HUDDERSFIELD TOWN
Last season was another abject battle for points to escape the relegation places.
The big talking point among the fans is whether Carlos Corberan can get the right players in to make us far more competitive.
This season will be different to last because all of our Premier League mercenaries have now left the building, the squad will have a better mindset and should buy into the manager’s philosophy. Our most underrated player is
Jordan Rhodes [ below]: he’s a goalscoring machine if given the right service. Hopefully the manager can maximise his talent. The player I’d happily drive to another club is Juninho Bacuna. If he was as good as he thinks he is...
The opposition player I secretly admire is Joe Lolley. He’s flourished since leaving us in 2018, after being hit and miss. He’d definitely give us the X- factor we need now.
The pantomime villain will be Jonathan Hogg. He’s guaranteed to pick up more than his fair share of bookings, usually after covering for his team- mates’ inadequacies. The one change I’d make would be for the club to take full control of the stadium, so it can maximise its money- making opportunities. The best thing about matchday at Huddersfield is our announcer, Paul Ramsden, winding up the away fans.
The ground I’m most looking forward to visiting is Barnsley’s Oakwell. A massive away end, local and always a good day out.
Other clubs’ fans don’t know that we got promoted from League Two to the top flight via a trio of play- off final wins, all on penalties, without scoring a single goal in normal time.
Our key player will be Lewis O’brien [ above]. He has the opportunity to prosper in his role as our box- to- box midfielder and can drive us on. The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is mixed. We’ve only seen glimpses of his philosophy so far. We’ll finish mid- table, which would be a relief after the last four seasons of relegation battles.
Last season was brilliant but also frustrating. The team bounced back from relegation in 2020 to win a first league title since 1966 in style… and we didn’t get to see any of it. The big talking point among the
fans is recruitment. The club doesn’t have top Championship backing any more, but they did well last summer. Can they be clever enough to compete this time?
I won’t be happy unless we play with the same energy and ambition as last season. We need to continue this momentum and put our young legs to good use. Our most underrated player is
Lewie Coyle, an excellent right- back who improved one of the standout teams in League One last season with his character and defensive know- how. He can play a bit, too!
Look out for Andy Smith: a big, strong centre- half who’s captained the U18s and U23s, and broke into the first team last term.
The player I’d happily drive to another club is Tom Eaves. A harsh take because he’s a top man, but it’s not really worked out for him.
The opposition player I secretly admire is Huddersfield striker Fraizer Campbell. We’ve missed him ever since he left us.
The pantomime villain will be Huddersfield’s Fraizer Campbell! The one change I’d make would be to get new owners. The Allams were leaving in 24 hours, seven years ago. Save the date for Fulham away, August 21. The Championship’s best away day, and in the sunshine too.
The best thing about matchday at Hull is beer and a burger on the Marina. Less appealing in December.
Our key player will be George Honeyman [ below]. League One’s best player last season has been relegated from the Championship twice and will have plenty to prove. The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is mixed. How Grant Mccann [ above] survived 2019- 20 is anyone’s guess, but he showed character to lead us to the title last season. He starts this one with a clean slate, effectively. We’ll finish 18th.