Grayson Can't Hide Terriers Flaws

Grayson look on as Calum Woods re-emerges from the snow

Simon Grayson has given his assessment on his sides 4-0 defeat away at Watford which has taken the terriers to twelve games without a win in the Championship. Grayson could only watch as his side went one nil down just before half time through a dubious penalty decision but were totally outclassed in the second half as they fell to pieces. A lack of desire, heart and determination was evident throughout the team as they suffered another heavy defeat without netting once. 

Lynch Wanting To Move On Quickly

Lynch Started At Left Back For Town

Joel Lynch returned to the starting lineup for Huddersfield Town as the terriers fell victim to a Millwall drubbing. Lynch expressed his frustration but has urged the team to move on from this result and look to put things back on track in their next game against Bristol City on Saturday. Lynch took up the left back position for the game against Millwall and although they lost by four clear goals, he didn't think it was a justified scoreline to be leaving South London with;

"Obviously it was good to get back in the team on a personal note, but that is a bad result,” said Joel. “The lads are gutted because everyone in the changing room cares – coaching staff and players – and we've let ourselves down in the way we played. We did alright at points in the game, particularly at the start, but individually we've let ourselves down through losses of concentration and as a team we didn't play well enough from our shape. I don’t think it was a 4-0 battering, but at the end of the day that’s the result that people will read in the newspapers."

Lynch has bags of Championship experience and this is one of the key reasons as to why he was brought in by Grayson in the summer. Lynch called upon this experience to explain that no matter what position teams are in this league, anyone can beat anyone on their day; 

"Anyone can beat anyone else in the Championship. During my career I've lost to some bad teams and there is no way that Millwall are a better team than us, but we've let ourselves down today. The quicker we move on from it the better; we need to get back on the training ground and work towards the next game and playing confidently. It’s one of those days and teams have them throughout the season. The quicker you can forget about them and get back to winning ways, the better. Hopefully today’s result will be forgotten about come the end of the season when we’re towards the top of the league. We have to move on as there is nothing we can do about it now and it’s a long season with a lot more games, so we have to keep going."

 As already stated, Lynch took up the left back position as Grayson opted for both Clarke & Gerrard to be at the heart of the terriers defence today. Lynch gave his opinion on playing in the left back position after the game; 

"I've played there quite a bit. I’m quite a tall, lanky lad and it’s quite hard to get up and down the wing but I’m quite comfortable playing there and I always do my best. Whatever position the Gaffer asks me to play, I don’t mind. I’m really happy to be playing in the team."

Grayson Sums Up Hillsborough Events & Looks Forward To Bloomfield Visit

Huddersfield Town will travel to Bloomfield Road on Monday night to take on Blackpool who are looking like one of the teams to beat in The Championship this year. The Tangerines were once managed by current Town manager Simon Grayson who experienced success at the club by taking them from League One into The Championship, just as he has done with the terriers. However, Grayson was more interested in talking about his teams latest performance against Sheffield Wednesdsay where they impressively picked up all three points;

"The performance on Wednesday night was very good, but ultimately it’s about getting the win and we did that by doing what we had to throughout the course of the game. There were different aspects to the game that I was really pleased with; we started the game well, passing the ball around well and getting two early goals, plus we looked really comfortable – there was a good shape to the team. The team overcame a bit of adversity with Joel getting sent off and we had to be dogged and resolute to withstand a big, strong, powerful opponent with a big crowd behind them. We had to find a way to handle them and we certainly did that."

"It’s nice to get our first away win under our belt because I think we have played well away from home so far. At Cardiff we should have got at least a draw and at Ipswich we missed a penalty with five minutes to go that could have resulted in a victory. It was nice to get the win, especially in a local derby."

Joel was sent off with an immediate red card after his sliding tackle completely missed the ball and sent Antonio crashing to the ground for Wednesday  but although Grayson believes it was the wrong decision, he will not contest the red card;

“I don’t think we will be appealing. We’ve looked at the video and it’s a real grey area; I still don’t believe it’s a red card, but it’s somewhere between that and a yellow! I think we’d be wasting our time though – panels don’t usually change their mind on these unless it’s black and white – and we don’t want to lose him for another game, so we’ll have to accept the punishment.”

