Huddersfield Town will hope that Swansea City managerial repeat is avoided: View | OneFootball

Michael Duff's time as Swansea City manager didn't go as planned, he'll be hoping for better at Huddersfield Town

Michael Duff will manage his first competitive game since December 2023 when his Huddersfield Town side travel to Peterborough United on Saturday.

Duff's last game in management was, ironically, against Huddersfield Town on the 2nd December, and a 1-1 draw with the Terriers saw him sacked by Swansea City after just a couple of months in charge.

The Northern Irish man's spell as Swansea boss didn't go as planned, and he never really won over the vast majority of Swansea fans, with the club opting to go in a different direction with the appointment of Luke Williams.

Duff's managerial career had been on an upward trajectory until taking over at Swansea, and his opening months at Huddersfield will give us an indication of whether he's been able to put his disappointing spell in south Wales behind him.

Huddersfield Town will hope to avoid Michael Duff Swansea City repeat

When Duff joined Swansea in the summer of 2023, he was regarded as one of the most highly-rated managers in the EFL following spells with Cheltenham Town and Barnsley.

He'd won promotion to League One with the Gloucestershire outfit before consolidating their position in the third tier, doing enough to earn a move to Barnsley.

Duff had seen his stock rise at Oakwell, too, leading the club to the play-off final against Sheffield Wednesday, and despite being down to ten men for a large portion of the game, his side were arguably the better side despite losing 1-0 in heartbreaking circumstances.

Swansea had seen enough to appoint Duff, but things never really clicked for the Northern Irish man in south Wales, and he won just five league games before being sacked in early December.

Duff's career had been on an upward trajectory prior to moving to Swansea, and his sacking there meant he's had to drop to League One for his next job.

Huddersfield fans will hope that his spell at Swansea was just a minor blip and that he can get his career back on track at the John Smith's Stadium.

Given the events at Swansea, Duff should have a point to prove at Huddersfield, and everyone at the Terriers will be hoping he's able to put the disappointment of his time in south Wales behind him.

Michael Duff looks an excellent appointment for Huddersfield Town

One of the main reasons why it didn't work out for Duff at Swansea was that his style of football was different to the brand of football that Russell Martin played, and some fans weren't too happy about this change in style.

By no means is Duff's brand of football boring or old school, but it was different to Martin's extreme possession-based style of play, and was a move away from "The Swansea Way", which fans had become accustomed to.

Huddersfield fans won't have the same demands of how to play, and this should allow Duff to thrive at the John Smith's Stadium.

The Northern Irish man had a tough start at Swansea, but that may have been down to the fact they made 13 new signings, and it took a long while for some of them to settle in. When it clicked for Duff in SA1, the Swans played some nice stuff, and a four-game winning streak during September and October showed what he's capable of as a manager.

It would have been interesting to see what he was capable of at Swansea with more time, but it wasn't to be, and he'll be in the dugout at the John Smith's Stadium instead this season.

It's fair to say that Barnsley are a more similar club to Huddersfield than Swansea are, and he did well there, so it should give fans optimism that he'll deliver results for the Terriers.

Duff's time at Swansea didn't go as planned, but that shouldn't define him, and at a club like Huddersfield who he is probably better suited to, it would be a surprise if he wasn't a success.