Momentum and confidence are building at Huddersfield Town and chief executive Nigel Clibbens says no effort will be spared to keep it that way.
As he comes up to six years as day-to-day boss at the club he’s learned in that time to take nothing for granted in football.
While Chris Powell is making an excellent early impression as manager, Clibbens and the board are continually forward planning to make sure Town improve both on and off the field – and he makes no apology for confirming it will be a steady path.
The Championship playing field is not a level one – many of Town’s rivals are still getting millions in parachute payments from the Premier League and looking to see a relaxation of Financial Fair Play spending rules in the quest for success – so Town have to manage their finances wisely and work to ensure not a penny is wasted.
Having said that, Town have undoubtedly ‘pushed the boat out’ on their budget to add skipper Mark Hudson and loan striker Grant Holt to the mix – both being key signings.
“After a difficult first month of the season with Mark leaving, the team getting off to such a bad start and us having to look for a new manager, we’ve put that behind us and now we can focus as a club on the football – and we’re glad because that’s what we are about,” said Clibbens, who advised chairman Dean Hoyle on his initial investment in the club and has also overseen the development of PPG Canalside.
“An unbeaten run builds its own confidence and momentum and you can see that in the body language of the players and the feeling around the club and supporters.
“We’ve seen at other clubs the problems that can occur when a new manager doesn’t make the desired early start, but it’s obvious for everyone to see here the immediate impact Chris has had with the players.
“It’s still early days and nobody is getting ahead of themselves, but Chris has taken what we always thought was a good group of players and he has started to galvanised them into a team and get more from them.
“It’s key for success that the team has to be far more than the sum of the individual parts – and we can see that taking place.
“There is a resilience and a spirit and that’s credit to the impact Chris and Alex (Dyer) have had since coming through the door and joining our existing staff.
“And I think the supporters can feel, too, that Chris has already made a real connection with them. He gets what the club is about and he gets what the supporters want to see – and that’s really important as he starts to put his stamp on his team.”
As Dean Hoyle and the club have done in the past, Powell will be backed in that process whether it’s through the loan market or permanently in the January transfer window, but Clibbens is pleased two key positions have been filled with Hudson and Holt, because getting such high-end quality Championship players to Town is neither simple or cheap.
“They’ve added some steel, quality and experience at both ends of the pitch – and we believed that’s what was needed to make the team better,” said Clibbens.
“Everyone was talking about the need to recruit a dominant leader at centre half and a striker up front to be the focus of our attack, but equally getting the team ethic and team spirit going is crucial.
“It’s easier said than done, though, to get players of that quality and patience and hard work is required – the timing sometimes might not happen when we all would wish but lots of effort is always going on.
“While we all wanted and recognised what was required, there are not a lot of players around of the quality of Mark and Grant and, if they do become available, you then have to convince them to come to your club and beat off the competition.
“We are delighted to have them here now, the squad looks stronger and more confident and it’s clear that Chris is building a team.”
While Town have run up losses year after year, these small in comparison to most Championship rivals, Clibbens says the board will always be proactive to meet the demands of maintaining a competitive and improving Championship playing roster.
“We operate to a budget but, at the same time, we have to be realistic,” he explained.
“There are no plaudits from pointing to our financial position and how we run the club, if we are sitting in a poor league position looking down, we know there needs to be balance – we are a football club and we have to win matches, move up the league and challenge towards the top. We can’t stand still. We have worked hard to get to where we are, and we won’t compromise that.
“You have to do what’s necessary to get you back moving in the right direction, and Dean and the club have a track record of always adopting that approach and being decisive to make changes to make a difference.
“If you look at the way the club is run, when times have been difficult, we have always taken steps to fix problems.
“Things can change very quickly at this level. So there is never any time for complacency and not being ‘at it’. It’s a relentless and tough division where you need to continually re-think where you are and where you are going. Three tough games in eight days mean fortunes can change quickly.”
Clibbens feels Town under-performed in the latter part of last season and beginning of this, but the playing squad has been steadily improving and this is now being reflected in improved results.
“We’ve always felt we’ve got very good individual players and a quality of squad which is getting better all the time, and it’s great to see that is now starting to be reflected in our results,” he said.
“Confidence plays a big part, as does team spirit and togetherness – we believe instilling this, a really strong quality which Chris brings to the club, is something which adds a lot to the performances and results.
“There is certainly a buzz around the place and a lot of smiling faces at the moment and long may it continue.
“The work looking for the next player, of course, never stops, but Chris has made it clear he wants to give everyone a chance, and with top quality players like James Vaughan, Adam Hammill, Radi, Joe Lolley and Anthony Gerrard striving to be part of it, the strength and depth of the squad is there to see.
“But I’m sure Chris will want to put his mark on the squad with players in due course.
“There are no hiding places at this club, and everybody is always doing their best to work in the right way for the good of the club.
“We are all working for the good of the club and, while we do get some things wrong and we are not infallible, we believe if we keep doing things in the right way in a consistent and commonsense way we’ll be rewarded. We have to play the cards we have very carefully to get the best out of them. Two or three short-term decisions might get a few headlines, but they are not going to do the club any good in the long term.”
