Kevin Nagle makes feelings clear in Huddersfield Town digest
Kevin Nagle makes feelings clear in Huddersfield Town digest
The chairman is under no illusions as to how massive this weekend's trip to QPR is. Plus, injury latest and a predicted line-up
A pre-match conversation with my former colleague Elliott Jackson (now at the Lancashire Evening Telegraph) was instructive in my own thinking about Town’s situation on Saturday afternoon.
We both felt that both Huddersfield Town and Sheffield Wednesday were capable of escaping the drop; but as Elliott pointed out, if both Yorkshire clubs stay up, who goes down?
That’s a massive question now. Town’s failure to take the maximum return they should have done on paper against Plymouth and should have done on the day against Blackburn has left them with a bigger gap to the pack of clubs ahead of them than they currently hold over the bottom three.
It’s been our contention all season that although when Town have lost, they have been awful, their biggest problem has been the sheer number of games they have drawn. The process of turning those stalemates into wins should really already be under way; instead, they are still yet to achieve lift-off and now go into two massive six pointers ideally needing to win them both.
That’s primarily important for the purposes of climbing away from the bottom three, but it’s also potentially vital for them to drag at least one other side down beneath them, too. It really is too close for comfort.
If Kevin Nagle’s words about Darren Moore’s position are anything to go by (transcribed below), it could leave the manager in much the same position Mark Fotheringham was in when he led Town into battle against QPR and Blackpool last season.
Failing to win those games cost the Scot his job and left Town needing a miracle to survive — and miracles tend not to come in pairs. This really is a massive fortnight ahead.
Ins and outs
Radinio Balker joined the club in a permanent move from Groningen last week, signing a three-and-a-half year contract after Town paid an undisclosed fee reported to be worth €1.3m.
The centre-back was unable to play against Blackburn at the weekend after being caught up in a suspected norovirus outbreak in his final days at the Dutch club, but was cleared to watch his new side from the stands at Ewood Park.
Rhys Healey was in action, however, playing the full 90 minutes after making the switch from Watford on Friday morning, with a fee eventually worth up to £2m touted. The centre-forward, who has signed a deal through to summer 2026, was the top scorer in the French second tier in 2021/22, having previously had an outstanding spell in League Two and League One with MK Dons.
Two players also departed Town last week. Josh Austerfield has gone out on loan to League Two promotion contenders Crewe Alexandra, while Rarmani Edmonds-Green has completed a permanent move to League One side Charlton Athletic.
What’s been said
“People want us to terminate Darren Moore…Darren is a great guy. Of all the coaches and managers I’ve met, Darren might be the nicest person I’ve known. Also you look at his resumé as a defender, as a player and as a manager, he’s done a phenomenal job.
“We’ve been frustrated here at Huddersfield Town. We’ve got to make a change in how we put our formation out there. We’re too conservative.
“Because of the fact I know a lot of managers, I’ve asked them what they think, and they’re all actually very complimentary because they’re a fraternity and you don’t criticise your peers, and they’ve just said ‘the reason you’ve tied so much is because your formations are a bit more conservative’.
“Does that have something to do with the fact that we’ve got 11 players still injured? It might.
“I’m not the manager but I have to make decisions and we’re up against the wall. We’re 21st. I don’t like being 21st, and I don’t want to play QPR and lose. That’s just it.
“I’m really disappointed with the last two matches. I think we should have won the last two matches, instead we drew them.
“I’d rather lose really attacking and being really aggressive on the pitch than just tying a bunch of games, and I believe that our supporter base would say the same thing.
“Everyone is under a tonne of pressure and I don’t want to be sitting here a week from tonight in a different spot, let’s just put it that way.”
— Kevin Nagle, on Saturday evening, reacting to the 1-1 draw away to Blackburn and reflecting on Darren Moore’s position.
“Ties don’t get you a) into play-offs and b) certainly right now, we’re right on the edge of relegation, which really bothers me. Darren and the team are fully aware of that.
“I was not happy with the outcome today. I love our players, I really do, but they were sloppy. They could not execute passes and that was very evident … We didn’t pass it very well at all, we have to do better, and we made some mental mistakes that cost us the match.”
— Kevin Nagle, on Saturday evening, reacting to the 1-1 draw away to Blackburn
“I believe the best is yet to come, we’re just running out of time, and we’ve got to look at that.
“I’m really worried…I don’t like to look behind us but not far behind us is an organisation called QPR. We play them next week, [and] all bets are off on that one. We have to win. We have to win.”
— Kevin Nagle, on Saturday evening, discussing this weekend’s trip to Loftus Road
Coming up next
Queens Park Rangers have been in the bottom three virtually all season, and what looked to be signs of a potential revival under new gaffer Marti Cifuentes around the end of November/beginning of December has given way to a return to their previous poor form — though they did claim a 2-0 win over Millwall on Saturday afternoon to heap yet more pressure on Huddersfield Town.
