BanOly Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 Huddersfield Town Bayer Leverkusen | RB Leipzig | Huddersfield Town Introduction Despite only moving to Derbyshire 2 years ago, I've been following Huddersfield Town since 2012. There was a strength in the newly-promoted Championship side that drew me to them, especially their preference for UK and Irish players, and this usually resulted in me attempting to take them to Champions League glory with solely home-grown players. However, more recently, the club has been tainted with foreign talent such as the leading goalscorer Nahki Wells and youngster Philip Billing. This season, newly-appointed head coach David Wagner made the most out of his experience in Germany and brought in even more European talent, which encouraged me to return to the club and invigorate it with my own German experience. History Less than 10 years after the club's foundation in 1908, fans of Huddersfield Town had to purchase shares of the club in order to avoid a merger with Leeds United. The club then repaid its debt in 1926, by becoming the first team to win the English top-flight three times in a row - an achievement that only three other clubs have been able to match. Despite this record, the club has failed to win another major trophy in the 90 years that have followed, and now find themselves in the Championship. Huddersfield Town are now poised to return to the top flight of English football and currently David Wagner is battling to achieve a promotion spot. After a strong start to the season, the club has since dropped from top of the table to 6th, following a disappointing loss to Wigan Athletic. They were also knocked out in the first round of the EFL Cup against Shrewsbury Town. Facilities Huddersfield Town had been playing their home games at Leeds Road for 86 years by the time the stadium was constructed in 1994. The stadium's sponsorship rights have been owned by Heineken since 2012, and is therefore named The John Smith's Stadium. As well as hosting the football club, it is also the home ground of rugby league side Huddersfield Giants, and has even hosted three international rugby fixtures in recent years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanOly Posted December 2, 2016 Author Share Posted December 2, 2016 The Squad First Team (Overview) A healthy balance of youth and experience, Huddersfield Town has recently been invigorated with German talent, courtesy of head coach David Wagner, and for the most part they're all fantastic additions to the squad. However, you should be aware that this has created a kind of language split throughout the team, and it might be best to set your manager as part-German, or speak the language fluently. You start the game without Joe Murphy, who is injured for 3-4 months, so you may wish to promote Joel Coleman from the Under 23 squad. You also only have two natural strikers, so you may want to consider signing another. Besides that, you should find that the rest of the squad is well-balanced and there will always be backup players for each position. Goalkeepers The club has struggled to tie down a regular first-team goalkeeper since young sensation Alex Smithies left the club to join QPR. The #1 jersey currently belongs to Liverpool loanee Danny Ward, and while he is more than capable of retaining that spot, you may wish to start looking for a more permanent option for when he returns to his home club at the end of the season, especially if you manage to achieve promotion, as he almost certainly won't be cut out for that level. You also have the experienced Joe Murphy to fall back on, but I wouldn't rely on him to fill in for anything more than the occasional cup match. There are several young goalkeepers who can take his place until he returns from injury, but you should look no further than Joel Coleman. The young stopper just arrived fresh from local club Oldham and still looks like he could amount to something in the future, but perhaps not in the Premier League. Defenders There's a good balance here, and you shouldn't need to make any changes. Three new central defenders were brought in throughout the summer window and more often than not, you should be pairing Christopher Schindler with club captain Mark Hudson. Schindler is fantastically versatile and can play anywhere along the defensive line, while Hudson is your stereotypically immobile centre-back. Then you have Michael Hefele, who is even more immobile but provides a reliable alternative to either player. Martin Cranie is a natural centre-back, but can also fill in for Tommy Smith on the right. He's probably not good enough to start any big matches, but reliable enough to be called upon from time to time. Finally, young Jon Stankovic has potential at Championship level and you'd do well to get him to fulfil that, but don't expect him to ever amount to anything in the top-flight. Your options out wide are fantastic, and besides some depth, you should probably leave it be in the first season. Chris Löwe is an old favourite player of mine from Dortmund, and he's easily one of the best players in your entire squad. Try to keep him around for as long as you can, as he is one of the few who can make it in the top-flight! Tommy Smith is another - both players are solid full-backs who can get up and down the wing with ease, and whip dangerous crosses into the box. Tareiq Holmes-Dennis was signed in the summer for some reason or another, but definitely isn't anything special on the game. You