2 candidates stand above all others

When looking for the right man to replace Simon Grayson, Dean Hoyle could do worse than to look at the the way Swansea have risen from League Two to the Premier League in just seven years. Huw Jenkins became Swans chairman in 2004 and has appointed a string of forward thinking managers such as Roberto Martinez, Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup. In recent years only managers who share Jenkins philosophy of attractive football have been appointed. 

Attractive, possession orientated football. What us Town fans would give to have a manager who shared these ideals. We were promised something similar when Lee Clark was appointed manager in 2008, and things started off well in his first game in charge against Hereford United as we passed the ball out from defence. Town played good football for the next 18 or so months but after the Playoff defeat to Millwall we became much more direct and unattractive, until Clark was eventually dismissed twelve months ago.

It took longer for us to start playing under Simon Grayson, but the most important thing was that he got us promoted to The Championship. Once we arrived in the second tier Grayson seemed to favour an approach which was more pleasant on the eye. Although we went direct when we needed to, Town were playing nice football in particular with Norwood, Clayton and Southern in the middle. As the season went on however Grayson reverted to a much more direct approach that not only led to a 12 game winless run but also some of the worst performances in recent memory.

When looking for our third manager in twelve months Dean Hoyle needs to ensure we bring in somebody who tries to play the right way. First off this will get fans back on side who have been disappointed with the football played in recent months. More importantly, the players we have at the club are suited to playing football on the deck instead of going direct constantly. Good footballers such as Norwood and Clayton, although struggling for form anyway, haven't been helped at all by the style of football we've adopted.

Swansea City have appointed a number of forward-thinking managers in recent years

So who can we turn to in order to ensure we steer clear of relegation but also begin to play a style of football fans can be proud of? I've seen plenty of people saying that we need to appoint a manager with Championship experience but Roberto Martinez had no management experience at all before taking charge of Swansea, and Brendan Rodgers had only a seven month stint at Watford and a further ill-fated seven month spell with Reading before being chosen by Jenkins to take charge at the Swans. Experience for me is therefore unimportant, especially as many of the experienced names available are uninspiring to say the least.

So if experience isn't one of the key things needed from a new manager, what are the things we should be looking for? In my opinion there are three key attributes our new manager will need. They are:

1) The ability to motivate and get the best out of the players at his disposal.
2) Build a team that is solid defensively, as we've been unable to solve our defensive problems in recent years.
3) Play football the right way, and score goals as we've a terrible goalscoring record so far this season.

With those three attributes in mind I did some research into managers who could be available at the current time. After plenty of trawling through managerial records, league tables, fixture lists and anything else the internet has to offer I have come to the conclusion that there are two ideal candidates who could take Huddersfield Town forward from here. Neither are massively experienced, but both have achieved great success in the short time they've been managing in England and are known for the great football their teams play.

The number one candidate for pretty much every Town fan, Nigel Adkins has been out of work since he was inexplicably sacked by Southampton earlier this month. He definitely has the most impressive CV of any potential new manager but the question mark over him is whether we could lure him to Huddersfield. It's rumoured that Dean Hoyle has a good relationship with Adkins, and that he wants to get back into management as soon as possible, but to many he remains a long shot.

It's easy to see though why so many people see Adkins as the right man to turn around our fortunes. He achieved wonders at Scunthorpe, getting a club with average attendances barely over 4,000 and next to no budget promoted to The Championship twice in three seasons (with relegation seperating them). He then worked more wonders at Southampton, taking them from League One to the Premier League in consecutive seasons. If Adkins was to come here we would need to be realistic however, Town don't have the resources Southampton have and it would be a much longer process were we even to dream of top flight football.

Adkins gets the best out of what he has at his disposal, that can't even be debated given his achievements at Scunthorpe and Southampton. He also favours a very attractive style of football, epitomised by his Scunthorpe team scoring the most goals outside the top ten when they were relegated from The Championship. That season they had a defensive record no side would want, but upon becoming Southampton manager Adkins developed a rock solid defence which was the backbone of their success.

The second candidate I feel would be best suited to taking Town forward is a much more controversial individual who would surely split opinion, something he's done throughout his career as a player and manager. Paolo Di Canio has zero experience managing in The Championship but in his short time in charge of Swindon Town he has shown he has what it takes to be a great success as a manager. After winning the League Two title last season Swindon are now competing for their second successive promotion.

His biggest attribute for me is what many see as the reason he shouldn't be appointed. He's a character to say the least, being a self-proclaimed fascista and causing controversy wherever he goes. I won't comment on his fascist tendencies but his controversial nature is no reason for us to not consider him. He is a man who does not suffer ego's and will never accept anything less than 100% from the players who represent his team. People have said he won't get on with Dean Hoyle, but Clark and Grayson were very friendly with our chairman and ended up getting sacked, he's hiring a manager not a new best mate.

Swindons defensive record under Di Canio is ridiculous - they won League Two with the best defence in the league and now sit fourth in League One with the best defence in the league. They also play attractive football and score for fun, as any Town fan who attended our 4-1 FA Cup defeat at The County Ground last season will testify. With Swindon currently in financial uncertainty now could be the perfect time for us to approach Di Canio and let the Italian take the reigns.

There are plenty of candidates other than Adkins and Di Canio

There are obviously more candidates than the two I just mentioned, but after doing plenty of research I don't think any of them come as close to meeting the criteria. Owen Coyle has become one of the favourites for the job with the bookies, while Billy Davies is wanted by many and current caretaker manager Mark Lillis did himself no harm by leading Town to a 1-1 draw against Leicester. I don't think Lillis will be given the job unless he performs miracles in the next few days, but Owen Coyle in particular could be a very real possibility.

