The Double Awaits – City Face a Revitalised Town in West Yorkshire Showdown 

Written by Lee Pasquariello

Late on Saturday evening, I was writing about the chaos and the overall state of Huddersfield Town, in the immediate aftermath of the sacking of Lee Grant.  

This afternoon, the narrative changes completely, as the Town board have acted quickly, appointing ex Bristol City and Norwich man Liam Manning. The details of the contract are currently unknown, however the club statement says it is for the long term.  

The question now for us Bradford City fans is how does it affect our chances of securing the league double over one of our biggest rivals on Saturday? 

Liam Manning – a mixed reception

Manning brings proven League One experience. He did a very good job at Oxford, bringing them from being a mid-table League One team, to promotion contenders. Oxford actually went up in the 2023/24 season when he left in November to join Bristol City, proving he made a positive difference to their season. 

On paper, this is exactly the type of manager Town need at this stage, as at the time of writing they are 6th in the League One table on goal difference. In the club statement, sporting director Chris Markham expressed his excitement about him being their manager long term.

But what reaction has his appointment been from the stands? From what I’ve seen online, the reviews seem to be mixed from the Town fans.

Some fans are optimistic and hopeful, and they bring up his past at Oxford that proves he can cut it at this level and that he can get results, they see it as a necessary change and a chance to really make something of this season.

On the other hand, some fans are not convinced. They focus on his most recent failed spell at Norwich City. They are concerned about his style of play, and feel his possession-based football can be too slow, which means that the opposition can set up easier against them. This is a concern that is quite true, as possession-based football doesn’t usually work that well in the lower ends of the EFL, with a more direct style of football, as well as a high press, being a commonly used method to win games.

Finally, they are also concerned at the fact that Norwich were 23rd in the Championship table at the time of his sacking, so perhaps they are wondering will he take them down the table instead of up?

Graham Alexander’s main Challenge

This fixture matters to everyone connected to Bradford City and Huddersfield Town. Graham Alexander, his staff and his players must prepare for two different scenarios.

They will either face a team renewed in confidence, with the potential of a new manager bounce, or they will face the same disconnected, unconfident team, with unrest and pressure directed to them from the stands. Alexander’s planning has just got a bit trickier, as he must be prepared for either scenario.

The Town players will be desperate to impress their new man in his first match in charge. City under no circumstances can afford to be complacent, and go onto the pitch with the mindset of “we’re playing a broken team, we’ll be fine”. We will be facing a team that will be up for a fight, with a point to prove.  

City’s biggest advantage – Stability and The Double

Although the situation at Town has changed, the one at City hasn’t. We are stable and currently sit third in League One at this stage of the season, which is a better position than anyone connected to Bradford City could have ever expected. We also have the memory of the superb 3-1 win at home against Huddersfield in mid September, which for me is one of City’s best highlights in this enjoyable League One season.

Manning was only appointed this lunchtime (Tuesday) and will likely take his first training session this afternoon or first thing tomorrow morning, which only gives him a few days to prepare for Saturday’s massive early kick off.

This is actually City’s biggest edge. Although they have a new voice and added enthusiasm, they lack the togetherness because of the situation. Although we don’t know at this stage the specific philosophy that Manning will favour, we know that he’ll only have a few days to implement anything at all.

City are well drilled and they know their positions well. Town, from the outside have seemed disorganised recently, despite their sixth place league position. We really need to exploit this lack of immediate tactics right from the very start.

Securing the league double over Town would be a massive win for our own promotion push. Not only does it give us an opportunity to keep the pressure on second placed Lincoln (who we play three days later), but it also increases the gap between City’s current position and seventh, which currently stands at seven points.

Final thoughts

The appointment of Liam Manning has the potential to make it much harder for City, but it also adds to the excitement at the same time. It is a genuine battle now. It’s a stable, well progressing Bradford City against the fresh energy of a newly managed Huddersfield Town.

I still believe City have every chance of grinding out a result against them. The players will be well up for it, and if we can take the energy from the previous derby, as well as the attacking intent of our recent run, which has seen three wins in our last five games, it should be a really good day all round.