could try developing him, but if you're aiming for the Premier League (as you should) then it might be best to sign someone else. As previously mentioned, both Schindler and Cranie are able to fill in at right-back when needed. Midfielders Aaron Mooy is the standout figure here - your playmaker, and best player. You should try to feature him in every major fixture, as his absence will be noticed. He is in possession of fantastic ability on the ball, and should always be deployed in the heart of your midfield to channel attacking momentum. Alongside him, you should consider either Jonathan Hogg or Dean Whitehead, who are both more defensive but can also be played as box-to-box midfielders due to their stamina and work rate. You should also try to make the most of Chelsea starlet Kasey Palmer - the youngster is a natural attacking midfielder and can be real danger from outside the box. The depth in midfield is impressive, with Jack Payne providing good cover in attack, and Ivan Paurevic in defense. Jack is still young and still has time to develop into a first-team player, but doesn't look like he'll ever be Premier League material. You also have the young Philip Billing who has a lot of time left to be shaped into whatever type of player you need, but I recommend keeping him as a defensive-minded central midfielder to replace Whitehead. No matter how you like to play, there are options for you out wide. Rajiv van La Parra is probably your best player in this area, but Sean Scannell is capable of playing on either wing and using either foot, so he will come in useful no matter what tactics you decide to use! Both players are full of flair, pace and not much else, but if you want more consistency then you can opt instead for Harry Bunn or Joe Lolley. Harry won me promotion almost single-handedly in my FM16 save last year, but it looks like he's been downgraded since. Elias Kachunga is also capable of playing as a right-winger, if you feel like playing Nahki Wells but don't feel like playing two strikers. Forwards You're lucky enough to have two fantastic strikers at your disposal this year; club and fan favourite Nahki Wells has been the club's top goalscorer for the last 2 years, and hasn't dropped the ball this year. He possesses good pace and should be deployed alone for best results. However, loanee Elias Kachunga has equally-impressive pace and a superior work rate, and this reflects in his willingness to get back and perform his defensive duties. Joe Lolley is also capable of playing up-front if needed, especially as the deep-lying half of a striker-pairing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanOly Posted December 2, 2016 Author Share Posted December 2, 2016 Under-23 Squad Rekeil Pyke is a pacey striker who you could feature in some less-important games if you choose. There's little else here in regards to talent, but Regan Booty can end up being an extremely versatile backup if you develop him right. He has previous experience as a left-winger and now plays as a defensive midfielder, but can be sucessfully re-trained as a left-back too! You also have Joel Coleman, who can feature from the off and possibly develop into a solid backup. Under-18 Squad Jordan Williams looks like he could be good in the future. At the moment he's a right-back who can double as a centre-back, but he also has the potential to make a good Deep-Lying Playmaker if you're in need of those. There's not much potential here overall, which is worrying considering your board will expect you to develop players from here and give youth a chance. Players On Loan You're going to have your work cut out at the end of the season, because there's a lot of talent here. Jason Davidson could potentially be the new backup to Chris Löwe, providing he puts in good performances throughout the season. Kyle Dempsey and Jordy Hiwula could possibly be future first-team players if developed properly, although Jordy has sadly been downgraded since last year. Transfers You'll have just £1m to improve your squad. You can definitely get away without a first window budget, but if you do take the money then you'll probably want to spend it on a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box midfielder or a striker. With Jason Davidson returning at the end of the season, you shouldn't need another left-back, but Dead Whitehead won't be at the same level for long and it's important that you find a replacement. In case you want to sort the first-team goalkeeper situation immediately, consider Jakob Haugaard from Stoke. You'll find he's transfer-listed at the start of the game and can be purchased for just £325k, which is fantastic value considering his ability. I would recommend giving Tareiq Holmes-Dennis a try first, but if you really want to add depth to your defence from the off, you can purchase Joe Mattock from Rotherham for around £500k. He's a solid option and has always been very reliable when called upon. Alternatively, you can sign Lee Wallace from Rangers for just £400k. What a bargain! Another player I signed last year, he was intended to be a rotational player alongside Jason Davidson but ended up surpassing him entirely - and no wonder, look at those stats! The defensive midfielder I chose to sign was Diego Poyet. I desperately wanted to add more German talent to the squad, but I couldn't ignore the fact that he can start playing there immediately, he still has time to develop, and he's absolutely free. Finally, I brought in a third striker. There's