David Wagner insists he has nothing personal against Ian Holloway and credits Huddersfield Town’s players and backroom staff for the club’s rapid rise.

QPR boss Holloway famously predicted promoted Town would be relegated when he was working for Sky TV as a pundit last year.

Town’s German head coach says he knew very quickly that wouldn’t be the case, but reckons the ‘Wagner Revolution’ of 2016-17 is not a tag he wears easily, if at all.

“It is nothing personal and I send my best regards to Ian Holloway – he was probably not the only pundit who thought we would be relegated before the season,” said Wagner.

“To be fair, after the pre-season I was totally sure we would not be in relegation trouble.

Video Loading

“I am experienced enough to know how strong our group was, and knew our group would not be in relegation trouble.

“That we developed and improved as quickly as we did? I think this is credit to the players and the backroom staff.”

He added about the pundits: “This isn’t personal.

“I know sometimes with pundits they haven’t actually said it (what they are supposed to have said), but it is written (for them) because it’s easier.

“I am happy that he (Holloway) delivered me an opportunity which I sometimes used in my meetings – especially when we played QPR and he was their manager.

“It was easy for me to motivate my players after what he said before the season, but this is not personal. Everything is okay.”

Town did the double over QPR last season, winning 2-1 at home in September with goals from Kasey Palmer and Elias Kachunga.

They then won by the same scoreline in London in February, with Izzy Brown and Nahki Wells on the scoresheet.

So what of the ‘Wagner Revolution’ – a phrase coined by the club?

“I have now to praise our commercial department for this slogan, but I am still not really happy about it because I don’t like to focus success on one player or one person,” he said.

“This is a team which brought this (promotion) over the line.

“That was the reason I wasn’t really happy about the slogan, but I would like to praise, officially, our commercial department for all the ideas they had over the last 12 months.”