After a 2-2 draw, Wednesday night’s tearjerker against Stoke City seemingly marked the end of an era for both Neil Warnock and Huddersfield Town. With Darren Moore confirmed to become the next manager, where do the Terriers go from here, and can they do enough to survive in the Championship without the division’s ‘expert’ at the helm anymore?
Warnock showed his true class and veteran nature last season when he managed to keep Huddersfield in the EFL Championship after a tumultuous season, and whilst they're faring slightly better than they were just one year ago, the Yorkshire based side look a far way off replicating their play-off final form and solidity that we saw the season prior.
Huddersfield's only league defeats this season have come courtesy of sides within the top half of the table (Plymouth Argyle, Leicester and Norwich) and could realistically survive and push further into the comfort of mid-table if the likes of Watford, Southampton, Middlesbrough and Stoke continue to underperform according to their pre-season expectations.
Former Sheffield Wednesday and West Brom manager Darren Moore is an exciting acquisition for Huddersfield however. Often tipped to be the manager who can elevate clubs further and further up the division not too different to his predecessor Warnock, but after arguably having his legs cut out from under him by both aforementioned clubs, Moore may take solace that he's the main man picked to bring some stability to the Huddersfield job, where he'll likely be given the time to make things flourish, after a rough period of four different managers in just over a year.
Read more: How The HL Division Sport Team Predicts The 2023/24 EFL Championship Season Will Unfold
✍️ We’re delighted to welcome Darren Moore to Huddersfield Town as our new Manager!
— Huddersfield Town (@htafc) September 21, 2023
🗣️ Comments from CEO Jake Edwards and Sporting Director Mark Cartwright ⤵️
Welcome to the Terriers, Darren 👋#htafc
The backing of the Huddersfield hierarchy will also be particularly calming for both Moore and supporters alike: Chief Executive Jake Edwards stated after the 47-year-old's appointment that "He (Moore) has gone into clubs and revolutionised cultures into winning ones on the back of real challenges like relegation."
Reflecting on his experience as a football league manager, Edwards added "He turned things around at West Bromwich Albion and Doncaster Rovers to make them into promotion contenders and steered Sheffield Wednesday back into the Championship last season."
Monday night's fixture away at the CBS Arena against Coventry will set the tone for Moore's tenure versus a side who, like Huddersfield, came within minutes of reaching the Premiership but have tumbled down the table after losing their best player. As proficient in their attack as they are leaky in their defence, it's a tough ask for Moore to secure all 3 points against the Sky Blues. But with Huddersfield already out of the Carabao Cup (after a tense 2-3 loss to Middlesbrough) and with still some time until the FA Cup kicks off properly, the Championship is thankfully Moore and Huddersfield's sole focus.
Ultimately, Huddersfield entered the 2023/24 season as a firm favourite to remain in the lower third of the table in the eyes of fans, pundits and bookies, with survival expected but by no means a certainty. Moore's revolutionised clubs and their cultures before, can he do it again for the fourth time for the Terriers?
By Jaspar Shepherdson
(@jasparshepmedia on Instagram and Twitter)
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