Can David Wagner ring the changes required at Huddersfield Town?

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There has been a change of fortune at the John Smith’s Stadium in recent weeks since the arrival of new manager David Wagner. For most of this season, The Terriers have struggled to keep clear of the relegation zone and seemed to be on a never ending run of bad form especially at the start of the season, losing four of the first seven matches and drawing the other three.

In the first half of the season under Chris Powell, Huddersfield warranted their position in the league, playing poor football with no energy and showing little willingness to get forward and try to win matches. There was no other option but to part company with Powell. Many names were suggested in the media for the next Town boss including former Oldham striker Shefki Kuqi; something which Town fans were not keen to see.

After a couple of weeks without a manager, the club and chairman; Dean Hoyle, announced the new boss would be David Wagner. As the first foreign manager at the Yorkshire club, this was a surprising change of direction. The fans had not heard a lot about Wagner but there was an air of optimism around the club when everyone realised that he was the manager of the reserve team at Borussia Dortmund and had worked under Jurgen Klopp; the current Liverpool manager. This optimism arose from English fans’ appreciation of the free-flowing, skilful style of these German giants, and many were hoping for a bit of the same at Huddersfield Town.

Since Wagner’s arrival, there has been a noticeable change in the performances, as a more attacking and expressive side have been giving some of the top Championship teams a run for their money, especially Middlesbrough on the 28th of November. This match was dominated by Huddersfield but unfortunately the promotion chasers were more clinical in front of goal. Despite the defeat, fans were pleased with the performance and hoped it was a sign of things to come.

This new style of play has continued as Huddersfield are slowly climbing up the table after impressive wins against Preston, Rotherham and Bolton. The defeats have also been very promising for Huddersfield, as they are scoring more goals and are more focused on getting forward rather than staying back. This is the approach that the supporters have been pining for during the last couple of campaigns.

It seemed the perfect time to hire a new manager just before the transfer window as Wagner can continue to make his mark on the club by bringing in new faces to help obtain a respectable league position this year. So far, the only potential signing in January is Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Lewis McGugan who is out of favour at a club with lofty ambitions.

However, one of Huddersfield’s strengths is that there are a lot of talented youth players breaking through to the first team who are showing great potential to become quality Championship players in the next few years. The development squad are the most in-form team in the country at the moment, winning the last thirteen games. This is very pleasing to everyone at the club; especially Wagner, as the club has a very bright future if they can maintain their position in the second tier.

Up next for The Terriers is a home clash against fellow strugglers Charlton Athletic on the 12th of January. The Addicks will be viewing this fixture as a must win as they are currently sitting second from bottom in the Championship. Huddersfield won the reverse fixture back in September at The Valley. Charlton and Huddersfield were promoted in the 2011/12 season and are both trying to avoid the irony of being relegated in the same campaign, which makes this a crucial meeting. It is significant that Charlton are the team that broke Town’s 43 game unbeaten league run in 2012, which still remains a Football League record.

Overall, the future is looking bright for Huddersfield who seem to have turned over a new leaf, with a new manager and newfound optimism around the club. Wagner will be hoping to secure some canny deals during the January transfer window in order to help the side stay clear of the relegation zone.