Phil Brown delivers verdict on Huddersfield Town major decision | OneFootball

Mark Fotheringham was appointed the new head coach of Huddersfield Town on a three-year deal on Wednesday.

The Terriers have put their neck on the line and brought in another rookie manager with the club sat 23rd in the Championship table.

The Scottish coach is best known outside of his playing career for assistant manager and other coaching roles in Germany with Karlsruher, Ingolstadt and most recently Hertha Berlin.

The Terriers came agonisingly close to promotion to the Premier League last term, but it is important that expectations are re-aligned given the way that they conducted themselves in the summer transfer window and the start to the season they have made.

Phil Brown offered a measured and honest opinion on the appointment and what Fotheringham’s short term aims should be when he appeared on The Official EFL Podcast.

He said: “First and foremost he’s got to get Huddersfield away from the relegation zone, and how do you do that immediately with the squad that you’ve got?

“Windows have closed, you’ve now got the squad that you’ve got to work with, the board and the owners rate the squad that they’re working with and they’ve given him an opportunity to try and steady the ship.

“Will there be some kind of challenge this year to get into the play-offs?

“You can’t put a manager, who’s just inherited a club who’s second bottom, in that situation straight away, if they’ve got any sense, and I know they will have, it will be a case of survival this year, safety, steady the ship and then push on next year.

“If something happens this year that’s all well and good, well played Mark, but it’s a precarious position to say the least.”

The proof will be in the pudding in the coming months as Fotheringham attempts to channel the spirit of 2021/22 at the John Smith’s Stadium.

The Verdict

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Ashton Gate?

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The Terriers are the favourites with the bookmakers to suffer relegation this season, and the uncertainty around the appointment of Fotheringham will have only increased concerns amongst the supporter base.

The hierarchy at the club have a very clear long term view, and therefore they were never going to bring in someone with a strong background in short term stints at clubs, simply to lift them out of the relegation zone.

Appointing Fotheringham suggests that the boardroom are comfortable accepting a short term struggle, and potentially even increasing the risk of relegation, to bring in an exciting up and coming coach who could have them in a better position in two or three years time.