Huddersfield Town jargon buster: How to tell a false nine from a half space

Opta analyst David Hartrick talks you through all the terms and tactics you've wondered about but didn't want to ask

True story, this article is really a podcast. More accurately, it’s a podcast we never got to record despite planning to do it twice. What kept getting in the way was Huddersfield Town’s habit of parting ways with managers at the perfectly imperfect time. Another true story: they announced the departure of precisely three of them on days Steve wasn’t working.

What we wanted to do in that pod was explain some of the things we say assuming people know what we mean. If you do, great - but read on anyway as there might be something here you’ve not come across or wanted to confirm but were too afraid to ask. If you’ve ever wondered what’s the difference between a six and an eight or where a half space is, you’re in luck.

Now we have a new name we thought we’d provide a small glossary of terms and link it directly to Huddersfield Town. If nothing else you can impress your partner with some detailed tactical chat liberally sprinkled with clunky jargon after reading. Forget flowers or chocolate, tell them about counter-pressing triggers instead to show them you really care. Works for me although my wife does now go to the gym a lot, sometimes halfway through a conversation.

So then, let’s begin.

Numbers

There are certain numbers we use as shorthand, and here’s what we mean by doing so.

A Six – Jonathan Hogg basically: a defensive midfielder who tends to sit in front of the back four helping them out and splitting the centre-backs to give you an extra defender if needed. In the traditional sense, the midfield side of the role is to win it and give it to someone who is better on the ball as quickly as possible. This was best shown in the days when Aaron Mooy was in the side, and worst when it was Alex Pritchard.