Midfielder enjoying work under Wagner
- Jonathan Hogg reviews win over Rotherham
- Midfielder enjoying life under David Wagner
- Hoggy wants to help Terriers move up the league ladder
Jonathan Hogg believes the squad’s improved fitness under Head Coach David Wagner should stand the players in good stead for the busy festive period.
The midfielder started his second successive game on Tuesday night in the absence of the injured Dean Whitehead and enjoyed an excellent second half as the Terriers defeated Rotherham United 2-0.
Speaking after the final whistle, the combative Hogg told htafc.com that it was important to stop the run of four successive home defeats.
“It was nice to get a home win, to be honest with you. We had four defeats on the spin here, which was not like us. We need to make it a bit of a fortress.
“Rotherham had to throw the kitchen sink at us in the second half, but I thought we dealt with it quite well; they really didn’t have a big chance, even though the kid hit the post from the free kick. Compared to that, we had a lot more chances to win the game.”
Head Coach Wagner has taken charge of five games now and Jonathan believes the team’s performances will only get better as they become accustomed to the German’s signature style.
He continued: “We’re getting the Head Coach’s ideas now on the style he wants us to play, so I’m hoping that we keep improving at home.
“It’s good because you get a lot of the ball and when you lose it up the field, the team is tasked with getting it back within five or six seconds. Hopefully we can get more balls in the box and score more goals.
“It’s totally different to what I’ve been used to – he’s changed everything from the time of training to double sessions twice a week and being in on Sundays – but the Head Coach has certainly put his points across over five or six weeks now and I think we’re gradually getting there.
“The tempo and pace of training and the distance we cover has gone up dramatically. The more we do it, the better we’ll get as a team.”
Despite a succession of impressive performances, the former Watford player is keen to secure the accompanying results that will see the Club move up the Sky Bet Championship table, where it currently sits 19th.
“We’ve got to fight, because we’re not at the right end of the table. We know that we need to be much higher and we’re going to try and do something about it.
“Christmas is always massive as the games come thick and fast – it’s a busy time – but I think that the work we are putting in will only stand us in good stead. We’ve got some decent fixtures and it should be a good period for us.”
