Back at Newcastle and Norwich you had different, though slightly similar roles. Can you tell me a bit more about what you learnt from each of these roles independently?

The role at Newcastle, reserve team manager, was quite a difficult role to hold in the club. From day to day you don’t know how many players you’re going to have available, or how to prepare your sessions. You have to learn to adapt and be versatile, because some days you might only be working with five or six players at a time, but when you do get a squad together, you have a mix of young and old players. Young players to test and see if they are good enough to make the step up; but what you also have is more senior players who probably don’t want to be in the reserves, so you have to get their mentality right and ensure they show the right attitude. You’re always thinking on your feet in the job because things can change quite quickly, for example if something was to happen in the first-team squad, they could just come and take one of your players just like that. Then the step-up to Norwich as assistant manager, I became a little bit more involved with regards the decisions that had to be made. Obviously I enjoyed both roles a great deal and learnt a lot throughout my time there.

Obviously after this, the Town job opened up and you ended up making the final step-up. How much did you know about the club (infrastructure, fan base, history etc) before you joined?
I knew about the impressive stadium here, but not so much about the facilities around the place. I knew that it was a very well supported club, mainly from experience playing against Town. But that was pretty much it, so when I had the chance to sit down with Dean and Nigel and have them talk me through what they wanted for the club, I saw it was a fantastic opportunity because their ambitions matched mine.

Had you received any other managerial offers before Town, or seen any vacancies that took your fancy?
There were two or three clubs that had been in touch with me and my agent to see if I was interested but they were jobs that weren’t really suitable at the time, whereas the Town job offer ticked all the boxes – it was an easy decision.

Once you joined the club, you brought in a team of staff almost immediately. Did you have these in mind from the beginning?
Yeah. After speaking to the board, I told them who I wanted to bring in to support me and I received a lot of backing with them allowing me to appoint my team. I kept everyone abreast with developments when I knew Town were interested and I quickly got everyone on board.

With regards to the backroom staff, what kind of influence do they have on transfer proceedings? With this being your first managerial role, you won’t have a great deal of experience of the transfer market; however someone like Terry McDermott has ‘been there and done that’.
Everyone behind the scenes has an input on those matters, with regards to players we were bringing in and looking at. We would talk about it on a regular basis, and spend a lot of time watching games, and everyone has an input into what we are doing. At the end of the day, the final decision rests with me, but we do meet regularly to talk about every aspect of the club, including the buying and selling of players.

Talking about the players you have already brought into the club, did you have some of these in mind from when you joined the club, or throughout last season?
Some of the players we have brought in this summer, I’ve had my eye on for quite a while, not just whilst I’ve been at Town. Then throughout the time I’ve been at the club, we have been watching them more and more, and it’s worked out well. We had five players through the door before pre-season started, and we’re really happy with that. And if any more spring up between now and the start of the season, we’ll have a go at getting them.

It’s been mentioned before, even by yourself, that the scouting system at the club isn’t what it could be. Have steps been taken to improve this area?
Yes we are expanding the scouting network. We have hired six new scouts around the country to supplement the ones we already have. We also have the Prozone system in place which helps with scouting. So yeah, this is something that we are really working hard on – not just retaining the scouts we already have, but adding to these, and we are happy with the way things are going.

You just mentioned the Prozone system, could you say a bit more about how the system works and what it can offer the club?
Basically we have ten cameras around the stadium which pick up everything that players are doing on a Saturday afternoon, and by the Monday morning when we come in to train, we have every bit of data on-hand. This includes technical, tactical and fitness data, such as how fast and how far players have run, how many touches of the ball they have had, how many passes they have made. It will also show us trends within the play, such as where the best link-up play was made on the pitch and between which players.

Just going back to this Summer’s transfer activity, you’ve brought in quite a few players already, but do you see the use of the loan system at some point in the season?
The loan system is very important to help you get the right players in, where we can go to the top Premiership sides and get their youngsters on loan. These are players that have been rated very highly by their clubs and ear-marked for the future, but might not be ready for first-team football right now. Take Martin Kelly for example, he has a bright future ahead of him at Liverpool, but is just not ready to make that step-up yet.

