THE VERDICT
WE ASSESS THE 10-MONTH SPELL THE COWLEY BROTHERS WERE AT THE HELM WITH THE TERRIERS
WE have all now had time to digest the fact that Danny and Nicky Cowley are no longer in charge of Huddersfield Town, and there will be no better time to reflect on their ten months in charge than now.
The message coming out of Canalside is that they expect to see a more exciting, progressive style than the pragmatic football that was on display more often than not under the Cowleys.
At the same time the club have expressed their delight and gratitude that the Cowleys delivered on their number one objective of keeping the club in the Championship.
It is a bitter irony that the very thing that rescued the club from relegation is at least a part of what has cost the Cowleys their jobs.
In our view, the brothers had little choice but to adapt their gameplan to counteract the opposition for the vast majority of their games. When they arrived, Town had taken just one point from six games, a record that would extend to just two points from nine before they picked up their first victory of the season over Stoke.
That game – and each of the six unbeaten games that followed it - was one example of that kind of practical thinking. The 1-0 win in the Potteries was far from attractive as Town kept things tight and solid for 70 minutes before going for it in the final 20 minutes. But it worked, with substitute Juninho Bacuna delivering Town’s first win for seven months.
This was a side, remember, that had forgotten how to win and were desperately low in confidence. But a focus on the fundamentals – and the addition of free agent Danny Simpson at right-back – helped them to take 15 points from seven games, including four clean sheets.
Tommy Elphick’s season-ending injury against Preston North End in November helped kill that momentum and solidity, however, and the clear lack of effort from Adama Diakhaby and dreadful performance of Terence Kongolo in the 5-2 defeat away to Bristol City was the final straw for them as they were removed from the squad alongside Isaac Mbenza.
That was a ballsy decision given that Town were by that point in the midst of an selection headache, with Simpson, Fraizer Campbell, Jaden Brown, Steve Mounie and others all sidelined through injury or illness at various points.
Somehow, Town reached the new year having taken 27 points from their previous 17 games.
That was as good at it would get in terms of consistent results for the Terriers this season. Chastening defeats to Stoke City and Barnsley underlined how many reinforcements the squad would need to bring in during the January transfer window despite the club being quite open about the need to trim the wage bill.
Out went Kongolo, Diakhaby, Mbenza, on loan, as well as (for entirely different reasons) Ryan Schofield, Josh Koroma, Florent Hadergjonaj and Reece Brown. In came Richard Stearman, Emile Smith Rowe, Harry Toffolo, Andy King, Chris Willock and, owing to a head injury to Kamil Grabara, the sensational deadline-day return of Jonas Lossl.
With four of those players arriving on loan and in King and Stearman an emphasis on adding experienced professional characters to their young squad, this was still not a side entirely in the Cowleys’ long-term image on the pitch bar perhaps the addition of Toffolo, one of their former charges at Lincoln City.
But it did allow them to shift to the 4-2-3-1 formation Danny had said after their very first game would have been their preferred system had their one and only number 10, Alex Pritchard, not been injured.
In the next ten games before lockdown Town were more consistent in their team selection and in their approach, but the performances themselves became erratic: brilliant against Hull, Bristol City and Charlton, but woeful against Cardiff and Swansea.
A focus on the fundamentals helped them to take 15 points from seven games, including four clean sheets
Nonetheless, while the floor on Town’s performance levels raised only slightly, their ceiling got higher and higher, and a return of 14 points in nine games left Town needing just eight more points from their remaining 10 games to reach the coveted 50 point mark.
A painful derby defeat away to Leeds United was their last game before the unexpected hiatus left a sour taste in fans’ mouths, as did Danny Cowley’s open expression of admiration for the manager of their hated rivals, Marcelo Bielsa.
But there was a strong sense that this was a team that was over the worst and looking firmly ahead to the future.
Nobody could have seen what happened next, either in terms of the global pandemic that put a three-month pause on the Championship season and force games to go behind closed doors, or in terms of how bad some of Town’s performances would get in those circumstances.
The 2-0 defeat to Wigan Athletic left everyone shell shocked. Sources suggest that Town began talks with Corberan sometime around the time of that Wigan game – whether before or after is unclear – and that detail all but confirms this change has been on the club’s agenda for some time.
The 3-0 win over Birmingham was the source of all but one of Town’s goals in the seven games immediately following the season’s resumption – and the other game from the penalty spot against Nottingham Forest.
Even still, when we debunked the rumours emerged after the Forest game that the Cowleys were set to be dismissed with immediate effect, the overwhelming majority of fans reacted with relief.
While it was universally acknowledged that the performances had not been up to snuff, most absolved the Cowleys of much of the responsibility for that, instead blaming the players’ efforts. It is a matter of record that we largely agreed on that point.
The goalless draw against Preston was a good point earned by design, but the same scoreline against Reading and Sheffield Wednesday was down to those failures in attack. Likewise their 2-0 defeat to Luton, a result that exceeded even the Wigan game in the depths of despair it sent Town fans into. Just one week later, they were in ecstasy.
A masterful tactical plan delivered a hugely unlikely and unexpected 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion that all but assured Town’s place in the Championship next season.
It was result that made clear that people only complain about the style of play when you are not winning: Town had just 31% possession, the lowest they have had in any game this season. Their best opportunities came on the counter-attack. But can you think of a more exciting moment over the last two years than Smith Rowe’s winner?
We are absolutely certain that they will go on to success elsewhere.
Whether you agree with the decision to sack the Cowleys or not, we don’t need to tell anyone that the new boss needs backing, too.