Everything you need to know about new Huddersfield Town boss Michael Duff

The former Cheltenham Town, Barnsley and Swansea City boss has arrived as the Terriers' new head coach

Michael Duff has been appointed as Huddersfield Town’s new head coach following Andre Breitenreiter’s departure from the post.

The former Cheltenham Town, Barnsley and Swansea City boss has signed a contract through to summer 2027.

Town chairman Kevin Nagle said in a club statement: “Preparation for the new season is critical, and we are excited to have Michael join us in good time for the campaign ahead.

“We have huge ambitions both on and off the pitch, and every discussion we have held with Michael has given us confidence that he not only shares those same goals, but knows what it means to represent Huddersfield Town.

“I look forward to moving on together in Sky Bet League One with Michael, who has a track record that speaks for itself at this level.”

Sporting director Mark Cartwright added: “It was important we acted quickly ahead of the new season, and Michael’s enthusiasm about joining Huddersfield Town was evident from our first conversation.

“Michael has a proven record of giving squads focus and direction within transitional periods, having succeeded with both Cheltenham Town and Barnsley within Sky Bet League One in the recent past, with Swansea City paying a significant compensation fee to hire him, too.

“We are in a great position for the campaign ahead, and I look forward to seeing Michael get to work with the players when our pre-season begins on field next month. Discussions regarding our off field considerations are already well underway, with Michael bought into our vision of the future whilst contributing ideas and high standards of his own.”

Duff himself said: “As soon as discussions started with the club, I wanted to jump at the chance to be head coach of Huddersfield Town.

“Since leaving my last role, I’ve had time to reflect, recharge and focus on what the next challenge I wanted to take on would look like. Whatever was to come had to be right and be a good fit, and that is exactly what this feels like. I know that our supporters expect a certain level of commitment, desire, high energy and passion from their play, and those are the high standards I’ve kept for all of my sides.

“My talks with the chairman Kevin, CEO Jake [Edwards] and sporting director Mark have been incredibly positive, and I feel like we’ve been on the same page since day one. I know the club, the area and the fans from having crossed paths in the past, but now I want to get to know them properly from a place of belonging - and above all else, I want our supporters to have pride in their team again.

“This is a special club with a magnificent history and exciting future, so it’s a real honour to have the opportunity to be part of that. I can guarantee that I will give my all for Huddersfield Town - that’s what I’ll be asking of my players too - and together alongside our supporters we have a pre-season and campaign ahead that we’ll be ready to attack.”

Let’s take a look at Duff’s career so far, his style of play and his approach to management to see what Town can expect.

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Michael Duff: Career so far

Cheltenham Town

Duff is a former Northern Ireland international centre-back who played over 300 games for both Cheltenham and Burnley, gradually rising from non-league to the Premier League. He started his coaching career with Burnley’s youth team after hanging up his boots in 2016.

Duff struck out into senior management with Cheltenham Town, then in League Two, taking over shortly into the 2018/19 season.

Without a pre-season, Duff’s impact was not immediate. Things turned around in his first full season at the club as they rose from having finished 16th the year before to sitting comfortable in fifth when the season was cut short due to the pandemic. The EFL subsequently decided to play the play-offs based on the table as it stood, with Cheltenham going out in the semi-finals.

The Robins came back even stronger the following season, winning the league and automatic promotion to put the club into the third tier for only the second time in their history. Duff was named League Two manager of the season for the feat.

Against the odds, Cheltenham comfortably survived in League One in 2021/22, recording what remains their highest-ever league finish by coming 15th.

Barnsley

Feeling he had taken them as far as he could, Duff left the club that summer to fill the vacancy at Barnsley. 

The Tykes were not in a good way following relegation from the Championship. Several key players had left to help make ends meet, including Carlton Morris, Cauley Woodrow, Callum Brittain, Callum Styles, and others whose names did not begin with C – including Michal Helik.

Expectations were not particularly high as a result, with many Barnsley fans fearing that a transition season was the best they could hope for, rather than an immediate push for promotion back to the second tier. The bookies rated them as just eighth-favourites for promotion, behind Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich, Derby, Peterborough, Bolton, Portsmouth, and MK Dons.

But Barnsley were a last-ditch Sheffield Wednesday extra-time winner at Wembley away from defying those expectations, finishing fourth on the way to the play-off final.

As the Yorkshire Post’s Leon Wobschall wrote last summer: "He's done a brilliant job at Barnsley.

“When he came in, they'd been relegated and it was a real mess. They lost between £6-7m, there was a lot of tension between the fans and the owners who have now left. I think everyone felt this had to be a season of consolidation, because there were a hell of a lot of big hitters that wanted to leave.

"He had all that to contend with. I think he himself said it was 'chaos at best'. So most Barnsley fans were hoping just to steady the ship, either get top 10 or get top half.

"To get to the play-off final, within one game of an instant return, no one expected that at all. His budget wasn't one of the highest in the division. He was competing with Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday, their wage bills were far bigger. What he's done is brilliant and he's one of the EFL stories of the season, really."

Swansea City

That earned Duff another step up the divisions to Championship side Swansea City, but his tenure proved to be short-lived as he lasted just six months in the job before being dismissed with the club sitting 18th in the Championship.

For this section we turn to journalist and Swansea City expert Ian Mitchelmore to learn what went wrong.