Huddersfield Town were the first team to be relegated from the Premier League this season. The Terriers need to re-group, re-stock and go again in the Championship.
Having had two seasons in the top flight of English football, Huddersfield now face the task of trying to bounce straight back. This will not be easy for the Yorkshire club. Being the club with one of the smallest budgets in the Premier League, if not the smallest, has been tricky.
Lack of goal scoring was the major problem that caused the relegation back to the EFL Championship. Although spending does not guarantee survival in the Premier League, as can be attested to by Fulham. The Terriers have never overspent. Having been close to folding back in 2003, Huddersfield Town do not want to go back down that route.
For next season, The Terriers will aim to stabilise. It is certain that some of the current first-team squad will leave in the summer transfer window. Jan Siewert will need to bring in players to rebuild the squad, but it will need to be done on their budget.
History Will Not Repeat
One thing else is certain. History cannot and will not repeat for Huddersfield. For those who have been fans of the club for a very long time remember well the last time Town dropped from the top flight.
The 1971/72 season saw the Terriers relegated from the top flight, finishing bottom of the league. The following season was no better with Huddersfield finishing at the wrong end of the table. Relegation to the third division was the inevitable result. After finishing in the top 10 the following season, it didn’t last long.
Relegation to the fourth and bottom division followed the season after. It took another five seasons before promotion back up. Floating around the second and third divisions followed.
A foray of six years in the first division from 1995 – 2001, followed by a brief drop back. 2004 – 2012 saw the Terriers in League One before clawing their way into the Championship.
Miracle Season
Four seasons floating around the bottom end of the Championship and courting with relegation, but surviving looked to be the way for the Terriers. Until an unknown German was appointed as head coach.
David Wagner is seen as fans as a legend, a miracle worker and by some as God. Delivering Huddersfield Town to the Premier League had been the goal when Wagner was appointed. Nobody realistically saw this happening so soon. The team lasted two years in the top flight, before relegation.
This is now where the history stops. The Terriers won’t want to repeat the free-fall. Without overspending, they will steady the ship. Settling for mid-Championship for the next couple of seasons.
Growing the squad, getting stronger and finding the back of the net will be the aim for next season. Finishing mid table is the aim. The bounce-back to the Premier League would be another amazing achievement.
Realistically, The Terriers will look to secure their future. Building state of the art facilities to attract players might seem a wild thing for a non-Premier League club. However, The Terriers are looking to the future. This future holds an eventual return to the top flight, but with the return not taking as long as the last.
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