Well he is certainly one player that everyone would like to see back at Town. Could you reveal a bit more on where we stand with him and Liverpool?

Where we are now is basically where we’ve been for the past few months. We would take him back straight away if he became available, but we are waiting for Liverpool to establish their squad and see whether they have a need to keep him for this season. So if they say he is available for loan, we would have him back instantly.

Is it true that we have a first refusal option on Kelly? There seem to be mixed messages flying around about this, and also some news stories stating other teams’ interest in him.
No we don’t have any kind of agreement like that with Liverpool, however we would like to think we have a good relationship with the club after giving him a chance last year.

Martin Kelly - still on Town's radar?

Last week we saw a couple of strikers leave the club, namely Keigan Parker and Phil Jevons. Does this open up the possibility for another striker to be joining the squad?

Who knows! I had to trim the squad anyway, mainly to keep players happy but also for the financial side of things, but if the right player comes available for me to improve my squad and he fits what I’m looking for in terms of players, then it’s always a possibility.

Just another point about those outgoings; Phil Jevons’ transfer is only a season-long loan – does this indicate that he still has a future at the club at all?

Phil knows my thoughts, and I’ve been very honest with the lads who aren’t part of my plans, that they can find new homes. The only thing is, a lot of clubs can’t afford to be buying players at the moment, so season-long loans are becoming more likely.

One ‘phantom’ player in the Town squad last season was a certain Jonathan Tehoue. Will we ever see him in a Town shirt?
The transfer of Jonathan back in January was too much red-tape and we couldn’t get through it. It’s been a long, long time since he has played football and without any training, so it would take us two, maybe three months to get Jonathan anywhere near the fitness levels that we require for first-team football. We saw this as too big of a gamble to take.

If money had been no object in this transfer window, which player would you have brought in ahead of any other?
I’d go for Steven Gerrard. He’s a match-winner, and has won games for Liverpool single-handedly on some occasions, and he’s a fantastic player – in any position!

Part 2>>

Just a bit about the academy now, what kind of contribution do you see this making short- and long-term? Some managers have relied very heavily on it, yet some have discarded it completely, so do you think that there is a need to find a healthy balance?
I think the academy is vital – it’s massive for the club. You only have to look at the success of Manchester United with the players they bring through the academy, so if it’s good enough for them then it should be good enough for everyone else. What we are now looking to do is improve quality across the board, from first-team to the academy, especially if we are going to go where we want to. One of the things I have in my vision for this club is to have a shared training ground with the academy so the first-team staff can take part in discussions with academy staff about all players at the club. At this moment in time, it is difficult due to the separate training grounds, so I don’t get to see the academy lads as often as I would like but hopefully that will change sooner rather than later.

Are there any academy players in particular that you’re keeping a keen eye on at the moment, who are maybe ready to make that move to the first-team squad?
We’ve been using quite a few academy lads in the two friendlies against Gateshead and Wakefield, and also in the reserve team friendlies this pre-season, and they have all done really well. But it is important not to put too much pressure on them, so lets see how things progress in the next few weeks.

At times in the past, players have slipped through the recruitment net (namely Frazier Campbell, who was born in Huddersfield). What steps are being taken to improving recruiting youngsters at a schoolboy level?
It’s always going to be a tough call, whether they come from Huddersfield or not. At the end of the day, we are a League One club at the moment, and if young players’ heads are being turned by the likes of Man Utd then it’s going to be difficult on our part to attract them. We have to make sure we get in early for these types of player, and if bigger clubs become interested as they develop, we have to take the necessary steps to persuade them to stay at this club by building strong relationships not only with the player but with his family.

A bit more about the squad you’ve now established for the upcoming season – are there any areas in particular that you have identified as needing a bit more cover?
In this game, you can never be satisfied with what you’ve got – you’re always looking to improve.

