Huddersfield Town’s five-year stay in the Championship came to an end over the weekend
Jobi McAnuff, a Sky Sports pundit, has strongly lambasted Andre Breitenreiter and Huddersfield Town’s hierarchy following the club’s relegation from the Championship.
The Terriers’ five-year run in the second division came to an end on Saturday, when they were relegated following a 2-0 defeat at Ipswich Town.
The Terriers will compete in League One for the first time since 2012, following a two-year run in the Premier League from 2017 to 2019.
In his pre-match press conference, Breitenreiter discussed Town’s “big problems” this season, despite the fact that their relegation was almost certain. However, former Crystal Palace, Watford, and Reading winger McAnuff was displeased with what the Terriers’ manager had to say.
“I’ve been absolutely amazed by some of his comments, I’ve got to say,” McAnuff said in the lead-up to Saturday’s encounter at Portman Road, which was aired on Sky Sports.
“There may have been some problems for him, but when he came through that door, he knew what he needed to do to turn things around.
“There were some early indications that he might be able to achieve it, [but] it simply reeks of someone saying, ‘Look, this has nothing to do with me’. He has separated himself.
“Pre-season wasn’t right, players aren’t fit enough, every excuse under the sun, they’re not together, and ultimately, you as a manager walking in, you have to go and find a way to make things right.”
“You look at Danny Rohl at Sheffield Wednesday, a prime example of someone in a similar situation – mess, goes in, and just does absolutely brilliantly.”
McAnuff continued to criticise after the game. He stated: “He doesn’t appear to be the man who will be there next season based on what he’s done this week and that post-match [interview].” If I’m the owner viewing it, I’ve have to ask some serious questions.
“I believe we’ve talked a lot today about how well run Ipswich Town is and the eventual result (promotion to the Premier League). Turn that on its head and see how poorly managed Huddersfield Town has been.
“Even going back to Neil Warnock, fair enough, keeps them up.” Make that decision if he is not the right man for you.
“We discussed emotional decisions; who is going to lead us forward? They let that rumble on, then Darren Moore comes in, which doesn’t go well, and then you bring in Breitenreiter, who clearly hasn’t been the appropriate man for the job.
“Poor recruitment and alignment, talk about it being exactly opposite here (at Ipswich Town). I believe you have one extreme success and one absolute failure.”
However, ex-Watford and Birmingham City forward and fellow Sky Sports commentator Troy Deeney defended Breitenreiter in the post-match discussion, with the ex-striker sympathising with the head coach after watching his side’s final-day defeat at Portman Road.
“You’re not going to know everything when you walk in the door,” Deeney stated. “He’s not talking about whether they run or not; he’s talking about their personalities and if they perform professionally on a daily basis. You can’t know that until you’re inside.
“He is coming from another country to see what it is like here. If he’d been around like us, who know the score and can call 15 different people, that would be OK, but he’s walked in to what he was told, and when you scratch the surface of any job, it’s never what it says on the tin, but when he went in there, he discovered stuff.
“We saw a couple of those players today, and we are concerned about their fitness and ability. We won’t name names because it’s not fair, but when you question them, you say, ‘Hold on, you’re playing in the Championship, and you’re not healthy and ready.
“What he’s saying is, yes he probably could take more accountability, because he could’ve done more in his tenure, but at the same time, you can’t account for people being bad characters.”
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