Wagner’s just brilliant, says Kenny
DAVID Wagner’s management style is nothing new to Town fans, who will never forget the way he guided the club to the Premier League during an unforgettable four years at the John Smith’s
Stadium.
That famous 4-3 penalty shoot-out victory at Wembley in 2017 will live long in the memory of Terriers fans and it seems the 48-year-old is now winning hearts and minds in his native land as manager of FC Schalke O4.
The Bundesliga club is competing for a place in the Europa League and although their hopes were dashed on Saturday in the local derby at title-chasing Borussia Dortmund, where they were thumped 4-0, it seems Wagner is earning just as many rave reviews among fans and players there as he did at Town.
It was the first game back in Germany following the suspension due to the coronavirus and defender Jonjoe Kenny, who is on loan from Everton, revealed the secret to his management success.
“He’s brilliant,” he said of Wagner. “I can’t speak highly enough of him.
“From the day I spoke to him to now, he’s not just a manager – he speaks to people as a human.
“He wants to see how people’s families are, how they are off the pitch. What surprised me is how tactically good he is. I knew what he did at Huddersfield and, funnily enough, on the plane to Germany, when I was going, a Huddersfield fan was sat next to me.
“He spoke highly of him (Wagner), too. “Everything about him, you can see players love him and I think he makes it fair.
“It’s a perfect balance of when to work hard and when to settle down. He’s not a shouter or a screamer.
“He’s calm and speaks to you like you want to be spoken to.
“He’s nice and cool, gives you encouragement.”