Many Town fans will have forgot about Kallum Higginbotham who was set for a big future at the terriers before Clarke was sent packing by chairman Dean Hoyle and the winger/striker has now joined Carlisle United on a loan. Grayson explained why this move has happened;

"It’s very much part of the development of the players – the lads that go out on loan still have a future here. Kallum asked to go out on loan and we agreed that it’s a good opportunity for him, but we’ll keep an eye on him. I’m pleased with how Liam Ridehalgh and Chris Atkinson are doing out on loan at Chesterfield and it’s all to help the development of the individuals in question, as well as the Club. I’m not under any pressure to move any players out on loan though. We have a group here all competing for the jerseys; we have real competition for places and that means we can change systems and personnel when we need to. It’s about getting the right balance of what’s right for the individuals as well as the Club."

Grayson finally give his verdict on how it will feel managing against one of his former clubs and one which he holds close to his heart;

"I’m looking forward to it. I was disappointed I didn’t get the chance to go back last year as I had six good years at Blackpool; three as a player and three as a manager. It was a successful time and it played a big part in my footballing career. To lead Blackpool to promotion at Wembley was great and we then stabilised the team in the Championship, which was no mean feat at the time as we didn’t have a big budget and the facilities were not up there with the other teams. However, the Club has gone from strength to strength and I’d like to think I played some part in that."

"We had a good team ethic when I was there and I think around six to eight players in their Premier League team were my signings – the likes of Wes Hoolahan. There was a unity within the group; we stuck together at the team and there was a special atmosphere at the ground, particularly at night matches. It’s a fantastic football club and it’s on the up. However, it is all about Huddersfield Town for me now. I’ll see a few old friends there, but I want to disappoint them because we’ve come away with a victory!"

Grayson captured Keith Southern in the summer transfer window from Blackpool and the gaffer was keen to talk about the hard working midfielder who he rates very highly;

"I think he’s showed what he can do, but he also influences the younger players – his calmness has rubbed off on the likes of Ollie Norwood, Danny Ward and Adam Clayton. Keith will run through a brick wall for you and that is reflecting in the rest of the players. We have a nice set of ingredients in the middle of the park at this moment in time.  He’s looking forward to Monday night, as is Peter Clarke, who played a big part for Blackpool previously. The only way they will enjoy the game is by winning though.”"

Both Blackpool & Huddersfield Town are sitting nicely in the top half of the league as we write this and both have had great starts to The Championship. Simon Grayson recognizes this and played compliment to the way the Tangerines play their football;

"It will be one of the toughest games of the season. I watched them on Tuesday night against Middlesbrough and they were very good. They could have been four or five up at half time and the same in the second half. They have a way of playing that a lot of teams can’t deal with, there’s a lot of rotation in midfield and attack to a very high standard."

"It’s a good place to go, as Bloomfield Road creates a good atmosphere. It’s a challenge, but our players are looking forward to it. We will have to be on our guard and at the top of our game because Blackpool have turned over some good teams this year; they are at the top of the division and one of the favourites to go up this year. We’ll go there aware of what they can do, but equally I’m sure they are aware of what we can do. We have some good footballers that will cause any team problems. Sometimes I think teams go there and are in awe of them; they try to change their tactics and it doesn’t suit them. Our defence will be tested. We’ll be without Joel Lynch, but Anthony Gerrard will come in and he’s been waiting patiently for his opportunity. For the majority of this season we’ve had a good shape on the pitch and that has limited opportunities for our opposition, but that will certainly be tested on Monday as Blackpool have goals in them."

Grayson will be forced to leave Lynch out of his squad due to suspension as the defender received a straight red for a rash challenge on Antonio when the terriers clashed with Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday. However, Simon is more than happy with his replacement, Anthony Gerrard;

“I like him; he’s wholehearted and he’s a leader. He’s had to wait patiently for his opportunity because the team has been doing so well, but he can come in now and try to grasp his opportunity."

Adam Hammill will also more than likely miss the game against Blackpool due to an injury which kept him out of the team against Sheffield Wednesday and Grayson updated us on his current condition;

"Adam is struggling with his knee; I would say he will be a major doubt for Monday. It’s something he picked up in an innocuous challenge last weekend – I think he just blocked a ball. He’s in the hands of the physios."