The vagaries of the fixture list mean QPR will now tackle their fifth straight home game when they host Town in Sunday’s televised clash.
This game is huge, and could have enormous implications on both sides’ seasons.
It’s as simple as this: if Town avoid defeat, they are guaranteed to remain outside the bottom three for another week ahead of another six-pointer at home to Sheffield Wednesday. If Town lose, they will slide into the relegation zone on goal difference at QPR’s cost.
Do we really need to set the scene any more than that?
Huddersfield Town injuries and absences
New signing Radinio Balker is expected to train this week after missing the Blackburn game through illness and should be in contention to make his debut against QPR.
Bojan Radulovic made his much-anticipated Championship debut on Saturday, coming off the bench for the final half an hour. His chances of being able to play had been rated as 50/50 thanks to the groin injury that kept him out against Plymouth the previous week.
Kyle Hudlin was back among the substitutes at Ewood Park after missing the Plymouth game under the FA’s concussion protocols with a head injury sustained in a behind-closed-doors B team friendly earlier that week.
Ollie Turton played 45 minutes for a young B team side on Friday evening. The Premier League Cup tie ended 0-8 to Nottingham Forest after Luke Daley was dismissed early in the second half for the harshest pair of yellow cards you ever will see.
Darren Moore said on Friday that he was not expecting any more of his recent absentees to be able to return imminently, however.
That means it’s doubtful we will see Jacob Chapman (ankle), Chris Maxwell (hamstring), Matty Pearson (calf), Jaheim Headley (ankle), Josh Ruffels (groin), Scott High (recently called back from loan due to a hamstring injury), Pat Jones (hamstring), Delano Burgzorg (ankle), Kian Harratt (hamstring) or Danny Ward (Achilles) back in action this weekend.
Yuta Nakayama meanwhile remains away on international duty — though there’s a slim chance he may be back sooner than expected, with Japan’s chances of qualifying from their Asian Cup group hanging in the balance following a 2-1 defeat to Iraq on Friday. A loss to Indonesia on Wednesday would leave Japan hoping they have done enough to progress as one of the best-performing third-placed sides.
The likelihood is that Nakayama will be away for another few weeks, though; if they were to live up to their standing as pre-tournament favourites, their campaign would finish at the final on 10th February.
Predicted Huddersfield Town line-up to face Queens Park Rangers
An interesting one, this, with Nagle’s criticism of the formation and Moore’s admission that he has a plan to get his most in-form players and new signings into the same side together causing us to wonder whether a change of shape may be in the offing.
The problem is that we still can’t see a way to get both new strikers into the XI together while also accommodating Balker, Tom Lees, Michal Helik and Brodie Spencer, unless the Dutchman were to play at full-back (as he did earlier in his career).
That’s left us thinking a continuation of 3-5-2 is most likely, but with Balker and Thomas (who we’ve put at left wing-back) given more license to get forward in possession.
With Balker’s pace and aggression and an out-and-out full-back as cover in the form of Spencer, the same shape on paper could be made to look very different on the pitch: Town could afford to play a substantially higher defensive line and give Nagle the more aggressive, front-foot football he wants to see.
3-5-2: Lee Nicholls; Radinio Balker, Michal Helik, Tom Lees; Brodie Spencer, Alex Matos, Jonathan Hogg, Jack Rudoni, Sorba Thomas; Rhys Healey, Bojan Radulovic.
Substitutes: Giosue Bellagambi, Loick Ayina, Tom Edwards, Brahima Diarra, Tom Iorpenda, David Kasumu, Ben Wiles, Josh Koroma, Kyle Hudlin.
Huddersfield Town Women
Town Women ran out comprehensive 9-0 victors in the quarter-finals of the Sheffield & Hallamshire FA County Cup on Sunday, with Rossington Main seen off with consummate ease.
Yet more cup action awaits this weekend, but in a different competition, with a local derby against Halifax in the quarter-finals of the FA WNL Cup scheduled for 2pm on Sunday at Liversedge FC’s Quaker Lane.
Our schedule
Five conclusions on the Blackburn game are already out and available for our backers, if you’ve not caught up with them yet.
All being well we’ll have a podcast for our backers on Wednesday morning as usual. We’ll discuss the Blackburn game, last week’s transfer business, and what still needs to be done in the final days of the January window.
There will be another written piece for you, too; my current thinking is to look at which position Nagle might mean when he talks about his desire to bring in reinforcements to help with what he sees as one remaining weakness in the side.
This digest goes out free of charge to all readers, but I only have the time and means to offer that thanks to the support of our backers. If you want to ensure it continues, please consider signing up for just £5 a month or £55 annually. Thanks!
Final notes
The Town Foundation are asking local businesses and schools to get involved in their Wear Blue and White Day to support their breakfast club programme. You’ll find details about that here.