The Terriers gaffer felt he was forced by circumstances outside his or the club’s control to do things a certain way over his first few weeks in the job but is seeing good signs.
Darren Moore, the manager of the Terriers, acknowledges that his first few days at John Smith’s Stadium were a “whirlwind,” but he believes he and his coaching staff are now in a position to start getting more consistency out of a team that they are getting to know better every day.
Following Neil Warnock’s departure in September, the Huddersfield Town manager took over and immediately sent the team into a demanding schedule that included four games in just twelve days. After the international break, Town played three more games in eight days.
Moore had to face up to criticism after heavy losses to Birmingham, Cardiff, and Leeds United, who each put four goals past Town, but an injury-ravaged side were able to carve out a good goalless draw against Watford with a far more disciplined performance on Saturday afternoon.
Speaking at a Town Foundation event at St Thomas Primary School in Bradley, Moore told us: “I feel like it’s just starting to settle down now. Coming in, it was a real whirlwind with four games straight away, but I’m just feeling settled down now and like we’re getting our bearings.
“We’re getting an understanding of the dynamics of the football club and trying to fit in with that, really, and then go from there, because every club is different – but once you’ve picked it up you slot in and go from there.
“You pick up the dynamics of the team as well, and there’s certain things you want to do from the off as a manager, but there’s certain things you’re forced into having to do to get it to the level you want to go to, where you feel you can start to have that real impact. I’m working towards that.
“But it’s been excellent, and the players have been excellent. Hopefully, as the weeks pass, we’ll have one or two players returning from the treatment table so we can really get to work putting it into practice. However, at this point, it’s all about being flexible with what’s required right now, and my staff and I have been doing just that.
We return to work this week. We’re going to keep working and constructing. We’ll have one or two players back—Hoggy’s ban has obviously ended—and I’m always appreciative of having a whole week to focus on both in- and out-of-possession team operations.
“I thought on Saturday if I had one small critique, it was in possession of the ball, but that’s because I wanted to focus on elements off the ball, so maybe this week it’s a bit more about getting the ball at our feet and working on where we need to use it better.”
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