One of the things that has plagued Town sides in the past is the inability to perform for a full ninety minutes, often throwing away three points in the last section of a match. Steve Black was brought in to improve the players both physically and psychologically, has a significant improvement been noted in this area?
The fitness of the squad is hugely superior to when we arrived here. We want to play the game at a high tempo both on and off the ball, so Steve, along with Andy Kiwomya, has developed a terrific programme for the lads to follow this season, and it’s certainly showing.

It was announced last week that Peter Clarke would be club captain for this season. Was this a difficult decision to make? Were there other candidates?
There were other candidates, without a doubt, but Peter shone out above the rest. He leads by example and is a good talker, and he is also a very intelligent player, so in the end it was quite an easy decision for me to make.

Captain Clarke was an easy decision

Just a bit more about next season and League One in particular, have you identified any potential threats yet?
There are numerous, as the league is very competitive and it’s going to be tough this year, but there’s no reason why we can’t get out of it if we maintain consistency. It has come about that The Championship is now very competitive, and this is stretching to Leagues One and Two.

What is your assessment of the new teams in the division, those relegated from The Championship and promoted from League Two?
The three that have come down all have Premiership experience, and I’ve played against them all in the top division. They have terrific facilities and stadiums, and our players will enjoy playing against them. They will be fantastic additions to League One.

Are there any away trips you’re looking forward to more than others?
No, not really. I’m looking at this season as a whole, and I can’t wait for it to start. Pre-season has been going on for a while now, so I just want to get the remaining friendlies out of the way so we can get down to the nitty-gritty.

What would you consider a success or a failure this season?
Well I don’t want to talk about the word failure, but obviously our ambition is to get out of this division as quickly as we can. We’d love to finish in the top two and do it the easy way, but if we have to go through the play-offs then we’ll do that. However, there will be ten or eleven clubs all thinking the same way, but I’m quietly confident that we have a chance.

If Town do not get promoted this season, do you have any different long-term plans, or is it simply a case of perseverance?
I do have different plans in mind, but I’m not looking that far ahead yet. This season hasn’t even started yet, so to say I’ve been looking past this year would be crazy. I do have long-term ideas of what I want to do, but you can only take it one step at a time.

One thing that we’ve seen in the game as a whole this Summer is the ridiculous amounts of money that have been changing hands – Real Madrid and Manchester City being influential in this. What do you see for the future of the game? In five or ten year’s time, will this be a regular occurrence?
You have to be a bit concerned, because as the recession has just kicked in, football players and clubs have to realise that these amounts of money aren’t going to be present throughout all levels of the game all the time.

With regards to your whole career, both as a player and a manager, what would you consider your high and low points?
The low points would definitely be the injuries. I had a couple of years of bad injuries, with a few operations and it became a very frustrating time for me. Then again I’ve also had some fantastic times in my career, such as playing for my home town club (Newcastle) and being part of, and scoring in, the 3-1 win for Fulham at Old Trafford. I’ve been very fortunate in terms of the teams I’ve played for, and the managers I’ve played under, but the low points do take their toll.

Are there any pre-match superstitions that go on around the club?
No I don’t like to get involved in that sort of thing!

<< Part 1

Sean Jarvis and Jamie

Sean, your job recently changed to focus just on Town instead of the Giants aswell. Has this changed your day-to-day business much?
When I originally joined the club(s), my responsibility was to head up the commercial operations of the organisation and see if there were any synergies between the two but develop them both so they could move forward. I like to think that I did that, and with the Giants I struck up a couple of good deals with Kouga etc, and for Town and Casino Red. They grew and grew to the point where it was becoming increasingly difficult to continue doing both. Demands from the Giants were increasing as the club got bigger, and with Town’s centenary year. Dean Hoyle obviously had his own clear vision of where he wanted things to be, and he wanted to introduce a lot of new things to the club. It became almost untenable that I could do both, so it was a case of sitting down with Ken and Dean and discuss what the best way forward was. Sadly there was no transfer fee involved! It meant that, being a football man, I gravitated towards that side of things. Both Ken and Dean were happy with that, so now my total attention is focused on the football club. My role is all about Huddersfield Town and any deals that come up will be for the football club 100%, but I’m always happy to help out with any deals that concern the Giants.

