By James Chisem

I HAVE started reading a collection of essays written by the American farmer-cum-novelist Wendell Berry.

Virtually unheard of on these shores, Berry has built-up quite a following in his native land, and it’s not hard to see why.

His prose is both lucid and lyrical, and over the past 60 years, he’s put it to good use, holding forth on everything from the decline of traditional communities to the erosion of agricultural topsoil.

This is all very interesting in and of itself, but I found myself especially taken by an article Berry wrote for Harper’s Magazine back in 1988 entitled ‘Why I am Not Going to Buy a Computer’.

Video Loading

When I first read it HTSA was in the process of designing a new website, and the more Paul told me about “social media integration” and “bounce rates”, the more I wanted to take my laptop and throw it out the nearest window.

I’m not sure how or why I’ve become such a technophobe. Part of me thinks that I must have inherited the majority of my genes from a Luddite ancestor, but it’s more likely than not that I’m suffering from a mild case of Nostalgia.

I hear it’s quite common round these ends, and it applies as much to football as it does to web design.

Video Loading

Be honest, on how many occasions have you openly pined for a return to simpler times? Times when Clem Stephenson could down a few pints on a Friday night before turning up at Leeds Road the following day and bag a hat trick.

I know I make an ‘Against Modern Football’ comment at least five times a day, and that’s why I’m so enamoured with David Wagner and his revolution. In contrast to so many of his peers, he doesn’t talk in riddles or deal in evasions. He’s straightforward, frank, and his passion for football and respect for the fans is as plain as day.

Town’s current success owes a debt to the “white-hot heat of the technological revolution”, as that other son of Huddersfield, Harold Wilson, so famously put it. Every win is the product of gigabytes of Prozone statistics and reams of biofeedback data.

And so it is with supporters’ trust movement. As confusing and frustrating as it might be trying to reformat a page header for the eighth time, it all pays off in the end.

The rise of the internet and social media has ensured that supporters are now better informed and better organised, which in turn means that they’re more effective when it comes to holding trusts, clubs and governing bodies to account.

So remember technological progress can be good and bad, patience is a virtue, Huddersfield Town are flying high, and HTSA has a new website.

If you’d like to see what all the fuss is about, type www.htsa-web.com into your browser. You can also send any enquiries to one of our new email addresses: chair@htsa-web.com, secretary@htsa-web.com, or travel@htsa-web.com.

For those of you who are more at home with Wendell Berry, we’ll be at the cabin before the game on Saturday as per usual, ready to take your bookings for the Barnsley and Wolves games. You can also ring the Travel Line on 07905 580784.