Key takeaways from Martin Drury's first press conference as Huddersfield Town head coach
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Martin Drury’s brief: Get the performances right, and the results should follow
Although Chris Markham stressed the need to get results alongside those performances, there was little to no talk about objectives based on league positions or promotion.
When asked what the minimum requirement was for Drury in the season ahead, the sporting director said: “Look, football as an industry is about winning, and nobody is hiding from that. It’s obvious. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t want to win, and every conversation we have is focused on winning and focused on the outcome.
“But what we also need to know and take back a bit of control over is the performances, and that was the difference in the last seven games. The performances were more like what resonated with me and other people at the club who have cared about this club for a long time, plus most importantly the fans.
“So for me, the minimum requirement is that we keep that level of performance, and there was never a backward step taken, really. And considering some of the situations, with George Sebine playing up front, we’re 3-1 up at Bolton.
“Obviously that didn’t end how we wanted it to, but the intent of the performance, the detail behind it, playing on that front foot, that’s what I think is the minimum requirement, and that’s what we’ve discussed when we interviewed the candidates.
“That was at the forefront of it. How are you going to play, and even when things don’t go well? Because look, there’s going to be defeats, definitely, because that’s every club in world football ever.
“So for us, I think it’s one of those things where, once those setbacks happen, can we still be consistent to those beliefs and try and do everything we can to try to win and be on the front foot and make decisions that are brave?
“They were the things that we’ve been talking about the most, because we believe that if we get that right consistently, we will win more games than we don’t win. And I think the performances that Martin and Jon and the players delivered within the last seven games didn’t get the results that they deserved, in my opinion.”
At the stage Town are at, and having talked up their chances to varying degrees over the past two seasons, it is probably a sensible move to stop putting the cart before the horse.
That does not mean the club are being any less ambitious, but does suggest a desire to stop making promises they cannot guarantee keeping. It’s a managerial cliché, but focusing on the things they can control is their best route to getting the outcome they actually want.
Markham pointed to the early days of David Wagner’s reign as an example, saying: “When David came here, even though the first part of the Championship season, it wasn’t really any better results-wise than what had been before, that momentum was building, that identity, and that’s what everybody got behind with David and that team.
“I was here and lucky enough to experience it — it was the style, it was the front-foot nature, it was the intensity that created something that fans can feel.
“When I talk about this, I’m not talking about Xs and Os and tactics and number 10s and profiles. I’m talking about a feeling, an intensity and a direction of bravery, of wanting to win and be on the front foot, and an excitement.
“I think that’s what Huddersfield Town fans want.”
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