With regards the club’s centenary, obviously the club has gone ‘all out’ this year to get promotion. Was this always the plan or would things have been different had Andy Ritchie taken us up last season?
If I’m being honest, I don’t think we really knew how things were going to pan out. Obviously when Andy Ritchie came in, we hoped he would be successful, but what would have happened had he taken us up? The answer is, I don’t know. We were where we were. I remember Sue Beaumont coming to me to have a chat about the season ticket prices and we sat down and more or less started from scratch. We wanted to signal the centenary as a big, big event. We took those plans to Ken Davy, who was already in talks with Dean, and we agreed that the £100 deal was the best for us at the time. Now we have 17,000 season ticket holders and obviously even if they don’t come every game, we have those names and addresses and that gives us a chance to encourage them to come back in the future. With regards the pricing structure for next season, I can’t actually say at the moment, but what we tend to do is start thinking about things just after the xmas period. Obviously which division we are in will have an impact on things, and we have to work within our budget. There will be myself, Nigel Clibbens (new Chief Exec), Dean, Sue and a few others sitting down and discussing things and weighing up our options. This season, we delivered it on April 12th, which was Huddersfield Town Day, and worked really well. We will have a look at things in January and firm things up in the following months.

Obviously if the club is playing good football and achieves promotion, it shouldn’t really matter what the price is should it?
Yeah that’s right. There’s an argument there that is, if we got promoted, it’s a case of ‘name your price’. But we have to be realistic and consider the economic climate, as if you are not prudent, things will come back and bite you in the backside. On the other hand, we are a business and have to make our economics work, so all those factors come into the mix and we will take it from there.

You mentioned the economic climate just then. How do you think it has affected the football industry? Obviously dealing with customers will be different, but what about other clubs and businesses?
It is having quite a serious effect on the industry. The businesses we speak to are all saying the same thing, and that is that they can’t make long term commitments because of the economic climate. 2009 is going to be a very tough period for all businesses and we are going to have to tighten our belts and keep costs under control. We are fortunate enough to have Dean Hoyle as a benefactor but we cannot rely on him to cover all losses, we will have to work hard. A friend of mine was on Talk Sport saying that deals are now thin on the ground so sponsors aren’t as readily available as they used to be. I am pleased to say that, to date, we are about 4% up year-on-year, which I’m delighted with. Programme sales are up 185%, retail is up 63%, so year-on-year we’ve shown good growth. Obviously next year is going to be much more difficult, so we can’t really justify expecting the same growth again. We just have to keep our wits about us and make the right decisions. I’m currently in talks with a few businesses, with no real commitment but there may be some new faces around the club on the commercial side of things. We are working hard, and that is all you can do. We are also trying to be more creative with the type of packages we are offering. As an industry on the whole, I think we can expect to see a lot of businesses going bust, with more blank shirts due to lack of sponsorships. It’s going to be extremely tough, and the well-documented situation with Casino Red demonstrates this. Casino Red has not gone bust, the online presence is still very much there; it was simply the land-based site that failed. I’m still in talks with them with regards to next year. If they don’t renew, then that’s their prerogative and of course we will find someone else. But we have a strong business community around us, and we need them to help support the club as best they can. What I will add is that for businesses that are thinking about getting involved, now is the time to pick up a deal, if they are brave enough in this current climate. Anyone who is reading this is more than welcome to come and have a chat with me – they’ve got nothing to lose! It’s not guaranteed to lead to something, but without having a chat, it never will.

Yeah obviously now is the time, because there will come a point in time where things can only get better.
Absolutely right, and we want businesses of Huddersfield to be part of this club’s growth. Rest assured, because despite the current situation being tough, I’m confident that Huddersfield Town are moving in the right direction.