Whoever we appoint, Dean Hoyle needs to use Swansea City, and in particular Huw Jenkins, as an example of the way to do things. Town fans want to see attractive football as well as results, and we need to start building a long-term philosophy that will help move the club forward. Play football the right way, build a solid defence, and motivate the players at his disposal to the best of their abilities - I'm not asking for much.

#GraysonOut? Who in?

#GraysonOut was appearing on my Twitter timeline before Saturdays defeat to Watford, but since that 4-0 humbling it is appearing a lot more. The hammering we took at Vicarage Road was our sixth defeat in 12 matches, but more damning is the fact that we haven't won any of the other six matches in that period. It's not the results which have Town fans worried about the potential of relegation, it's more the dreadful performances and lack of any sign of improvement.

Football fans are notoriously fickle - win one week and you're a hero but lose the next week and they'll be baying for blood. However, if you fail to win for two whole months, or more specifically 12 league matches, there is little hope for you. 12 games is a quarter of a season - in no sport would you be able to go a quarter of a season without a win and not be under pressure.

Simon Grayson is a man under pressure. The fans know it, and now he's acknowledged it himself. The most concerning thing about our twelve match winless run is that we've never really looked like winning of those games, and the performances have been nowhere near good enough. Luckily for Grayson his chairman Dean Hoyle seems to tolerate bad performances as Lee Clark was allowed to keep his job for a long time while performances were very poor.

Clark was eventually sacked when Hoyle confirmed he had "lost faith in his ability to win promotion", so it's sensible to think that Grayson will be sacked when his boss loses faith in his ability to avoid relegation. Town currently sit seven points above the relegation zone with 33 points, but with only 6 points and a goal difference of -17 in our last 12 games it's difficult to see where the next win will come from. Our fixtures don't get any easier either, our next six matches are all against teams above us in the league.

If we are still winless after those six matches I don't think Grayson will be afforded any more time to turn things around. We've made huge losses in recent years and promotion to the Championship was part of a long-term vision to make the club self-sustainable - we simply can't afford to get relegated. It will cost Hoyle if he decided to sack his second manager in 12 months, but that cost would be fractional compared to the cost of relegation to England's third tier, where we spent seven consecutive seasons before that Wembley win in May.

So let's say Grayson doesn't turn things around, after all there is currently nothing to suggest he will. When we sacked Clark most fans wanted Warnock but we instead turned to former Leeds manager Grayson, who to his credit got us promoted at the first time of asking, lest we forget. This time around I've picked out three managers who would be popular appointments, to me at least:

The number one choice for pretty much every Town fan would be the man recently sacked in bizarre circumstances by Southampton, Nigel Adkins. He certainly has the most impressive CV out of all the potential candidates. Two League Of Wales titles with Bangor City, two promotions in three years (relegation separated them) with Scunthorpe United, and successive promotions with Southampton which took them from League One to the Premier League in just two seasons (they were also three points above the relegation zone when he was sacked).

His teams are known for playing football the right way, playing attractive possession football whenever possible. This is something that will definitely excite Town fans at the minute given the hoof and hope style of play we've adopted over the past few months. A win record of more than 50% over a ten year managerial career, and four promotions in six seasons managing in England, certainly have him as most Town fans ideal candidate to take up the reigns should Grayson be dismissed. Whether he could be tempted to come here now his stock is so high is open to debate.

Once Adkins is out of the equation it becomes a bit more difficult to find an ideal replacement. I've seen plenty of names mentioned but many to me seem unappealing. For me we have to get someone who has experience at this level, which rules out lower league manager such as Paul Tisdale who many have taken a liking to. For me the next best man for the job would be Billy Davies, who does indeed have plenty of experience managing in the Championship. We need a bit of fight right now and a manager who can motivate the players, Davies could be that man.

After departing Motherwell in 2002 Davies moved south to manage Preston North End, where he overachieved by taking them to the playoffs in consecutive seasons. After leaving Preston for Derby County Davies again overachieved by getting them promoted to the Premier League. Derby had a woeful season in the top flight and Davies left by mutual consent after 14 games before returning to management with Nottingham Forest. Davies was sacked by Forest in 2011 after taking them to the playoffs but failing to win promotion in consecutive seasons.

Okay, I did just say we shouldn't appoint a manager without Championship experience, and Di Canio has only managed in Leagues One and Two, but for him I'll bend the rules. The Italian, who is best known for his playing days in the Premier League (although he also played for Italian giants Juventus and Milan), is doing a very good job currently at Swindon. Although it's hard to see him getting on with businessman and Town chairman Dean Hoyle, there's no denying he's the type who could get a reaction from our players where Grayson is currently failing.

One of the key contributors to our current terrible form is our ability to surrender matches feebly without a fight. We can look okay one minute but as soon as we concede one goal it could end up three, four, five or six. Di Canio wouldn't have that - Swindon won League Two last season with the best defence in the division and currently sit third in League One with the best defence in the division. A win record of 58.2%, a history of keeping things solid at the back, and the ability to motivate - just what Town need.

For Grayson to be dismissed Hoyle will first have to lose faith in his current managers ability to keep us in the Championship, but if performances remain the same it won't be much longer before that happens. If Grayson isn't the man to stop the rot, Dean will have two incredibly tough decisions to make. First dismissing his second manager in 12 months, then finding a replacement.

Why Town should cash in on Jack Hunt

"If we could get £3m for Jack Hunt, I'd sell". Posting this on Twitter the other day I got a response befitting someone who'd just advocated the sale of a star player mid-season for peanuts. Luckily for me the only part of that last statement that's true is that it's the middle of the season, as Jack Hunt is not our star player and £3m is not peanuts.