plenty of options here, so I'll include all of them. At first, I wanted Billy Sharp. When I've been taking Huddersfield to Champions League glory with just home-grown players in the past, he's the striker I usually sign to replace Nahki Wells. This season however, Sheffield wanted me to part with the entirety of my £1 million transfer budget, so I had to pass. Eventually I settled on my old Manchester United prospect, Federico Macheda. This guy has had so many chances to prove that he can still live up to the potential we once expected of him, but I felt I could be the one to bring him back to the Premier League once more. In case you don't have as much faith in Federico as I have, you can also get Luciano Becchio on a free transfer. He's more of a deep-lying forward and therefore should work well alongside either of your existing strikers, providing a solid backup option despite the fact that he isn't getting any younger. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanOly Posted December 3, 2016 Author Share Posted December 3, 2016 Tactics [Coming soon] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted December 3, 2016 Share Posted December 3, 2016 @BanOly Excellent guide, you've done a really good job. I used to always manage them when Rhodes, Novak, Pilkington and Roberts were there under Lee Clark. It's a nice club, with lots of history combined with this new German vibe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
xantheose Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 On 12/3/2016 at 23:03, BanOly said: Tactics [Coming soon] Anything? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevio11 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Not playing as Huddersfield but the good news is in my game in the 2018/19 season Huddersfield are in the EPL but battling agansit relegation, I got offered the job but refused as My Middlesboro team are top of the championship ( sorry terriers fans ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
xantheose Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 I'm very tempted in a Huddersfield career, but I have not much knowledge how to play, as the tactic I usually employ (high pressing) require lots of work rate and team work and Huddersfield players are not exactly gifted in this area. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gungner Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 You've made me want to start a save with Huddersfield! I love playing in the Championship or the League One, having had some really good saves in the past. But I have never tried Huddersfield... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanOly Posted January 26, 2017 Author Share Posted January 26, 2017 @xantheose I try to leave my tactical sections until I start playing as the club myself. This got left for a while because while I did start a new save as Huddersfield, I ended up abandoning it quite early due to falling in love with my ongoing Bayer Leverkusen save as always, I encourage people to share their tactical experiences with the club in order to help this section be more varied and not just the same type of play that I tend to use for all the clubs I manage. Huddersfield are a very hard-working club, they just lack determination (i.e. they don't fight so hard when they go a goal down, especially away from home). Having used a high-pressing style of play myself, I would say that the club is only a good signing or two away from being largely successful with that style of play. This might be, however, because I have more experience with the high press than yourself, having developed most of my tactical knowledge and experience from Germany, where the high press is favoured by clubs such as Leverkusen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armistice Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 On 26 ianuarie 2017 at 09:47, BanOly said: @xantheose I try to leave my tactical sections until I start playing as the club myself. This got left for a while because while I did start a new save as Huddersfield, I ended up abandoning it quite early due to falling in love with my ongoing Bayer Leverkusen save as always, I encourage people to share their tactical experiences with the club in order to help this section be more varied and not just the same type of play that I tend to use for all the clubs I manage. Huddersfield are a very hard-working club, they just lack determination (i.e. they don't fight so hard when they go a goal down, especially away from home). Having used a high-pressing style of play myself, I would say that the club is only a good signing or two away from being largely successful with that style of play. This might be, however, because I have more experience with the high press than yourself, having developed most of my tactical knowledge and experience from Germany, where the high press is favoured by clubs such as Leverkusen. I'm not sure that's quite like it, their CBs lack pace and some of the attacking players lack teamwork and work rate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanOly Posted February 27, 2017 Author Share Posted February 27, 2017 @nightwalker22 Well yes, I did say "a signing or two away" They don't lack anything that can't be developed, and being a young squad this should be easy enough for you to achieve. If I can gain success with the high press then I'm sure you can manage it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntHolroyd Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 