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Lee Clark Exclusive Huddersfield Q&A: I definitely would've won promotion

Last week TribalFootball asked supporters of Fulham and Huddersfield to ask questions for our brilliant fortnightly columnist, Lee Clark.

Today we focus on Lee's honest and comprehensive answers from fans of Huddersfield, where he took up his first managerial job in December 2008 at the age of 36. Clark would spend just over three seasons in Yorkshire, which included an unprecedented 43-game unbeaten streak…



  • Question from @htafcChris1994: "You achieved a 43-game unbeaten run as Huddersfield manager, an EFL record that still stands to this day and will take some beating. When looking back at the record, what pleases you the most about it?"

It's very hard if you're involved in any professional sport, be it individual or certain team sports, to be that consistent over a long period of time. It gives you great pride and shows you what the group of players believed what we were doing was the right thing.

The attitude and application of the players, they were a young group if I remember correctly, with maybe one or two senior players, and they were a pleasure to work with. There were games during that period where we were losing or drawing late on and we'd come back and score late goals that showed we had spirit.

But there were other times we had comprehensive wins by four or five or six goals, we played with an attacking purpose and had a lot of players with speed and a lot of technical players and for anyone to go that long without losing was a phenomenal achievement, something that everyone who was involved with should be proud of.



  • Question from @htafcChris1994: "You were dismissed in the same season Huddersfield got back to the Championship. Do you believe you would have got Huddersfield back up had you not been sacked?"

Yeah 100 per cent. I believe we might've needed the playoffs that they ended up going through on penalties. I've had people say it's about being a good manager but also about being a lucky manager.

So the previous year we got to the final and we got hit with a couple of quick goals against Peterborough and lost the final. The year after in quite an even game after beating Sheffield United on penalties. But we were in a great position, third in the league, when I left in February time and I certainly believe we could've got up and probably would've got up in automatic promotion, if not definitely through the playoffs.



  • Question from @TTCMatt: "As a young manager at Hudds do you feel that you surrounded yourself with the right people to maintain your focus and wind you in when needed?"

Yeah I had a very experienced staff. Terry McDermott, Fazackerley, who left to join Sven Goran Eriksson at Leicester City, so we had staff in behind them that got promoted. In terms of winding me in, it's about passion.

David Wagner, who done an unbelievable getting promotion, had plenty of passion. Be yourself. As long as your not abusing your opposite number or their staff which I never, ever done. The passion was to celebrate our goals and celebrate with my team and my fans. And I think the majority of fans want their manager to have a bit of passion without overstepping the line.



  • Question from @TTCMatt: "Did you feel that changing philosophies at Huddersfield from the free flowing attacking style of 09/10 to the more pragmatic 11/12 side gave us a better tilt at being promoted? In hindsight would you do the same again?"

There was no change in philosophies. It just what happens over the course of a season. We had a very young team in that first season and we played some unbelievable football and scored a high number of goals.

But we ultimately got to the semi-final of the playoffs and got bullied a little bit and we needed some seniority in there and some stronger players to develop with the young ones and help them come on, and that's what we did. But I never changed my philosophy in terms of the way I wanted the team to play.

We had a goalkeeper who was a brilliant counterattacking goalkeeper, we had speed at the top end of the pitch. It's just sometimes it becomes more difficult because you're not the unknown quantity anymore so we had to change from that respect. But it showed that we had the battling qualities, we showed teams we could win games in different ways and I think that's what you need if you're going to be successful.



  • Question from @freddiec1994: "Why after the Millwall Play-Off semi-final defeat did you sign multiple centre midfielders? Was there recruitment issues or internal issues we didn't know about?"

No not at all. I had amazing backing from the owner and the directors. I was allowed to do everything that I wanted in the realms of the budget and finances. If there was one thing at Huddersfield there was any interference at all.

I talked to the owner every single day, mostly face to face in my office.He'd come down for a chat and cup of tea and share a cake and a biscuit [laughs]. It was a great relationship. We talked about players many many times, who we thought could come in and help the club etc.

They're brilliant people at Huddersfield. I saw David Wagner said the same. Anyone who's worked there and you asked them they would say he's a fantastic owner, gives you tremendous backing, let's get on with your work and is always there for you, even in times when things aren't going great and you do have a blip now and then, he's there to talk to you whether that be on the phone or face to face just to lend his support.

And when you've got someone like that you need someone coming out publicly to back you because you know he's got your back and vice versa. He was terrific for me I've got to say.




For any Fulham fans reading, stay tuned! Your Q&A with Lee will be out tomorrow!

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Lee Clark
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