Hunt has been a fan favourite ever since that lung-busting run on his debut against Arsenal, bombing down the right flank and cutting inside only to be fouled by Sebastien Squillaci who was subsequently sent off. That match was a bit of a prelude for what we'd come to expect from the Town academy graduate - once he got into his stride he was a threat going forward but before Arsenal were reduced to ten men he was a liability defensively, although taking on Andrei Arshavin on your full debut is some task.

Hunt made his debut at The Emirates Stadium in January 2011

It's two years ago now since Hunt made his full Town debut, transitioning from League Two where he'd had a loan spell with Chesterfield to League One reasonably well. We all knew he was a threat going forward and he showed it brilliantly on occasion, such as his superb last minute equaliser against Peterborough in April 2011. Hunt has been a mainstay in the Town team ever since his debut, and in that time he's consistently been our biggest threat going forward, until this season when his role has changed somewhat.

The weakness in Jacks game has always been his defensive abilities. The modern game has evolved and a full-back is now used as an attacking option, but their number one priority remains to be solid defensively. Hunt was exposed regularly in League One, particularly away from home - he must still wake up in a cold sweat thinking about how easily Francois Zoko tore him to pieces at Brunton Park last season. He often falls into the trap of standing off his man too much, allowing crosses to be put into the box, and when he does commit to a challenge he is taken on far too easily by most decent wingers.

Hunts passion has never been questioned

Hunt is a home-grown talent and as such many people jump to his defence much quicker than they would if it were someone we'd signed from elsewhere. There's no doubting his passion for the club, he tries to get things going when we're not playing well and his effort is clear for all to see. However, I can't help but think we might be better off if we sold Hunt, with Swansea rumoured to be sniffing around. I certainly don't rate him as highly as Matthew Lowton who Villa paid £3m for, so if we could get a similar fee for Jack I'd be inclined to accept, assuming the scouting team could find a suitable replacement.

The biggest asset Hunt possesses is his ability to run with the ball from deep or overlap the winger and receive the ball. On occasion he's done it well this season, winning a couple of penalties and claiming a few assists earlier in the season. However as our form has disintegrated so apparently have Jacks runs down the right flank. Whether it's a lack of confidence in himself, the person in front of him, or if he's under orders from the coaching staff, he doesn't get forward as much as many fans would like. So if we're not utilising him properly anyway, why not cash in if a decent offer is on the table?

If we were to sell Hunt, a replacement would need to be brought in

Whether we sell Hunt or not will depend on two things - if the price is right, and whether or not there is a replacement available for us to bring in. I certainly wouldn't want to be left with just Calum Woods and Paul Dixon as the only natural full-backs at our disposal. If there is interest in Hunt I would imagine the scouting team are already looking at potential replacements, but if there is one available I would say Hunt has a price and if Swansea meet it he would be sold. A fee of £3m could potentially enable us to bring in a replacement full-back and strengthen in other areas too.

The losses of £5.7m last season will be fresh in Dean Hoyles mind, and even with the £8m sale of Jordan Rhodes and increased league and television revenue, the long-term sustainability of the club is most important for us to to create solid foundations. £3m for a player who cost us nothing would be great business, and I certainly don't think losing Hunt would show a lack of ambition or leave us more vulnerable to relegation than we are now, assuming a replacement could be found. That's why, in my opinion, if we can get the right fee we should cash in.

How do we stop the rot?

Just over three months ago I travelled to Blackpool, more in hope than expectation, to watch what was probably Towns best performance of the season. We thoroughly deserved the 3-1 victory and with it being live on Sky rightly received praise from many. Some even questioned if we could follow in the footsteps of Norwich and Southampton and achieve back to back promotions.

Three wins from the next 18 matches, and more worryingly no wins in our last 10, have seen any thoughts of promotion firmly quashed. That win against Blackpool saw us move into second place, but we now find ourselves in 17^th place and dropping fast. Two points per game was our ratio after we beat Blackpool, but since then we've averaged less than a point a game.

What has gone wrong?

Many people are saying there is a lack of quality in the team. However, ten of the players who started that game against Blackpool were present in the matchday squad this past weekend as we were thumped 6-1 by Leicester. They were good enough to visit then promotion favourites Blackpool and turn them over but it was a foregone conclusion that they would be hammered at the Walkers Stadium, that’s how bad we're currently performing.

Town haven't won in 10 and having lost 6-1 yesterday don't look like improving

Oliver Norwood was pivotal to that win at Blackpool, pulling the strings in the middle of the park and looking dangerous every time he stood over a set piece. However, the summer signing from Manchester United has suffered the biggest dip in form I can remember witnessing – he’s literally digressed as a footballer before our very eyes. He struggles to have any impact on a game whatsoever when he is trusted to start, which isn't often recently.

A good defence was also key to our great start to the season. In six of our first seven games we conceded one or less. Peter Clarke surprised many by looking up to the task of Championship football while Joel Lynch was lauded as an outstanding signing. Recently we’re leaking goals much easier – Peterborough, Millwall, Middlesbrough and Leeds each put at least three past us while Leicester grabbed six yesterday.

Our early season defensive stability allowed us to get a few narrow victories under our belt but now we've started leaking goals we can’t score enough to bridge the gap. The Championships top scorer has 22 goals, our top scorer has four (Clayton, Novak and Vaughan). Beckford and Vaughan on paper is a brilliant strike force, but at the minute even with the two together we don’t look like scoring.

However, that’s not exactly down to those two. Vaughan remains one of our better players when fit and Beckford has looked dangerous, but we’re giving him very few chances. Our wingers haven’t hit their stride and with Norwood playing like a Northern Irish Joey Gudjonsson we have no creativity from the middle of the park. No matter how good our strikers are if we don’t give them the service they need they won’t score goals.