When Ken Davy first came into the club, the long-term strategy was to be a top-30 club by 2008. Was there a point in time when it was realised that the goal was unattainable, and how did the club shift its operations?
That mission statement was set by Andrew Watson and Ken Davy a couple of years before I joined the club, so it was in place when I arrived. I think the ‘top 30’ aim is very much still in our targets, and the time frame is simply ASAP. Once we achieve that and become sustainable, then we can kick off and move from there. Hull City is leading the way in that sense. I don’t think the long-term vision ever drifted, but towards the end of Ritchie’s tenure, questions were raised and most people put their hands up and agreed that it was not going to happen. It’s a tragedy, because I’m a big fan of Andy and he is a really nice guy, but that’s all history now. For me, we now have to look forward, and if you think about it, we have a lot of boxes that we can tick. A chairman in Dean Hoyle, Nigel Clibbens as a Chief Exec with an accountancy background. I’m proud of what my team has done here, so hopefully we can tick that box, and the new management team have a blend of experience and ambition. We have a really good structure and the club can only go on and get better and better. We just need to get it right out on the pitch and this place will take off, I stand by that.

A bit more about Lee Clark, one thing that came up from the Q&A session was that he applied for the job, is this true?
To my knowledge, yes. Obviously that’s more Dean’s side of things, as he was instrumental in the appointment. He took the board’s opinion of Stan Ternent at the time and I think it just didn’t work out, but that’s history and we move on. Dean was very keen in getting the right structure in place and really took his time. I think that he was absolutely right, and personally I’d like to pay credit to Gerry [Murphy] and Mitch [Graham Mitchell] because they have bought the club time. I think that time has meant that Dean can get the right man into the role and I think the right man is in the role.
In terms of how the procedure went, I think Dean would probably like to keep that to himself, but he, as we all are, is really excited about the future. Speaking as a fan, an from my 15 years of experience in the sport, this has got a good feel to it. At the end of the day, it is down to Lee and his team out on the pitch, but things do have a good feel to them now.

How much do you know about Lee personally? With regards his experience at Norwich and the unique qualities that he will bring to the club?
Personally I can only speak about what I’ve seen and read, but the way he has already brought about togetherness in the club, despite being early days, is positive. There was always a bit of a cloud with Stan and the differences of opinion between him and Gerry were documented, but that’s life and we have moved on from that. For me, I just have a feeling, and from the experiences with Lee already, that these are exciting times and there is a renewed optimism about the place. I just want the season ticket holders to turn up now and get behind the team and support the club, because it will go places. There are clubs who are successful on the pitch but don’t have strong crowd figures, such as Scunthorpe. The crowds can be here for us and we just need support from the community and things will be great.

Agreed. There does seem to be more or less complete support of Lee Clark’s appointment. I’ve only read one or two negative comments, and that is unusual for a managerial appointment.
Yeah, you’re going to get some negative views, as its difficult to please everyone all the time. But the thing is, he is an unknown quantity and people don’t have any past experiences to draw upon and be negative about. But basically it is a results game, and from what I’ve heard and seen, I’m really impressed. Time will tell, but there is a very positive feel about the club. I talk about setting our sights on other clubs, as a benchmark. We have to aim to be another Leicester City. They are a very professional outfit and a big club, and if we can emulate that kind of growth, we will take off.

One of the new features of this season, although still only a trial period, is the south stand move. What do you see as the future for this move?
Including the upcoming Hereford match, it will be four games with having town fans in the Pink Link stand, and Saturday especially will be very interesting. I’ve said all along that after the four games, I will do an audit of the financial implications etc and sit down with Dean and Nigel and see how things should go from there. I thought the crowd were magnificent for the three games so far and for Lee’s first match on Saturday, it will be interesting to see the crowd figures. Traditionally, the last game before Christmas is notoriously bad for crowds, as people tend to get their last minute shopping done. The new appointment might buck the trend somewhat. I’ve had a lot of feedback from fans about the move, and I’ll take it all into consideration before deciding what the next move should be. It will probably be the end of January before we come to that decision, though I will say that it is extremely unlikely that the south stand in its entirety will be given to town fans. Mainly because of safety regulations that the club has, but also the composition of the stadium makes it difficult to do that.

