think we've scored two headers from set-pieces all season, which is, quite frankly, crap. Score 10 more goals from set-pieces and we'll get 10 more points. Those more physical players should help us score more and concede fewer from dead-ball situations.

Oh well. Just hope Robins thinks the same as I do.