TOWN fans have hailed axed boss Simon Grayson for sealing the club’s return to the Championship – but say there is no room for sentiment in football.
Grayson plotted Town’s course through the League One play-offs ending with an emotional victory at Wembley in May.
But Town’s dramatic slump in form – no win in 12 league games – left supporters anxiously looking over their shoulders.
Prominent Town fan and Colne Valley Tory MP Jason McCartney said: “All that matters is staying in this division.
“It took us a decade to get out of the lower leagues and we cannot afford to go back.
“We will always be grateful to Simon Grayson for that glorious day out at Wembley but that’s in the past now.
“We all got carried away by the brilliant start to this season and that fantastic first half performance against Wolves but it’s been downhill since then.
“It’s getting harder and harder to get out of League One.
“I love playing the likes of Leeds United, Wolves and Birmingham.
“We don’t want to go back to playing Leyton Orient, Exeter and Yeovil.”
Steve King, chairman of the Huddersfield Town Supporters’ Association, said he too was grateful to Grayson – but his time had come.
Mr King described Town’s performance in the 4-0 defeat at Watford on Saturday as “pretty gutless” and added: “The players have to take some responsibility but the manager has to motivate and inspire them.”
He added: “We just felt we needed another four wins to see us safe but as the weeks went by we just slipped further and further down.”
“Simon Grayson did a fantastic job in getting us promoted and we will always be grateful for that.
“We started the season better than anyone could have hoped for but for whatever reason it’s just tapered off.”
Mr King declined to say who he wanted to take over but doesn’t want hot favourite Nigel Adkins, the former Southampton boss.
Former Town defender Simon Trevitt said that the players should bear some responsibility for Grayson’s demise and added: “I would never have admitted that when I was playing!
“Being honest it’s players that get managers the sack,” he said. “I would say it’s 50-50 between the manager and the players.
“But it’s always the manager who takes the fall. ”
Simon, 45, who spent 11 years at Town between 1984 and 1995, said football finances dictated to trigger-happy chairmen.
“I think money rules and the rewards for being in the Championship are massive.”
Simon, who runs Liversedge under-14s, added: “Grayson was a self-confessed Leeds fan and former player and manager at Elland Road.
“I’m old fashioned about things like that.
“Because of his Leeds United connections I was never really for him, and I think a lot of Town fans felt like that.”