With regards the new scoreboard that has been installed, many fans feel that it is not achieving its full potential somewhat, such as not having replays or scores from around the country.
Yeah I would agree with that. We are still learning its capabilities. There is a financial implication that affects the use of replays, and we took the decision at the beginning of the season not to take up that opportunity, but it is maybe something we will look at in the future. In terms of half time scores, as a fan I would like to see regular updates on there. I’m having a chat with David Sykes [Marketing Exec] and the media team who run the scoreboard to see how things could be done. It is not as simple as just putting the scores up, but it is still under revision and by the end of this year, a review will have been taken on a lot of things to see what has and hasn’t worked and how things can be moved forward. Linked to this is the music at the ground, and whether we should have some played when we score a goal or not. Some fans say yes, some say no, so it’s a tough decision to make. Really we have to be led by the supporters and what is happening on the pitch, and I’m of the belief that we cannot manufacture that. We cannot insist that fans sing certain songs but I think that it is you guys that lead the way. I’ve been very impressed with the Cowshed Loyal trying to build the atmosphere at games. The best pre-match I’ve witnessed is at Anfield when they play “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and I think we could replicate that here, whether it is Smile A-While or the Elvis Presley song [Can’t Help Falling In Love], and if we went on a strong run of results and were flying high then maybe that’s the time to introduce it.

In April this year there was some talk of HTTV; is that still an on-going project?
I can give you an update on that. HTTV is not dead in the water, but has been put on the back-burner at the moment, mainly because it clashes with a few agreements with the Football League Interactive. Basically, FLI hold the rights for the internet and what we control, and to some degree, Internet Protocol TV is linked to the internet. I’m a believer that we can do this, as it would be terrific for the club and would provide great exposure. How I will get to do it, I don’t know yet, but just be patient. The research we did indicated that now was not the right time, and the economic climate has been less than helpful in that sense, however if we achieve promotion, I think it could work brilliantly for us. There are issues on how it would work and be managed, so I would probably look for volunteers to get involved at first until it started growing. I do have a company that is willing to talk to use and help build a platform for it, but there is a bit of investment required, and at the moment there are just a couple of hurdles to get over.
What would HTTV actually involve?
Just to manage expectations, it wouldn’t be something like MUTV whereby it would be live coverage, as that is something that is five or six years down the line. What it would involve will be highlights of away games, ‘behind the scenes’ coverage and possibly training sessions. What we can’t afford to do is cannibalise all other media channels, and we have to develop something that will take the club forward. I think HTTV could do that, but I am under some restrictions by the football league, which I am working through. I couldn’t put a time-frame on it at the moment, but promotion would definitely help matters.

The kit manufacturers in recent seasons have been quite low-profile brands. Is the club missing out on a marketing opportunity here by not going after names like Adidas and Nike?
When I joined the club, the Mitre deal was pretty much complete, and we are committed to them for four years. Let me say though, that the Mitre deal is the best deal that I’ve ever seen in football at our level. What tends to happen, is that if Nike or Adidas are involved at a lower-level, there is a clause in the contract stating that you cannot buy other branded merchandise, or that you buy from Adidas at a premium price, so you are not making as high margins on retails outlets. On the flip side, saying that we would sell more through having one of these names on our kits is a fair point. You have to take into consideration the economics of the situation and the quality of the products, on which note Mitre have been vastly improving lately. When the deal is to be renewed, I will sit down and look at every opportunity available and weigh up which decision is best for the club. I’m personally a big fan of Adidas clothing, but I have to consider what is best for the club as a whole, and at the moment the Mitre deal is just that.

Down At The Mac has more than 3000 members, and although it is not representative of the whole fan base, does discussion on the site have an impact within the club on decision-making?
Yeah, as you know I post on the site occasionally under the name smj1 and I think that it would be stupid if the club did not look at opinions on there. Every fan’s opinion is important and we’ve established a very good relationship with the Huddersfield Town Supporters Association and I would encourage any fan out there to join up, because it is a great vehicle for us to talk with the fans. We can’t spend all our time looking at these sites; however they are a vehicle and something that we must listen to. We hear opinions from fans through all forms, but Down At The Mac is definitely very important.

