Having sacked Mark Fotheringham, the Terriers are on the search for their next manager. Again.
Huddersfield Town search for next manager
After failing to get Huddersfield Town out of the relegation zone, Fotheringham was relieved of his duties. Interim head coach Narcís Pèlachis will try and do just that. Pelachis had offers in the summer when Carlos Corberan left after the play off final, but the Spaniard told the press today that he wanted to stay, that he had unfinished business.
Now it’s Interim Head Coach Narcis Pelach:
“After what happened in May, I could not leave this club. My heart told me to stay, even when I had the option to leave.
“I want to help the club and everyone to improve the situation.”#htafc
— Huddersfield Town (@htafc) February 10, 2023
At this stage, it is unclear if the Spaniard wants the job permanently, but he went on to say that he would like to be a head coach in the future. Will the Terriers make that happen sooner rather than later?
No one at this stage knows, but if Pelach can get some points and wins under his belt, it is a possibility.
Who are the other contenders?
That is a little difficult to answer at this stage, as the Terriers tend to go with “unknowns” or certainly have a history of doing so. Take a certain David Wagner. Huddersfield Town brought him in, and no one knew who he was at that time. Everyone knows what happened next. It very nearly repeated itself when Corberan took charge.
If money was no object, then the club could go for someone like Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp etc. However, this is Huddersfield Town, a Yorkshire Club, in the Championship. So, we can discount these names straight off the boot as as they don’t have the money for these managers.
The bookies, as per usual, have their suggestions. Leading the way is Chris Wilder. The former Middlesbrough manager has plenty of experience in the Championship and could do a good job for the Yorkshire side. Could the Terriers afford the wages Wilder would ask for, or, more importantly, be willing to pay.
To get the Terriers out of their hole, Neil Warnock could make a return. Another former Middlesbrough manager, Warnock managed the Terriers back from 1993 to 1995 and was quite a success. Could he repeat that? Would he want a return?
Danny Cowley is also on the list. This appointment would be unlikely, given that he has recent history with the club. Cowley has been linked to the Aberdeen job. Wilder has also been linked to the Scottish club. As both cannot get the appointment, would the unsuccessful candidate consider the Terriers? Would the Yorkshire side welcome a “cast off”?
An outside shout would be Leam Richardson. Harshly done by Wigan, the 43-year-old could certainly work well with the young players that the Terriers have in. The Huddersfield also has the budget for Richardson. It would be an interesting development as Richardson most recently coached Wigan, who the Terriers play next.
Huddersfield Town need to get this appointment right. It needs to work, the fans need it to work, the players need it to work. Huddersfield Town need it to work to avoid relegation as the first target. Dropping to League One after being a game away from the Premier League last season would be an incredible disaster for the Terriers. Time is ticking.