Match Report: Huddersfield Town 2-0 Burnley

Huddersfield Town managed to pick up their first three points and their first win in The Championship for over eleven long years. The terriers sent Burnley home across the border with zero points after dominating the majority of the play in an impressive performance under the manager Simon Grayson. The team news, as always, was released around thirty minutes before kick off and this is how the terriers lined up on the field of play;

Starting XI; Smithies, Dixon, Lynch, Clarke (c), Hunt, Scannell, Southern, Norwood, Clayton, Vaughan, Rhodes.

Huddersfield started the match off in a basic 4-4-2 formation which saw Vaughan partner Rhodes upfront, However the early breakthrough for the terrriers came from the big central defender, Joel Lynch, who' glancing header from a Norwood corner was deemed to have crossed the line to the delight of the home crowd. This was the first time Huddersfield had taken the lead in The Championship this season and they could of well doubled it in the 14th minute. Scannell was causing his usual problems down the wing and his victim this time was Trippier who he brushed past before putting a ball into Rhodes in the box. Rhodes met the ball with his head but it crashed off the crossbar and was cleared to safety by the visitors who had begun the game on the ropes.

Huddersfield were playing some very nice football which was allowing them to dominate things in the middle of the park. Clayton was denied by a dedicated Burnley skipper, Jason Shackell before he watched Rhodes' effort being brilliantly saved by Lee Grant in the visitors goal. Clayton continued to drive the team forward with his attacking runs and he was regularly firing shots at goal which were troubling both Burnley's defence and goalkeeper. However, Burnley did have the ball in the back of the net just before half time.

David Edgar fired a shot in at the terriers goalmouth in the 44th minute which rippled the back of the net after bouncing off the woodwork. However, the linesman did have his flag up after deeming Charlie Austin was interfering with play in an offside position. Half time.

Lynch gave the terriers their first half lead,
His glancing header was deemed over the line

The teams emerged for the second half revitalized but once again it was the home side which controlled matters. Keith Southern tried his luck from 20 yards out but his effort was blocked superbly by Chris McCann. On the hour mark, Huddersfield deservedly doubled their advantage over Burnley when Rhodes netted his second goal in just two games. The Scottish striker was given the ball in the penalty area after great interplay between Clarke, Hunt & Lynch had seen the terriers progress fastly up the pitch. Rhodes turned in the box with the ball at his feet before smashing it home from tweleve yards out.

Huddersfield were now two goals to the good & Burnley continued to struggle to make any sort of impact on the game with a resilient Huddersfield defence holding strong. Burnleys strikers, Vokes & Austin just couldn't get into he game as every ball was being won by the two centre backs who were playing extremely well. Peter Clarke was leading by example as he rose on numerous times to win the aerial challenges against Austin. Burnley did start to look more threatening towards the end of the game as they went in search for the goal which would get them back into the match.

However, it wasn't meant to be as the home side saw the game out with some slick passing play being carried out by the midfield. Lynch was rightly awarded the man of the match award for a superb display which has cemented the Welsh defenders place in the starting eleven.

Full time: Huddersfield 2-0 Burnley

Interview With Performance Analyst Chris Markham

We were privileged enough to get the opportunity to interview Chris Markham who is the performance analyst at Huddersfield Town. Many of you will indeed be following Chris on Twitter (@boulet_6) so we thought we would get to know his opinions, thoughts and his personal career a little bit better;

Lynch Will Travel To Scotland

New transfer signing Joel Lynch will travel with the Huddersfield squad when they head to Scotland to play pre-season friendlies against Kilmarnock & Hibernian. Lynch may or may not feature in todays friendly against Guiseley at Nethermoor.

Grayson spoke about Lynch's injury to the Examiner this morning;

"Joel's problem is more of a niggle than an injury, and he could play a part this afternoon. But at this stage, there's no point in taking any risks, so it could well be that we err on the side of caution. But he'll certainly come to Scotland with us, and we're confident he will be okay for either or both of the games up there."

"We've had a tough week of double training sessions, so the lads are looking forward to a proper match. It will be a case of giving each of the players half an hour or 45 minutes."



Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone