The day the club gave up

[johnnyx]

I remember coming back on the train from Chelsea thinking this is it, we have made it. Dean had said at a Q & A that if we stayed up we had a real chance to take the club forward. We needed 2 or 3 real quality players and there was no reason why we couldn't stay up with ease. So what happened, the Chairman, Manager and players thought how the hell did we do that, we'll never do that again. 
I honestly don't think they meant to give up, they just did. 
When they brought out "A moment in time" my mate said "that means that the club thinks that the first year in the prem was something that is never likely to happen again". He was spot on, and the attitude of the club from then on has proved him right.
But why did it need to be?
Could the club be forgiven for not preparing for promotion - yes.
Could the club be forgiven for not preparing to stay up - maybe but not really.
Can the club be forgiven for not preparing for the championship - emphatically no.
Recruitment of players and senior staff has been the downfall, we have replaced the best we have had i my lifetime with chancers;
Dean Hoyle - Swiss Phil ( Apologies if you've not seen the Fast Show)
David Wagner - The PE Teacher
Christoph Bhuler - Some guy who's taught netball to a reasonable level
I hope i'm proved wrong and we show some fight and ambition, but i can't see it. #We had limits

[Deleted]

Thought it was Swiss Tony?

[Champers]

Aug 8, 2019 12:29:13 GMT 1 johnnyx said:

I remember coming back on the train from Chelsea thinking this is it, we have made it. Dean had said at a Q & A that if we stayed up we had a real chance to take the club forward. We needed 2 or 3 real quality players and there was no reason why we couldn't stay up with ease. So what happened, the Chairman, Manager and players thought how the hell did we do that, we'll never do that again. 
I honestly don't think they meant to give up, they just did. 
When they brought out "A moment in time" my mate said "that means that the club thinks that the first year in the prem was something that is never likely to happen again". He was spot on, and the attitude of the club from then on has proved him right.
But why did it need to be?
Could the club be forgiven for not preparing for promotion - yes.
Could the club be forgiven for not preparing to stay up - maybe but not really.
Can the club be forgiven for not preparing for the championship - emphatically no.
Recruitment of players and senior staff has been the downfall, we have replaced the best we have had i my lifetime with chancers;
Dean Hoyle - Swiss Phil ( Apologies if you've not seen the Fast Show)
David Wagner - The PE Teacher
Christoph Bhuler - Some guy who's taught netball to a reasonable level
I hope i'm proved wrong and we show some fight and ambition, but i can't see it. #We had limits

It pains me that I agree with almost all of this.

[buckers]

Aug 8, 2019 12:32:24 GMT 1 @jimbowen said:

Thought it was Swiss Tony?

It was

[themanfromatlantis]

Aug 8, 2019 12:32:24 GMT 1 @jimbowen said:

Thought it was Swiss Tony?

It was, a great character...

[rantinray]

Small improvements year on year was to be the clubs position. I bought into that problem was they failed after our first season in the Prem.

[overtonterrierspirit]

Aug 8, 2019 12:29:13 GMT 1 johnnyx said:

I remember coming back on the train from Chelsea thinking this is it, we have made it. Dean had said at a Q & A that if we stayed up we had a real chance to take the club forward. We needed 2 or 3 real quality players and there was no reason why we couldn't stay up with ease. So what happened, the Chairman, Manager and players thought how the hell did we do that, we'll never do that again. 
I honestly don't think they meant to give up, they just did. 
When they brought out "A moment in time" my mate said "that means that the club thinks that the first year in the prem was something that is never likely to happen again". He was spot on, and the attitude of the club from then on has proved him right.
But why did it need to be?
Could the club be forgiven for not preparing for promotion - yes.
Could the club be forgiven for not preparing to stay up - maybe but not really.
Can the club be forgiven for not preparing for the championship - emphatically no.
Recruitment of players and senior staff has been the downfall, we have replaced the best we have had i my lifetime with chancers;
Dean Hoyle - Swiss Phil ( Apologies if you've not seen the Fast Show)
David Wagner - The PE Teacher
Christoph Bhuler - Some guy who's taught netball to a reasonable level
I hope i'm proved wrong and we show some fight and ambition, but i can't see it. #We had limits

Agree. Great post.
We are showing absolutely zero signs of having any ambition whatsoever.
I keep reading that we should remember where we came from.
So should we just accept that we are heading back there and give up?
All the signs are that we are doing just that.

[dugnet]

You know what the worst thing at the moment is, and this would never have happened under DH, it is like the club has battened down the hatches and has refused to communicate meaningfully because either;

In the hope it all comes right

or

It's just a few football fans, being football fans (because we haven't won many games) and they don't really understand what is involved in running a club

Where is the transparency? Where is the integrity? Where is the drive to get better?

We knew under DH what to expect and trusted him implicitly - we need that integrity back.

I can take the truth, I may challenge things but I respect honesty. This is turning into Town of the 70's with a few folk in charge who take the fans for granted.

As much as I admire and respect DH this has been a poor end to his marvellous legacy. We should be far better positioned than this and have had a far better plan. I make this comment in the full knowledge he has been ill as I believe the issues now faced are rooted in the decisions taken 2 years ago and in the year after.

DH said getting to the Premier League was a "step change" - it wasn't, it was a moment in time for sure....a moment that it will take another David Wagner miracle to re-create.

Perhaps I just expected us to have a far better platform for the future but it appears not. It feels like Glastonbury must feel like a month after the event, you can see where the stages where, you can remember the atmosphere and how you felt but all you are left with is a few photographs and the memories. The only difference is Glastonbury will be back in a year, we won't.

[teddytheterrier]

Aug 8, 2019 13:45:42 GMT 1 overtonterrierspirit said:

Aug 8, 2019 12:29:13 GMT 1 johnnyx said:

I remember coming back on the train from Chelsea thinking this is it, we have made it. Dean had said at a Q & A that if we stayed up we had a real chance to take the club forward. We needed 2 or 3 real quality players and there was no reason why we couldn't stay up with ease. So what happened, the Chairman, Manager and players thought how the hell did we do that, we'll never do that again. 
I honestly don't think they meant to give up, they just did. 
When they brought out "A moment in time" my mate said "that means that the club thinks that the first year in the prem was something that is never likely to happen again". He was spot on, and the attitude of the club from then on has proved him right.
But why did it need to be?
Could the club be forgiven for not preparing for promotion - yes.
Could the club be forgiven for not preparing to stay up - maybe but not really.
Can the club be forgiven for not preparing for the championship - emphatically no.
Recruitment of players and senior staff has been the downfall, we have replaced the best we have had i my lifetime with chancers;
Dean Hoyle - Swiss Phil ( Apologies if you've not seen the Fast Show)
David Wagner - The PE Teacher
Christoph Bhuler - Some guy who's taught netball to a reasonable level
I hope i'm proved wrong and we show some fight and ambition, but i can't see it. #We had limits

Agree. Great post.
We are showing absolutely zero signs of having any ambition whatsoever.
I keep reading that we should remember where we came from.
So should we just accept that we are heading back there and give up?
All the signs are that we are doing just that.

Our ambition as stated by Phil is 'to win a few games'

All the fans that were saying they preferred Macclesfield away than the Premier league will be happy anyway. We'll be playing them again in a couple of seasons time at this rate.

[teddytheterrier]

And in terms of preparing for the championship this should have been done in December when it was so fucking clearly obvious that we were getting relegated. Monday was an absolute joke performance.

[galpharm2400]

Its not remember where you came from, its that some of us do...

you can have your opinion based on the last 3/4 years but it does not remember the longer past and it has no thought of the next few years of what will become the history of the club..

I want it now, its all that counts, when referring to a complicated and expensive business and institution such as Huddersfield Town Football Club is a valid and free position to hold but not everyone's..

my view is as it has been for a while that the clubs future will be secured at least short term by the team in now and then passed on in a deal that has already been agreed.

the 'price' of this deal is being paid now..

today might look black but after a great deal of thought and consideration, Dean did a deal for the longer term benefit of his club.

[Jack]

I still maintain that the turning point (on the pitch at least) was the Mounie sending off when we were leading vs Brighton.

[detox]

maybe the main issue was that DH was a hands on chairman, and due to his illness the club lost it's way last summer. i also recall an article from a while back where DH had taken on another job, not full time..but can't remember who it was with..Not sure what happened to that but was that the forerunner to what happened later ? On a more positive note, he may be back if Phil decides it's too much, and second time round DH would be an even better chairman..he's learned all the lessons and has extensive experience..he's still only a nipper at 52 so there's plenty left in him now he's recovered...

[CaptainHart]

We screwed up when Hoyle, Wagner and Buhler were in place yet you blame the people left to pick up the pieces.

[CaptainHart]

Aug 8, 2019 13:50:23 GMT 1 teddytheterrier said:

And in terms of preparing for the championship this should have been done in December when it was so fucking clearly obvious that we were getting relegated. Monday was an absolute joke performance.

We did by bringing Siewart and Grant in; admittedly one hasn't been successful but we did make the move.

[CaptainHart]

Aug 8, 2019 13:57:02 GMT 1 Jack said:

I still maintain that the turning point (on the pitch at least) was the Mounie sending off when we were leading vs Brighton.

What bit us though was not having brought in a striker of any kind.

[deadleg]

Aug 8, 2019 14:05:18 GMT 1 CaptainHart said:

Aug 8, 2019 13:57:02 GMT 1 Jack said:

I still maintain that the turning point (on the pitch at least) was the Mounie sending off when we were leading vs Brighton.

What bit us though was not having brought in a striker of any kind.

I remember when Dean was on the radio and a listener texted in asking him if we'd be looking for a striker - he laughed it off saying we didn't need one.

I'm certainly not knocking him for thinking that because I, like many others, agreed with him that Mounie and Depoitre had done pretty well with the meagre service provided in the first PL season and the supply lines were the main issue but man, as soon as he reacted like that I had a really bad feeling that it might be one of those that would come back to bite him one day.

Not surprising that most chairmen dodge any situations like that completely and engage with the fans as little as possible.

[Headless Chicken]

Aug 8, 2019 14:00:32 GMT 1 CaptainHart said:

We screwed up when Hoyle, Wagner and Buhler were in place yet you blame the people left to pick up the pieces.

It's like how Fergue et al put absolutely no succession plan in place, but rather than being criticised for this, they were actually lauded more because of the problems the new incumbents inherited.

Similar for governments, when one gains from the priors good work, but also has to sort the shit that is coming to fruition.

By that, I am not actually apportioning blame or saying things are definitely that bad, it just seems Jan and PH are getting absolutely all of the criticism.

[terrierhx]

Aug 8, 2019 14:00:32 GMT 1 CaptainHart said:

We screwed up when Hoyle, Wagner and Buhler were in place yet you blame the people left to pick up the pieces.

What he said......!!!

[johnnyx]

Its not really what i am saying. Is someone offered me the chance to be CEO of Apple I'd take it along with the salary it brought.
Would i be able to do it, no. Would i expect criticism when it all goes to shit, probably.

[upthetown]

Not sure how some people have the audacity to criticise some of the performances when as supporters they are so bloody brittle. I can only imagine most of the current bed wetters only started supporting us when we got to the premier league... if they think this is bad. We played one game and played fine. We are losing a player out of contract in a year who wants to leave. And people acting like it’s the end of the world. Try getting stuffed away at Macclesfield to understand what it feels like when things are bad. Or nearly losing the club when in administration and doing bucket collections.

This place can be so bloody negative at times.

[CaptainHart]

Aug 8, 2019 14:51:42 GMT 1 johnnyx said:

Its not really what i am saying. Is someone offered me the chance to be CEO of Apple I'd take it along with the salary it brought.
Would i be able to do it, no. Would i expect criticism when it all goes to shit, probably.

I'm glad you agree me.

Apple is a successful company and if you ruined it it would be your fault.

If, however, you took over a failing company whose best employees wanted out then I'd give you some time to try and work it out, even thinking that things might get worse before they get better.

[Chips Longhorn]

Aug 8, 2019 13:48:17 GMT 1 dugnet said:

You know what the worst thing at the moment is, and this would never have happened under DH, it is like the club has battened down the hatches and has refused to communicate meaningfully because either;

In the hope it all comes right

or

It's just a few football fans, being football fans (because we haven't won many games) and they don't really understand what is involved in running a club

Where is the transparency? Where is the integrity? Where is the drive to get better?

We knew under DH what to expect and trusted him implicitly - we need that integrity back.

I can take the truth, I may challenge things but I respect honesty. This is turning into Town of the 70's with a few folk in charge who take the fans for granted.

As much as I admire and respect DH this has been a poor end to his marvellous legacy. We should be far better positioned than this and have had a far better plan. I make this comment in the full knowledge he has been ill as I believe the issues now faced are rooted in the decisions taken 2 years ago and in the year after.

DH said getting to the Premier League was a "step change" - it wasn't, it was a moment in time for sure....a moment that it will take another David Wagner miracle to re-create.

Perhaps I just expected us to have a far better platform for the future but it appears not. It feels like Glastonbury must feel like a month after the event, you can see where the stages where, you can remember the atmosphere and how you felt but all you are left with is a few photographs and the memories. The only difference is Glastonbury will be back in a year, we won't.

I must have dreamt the 2 hour PH q and a

[willo]

It might sound simplistic but getting rid of Jan Siewart & appointing a proper manager would go some way to repairing the shambolic mess. Hardly anyone is behind him, even more so after the other night, and the fans would re-unite behind a decent appointment. The club may be in denial behind the scenes but he looks like a dead man walking from the outside. We’re even making that lot up the road look like a well-oiled machine presently.

[dugnet]

Aug 8, 2019 14:57:33 GMT 1 upthetown said:

Not sure how some people have the audacity to criticise some of the performances when as supporters they are so bloody brittle. I can only imagine most of the current bed wetters only started supporting us when we got to the premier league... if they think this is bad. We played one game and played fine. We are losing a player out of contract in a year who wants to leave. And people acting like it’s the end of the world. Try getting stuffed away at Macclesfield to understand what it feels like when things are bad. Or nearly losing the club when in administration and doing bucket collections.

This place can be so bloody negative at times.

Spare me the "it's not as bad as it has been" rhetoric - all of what you say is true, of course it is, but we have just been relegated from the Premier League and we seem to be in a position that is relatively weak.

As for playing one game and playing "fine" - come on, it was very poor for the most part and didn't show anything that gave you real hope things would get better. I grant you Saturday maybe different, but it needs to be.

People are expressing concern about the decisions taken in relation to how the club is being managed. They are expressing that concern because performances on the pitch are incredibly disappointing and we now don't have the excuse of playing in the Premier League.

I am not a "bed wetter" but I am also a realist and think we should be doing better than this.

[dugnet]

Aug 8, 2019 15:00:01 GMT 1 Chips Longhorn said:

Aug 8, 2019 13:48:17 GMT 1 dugnet said:

You know what the worst thing at the moment is, and this would never have happened under DH, it is like the club has battened down the hatches and has refused to communicate meaningfully because either;

In the hope it all comes right

or

It's just a few football fans, being football fans (because we haven't won many games) and they don't really understand what is involved in running a club

Where is the transparency? Where is the integrity? Where is the drive to get better?

We knew under DH what to expect and trusted him implicitly - we need that integrity back.

I can take the truth, I may challenge things but I respect honesty. This is turning into Town of the 70's with a few folk in charge who take the fans for granted.

As much as I admire and respect DH this has been a poor end to his marvellous legacy. We should be far better positioned than this and have had a far better plan. I make this comment in the full knowledge he has been ill as I believe the issues now faced are rooted in the decisions taken 2 years ago and in the year after.

DH said getting to the Premier League was a "step change" - it wasn't, it was a moment in time for sure....a moment that it will take another David Wagner miracle to re-create.

Perhaps I just expected us to have a far better platform for the future but it appears not. It feels like Glastonbury must feel like a month after the event, you can see where the stages where, you can remember the atmosphere and how you felt but all you are left with is a few photographs and the memories. The only difference is Glastonbury will be back in a year, we won't.

I must have dreamt the 2 hour PH q and a

And the PH Q&A told us what exactly? The one truth was that it would be a tough window and things would go to the wire, that was absolutely true to be fair. The rest has left me a little confused (read my earlier views on the 3 window transition).

[Christ in Shades (art)]

Aug 8, 2019 14:57:33 GMT 1 upthetown said:

Not sure how some people have the audacity to criticise some of the performances when as supporters they are so bloody brittle. I can only imagine most of the current bed wetters only started supporting us when we got to the premier league... if they think this is bad. We played one game and played fine. We are losing a player out of contract in a year who wants to leave. And people acting like it’s the end of the world. Try getting stuffed away at Macclesfield to understand what it feels like when things are bad. Or nearly losing the club when in administration and doing bucket collections.

This place can be so bloody negative at times.

Yes, we know all that but its relative, to be honest I and all the fans should expect better now from the club. I expect the club to be able to sign better quality players and expect a promotion push not make do transfers from lower league teams.

[otium (EPBS)]

"No limits"..."Believe"..."Terrier identity".
Going up was a fluke.
The club struggled to adapt.
One only has to look at how inept we were with signings, shirt production and delivery and hospitality.
OK, a huge step up and Sean himself said he was on a "steep learning curve".
Sponsors got in cheaply, players were signed loosely and backroom staff were out of their depth.
It needed a couple of faces who had been there and done it.
2 years in the Prem should have created a stronger core structure....it seems it was built on sand.
Staying up is easier than going up. Preparing for going up is a damn sight easier after you have just come down (the yo-yo effect).
Another poor season and it will all have been like rice sack with a hole in it.
Now is/was the time. It may never come around again.
I will always love the club, i would go if we were non-league....i "believe" whatever.

[deadleg]

Aug 8, 2019 15:06:36 GMT 1 dugnet said:

Aug 8, 2019 15:00:01 GMT 1 Chips Longhorn said:

I must have dreamt the 2 hour PH q and a

And the PH Q&A told us what exactly? The one truth was that it would be a tough window and things would go to the wire, that was absolutely true to be fair. The rest has left me a little confused (read my earlier views on the 3 window transition).

I've had my doubts about PH from the start but we do have to be fair - he did his bit regarding engagement by turning up. It's not his fault the questions weren't exactly probing. He even goaded the audience for that himself!

[dugnet]

Aug 8, 2019 15:16:06 GMT 1 deadleg said:

Aug 8, 2019 15:06:36 GMT 1 dugnet said:

And the PH Q&A told us what exactly? The one truth was that it would be a tough window and things would go to the wire, that was absolutely true to be fair. The rest has left me a little confused (read my earlier views on the 3 window transition).

I've had my doubts about PH from the start but we do have to be fair - he did his bit regarding engagement by turning up. It's not his fault the questions weren't exactly probing. He even goaded the audience for that himself!

Fair point - had I lived closer I would have gone and to be equally fair my questions wouldn't have been as focused as they would be now.