Beckford and Vaughan aren't getting the service to allow them to cause damage

What about the manager?

Grayson did brilliantly to get us promoted. He tinkered with the team leading up to the playoffs to find our best team, and then he had faith in that team when it mattered to see us over the finishing line, which they did. We knew reinforcements were needed and we got them in Dixon, Lynch, Gerrard, Clayton, Southern, Norwood, Scannell and Vaughan, and then later Hammill and Beckford.

His team started well, playing attractive football in a losing effort against Cardiff on the opening night of the season and continuing throughout the first couple of months. Norwood, Clayton and Southern looked like the midfield we’d always wanted and we didn't seem to be missing Jordan Rhodes. Dixon solved the problem we've always had at left back and in defence as previously mentioned we looked okay.

Not now though. The defence is changing every week, with the most surprising decision Grayson makes every week being to not play Dixon. Woods, Lynch and more recently Wallace have all been played at left back instead of a left back with senior international experience this season. Team selections have become baffling, with changes every week, people playing out of position and no consistency whatsoever which certainly can’t help the team.

That’s before we even get to the style of football we’re currently playing. The nice little triangles in the middle of the park have disappeared. Adam Clayton has for me been our player of the season so far but his job these days is mostly to look overhead as the ball flies over him from defence to attack. Hoof the ball forward to their defence and then prepare for them to come at us, that’s all we do at the minute.

Graysons team selections are becoming more baffling by the week

What is the answer?

There isn't a straight forward answer. I think Grayson deserves time, but does he deserve money to spend? The team we have now was good enough earlier this season so should really still be good enough now. The fact that they’re not performing, and the dire brand of football they’re putting on display, comes down to the manager. It doesn't matter how much we spend, if Grayson makes them play the way we are currently new players won’t make any difference.

If we stick with Grayson, which I think we should, then we have to go back to playing football. Get the ball on the deck, down the wings and into the feet of our strikers. We got results when we tried to play the right way, we’re not getting results now we've resorted to a long ball game – that’s all the evidence you need. If we have to sign a more creative midfielder to allow us to do this then let’s sign him, but the key thing is that we start playing football again.

Grayson also has to trust his players. Pick a winger and give him a run of games, stop playing Ward one week then Scannell the next, play one or both of them, but let them have a run in the team to show what they can do. Same with the defence - pick a back five, preferably with Dixon at left back, and let them play together – consistency is massively important at the back.

Whatever happens from here it won’t be easy. 10 games without a win and performances are getting worse not better, there isn't a simple way to stop the rot. We have a brilliant opportunity to get things back on track next Saturday when we play Birmingham. Play football and win the game and we can start thinking about pulling clear of the dog fight, lose and Grayson could well be on his way out while we’ll be in the thick of it.

Leeds United (h) preview - Old faces

This weekend sees the first West Yorkshire derby of the season as Town play host Leeds United. The match was originally meant to be televised live on Sky Sports on Friday night but following events at Hillsborough in October the match will now be a lunchtime kick off on Saturday. A volatile atmosphere is always expected for this fixture but the managerial history of the two men on the touchline this weekend makes it even more intense.

In the home dugout will be Simon Grayson who only three years ago guided Leeds to promotion from League One, while in the away dugout will be Neil Warnock who achieved promotion with Huddersfield way back in 1995. Both were at one time adored by fans who will be cheering for their opponents this weekend and it will be very interesting to see the reception each manager receives.

Both Grayson and Warnock achieved success when managing the clubs they will face this weekend. Warnock took over at Town in 1993 and the following season guided us to promotion by beating Bristol Rovers at Wembley. Grayson was appointed United manager at the very end of 2008 and after losing out in the playoffs that campaign got Leeds promoted in second place the following season, beating Bristol Rovers who really don't seem to have much luck against West Yorkshire opposition.

Simon Grayson has a better record than Neil Warnock statistically at both clubs

It's fair to say that both clubs had differing ambitions coming into this season. It's all about consolidation for Town, maintaining Championship status while building solid foundations that can be built upon. United have much loftier ambitions however and Warnock has been very vocal about their need to win promotion back to the Premier League sooner rather than later. The club statement when Grayson was sacked read:

"We have 18 games to go this season and are still within touching distance of the playoffs, but felt with the transfer window now closed we needed to make the change at this time in the belief that a new managerial team will be able to get more out of the existing squad of players and make the difference."

Things didn't exactly go to plan however. Leeds were four points away from the playoffs when Grayson was sacked but finished the season 14 points away from the playoffs. It's fair to say then that the appointment of Warnock didn't do what United had hoped in the short-term, but the long-term result is yet to be seen. This season hadn't exactly gone to plan originally but after good back to back home wins against high flying Crystal Palace and Leicester confidence is starting to emerge.

Luciano Becchio scored the winner against Leicester to take his tally for the season to 12 goals

Despite winning their last two league matches Leeds have still only won two away matches this season, and haven't won away from Elland Road since September. Luciano Becchio is in decent form at the minute having scored in both of Leeds recent wins. His 12 goals this season treble the four of our top goalscorer, Lee Novak. Becchio and El Hadji Diouf will cause our defence problems, with one offering a physical threat and the other being very skilful with the ball at his feet.

Town actually have a decent record against our West Yorkshire rivals in recent years. Since we were thumped 4-0 at Elland Road in 2007 we've managed to stay unbeaten in the last five encounters between the two clubs, and we're unbeaten in 11 games on home turf, a record dating back to 1963. We'll be hoping that record continues on Saturday, and it could be players competing against their former clubs who make the difference.

