Michael Duff has been appointed manager of Huddersfield Town, which might be a blow to his previous club Barnsley. Andre Breitenreiter’s brief tenure as Terriers manager has come to an end, and Huddersfield have chosen Michael Duff.
On the surface, it appears to be a very savvy move, and Duff will have a lot to prove after a poor tenure at Swansea City, when he was fired after only a few months.
According to Alan Nixon, Huddersfield weren’t the only team interested in the ex-Burnley defender, and they fought off League One rivals Barnsley, providing a significant boost to the Terriers’ hopes of returning to the Championship right away.
Barnsley may have suffered an early promotion blow
Michael Duff joining Huddersfield Town instead of Barnsley might be a huge blow to the Tykes’ promotion hopes, as Duff has demonstrated in the past that he can get a side at this level vying for promotion.
Duff was Barnsley’s manager during the 2022/23 season, the season after the club was relegated, a position similar to Huddersfield’s today, and he led the Tykes to the play-offs, losing the final in sad circumstances in extra time to Sheffield Wednesday. In all honesty, that game could have gone either way, and Barnsley’s red card didn’t help, but they still had a chance to win.
Huddersfield should be targeting automatic promotion next season
However, this demonstrates that Duff is a great manager at this level, and Barnsley’s failure to sign him
Their chances of promotion have taken a significant hit. Barnsley declined this season under Neill Collins, so much so that manager was fired before the play-offs began, and even if Barnsley fans carry a grudge against Duff for how he departed for Swansea, they’d have been overjoyed if he returned.
Instead, Barnsley will have to restart their search for a new boss.
Getting a management appointment in place early, like Huddersfield has done, is the ideal way to kick off the summer because it allows the new manager to put his own stamp on things while also giving time to prepare for the transfer window.
Barnsley will be hurting themselves for missing out, and they will want to make a managerial decision soon.
Huddersfield should be aiming for automatic promotion next season. Huddersfield supporters should be hopeful about the next season now that a competent League One manager has been appointed so early.
Of course, no one would have wished to be relegated to the third tier, but it provides an opportunity to replenish and rebuild.
With plenty of time to stamp his own style of play, as well as shape the team to eliminate all of the deadwood and bring in the players he wants, there’s no reason why Duff and Huddersfield shouldn’t be aiming for automatic promotion.
Duff will feel like he has unfinished business in League One after missing out on the play-offs last season, and his failed spell at Swansea will serve as motivation to prove people wrong this season.
Huddersfield are one of the division’s largest clubs, and with Duff at the helm, they might be a very appealing option to join this summer.
With this in mind, it is not surprising to see the Terriers competing at the top of the League One standings next season.
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