This Northern Soul asked six of our best to Greg from Huddersfield Town website and podcast Thrice Champions in advance of our game there tonight.
Your website pays tribute to an almost unheard of era where a team from a medium sized town actually won the title of the top division of English football for three consecutive years. How on earth did they manage that? Is there ever any chance of it happening again? And is it OK to still bang on about it? (Asking on behalf of a recent FA Cup Winner here)
As with anything a bit of luck and the influence of Herbert Chapman won us those titles back in the 1920’s. It’s no coincidence that Chapman would go onto great success with Arsenal after leaving Huddersfield in 1925.
Sadly there isn’t much chance of clubs like ourselves or Portsmouth who have frequently been called ‘sleeping giants’ ever achieving such feats again due to the money in football. The Premier League is quite simply ruining english football and until the FA take control of it and distribute the money raised throughout the game not only will our national squad suffer, but so will clubs who don’t have the backing of a billionaire.
And of course it’s still good to bang on about it. Clubs like QPR may be able to buy a team but they can’t buy history.
And what are your ambitions for the current season, indeed the next few years? Presumably you’ll been aiming for something a little more modest?
This season as it stands it’s just to progress a little further up the league table but that looks less likely due to the division being even stronger and the clubs coming down from the Premier League having even more parachute payments.
Over the next few years I’d quite happily like to see Huddersfield plod along in the Championship with the odd cup run and play-off push. Just eleven years ago we nearly didn’t have a club to support so unlike some I’m happy with steady progress on and off the field.
Tell us what you love best about Huddersfield Town and what makes your club unique?
I suppose the history of the club and the fact we’ve done so many firsts. First side to win the title three years on the bounce, first side with floodlights, first to score six and lose a game and the first side to miss the first three penalties in a shoot-out and win.And they’re just the highlights!
We don’t do anything the easy way.
You’ve been at The McAlpine/Galpharm/John Smith Stadium for 20 years now. Does it feel like home or you do you still hark back to Leeds Road.
The older generation still enjoy tales of Leeds Road and the cowshed but for someone like me the majority of my life Town have played at the new stadium. So for me and I’d suggest most under 30’s it’s home and always has been but it’s always nice to hear a tale from Leeds Road.
You may or may not have noticed but there is another Wigan v Huddersfield fixture this week. What’s the relationship like between Huddersfield Town and the Giants? Do people generally support both?
Some support both, a lot don’t. There is quite a bit of animosity between the two clubs due to our former owner Ken Davy, who still precides over the Giants. He took our share of the stadium for just two pounds and said “I’ve moved the shares to protect them until the club is stable” when in truth he took them to protect his investment in the club.
It may not be illegal but it was very immoral and in truth he saved the football club because without it the stadium would be impossible for the Giants to pay for. Thus a huge divide between the two clubs which has never really gone.
Also because we draw in fans from areas such as Wakefield, Brighouse, Halifax etc many Town fans support other RL clubs.
I don’t know if you’ve heard but we like a pie in Wigan. What’s your preferred pastry recommendation at the ground or indeed, from the general Huddersfield area?
We in this part of the world love a pork pie. So if you come over Andrew Jones’ pork pie with chilli jam is lovely. Otherwise I’d recommend Barrington’s jerk pork pie. Barringtons is a 2 minute walk from the train station, lovely.
And finally a score prediction?
1-1. We’re improving defensively but Powell seems stuck with the idea of playing 4-4-2 which doesn’t quite suit our squad.
Many thanks to Greg @HTAFCpodcast from the Thrice Champions website & podcast for the interview. Please give it a visit here: http://www.thricechampions.co.uk
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