New Terriers boss on Magath’s lesson
ANDRE Breitenreiter, the new manager of Huddersfield Town, puffs out his cheeks at the mere mention of feared taskmaster Felix Magath.
“Oof,” he says, to emphasise the point. “Felix? He was my head coach at Hamburg when I was 20 years old and he was really, really hard. We ran and we ran. I was exhausted every day.
“But you know what? We won. For me, he was a very good coach because he was always fair with us.
“It didn’t matter if you were a young player or a well-known player. It didn’t matter if you played for the national team. If you gave your best and he could see you trying, you started on the pitch on Saturday.
“There are some aspects of what Felix did that of course would not work now. But that is something I made part of my philosophy - always to be fair and to show every player that if you give your best, it is possible to play. I want every player to have that confidence.”
Confidence has been in short supply at Huddersfield this season, who until last week had achieved the remarkable feat of spending four straight months in 21st position.
September’s dismissal of Neil Warnock and the appointment of Darren Moore failed to provide any meaningful upturn in fortunes, nor the front-foot football demanded by ambitious new American owner Kevin Nagle.
Breitenreiter, a 50-year-old German with a CV full of impressive underdog stories and a reputation for producing high-energy teams, is viewed as a figure who can address both the immediate objective of Championship survival and begin the process of turning Huddersfield into a progressive side capable of challenging for promotion.
“It is not possible to change everything in two weeks,” says Breitenreiter, er, an nent of the Gegenpress expostyle made famous by Jurgen Klopp.
“But we can make it better than it was for the whole season. The players showed in the last few games (under caretakerer Jon Worthington) that when they pressed, they can be successful.
“Right now, we are in a relegation battle, but it is one we want to win as early as possible to make the next step to the midfield.”
Elevating midfield clubs is Breitenreiter’s