Well we are hoping that the new site set-up will be able to attract more fans and act as a proper fan site as opposed to simply a discussion forum.
Yeah. You’re going to get some comments on there that aren’t necessarily right, but for me you can definitely gauge an opinion from it and we very much welcome that dialogue. You have to take into account supporters opinions and make decisions based on that. There are always going to be people in support of and against certain policies, so it’s hard to please everyone but we do weigh up everything before making a decision.

What’s your favourite aspect of working for the club?
The club is very infectious and as each day goes by, I love it more and more. My son is growing up to be a Town fan and will have to go through the tough times like his Dad! For me, I enjoy coming into work and the interaction with fans. I also enjoy the challenges that a defeat on a Saturday afternoon can bring, as it means that no day is the same as the previous one. One of the reasons why I left Oldham was that I thought I’d taken the club as far as I could, and I’d ticked all the empty boxes there. I’ve ticked a couple here, but there are a lot of empty ones left for the future, and I want to contribute to that. I want to make sure that I leave my mark on this club, and I hope I’m doing that now. I’m aware that fans were sceptical when I joined the club, but I hope that my work has demonstrated that I’ve only got the interests of the club at heart, and that I’m going to work my hardest to make sure I bring success. I grew up in Leicester, and when they came here a few weeks ago, I was so desperate for us to win that game, and will be when we play them in January at the Walkers Stadium. I was gutted when we lost and I certainly got enough ribbing from my family about the result!

What’s your best memory of the club since you joined, be it on or off the field?
There’s a lot, but the one that stands out in my mind is the 93rd minute at Elland Road. I’ve seen some great games in my time, but Collins scoring that goal was a fantastic feeling. I really enjoyed that game, and celebrated all weekend – meaning I had a major hangover Monday morning! When we announced the £100 season ticket deal was good. Discovering the significance of April 12th was fantastic, and it was just a Eureka moment. We were sat deliberating how to announce the deal, and I went home Thursday night thinking how we could launch it with the biggest effect. I figured that the third championship win was significant, and found that it happened on April 12th 1926. Aside of the football, that was a really special moment for me, because it came together so well. One other moment was when I was walking outside the stadium before a match, and one fan came up to me, shook my hand and said what a good job I was doing. That meant the world to me, as this guy had recognised the effort I’d put into my work. I’ll happily take criticism when things aren’t going so well, but for a fan to come up and say that to me was fantastic. I know that when we win promotion, because it will happen, is going to be special aswell. Being awarded the Family Club of the Year award was very special aswell.

Do you have a favourite Town player, and why?
I do, yes. It varies quite a bit, but I’m a huge fan of Michael Collins. When I joined the club, I watched the players closely, and he had great potential. Under Andy [Ritchie] and Stan [Ternent] it didn’t really work out, but for Gerry he is excelling and is realising his potential. I also like Jon Worthington as he’s kind of a man after my own heart. When I played football, I wasn’t the most skilful of players but I liked a good scrap in the middle of the park, and Jon is like that. I’m excited by Gary Roberts, Holdsworth and Cadamarteri, who offers so much behind the scenes. He has a lot of potential that he isn’t realising yet, and when I’ve seen him in the past two games, he’s been electric.

Finally, where do you see the club in five years time?
On the field, I see us being a leading Championship side, very much established in the top 30 and with the current set up that’s very much attainable. Off the field, I want us to be regarded as one of the best operations in the game. I believe that is happening already and other clubs now look to us for inspiration. I spoke to someone the other day who is heavily involved in the Premier League doing customer service work, and he paid us a great compliment by saying that if Middlesbrough came and looked at Huddersfield Town, they would be inspired. That is the sort of message that I want to hear, other clubs talking about us. In five years time, I can definitely see us in the Championship, maybe the Premiership but who knows? And off the field, I want us to be regarded as one of the best in the business. We’re not going to be the biggest, but we will be right up there.

In response to some of the more light-hearted questions that were suggested on the forum, Sean’s grandma did not apply for the job and he will not be releasing a new series of Airport.

Sean finished off by wishing every Down At The Mac member a Merry Christmas and thanked everyone again for their continued support.

HTAFC Official Site

Huddersfield Examiner (video)

BBC Sport (extracted from Radio Leeds)

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