Three players could step out to face former team-mates this weekend, with Lee Peltier actually captaining Leeds since signing from Leicester in the summer. For the home team Adam Clayton is certain to start and will have a point to prove to Neil Warnock who deemed the midfielder surplus to requirements when he took over. Less likely to start is former United top goalscorer Jermaine Beckford who's missed Towns last three matches and remains a doubt.

Jermaine Beckford is battling to be fit to face his former club

If the loanee from Leicester fails in his fitness test Town fans will be hoping James Vaughan, on loan from Norwich, will be passed fit to play. Without these two in recent weeks we've looked woefully weak up front. Lee Novak and Simon Church been the preferred pairing (usually in a 4-5-1 system), with Alan lee being utilised from the bench. That lack of ability up top has seen us fail to win in our last three games, and many fear we'll fail to win again if we have to rely on Novak and Church.

I'm a subscriber to that theory - I fail to see how we can defeat an in-form Leeds side in a feisty West Yorkshire derby without any real fire-power up  front. However, the boost the team will receive if either, or better yet both, are miraculously passed fit for the match could be enough to see us on to three points. The results with Beckford or Vaughan compared to the results, and performances, without them show that we are much better when one or both are in the starting line-up.

Town remain without Keith Southern but Clayton returning after serving his one game suspension is a boost. The former Leeds player has been our outstanding performer this season and will likely be partnered by Oliver Norwood in the middle, but Norwood himself has been well below par recently. Danny Ward has earned the right to start on the left while I'd play Scott Arfield on the right as he has a proven partnership with Jack Hunt and can play narrow to support Norwood and Clayton.

The three formations above show the team I'd select in the scenarios of a) Vaughan and Beckford being fit, b) one of the two being fit, and c) neither being fit. The likely scenario is (c) which would for me see Alan Lee given his first start of the season as he's the only forward we have outside of Vaughan and Beckford who can hold the ball up properly. I'd play 4-4-2 if either or both are fit, but if neither are fit I'd play a more cautious 4-5-1. Far from ideal, but needs must.

As said above, we have a great chance of taking three points if either or both of our absent front men return, but without them we'll again be up against it. My prediction is that neither will be fit, and as such I don't think we'll have the strength up front necessary to win the match. The best case scenario without them would be to stay organised and try grind out a result, with Alan Lee hopefully offering a much better physical presence up front than either Novak or Church are capable of.

The only thing for certain heading into this weekends match is that there will be plenty of hostility in the stands leading to a vibrant atmosphere, and there will be some big challenges on the pitch to add to the occasion. It should be a brilliant West Yorkshire derby bursting with passion, but whether or not we can come out of it with three points is yet to be seen.

Middlesbrough (a) preview - Decisions decisions

Town travel north to the Riverside Stadium as we take on Middlesbrough tomorrow night just three days after travelling south to the Valley. Fans who made it to both matches will have totalled 590 miles by the time they return home to Huddersfield tomorrow evening. Having snatched a draw from the grasp of defeat against Charlton it felt like we'd taken three points rather then one, and a performance as committed as the one we gave on Saturday would be welcomed by all.

Charlton looked to have taken all three points on Saturday having gone 1-0 up in the second half against 10 men after Keith Southern was harshly sent off. That wouldn't have told the whole story though as Town were by far the better team up until the red card incident and remained in the game even with a one man disadvantage. The character shown by the team was outstanding and we thoroughly deserved the point we got when Adam Clayton calmly converted a penalty in the 88th minute.

Keith Southern was harshly sent off against Charlton

Southern's red card not only forced us to play with ten men for an hour on Saturday but it also means we'll now miss the big man for the next three games (presuming an appeal fails). Add to that Adam Clayton picking up his 5th booking of the season against Charlton and we face another uphill battle tomorrow night without our two best central midfielders. Oliver Norwood has been well below par recently but will be the only midfielder certain to start against Middlesbrough - who partners him in the middle of the park is open for debate.

While suspension problems are hampering our midfield, injury problems continue to hamper our forward options. Neither Jermaine Beckford or James Vaughan travelled to London at the weekend and both are considered doubts for tomorrows game also. Lee Novak is adequate cover at this level but depending on him to start games is something we don't want to do too often, the sooner Beckford and Vaughan put their injury troubles behind them the sooner we'll offer more of a goal threat.

Town could start tomorrows match with four key players sidelined through injury or suspension. That's not the best situation to be in, especially against Middlesbrough who have won the last six times they've faced us. Out of 82 league meetings it's quite even with Boro winning 35 and Town winning 30, but in recent meetings it's our opposition who've come out on top. We haven't beat Boro since new years day 1986 - with so many players potentially missing it's hard to see that changing tomorrow night.

Lukas Jutkiewicz is Boro's top goalscorer with five league goals

Boro's good form against Town was replicated by their league form recently until they suffered defeat in their last two games. Before defeats against Cardiff and then Bristol City this past weekend Boro had gone eight league games unbeaten, a run which saw them top the table at the beginning of the month. They now sit 4th in the table after their recent blip but still possess a very good home record with a 67% win ratio at the Riverside Stadium.

The man who'll lead the line against us tomorrow night is well known by Town fans. Lukas Jutkiewicz played seven games for us on loan from Everton and is remember more for his petulance when being subbed against Leeds than his goalscoring ability. However, a successful loan spell at Motherwell and a decent stint at Coventry were enough for Boro to spend a considerable sum for his services. He netted only twice in 19 appearances last season but currently tops Boro's scoring charts with five goals in nine games.

