Town’s new boss speaks to BBC Radio Leeds
New Huddersfield Town Manager Chris Powell has admitted that he can’t wait for his first game in charge of the team at home to Middlesbrough on Saturday.
The Town boss, who has been taking training at PPG Canalside in preparation for his John Smith’s Stadium debut this weekend, is eagerly anticipating the 3pm kick-off, which he told BBC Radio Leeds on Tuesday evening.
“I’m looking forward to the Middlesbrough game. I’m really excited by what lies ahead. There will be ups and downs as there are in football, but hopefully there will be a few more ups than downs!
“It’s still a ‘getting to know you’ scenario for me really, but everyone has been really welcoming; the people around the football club, training ground and most importantly the players.
“What we’re looking at now is how we can improve on the pitch for Huddersfield Town and the boys have been really receptive – they’ve trained well and I’ve been really impressed by them. It’s a shame they don’t have the points they deserve from the first five games, but we’re moving forward now.
“I’m looking at the players and they’re looking at me; they are asking questions and I’ve got to answer them. That’s the same for the supporters as well and I totally understand that’s what the job entails.
“What is good is that the players want to learn and want to get better. We have some young, hungry players and they have to play under pressure, but I’ll ask them to play with no fear and express themselves – we can’t regret things when the final whistle blows.
“My ethos has always been to go out there and express yourself in the best way you can and to play with an intensity, which I demand. I know they can do that. The Championship is a very tough league – you can never quite call what is going to happen on any given Saturday – and we have to be ready to give our best in every game.
“I’ve watched the Watford game and we played really well, but in the Championship you make one mistake and you’ve lost. We have to be on our mettle and concentrate at all times and, from what I’ve seen so far, I know we can do that.
“I want a clean sheet. I’ve noticed straight away that we haven’t kept one and if you can do that in a game, it guarantees you a point or three. That’s a big starting point for me and the squad at the moment.
“We have two home games and then a big away game, which will take some physical and mental strength from all the players. We need to be ready to do ourselves justice.
“I have to produce a team that is worthy of Huddersfield Town.”
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