My dad was born in Huddersfield, so immediately I had a connection to this club. I am in December of my first season with the club opting to a 4321. The back four picks itself really with the options there are, however I do find the rb spot to be quite controversial. I haven't got much trust in my backup rb's and I've ended up moving Schindler to rb and bring Hefele into the cb, especially in hight games due to Hefele's aerial presence. Löwe has probably been the best player for me so far in the season. In the midfield I normally have Hogg as a ball winning midfielder, playing Mooy and Payne ahead of them. I find Payne can be quite inconsistent but I guess thats just an age related thing. My wingers have done reasonably well Lolley and Bunn have been very consistent for me on the left while I've been trying to find some consistency from Scannell and Van la Parra. Upfront, I've had some problems. Lack of goals from Wells and Kachunga. Kachunga has probably been the better player so far. I made 3 transfers, brought in Poyet and Oscar(Spanish AM) on frees and loanee from stoke. Sitting around 15th position in the league due mainly to a poor start, but results are picking up and I think the season is still early enough to get a top half/promotion place finish! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Nice to hear your approach. I'm amazed you don't use Smith at right-back though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntHolroyd Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 19 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said: Nice to hear your approach. I'm amazed you don't use Smith at right-back though! Smith is the first choice right back, I was just speaking about when I do have to replace Smith for whatever reason. I then move Schindler to the right back position. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 Sorry, I understand now. A great club to manage this year though, I will follow the progress of all HTFC managers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armistice Posted April 9, 2017 Share Posted April 9, 2017 Will get a save started soon, got to get used with the players first. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dokara Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 Started my unemployed save couple of weeks ago. My career began at Dover, whom i managed for nearly 2 years. Won promotion to L2 in first season, was cruising towards second promotion in two years then i noticed that Huddersfield was without manager, rock bottom in CH, 6 games before season end. Applied for job as a joke, didn't actually think they would call me for interview. And they did. Then the job offer came. Of course, it was one i could not say no to. Managed to keep them in Championship after a series of good results, 4 wins in last 5 games. Now, my first full season in charge, we're on the way to PL. Got in a few nice new players and we currently sit at no.1 place in league. But the true hero of our campaign so far is Nahki Wells. Bloody brilliant player. Had a bad start of the season, but when he got used to the partnership with James Wilson, goals just keeps coming. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armistice Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 Just started the save with Huddersfield, I will let you know how it goes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chef Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 nightwalker22 :- so how is your game going ? or have you given up on it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armistice Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 23 hours ago, chef said: nightwalker22 :- so how is your game going ? or have you given up on it. It's on hold as I am enjoying a League Two save at the moment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chef Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 ok its just that I have started as them and was trying to get a few pointers on who to get and sell Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armistice Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 On 27 iunie 2017 at 17:26, chef said: ok its just that I have started as them and was trying to get a few pointers on who to get and sell Hmm I have toyed with their squad a bit before and I could say they've got a good starting team, you don't need much, maybe a back-up or two, down the left back position and maybe another playmaker to have if Mooy gets injured. Their CBs are rather slowish if you want to play a high line, so you might want to add there another player. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chef Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 yes the team looks good looking to play 4-1-2-2-1 fast wingers to get the crosses in for my striker Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mowie666 Posted July 29, 2017 Share Posted July 29, 2017 Having a great first season with Hudd.. Currently in 3rd. I basically just played the top 10 players in their most comfortable position and go with Attacking mentality against poor teams and Control or defensive against poor teams. Nakhi wells seems to be my only goal scorer threat most of time. My defense has been superb and Danny Ward has been top notch. Looking for what people have had luck with 'Instructions' Wise. Also I feel very very weak on free kicks and corners. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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