It's not just Jutkiewicz we need to look out for though, Boro have other attacking options in Scott McDonald, Marvin Emnes and Ishmael Miller while the likes of Nicky Bailey and Emmanuel Ledesma can pop up with goals from midfield. Despite their attacking options Boro did concede three goals at home to Bristol City at the weekend, and they will no doubt be weaker at the back without the considerable talents of former Real Madrid defender Jonathan Woodgate who remains injured.

What team Simon Grayson picks to face Middlesbrough tomorrow night is anyone's guess, given our current situation with injuries and suspensions he has some very tough decisions to make. I think our back four pick themselves at the minute in front of Smithies (assuming we play four at the back) but who plays in front of the defence is where the game will be won and lost. The team I'd start with is below:

Considering the lack of options in midfield I was tempted to suggest playing 3-5-2 but I really don't rate Anthony Gerrard who would probably play in that system. I'd stick Scott Arfield in the middle of the park with Norwood and play Ward and Hammill on the wings with Scannell likely to also miss out through injury. I do expect Beckford to be passed fit but if he is unavailable for selection I'd put Robinson in the midfield and play Arfield behind Novak. I'm intrigued by both Murray Wallace and Chris Atkinson but I doubt either would be thrown in at the deep end tomorrow night.

Tomorrow night was always going to be a tough match but with Southern and Clayton missing as well as Beckford and Vaughan battling against injuries it will be even tougher. The character shown when down to ten men on Saturday was brilliant but we'll need all of that and a bit more if we're going to come away with anything against a decent Middlesbrough outfit. I'm going for a narrow home win but hope to be proved wrong again as I was this past weekend.

Charlton (a) preview - Too hard to call

Town travel to London this weekend in what will be a battle between the two better performing teams to have been promoted from League One last season. Charlton, who were promoted as champions, currently sit 10 points above the drop zone in 14th place while Town, promoted via the playoffs, sit 14 points above the drop zone in 8th place.

Town will be looking to bounce back from a defeat and pretty poor performance in the 2-1 home defeat to Brighton at the weekend. Our opponents will be looking to continue their good form having won their last three league outings against Cardiff, Bristol City and Burnley. The form table has the Addicks sitting just above us with 14 points from their last eight matches (4 wins, 2 draws, 2 defeats) while we have 13 points in the same period (4 wins, 1 draw, 3 defeats).

The last meeting between Town and Charlton at the Valley saw the Addicks end our record breaking 43 game unbeaten run. Yann Kermorgant and Hogan Ephraim scored the goals in a comfortable 2-0 win for the home team, and then-gaffer Lee Clark said "our run ended with a bit of a whimper". Although the beginning of the end for the Geordie was actually in May 2011, things really fell to pieces after the "whimper" and he was sacked just over two months later.

Charlton ended our 43 game unbeaten run on their way to promotion last season

Saturdays match will take place at The Valley, but many Charlton fans might have preferred to make the journey to West Yorkshire as their home record is far from great. They have the second best away record in the Championship (4 wins, 3 draws, 2 defeats) but the third worst home record (2 wins, 2 draws, 4 defeats). This weekends opposition did however end a run of five home games without a victory with their 5-4 win against Cardiff in their most recent home outing.

Addicks skipper Johnnie Jackson is their top goalscorer with four goals and will provide a constant threat for them from set pieces. Charlton's recent run of three straight wins has also seen striker Danny Haynes find his scoring boots after returning from injury as he's scored in each of the victories. Although they haven't managed a clean sheet at home since August Charlton have kept clean sheets in their last two matches away at Bristol City and Burnley.

Emmanuel Frimpong will be hoping to make his debut for our opponents this weekend having this week signed on loan from Arsenal. The holding midfielder is best known for getting sent off on his full league debut for the Gunners against Liverpool last season. Many had expected the former England youth international to make the breakthrough at his parent club by now and he'll be hoping to use his loan spell at Charlton to prove himself.

Danny Haynes has scored in three consecutive matches

Town head into this weekends match hoping to deliver a better performance than the one which saw us lose against Brighton this past weekend. The game was effectively lost by half-time and we didn't have enough about is in attack to get back into the game. Jermaine Beckford should hopefully be fit again to play against Charlton but James Vaughan will more than likely miss out through injury.

Having drawn one, won one and lost one in our last three matches it's hard to call this weekends match from a Town point of view. We have the ability to play really well on our day as shown in performances against Blackpool and Wolves already this season, but unfortunately we can also be really bad when it's not our day as shown in performances against Peterborough and Millwall.

My preference would once again be to see Oliver Norwood dropped to the bench to allow Adam Clayton and Keith Southern to play in the middle of the park. Scott Arfield or Sean Scannell can play on the wing to allow us to offer more down the flanks whilst at the same time looking much more solid in the middle of the pitch as Norwood has looked woefully short of form in recent months.

Until Murray Wallace is deemed ready for first team football Peter Clarke and Joel Lynch remains our best pairing at the heart of the defence, while Jack Hunt and Paul Dixon are first choice full-backs. Clayton and Southern are the first two names on the team sheet while Danny Ward and Scott Arfield would be on the flanks for me. If Beckford is fit he has to start, and Novak would just get the nod above Simon Church to offer much needed running in what will be a difficult match.

Although form has counted for nothing in the Championship this season Town might just be playing Charlton at the wrong time. After an average start and then a poor run of form the Addicks have won their last three games, keeping clean sheets away from home in their last two matches. If at least one of Beckford and Vaughan are available it will be a huge boost, and if we play like we all know we can then we have a chance, but unfortunately my prediction for this weekend is a narrow home win.

