The following is an interview in full with sporting director Chris Markham regarding Liam Manning’s situation, followed by highlights of Jon Stead’s pre-match press conference ahead of Reading. You can hear the full thing, as well as skipper Ryan Ledson’s thoughts, on our podcast live feed or by hitting the play button above.
We have also been asked to pass on from the club that Huddersfield Town will not be offering additional previews on YouTube in order to reduce the media workload on the coaching staff and players amid a busy end of the season.
Chris Markham
Katherine Hannah (BBC Radio Leeds): It’s a very difficult time for the football club in a lot of respects, so if you wouldn’t mind, first of all, just filling us in a little more on everything that’s happened with Liam Manning—how he is and how that unfolded, if you don’t mind.
Yeah, look, as you said, it’s been a very difficult situation for everyone involved at the club. But most importantly, and first and foremost, Liam Manning as a person is at the forefront of our decisions, and treating him in the right way was, from the outset of the conversations that we had, the priority.
Obviously, that was after the Plymouth game [that we spoke]. We normally agree to speak the day after the game, let the emotions die down, and then have a catch-up. We did that, and we had a very honest and, to be honest, tough and heart-wrenching conversation. It very much became clear that Liam Manning, the person, needed some support, and we were very, very quick in offering that support.
It’s a very difficult situation to try and address and comprehend, but that was the upshot of it — Liam Manning, the person, comes first and foremost here.
KH: Well, football matters an awful lot to an awful lot of people, but it kind of puts it all in perspective a bit, doesn’t it? Your heart just goes out to him and his family with everything they’ve had to deal with and continue to go through.
Absolutely. Liam is the sort of person who doesn’t want to let anyone down, and a big part of our conversation was to give him the understanding that we don’t believe that’s what he’s done at all. We will continue to support him in the upcoming weeks, whatever that takes. He knows he’s got that support from us, and we’re confident he’s getting the right support—he’s exactly where he needs to be at the moment.
We’re also looking forward. As you say, it puts it into perspective, but we are a professional football club and, unfortunately, the game never stops. Very quickly, we were aware that we’ve still got a big seven to ten games to come, and we had to turn our attention to that as well, which is obviously the dichotomy of football and why it’s so fast-paced.
Yeah, it’s a very difficult situation to navigate through. In terms of these remaining seven games, Martin Drury and Jon Stead are going to take the helm — why did you feel that was the best course of action?
Yeah, look, there are obviously lots of different ways you could have gone in this situation. We felt quite quickly that stability is probably what we needed at this moment in time — consistency of voices, with so few games left.
The mentality around the training ground this week has been first class. I’ve been really, really impressed. It’s been a rallying round, bringing everybody together, letting everybody pitch in and give everything we’ve got to these last seven —hopefully tehn — games of the season.
What led to that feeling was that we believe we’ve got some good coaches who work in the way that we want to work as a football club going forward. In the recruitment process when we interviewed Liam, we also made sure we did the appropriate interview processes for Martin and Jon, so we know what sort of coaches they are. We’re very confident and comfortable with having them here, and we’re really grateful to have them.
KH: And I guess, particularly in light of how this has unfolded, that sense of stability and continuity perhaps makes more sense than bringing in somebody external, as we’ve seen some other clubs do, albeit in very different circumstances, for the remainder of the season.
Yeah, exactly. To make sure we get the best out of these seven to ten games, we looked at what we thought was right here. With already having had a change in coaching, we wanted to make sure that any time we have now is maximising what we’ve currently got. We felt bringing somebody in from outside would only delay that process.
KH: As difficult as it is, can you look beyond the end of the season, or do you have to wait and see how everything unfolds before having those conversations in the summer about how the club moves forward, whether that involves Liam Manning or not?
At the moment, everything is about the next seven games. It’s very early on in this process — it’s just over a week since the announcement. We’re confident that Liam Manning is in the right place with the right support, and that’s our focus.
We want to give everything to these last seven to ten games, and we’ll continue to monitor everything, as we do across the club, on a weekly basis. But right now, everything is geared towards a big Easter weekend. We’ve got a lot of games in the next couple of weeks — five really exciting games to tackle head-on.
