Huddersfield Town have been criticised for their decision to part company with head coach Michael Duff by Sky Sports pundit David Prutton.
The Terriers brought in the former Barnsley boss at the end of last season following their relegation from the Championship. He was tasked with guiding the club out of League One at the first time of asking but was unable to complete the job.
A poor start to the campaign saw Huddersfield languishing in mid-table. However, they recovered by embarking on a 16-game unbeaten run from the beginning of October which put them firmly in the race for promotion.
Form began to falter at the end of January though. Saturday’s 1-0 defeat against Bristol Rovers was their seventh loss in 11 league games, which saw them drop out of the play-off places for the first time since November. This saw Duff depart The John Smith’s Stadium on Sunday, where he was immediately replaced by former player Jon Worthington until the end of the season.
Prutton Slams Huddersfield
Despite their poor form, it was still a decision which caused shockwaves throughout League One. Speaking to Football League World, David Prutton believes that the Yorkshire-based side showed a ‘lack of patience’:
“I do think this does reflect a potential lack of patience when it comes to what is expected of a manager and what the reality is.
“We saw them have a bit of a slow start, but then 16 games unbeaten. Now it’s been a slightly more barren run, seven defeats in the last 11 but still just a couple of points outside the play-off places, just literally dropped out over the course of the last week or so.
“So I still think there was a manager in there doing broadly a very good job, but the want and the need of clubs to get promoted, which is exactly what Huddersfield’s remit is in what is a fierce fight in the top end of League One.
“[It] just goes to show why sometimes there’s a desperation and a sense of wanting to keep pace and make sure that you’re at least in the play-offs come the end of the season.
“That’s the reason why this has been done.”
Writer’s View
There were few that saw Duff’s dismissal coming. Making the change so close to the end of the season may pay off, but it could also come back to haunt them spectacularly. Clearly Huddersfield will feel they belong in the Championship, which led to the head coach being heavily backed during the January transfer window. However, he had been really unlucky with injuries which didn’t help his cause. It’ll be interesting to see how they look back on this call come May.
