Dean Hoyle is hoping Huddersfield Town can chalk a first Championship win of the season at Fulham and told the fans: “Stick with us!”
The chairman admits there will be frustrations for supporters as Town aim to bed themselves firmly in mid-table this term and build for steady improvement further down the line.
But he has made a statement by rejecting three big-money bids for leading playmaker Jacob Butterfield from Derby County and pledging extra cash from goalkeeper Alex Smithies’ near £2m move to Queens Park Rangers will be reinvested in the squad.
“My message to supporters is simply to stick with us,” said Hoyle as Town prepared for their fourth league game.
“I always remember Mick Buxton saying when he won promotion to this division back in the 80s that he’d gone and made life difficult for himself, and I know what he meant.
“I know that I, personally, can’t afford to buy us out of the Championship because we are competing against some big, big clubs in terms of fan base and financial clout from parachute payments.
“I know the fans get bored of talking about mid-table and keeping safe from relegation.
“But every year we have finished better and improved and we are aiming to improve again this season – slowly but surely. That’s the way we are trying to go.”
On the overall strategy for moving the club forward, Hoyle says Town have to stick to their model of buying and selling players for profit to keep the club sustainable.
“We are not trying to climb too high too fast because we can’t afford it,” he explained.
“If we climb slowly, with an infrastructure, then we won’t drop fast – and that’s key for this football club.”
