Unanswered questions for Huddersfield Town going into new season

Transfer needs, selection decisions, formations, and an inexperienced head coach are all among our potential concerns

We don’t know about you, but we’ve had enough of pre-season friendlies now. We’re looking forward to the return of proper football, which is just as well, because that’s exactly what’s next up on the agenda.

But will Huddersfield Town be any good in 2026/27?

You can find our thoughts on the areas we’re feeling more optimistic about here.

For now, though, here are the lingering questions that Town either haven’t yet answered convincingly, or which will only become apparent through the rigours of competitive football.

Are Huddersfield Town ready for the new season?

Quick quiz for you. Which summer’s pre-season results are these and who was in charge?

And which year brought us these results, and who was the head coach at the time?

Congratulations if you said the first one was Jan Siewert’s Terriers in 2019 (that cringe-inducing afternoon in Rochdale was the big clue, we guess) and the second was Carlos Corberan’s eventual play-off finalists ahead of the 2021/22 season.

Drawing with Golcar and losing to Fleetwood gave us nothing to suggest what lay ahead in that campaign, just as going unbeaten against mostly continental opposition didn’t predict how awful Town would be immediately following their relegation.

That’s because friendlies have a funny way of both papering over obvious cracks in a side, and making non-issues seem like big problems. It’s only once points and cup progression are on the line that you can start to tell which is which.

A bad start doesn’t have to be a disaster, and a good start doesn’t mean we should all clamber aboard HMS Piss The League for a season-long cruise. But given the choice between the two, you’d obviously prefer to start well.

Even next weekend’s League Cup opener against Preston may not answer the questions fully. Town will be facing higher-league opposition at a novelty neutral venue, neither of which is something they are going to face in the league this season.

But we’ll probably be able to start drawing at least some conclusions on fitness, tactics, personnel, and set-piece preparedness. This season’s Town side will only get one chance to make a first impression. It would be reassuring if it could be a good one.

If we’re being honest, this summer is the most uncertain we have ever been about Town’s prospects for a campaign ahead. They could plausibly be good, bad, or anything in between — and their answers to the rest of these questions will determine which way it goes.

Is Martin Drury the head coach to finally answer Huddersfield Town’s managerial prayers?