The coffee and croissants might have been kicked into touch alongside Chris Powell as Huddersfield Town confirmed they are on the look-out for a fifth new manager since Dean Hoyle took control six years ago.

But the decision to dispense with the former Charlton Athletic chief was no knee-jerk reaction to the concession of a late equaliser at Reading a little over 12 hours earlier which left the club 18th in the Championship.

There was disappointment that Town were unable to see out a game which they led for long periods and so were unable to collect a fourth win of the campaign and 16th in 58 matches under Powell.

Instead they racked up a 21st draw, and perhaps there was a feeling that over his whole tenure, the manager put preserving a point ahead of going for all three.

There’s no doubt Powell is a talented and deep-thinking football man, a former England international defender and Professional Footballers’ Association chairman who managed Charlton to promotion from League I in 2012, the same year Town went up through the play-offs under Simon Grayson.

Simon Grayson after the 4-0 defeat at Watford
Simon Grayson after the 4-0 defeat at Watford while Town manager

He’s also a very decent and likable man, always ready to chew the fat with journalists and supporters alike and explain his team selections and tactics.

It’s those team selections and tactics which are at the heart of Hoyle’s decision to send Powell the same way as Stan Ternent, Lee Clark, and Grayson (Mark Robins went of his own accord).

Mark Robins holds his head during his last game in charge of Town, a 4-0 defeat to Bournemouth

Hoyle, who won’t be swayed by the slating he has had from many outside Huddersfield over the sacking of Powell, is a multi-millionaire businessman who takes calculated risks.

Powell’s approach was too no-risk, too conservative, for a club concerned at dropping attendances and intent on recruiting and developing talented players who will at some stage be sold on for a chunky profit.

The 46-year-old was successful in guiding Town to their highest final placing (16th) since returning to the Championship.

And he has had to deal with the departures of influential players like Conor Coady, Alex Smithies and Jacob Butterfield.

Huddersfield Town v Derby County: Town's Emyr Huws chases former Town player, Jacob Butterfield.
Huddersfield Town v Derby County: Town's Emyr Huws chases former Town player, Jacob Butterfield.

But he knew selling top players was likely to happen when he accepted the job in September 2014.

MORE: Live updates as Huddersfield Town search for new boss after sacking Powell

He was also told of, and accepted, Town’s blueprint of developing young players by working with them on the training ground and drip feeding them into the first team.

There was not enough of that for the liking of the powers that be.

And giving trials to older-end players like Shola Ameobi and Leon Best didn’t impress too much.

Huddersfield Town U21's V Ipswich U21's Leon Best.

There remains a feeling that successive bosses haven’t got the best out of the squads at their disposal.

Town, like many clubs, have been accused of lacking ambition.

Hoyle is aspirational, but also hard-headed and his own man, and wants to take the club forward by a different route to others in the second tier.

He has had the same view for a good while, but getting the manager to make the blueprint work has so far proved difficult.