Brighton (h) review - Square pegs, round holes

Brighton ended their bad run of form which had seen them win only one of nine league games (they'd also failed to beat us in their last nine attempts) at our expense by defeating Town 2-1 at the John Smiths Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Two first-half goals from the impressive Will Buckley were enough to wrap up the points, and although Simon Church grabbed a late consolation  we never really deserved anything from the game.

Brighton played some decent stuff and while it was Buckley who took the headlines Liam Bridcutt was an immense presence in midfield. For me the game was won and lost in the middle of the park where in the first half especially Brighton won all the important battles, Bridcutt in particular standing out.

The former Chelsea youth man seemed to find space every time he was on the ball, and denied our players space when we were in possession. If you were looking for a polar opposite of Bridcutt on Saturday then Town offered it in the shape of Oliver Norwood. Having been hyped up so much by Town fans after a decent start to the season the Northern Ireland international is really struggling for form currently.

Oliver Norwood is struggling for form

The early season composure on the ball has disappeared and Norwood now seems a little nervy when in possession. Perhaps even more worryingly at this level where there are so many good midfielders who can punish teams, Norwood bares an uncanny resemblance to Anton Robinson when not on the ball. No real lack of endeavour but all too often he's left chasing shadows while the ball is just passed around him.

Oliver is an important part of the squad, but his inclusion on Saturday was a major factor in us losing the game. Could Novak have taken one of the chances he failed to convert? Maybe. Could we have defended better for both of their goals? Maybe. Could the referee have given us a few more decision? Maybe.

Could we have coped better in the middle of the park had Adam Clayton been partnering Keith Southern instead of Norwood? Yes.

I'm a believer in picking a team based on form, and currently Adam Clayton is in great form. He's been our best player in almost every game we've played in the last couple of months and earned the right to play in the middle of the park against Barnsley last week. He started the season playing on the right but a string of good performances earned him the chance to play in his favoured central position, and he didn't disappoint.

Why then was he dropped back to the right against Brighton just to make way for the well out of form Norwood? Play your best player in his best position, it seems pretty simple to me. If Clayton and Southern had started the game in the middle of the park it would have been an entirely different game, but as it was Brighton dominated the midfield in the first half and were out of sight by the time Clayton was pushed infield.

Clayton closing down the brilliant Liam Bridcutt

The man who came on to replace Norwood and swap positions with Clayton was Scott Arfield, and for me he's someone who deserves a chance. His only start this season was in the opening game against Cardiff and he didn't do too much wrong - if it means we get to see Clayton in a central role give him a go. Norwood will hopefully rediscover his form sooner rather than later, but for the time being he needs dropping.

Square pegs, round holes - I don't get it.

Brighton (h) preview - More of the same

After a productive week in which we took seven points from a possible nine against Bristol City, Blackburn Rovers and Barnsley, Town have had sufficient time to recover before this weekends clash with Brighton. This will be the first time the two teams have met since April 2011 when Town won a close encounter 3-2 in what was the last ever match at the Withdean Stadium. 

While Brighton had already secured promotion to the Championship, that win for us kept the pressure on Southampton at the top of League One, but ultimately it would be the Saints who finished in second spot while we were beaten by Peterborough in the Playoff Final. Town finally secured promotion to the Championship last term, and head into this weekends match three points ahead of the Seagulls, who have dropped off slightly after a good start to the season.

Brighton are in poor form both in the league and in recent encounters against Town

Having topped the Championship at the end of September, Brighton have won only one game since and could end November in the bottom half of the table if their current slide continues. Heading into this weekends contest their form will offer hope for Town fans as they have won only one of their last nine matches, and have held leads in three of their last four but ultimately failed to take three points. They haven't won away from home since they beat Millwall at the New Den in September and remain in eighth place only because of their good start to the season.

The Seagulls recent record against us will also offer Town fans a reason to be optimistic ahead of Saturdays game as they have failed to beat us in their last nine attempts. The last meeting between the two teams was the aforementioned 3-2 Town win at the Withdean Stadium in which Benik Afobe scored two goals including a dramatic late winner. Recent matches in Huddersfield have also gone our way - we won the last meeting 2-1 in December 2010 while the biggest winning margin ever between the two teams was our 7-1 victory in August 2009.

Simon Grayson however will definitely not be taking our opponents lightly as they are better than their current form suggests and possess some top players at this level. Wayne Bridge is on loan from Manchester City and has impressed so far this season while the likes of Liam Bridcutt, Tomasz Kuszczak and top goalscorer Craig Mackail-Smith are all key players. The former Peterborough United striker is well known by Town fans having scored against us in our 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford.

Given the form of Brighton it could be a blessing in disguise that we play them this weekend as we are on a decent run and will be looking to keep that run going. Key to our recent form are the performances of midfield duo Adam Clayton and Keith Southern. Oliver Norwood had been carried to an extent by these two in recent weeks and was dropped for last weekends win against Barnsley, and I reckon Grayson will stick with two central midfielders on Saturday.

Adam Clayton has been massively impressive in recent weeks

That will mean Clayton will be allowed to continue to flourish in the centre of midfield instead of dropping to the right, and we can play two more attacking wide players. Given his two impressive performances from the bench last week Danny Ward should return to the starting eleven, while Sean Scannell could lose his place given he failed to impress against Blackburn and in particularly against Barnsley. Simon Church looked good on his debut and might retain his place on the right wing.

Up front we have a strike-force in good form as Jermaine Beckford scored the winner at Oakwell while Lee Novak scored two goals against Blackburn. Beckford will obviously be our biggest goal threat while Novak will endeavour to run the channels but also offer the option of switching to the right wing to allow Church to play up front. James Vaughan will definitely miss out but with these three, plus the option of Alan Lee who has been immense from the bench, we have plenty of fire power in our ranks.

