“I do believe” – Exclusive: Huddersfield Town and a move for Wayne Rooney discussed
As Huddersfield Town continues to look for a long-term successor for Michael Duff, pundit Joe Jacobson thinks
Wayne Rooney should be taken into consideration.
After a sequence of four losses in five games, Huddersfield controversially decided to fire Duff in March, even though
they were only one point outside the play-off spots at the time.
Terriers owner Kevin Nagle decided to keep caretaker manager Jon Worthington on until the end of the season
rather than replace Duff right away, but that move has backfired horribly.
| Jon Worthington’s record as Huddersfield Town interim manager (as per Transfermarkt) | |
| Games | 9 |
| Won | 2 |
| Drawn | 0 |
| Lost | 7 |
| Win percentage | 22.2% |
Ahead of their season-ending matchup with Leyton Orient at John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday, Town has fallen to
10th place in the League One standings following a run of five straight losses under Worthington. They are also a
massive 11 points outside the top six.
League World that former Plymouth Argyle and Birmingham City boss Rooney ought to be considered for the
Huddersfield position.
The Blues fell from the play-off spots to just outside the relegation zone under Rooney’s leadership during his
terrible three-month tenure at Birmingham last season, during which he won just two of his fifteen games as
manager.
Despite his difficulties at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park, Rooney was given another chance to manage in the
Championship in the summer with Plymouth Argyle. However, his tenure at Home Park took a similar turn, as the
39-year-old left in December with the team in last place, having won just five of his 25 games in charge, drawn six,
and lost fourteen.
Jacobson still believes the former England player will lead the team in the future, although admitting that he is
unsure if Rooney would mesh well with the Terriers. “Huddersfield are a huge club, but for some reason, I think they
got rid of Michael Duff far too soon,” Jacobson stated.
“I believe he has demonstrated his ability as a manager, particularly at that level, and you can see the club’s progress
since he left.
“It’s really challenging for Jon Worthington to take on that team when they lack confidence and expect guys to
perform well, particularly when their season is struggling.
“Wayne Rooney has football in his blood and he’s desperate to succeed somewhere as a manager, but he’s not quite
been able to do that just yet.
“I do think at some point he will succeed.
“Is Huddersfield the right fit? I’m not sure, you’d have to speak to Wayne Rooney, but I do believe that at some point,
he will be successful as a manager.”
Jacobson may be right that Rooney will come good as a manager in the future, but there has been little evidence in
his four roles so far to suggest that he has what it takes to succeed in the dugout.
Huddersfield’s second half of the season has been remarkably lacklustre, and Nagle can’t afford to make a poor
choice in his search for his fifth permanent manager in less than two years since he finished taking over the team.
Rooney would find it simpler to manage at a lower level, but the Terriers would be taking too much of a risk at this
point, and the competition for promotion in the third division will be fierce again the following season.
Read more news on https://www.sportupdates.co.uk/
Leave a Reply