Ross Wilson joins in new role at Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town has today appointed Ross Wilson in an important new role as the Club’s Head of Football Operations.
Wilson, 30, is highly regarded in football circles for his work in English football with Watford and north of the border with Falkirk.
He spent over seven years at Falkirk, during which time the Bairns enjoyed five years in the Scottish Premier League and qualified for the UEFA Cup whilst gaining a reputation for having one of the most productive Academies in the country – with Town players Scott Arfield and Murray Wallace both graduating during his tenure. He was also instrumental in developing its Academy facilities as well as the Club’s recruitment structure.
He left Falkirk to join Championship Watford in May 2011 to team up with manager Malky Mackay ahead of Sean Dyche’s subsequent appointment just one month later. The Hornets went onto achieve their best League position for four seasons, but Ross departed Vicarage Road in August 2012 following their takeover.
Huddersfield Town’s Chief Executive Nigel Clibbens believes that Ross’ appointment and role is a vital component in the Club’s development moving forward:
“Ross’ role is a new one for the Club as we embark upon new challenges in the npower Championship.
“We aim to be leaders in our approach to Football Operations – this covers elements such as our recruitment process, from under-8 to senior level; Sports Science; medical and analysis. These all have a critical role to play in making a difference to the Club and its success.
“As a Club, we pride ourselves on being forward-thinking in how we embrace best practise and Ross’ appointment is a further step down this road. This role had been planned long before Simon Grayson’s appointment, but has only been made possible by our promotion.
“This is a continuation in the integration of our approach to the First Team and Academy setups, which has been on-going for some time with the developments in the infrastructure of Canalside Sports Complex, the Elite Player Performance Plan and staff recruitment. Ross will ensure we have a totally joined-up and consistent approach across all elements of our Football Operations.
“Ross, working closely with Simon Grayson, Steve Eyre, Mark Lillis and their technical staff, will be responsible for the implementation of the Club’s projects in all these areas. There is a lot to do, starting with a revamp of our recruitment and scouting process and improving our football analysis system as a priority.
“As you would expect we had a lot of interest for this role, but Ross has a fantastic reputation already for his work within football and his availability due to Watford’s recent restructuring made this a fantastic opportunity for us.
“Ross is young and ambitious with lots of drive and his track record in managing and implementing what we have planned is already there to see.”
Town’s First Team Manager Simon Grayson today welcomed Ross to the Club:
“It’s good that the football club has seen the long-term vision of what we’re trying to achieve in terms of further forging links between the First Team and the Academy. Dean (Hoyle), Nigel (Clibbens) and I want to build success for this Club in the long-term and this role helps in that ambition.
“This system works well at a lot of football clubs and I’m delighted to have Ross working with us. The best part of the work I do happens on the grass – I like coaching the players and the match day situations. As a manager you have to accept that there are a lot of phone calls to agents and Ross will come in and take that burden from me – he’s here to help me out in many ways.
“As a manager you need to trust the person in this position as they will be working closely with you, the Board and the Chairman and we feel that Ross is the right man for the role. It’s a demanding job in the Championship and beyond and it’s great that he is coming on board.”
A full interview with Ross Wilson will follow next week on htafc.com!