Town have looked much better defensively in our last three matches since Joel Lynch returned to partner Peter Clarke at the heart of our defence and when fit that partnership should always start. Jack Hunt will remain at right back while Paul Dixon, who impressed most against Barnsley despite not impressing me, should stay on the left side of our defence. Alex Smithies has done nothing to deserve dropping so my starting eleven for this Saturdays match would be as below:

Although Brighton's recent form both in the league and against Town suggests Saturdays game should be comfortable, it will be anything but. They have the best defence in the league, conceding only 14 goals in 16 matches, and have not lost a match by more than one goal so far this season. These stats alone show how difficult this weekends match will be, and show that our attacking players will have to be on top of their game to penetrate a very effective defensive unit.

There's no doubting Saturdays opposition will offer more of a threat on Saturday than Barnsley did last weekend, but if we remain solid and take our chances like we have been doing there's no reason we can't continue our good form. The performances of Clayton and Southern should dictate how we play as a team and if they can repeat their feats of recent weeks we should be okay. My prediction is another hard fought win for the Terriers.

Barnsley (a) review - Unspectacular But Effective

Town finally succeeded in exorcising past Playoff demons at the third time of asking by beating Barnsley 1-0 at Oakwell on Saturday afternoon. Having failed to gain revenge first for 2010 against Peterborough, and then for 2009 against Millwall, we at least erased memories of 2006 by beating the Tykes in what was a very efficient if unspectacular performance.

After finishing my Wetherspoons breakfast and sinking a few pints in Walkabout I made my way down to the stadium to see that my pre-match prediction of Oliver Norwood dropping to the bench had come true. The Northern Ireland international has undoubted ability but Simon Grayson agreed that with two attacking wide players and two centre forwards, Adam Clayton and Keith Southern is currently our best midfield pairing. This rung true as Town were good value for a 1-0 win with most fans arguing between Clayton and Southern for man of the match.

We lined up with the expected back five of Hunt, Clarke, Lynch and Dixon with Smithies in goal behind them. Clayton and Southern took up the reigns in the middle of the park with Scannell and new signing Church on the flanks, while Novak and Beckford started up front. A minutes silence was impeccably served before a representative of the British armed forces abseiled from the top of the main stand to deliver the match ball. The game kicked off with the sun shining down on the fantastic away support who had made the short journey to South Yorkshire.

A very sunny Oakwell on Saturday afternoon

The home side were the better team in the first half but suffered from a real lack of a cutting edge in the final third. Kelvin Etuhu looked dangerous down our left and seemed to have the beating of Paul Dixon but his final ball was very wasteful. Marlon Harewood also looked quite dangerous, holding the ball up well and spreading the ball out wide, but it was clear to see Barnsley need additions to their forward line. Keith Hill had apparently tried signing Simon Church prior to his arrival at Town last week, and it would eventually be Church who provided the ball for us take the lead.

Upon leaving the stadium a few Barnsley fans were adamant that the turning point in the game was referee Mark Haywood's decision to only give Alex Smithies a yellow card for handling the ball outside his area. The Town keeper flew out to the edge of his area to claim the ball but slid further than he'd expected and clearly handled the ball about a yard over the line. Given that the two closest players to the incident were both defenders I think a red card would have been very harsh and the referee made the correct call.

Outside of that one incident the home fans didn't have much to get excited about in the first half. Although their build-up play was attractive they were impotent further up the pitch, wasting numerous chances when they'd made space out wide. The one half-chance they did manage to create was from a set piece when a good ball into the box was headed wide by Harewood who had rose above Keith Southern on the edge of the six yard box.

Barnsley's profligacy was punished ten minutes before half-time when Sean Scannell made his only contribution to the game to start a flowing move which ended in Jermaine Beckford netting his third goal in six games since signing on loan from Leicester. Scannell beat two men and cut inside to play a neat ball down the left to Simon Church who drilled a lovely cross along the six yard box which Beckford headed past Luke Steele at his near post.

On loan Jermaine Beckford scored his third goal in six matches

The second-half started with Town sitting back and allowing Barnsley much of the possession, but once again the Tykes created nothing of note. Adam Clayton and Keith Southern looked very good in the middle of the park and eventually Town got a stranglehold on the game and finished the last half hour looking very comfortable. Lee Novak, who had been very poor in the first half, epitomised the hard working nature of our team and improved significantly in the second period to offer a much needed outlet.

It was Novak who came closest to killing the game off for us as his mazy run ended with a decent effort which was well saved by a diving Steele (or Smithies if you watch the Football League Show). The former non-league player looked every part the Championship player in the second period and worked well alongside loanee Simon Church who looks to be a very astute signing. The only other incident of real note was when substitute Alan Lee went down as he rounded the keeper, but Steele clearly played the ball and the referee waved away Lee's signature over the top protests.

On the subject of Alan Lee, he was superb in his cameo role from the bench, as was Danny Ward who for the second time in a week came off the bench to make a great contribution. Simon Grayson used our strong bench very well as first Ward came on to offer a better threat down our left side, and then Lee came on to hold the ball up and effectively kill the game off. After getting things wrong against Peterborough and Millwall the gaffer has re-discovered his midas touch to see us claim seven points from a possible nine from our last three matches.

Player ratings:

Alex Smithies - 7
Jack Hunt - 7
Peter Clarke - 8
Joel Lynch - 7
Paul Dixon - 6
Sean Scannell - 6
Adam Clayton - 9
Keith Southern - 8
Simon Church - 7
Lee Novak - 8 (Alan Lee - 8)
Jermaine Beckford - 7 (Danny Ward - 8)