Everything is still to play for. That’s the message to the players and around the Canalside this week: let’s rally together, focus on the here and now, and give it everything.
Jon Stead
KH: Have you found the last few weeks, since the announcement that Liam was taking compassionate leave?
Yeah, well, like you say, it’s a difficult circumstance, and I think Liam has been the main focus of the last ten days. We’ve been in a position to deal with the situation, but Liam’s having to deal with so much at the minute.
We’ve been in regular contact with him, which is important. He’s reached out to us, he’s still engaged and seeing what we’re doing from afar.
He’s had some unbelievable messages as well. I think when things like this happen, the football world really shows what it can do for good, so he’s had some fantastic messages, loads of support and well wishes. He’s very, very thankful for that, and he asked me to pass that message on because it’s been quite overwhelming. So yeah, the focus has been there, but we’ve got a job to do as well.
It’s been, like you say, difficult and uncomfortable circumstances, but we’ve been driving things as hard as we can, because there’s still a massive part of the season left to play — full of optimism, full of belief, and excitement to end it strong. So yes, there’s been a lot of contrasting emotions, but ultimately it’s heads down and we’re getting work done.
KH: And can you tell us a little more about the conversations you’ve had with sporting director Chris Markham when it became apparent that it would turn to yourself, Martin and the other coaches to see out the remaining seven games of…
Ten.
KH: OK, ten, I like that…what remit have you been given?
Yeah, so it was a very straight conversation. Obviously, without going into too much detail over Liam’s situation, just the fact that he’s going to be away until the end of the season.
It was a real “let’s club together” collective effort for myself, Martin and all the wider staff — even everybody here at the stadium, the grounds, just everybody: how can we come together and, as a collective, finish the season strong?
So they were quite brief conversations, and me and Martin will front it and lead it, but it is very much a collective effort, and everybody is getting stuck in.
KH: Do you continue the blueprint that was started by Liam Manning, or are you at liberty to tweak things, change things, completely change things if you see fit for the remaining games?
Yeah, well, there’s a blueprint, there are principles, and there are different ways that coaches and managers work. I think the biggest thing has been adaptability. We’ve seen straight away there’s been a lot of change this season from start to now, so being adaptable is key.
There are many things we’ll keep driving forward, but each game now is pretty much a cup final, so there’ll be very different specifics around personnel, system shapes, and so on. What we want to see now is character — we want to see players with belief, with hunger, all the main characteristics that are Huddersfield Town.
So yeah, there are lots of different ways we might go, but it’s absolutely not a case of ‘now we’re in charge, we’re going to change everything’. There are processes already in place, and we’ve all been brought together as a staff because we have a strong belief and an aligned goal to get to the end of the season in the right way.
We’ll continue on that path, and we’ll veer away from it at times as we see fit, depending on personnel, availability, the opposition — everything.
Steven Chicken (We Are Terriers): I appreciate the circumstances aren’t what you would have liked, but you made your name here. Are you excited at the opportunity to go into that dugout alongside Martin and lead the team?
Yeah, look, wearing this badge is what I want to do. That’s been the case since I was sat out there in a tracksuit as a ball boy. The honour for me is wearing the badge, whatever capacity that’s in — I’m not bothered.
You could probably ask Brooky the same thing — he’d say the same. He’s been here for years. So yeah, I think part of the reasoning behind me and Martin is that we’re both local lads, both from Huddersfield, and that adds something.
We’re taking on this role between now and the end of the season as part of a collective effort. We are an extension of everybody else in this building and in the stands. It’s not about me and Martin — it’s about us as a football club and the collective, and that’s what we need to drive behind.
That’s why it’s broader than just myself and Martin.
SC: You’re starting off with a big six-pointer on home turf — if things go your way, it could be a really memorable occasion for you, couldn’t it?
Yeah, we’re excited. We get Friday out of the way and then see where we’re at. If things don’t go well, then we reboot and go again — and again and again.
We’re going to be relentless in what we do. We’ll be resilient, and as brave as we can be without being irresponsible. It’s not a free hit — we want what’s best for the football club, so that has to be at the forefront of our minds.
Let’s get this place rocking tomorrow, get a good result, and kick on to the next one.
