Earlier on in the day, it was announced that Huddersfield Town had parted ways with manager Darren Moore.
The decision came after the Terriers’ 1-1 draw with similarly relegation-threatened QPR on Sunday in what was a must win game.
A win would’ve seen Huddersfield go six points clear of the relegation zone, but a 95th minute Kenneth Paul equaliser for QPR cancelled out Jack Rudoni’s goal ten minutes earlier. The result sees the Yorkshire side hang just three points above the drop zone, with all three teams below catching up with them in recent weeks.
With just one win in their last 11 Championship matches, it is easy to see the reasoning behind the decision. Moore had only been in the job since the 21st of September after Neil Warnock left his post as manager and it’s a time that he probably won’t look back on fondly.
During that time, Moore would oversee 23 matches, winning just three of those. Although in his tenure he would see his team draw eleven times, draws do not matter at the bottom of the table and the club need wins in order to boost their hopes of survival.
Huddersfield fans will be hoping that the change in management can do just that, and potentially spark a winning run.
The job is no doubt an attractive offer given the size and stature of the club, and if able to keep the Terriers in the division this season, then whoever does come in will be able to reap the rewards.
With that in mind, here are five potential candidates for the Huddersfield job…
Paul Heckingbottom
Heckingbottom is currently the overwhelming favourite for the job and it doesn’t come as too much of a surprise given his credentials. Having led Sheffield United to promotion to the Premier League last season, the 46-year-old is already more than proven at the level.
He was sacked by the Blades in early December with the side in the relegation zone, yet he faced an almost impossible task to keep them up this year based on their budget compared to others in the top flight.
It looks very likely that Heckingbottom will be back in a job very soon, and he might be able to lead the Terriers to a positive future if able to keep them afloat this season.
Michael Duff
Having missed out on the Shrewsbury job, Duff is still on the market after being dismissed by Swansea in December. He’s also been heavily linked with League One strugglers Charlton Athletic, however the manager may have higher ambitions.
Duff has the ability to galvanise a squad, as seen during his time with both Cheltenham Town and Barnsley. His time may have not worked out with Swansea, but he retains plenty of potential at this level.
It would certainly be more of a long term project if Duff was to come in, but he also easily has the capabilities to keep the club afloat this season.
John Eustace
A man who has been linked with potentially every vacant Championship and even League One job this season is John Eustace and rightly so given his work at Birmingham.
Having been controversially sacked by the Blues, despite having them in the play-off hunt, Eustace has been without a job ever since. Bringing in Wayne Rooney for him was one of the worst managerial decisions in the history of the second tier, and one in which backfired massively for the club.
Eustace looks sure to get another shot at the level, and it seems as if it’s only a matter of time before he’s back in a job.
Sam Allardyce
A potential curveball in the list, helping clubs to survival in tricky positions is something that Allardyce is most well-known for. Although he’s potentially got his sights set on a Premier League job, many teams could be put off by his tenure at Leeds United.
It would be a drop in class for the former West Ham & Bolton Wanderers manager amongst a whole host of other teams, however it might be the opportunity for Allardyce to get back into the game.
It would seem as if he was to be appointed, it would be one more focussed on survival this season rather than the future but nonetheless could be a good option for the club.
Pete Wild
If you thought Allardyce was a curveball, think again as Wild represents potentially an even riskier appointment. With no managerial experience higher than in League Two with Barrow, Wild would go in to the job with no experience at the level.
That being said, the job that he has done with Barrow is nothing short of incredible, with the club currently sat in 4th place in League Two, just one point off of the automatic spots. With one of the smallest budgets in the division, the feat is made only more impressive.
It would certainly be an ambitious choice given his previous experience but with the future in mind Huddersfield may choose to pursue. We’ve already seen Swansea dip into League Two to get Luke Williams from Notts County and the Terriers could potentially follow that move.
