Poll

All this switching wingers were alright when Pilks was here...
But now Boothy, I agree Hunt with Arfield on the right, mixed with Wardy n Woods on the left works for me, as a safe formation..Which we can switch for Hunt n Novak if we need a bit more umf going forwards...Either way no place for Roberts..Cads is much better.....Apparently he also does a good post match party too......
I hear that Cadamateri's having a party, bottle of vodka and loads o' charlie, is the word...

Sorry guys but your going nowhere under Grayson

We did warn you

3 - I hate both.

38YEARS

Like me, you have generally sung Novak’s praises. I believe you once wrote something on the lines of, “Novak is a key player in the Town team.” So, I am somewhat surprised about your statement “...novak will run all day, no great pace...”, particularly as watching him play on quite a few occasions I have always thought that he was rather quick.

Since you attend all the away games in person, as it were, you probably wouldn’t have heard Tom Clarke’s comments when he was acting as the pundit alongside Paul Ogden on a Radio Leeds commentary at a Town away game recently. Unfortunately, I can’t remember which game... maybe it was Colchester, maybe Stevenage. Both are too far for me to travel.

Oggy asked Tom who, from his experience of training with the squad, was the quickest player in the Town team, and he immediately replied, “Novak!” Oggy asked if he meant over a hundred yards or so, and Tom said “Yes!”... adding that Novak really was quick. Second choice was Cadamarteri.

Also, I am puzzled that you “suggest lee/rhodes with cads and novak playing the wide roles on saturday..”

Novak was brought in as a striker. He scored 26 goals in his last season with Gateshead. Yes, I know that was in the Blue Square Bet North (wasn’t Bet North a character in ‘Coronation Street’?), and the football snobs will belittle that achievement, but I reckon that still means he has some talent for putting the ball in the back of the net. Novak will never be win the Ballon d'Or, but neither is he a Prima Donna. He does give the impression that he is grateful to be playing professional football at any level, and he has both scored and created some excellent goals for Town. At only 23 years of age, he should have a good number of years still ahead of him, and personally I think Town should be using him to his full potential whenever possible. Remember, he never got a kick in the play-off final at Old Trafford, when Town played against the second worst defence in League 1 at the time, and failed to score.

In Town’s first away game of the season, against Rochdale, Novak effectively played on his own up front. In my opinion he was immense. He won practically every ball that was delivered to him via the aerial route... and there were quite a few! He scored a goal, and set one up for Ward.

Last Saturday, against Preston, I reckon he flicked on more headers to Rhodes in the 34 minutes he was on the field, than Alan (1 League assist) Lee did in the 86 minutes he played against Sheffield Wednesday.

As I have said before, play Alan Lee and that virtually guarantees hoofball. With Novak running into channels and going out wide when he can, for me, that’s when the Town team looks at its most lively and effective. I seem to remember that you have also stated that defences don’t like the likes of Novak running at them.

I reckon it’s an admission of failure that the management has to play Novak out wide, because those players designated as so-called wingers don’t play as wingers should. In a relatively short period of time, Ainsworth, Arfield , Cadermarteri, Chippendale, Carey, Croft, Hunt, Kamara, Nightingale, Pilkington, Roberts, Simpson, and Ward have all been tried, or touted as wingers.

By the way, I know you will be very pleased to learn that Huddersfield Giants beat Hull F.C. 42-16 in the Challenge Cup 4th Round tie at the KC Stadium, after being 14- 6 down at half-time. Ten out of ten for tenacity, eh?

captain..
not interested in the giants..same as 99% of the country..its rugby league, its virtually dying on its ars- and nobody cares..
novak is nowhere near as quick over the first 20 yards as hunt..
its football, novak as a striker needs that quick burst, he hasnt got it..
he played against rochdale and did well, he was well supported on the day before we gave the 2 points away at the end when his "support" (gary roberts and everyone else) decided to hang about like a bad smell on our own 18 yard line..
and therein lies the rub captain.. novak isolated is as good as anyone else we have when left on their own.. novak played wide stays in the game via his workrate ... im sorry but thats what we are left with now, picking players on their ability to keep going and keep working and putting them where it serves that work ethic best.. mccombe coming on for 15 minutes up front looks like a decent tactic now or putting jack hunt up front for his pace if required..
we are past 4/5/1 or 4/4/2 now, the time has come to pick a team that might give 100%, because we consistently have at least 3/4 who dont appear to give a sh-t..

Stunning 2nd half by the Giants. Now why doesn't Grayson go and speak to Nathan Brown and find out about motivation...?

jacko…

First of all, you require players that are motivatable! (There is no such word really, but there should be!)

Up there with some of the great unanswered questions such as…

Where do flies go in the winter?
What is the speed of dark?
If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?

is…

What do football managers actually do?

Since at least early 2009, I have stated both publicly and privately after quite a few games, that the Town team gave a very good impression of eleven players who had never played together before. After suffering Saturday’s performance against Preston North End, I am of the opinion that eleven players who had never played together before would probably had done much better. They certainly couldn’t have done any worse.

My only experience of football management, is overseeing a team of students from Huddersfield Technical College on a trip to France, when we achieved three wins out of three games! I quit whilst I was ahead!

I realise that this doesn’t qualify me for a job at any level of professional football, but if I was put in the position of managing a team that needed a fillip (nothing to do with the Duke of Edinburgh, by the way!) I would get back to basics… yes, fans, admirers, and lovers of my intellect and modesty, it’s that word again!

There is a football story which I may have recounted before, but if I have, it’s worth repeating. It is probably apocryphal, but one hopes it might be true.

In 1978, Spurs signed the Argentine World Cup stars, Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa. After a training session, the manager, Keith Burkinshaw was giving a team talk. He took a piece of chalk and drew a rectangle with the lower long side missing, on the blackboard. “This is the goals!” he announced. Ardiles cagily raised his hand and said, in broken English, “Ricky and me already know this, Mr. Burkinshaw!” “This is not for you two.” Burkinshaw explained, “This is for all the other dumb clucks!”… or words to that effect!

It would appear that in the case of Huddersfield Town, there is a requirement for someone to start at the very beginning… a very good place to start! Oh, and they might also explain the meaning of the word “team” to certain individuals who displays indicate they are unaware of this definition… “a group organised to work together.”

So, now this post has been 'live' for a good number of days, the opinion is 50/50. Has everybody voted?

I'm suprised at the result, I'd expected a lot more in the one rating!

Hmm Capt. maybe the difference is that once upon a time football coaches/managers (they were the same in those days) used to survive on a bit of 'nouce', they knew the game, knew how to man manage and knew how football should be played.


Today we have a production line of FIFA badged coaches who have been 'processed' through a 'system' in the same way kids get processed through GCSE's and A-levels. Yes they know all the theory, are tactically aware and they have 'systems' galore...but when they get to work, they actually know fook all about the job.

Grayson is the same product as Lee Clark, all the ticks are in the right boxes, all the theories and all the videos and statistics...but 'nouce' :?, well, we'll have to see what he comes up with for the play-offs.

Don't forget the cash side too Jacko! Much more cash nowadays, so players not playing for a better move as much these days, as they already earn fortunes lower down the League pyramid