Exclusive: Huddersfield Town urged to reconsider manager decision after Michael Duff sacking | OneFootball

B-team boss Jonathan Worthington will take charge until the end of the season, but it isn't too late for Kevin Nagle to change his mind on that...

With just 10 matches to go in their League One season, Huddersfield Town's hierarchy decided that Michael Duff was to be axed as head coach last weekend.

A 1-0 away defeat to Bristol Rovers was the final nail in the coffin as far as sporting director Mark Cartwright and owner Kevin Nagle was concerned, with the Terriers losing four of their previous five league outings.

Duff only arrived in the summer of 2024 to replace Andre Breitenreiter, and many expected him to have Town challenging for the top two - they are some 10 points off Wycombe in second spot though and if anything, it appears that Huddersfield will have to settle for the play-offs if they make it.

And despite their season still having something to play for, it is perhaps surprising that B-team manager Jonathan Worthington has been handed Duff's job on an interim basis for the remainder of the campaign, having also had a brief stint in charge in early 2024.

Huddersfield Town may have made the wrong choice with Jonathan Worthington

Nagle has certainly made a bold choice to give the job to Worthington to the remainder of the 2024-25 season, especially with plenty still to play for when it comes to the battle for the play-offs.

And speaking exclusively to Football League World, former EFL veteran Joe Jacobson, who played 400 times for Wycombe Wanderers, scoring 44 goals, believes that the Terriers hierarchy need to look at a manager that is proven within the English game and knows how to win a promotion, if they end up changing their minds on Worthington.

"When Michael Duff left, I was as shocked as many people were given the position they were in the league," Jacobson told FLW.

"Yes, they probably expected to be in and around the top two, which for large periods of the season they've been on the cusp, but I still think they're in a strong position to have a good run and to get into the play-offs, which I think they will probably end up doing.

"I think they've been unlucky with injuries this season, they've obviously spent a lot of money, and for Michael Duff he probably had a remit to get automatic promotion at the start of the season to get automatic promotion, and they're not in a position to do that.

"So, for them now to look at Mark Briggs (ex-Sacramento Republic head coach, albeit Nagle has rubbished those links), who's a bit of an unknown to most people, he's been working in the USL in America, and I do think it's a bit of a gamble, especially this late in the season. I think if you're going to bring someone in for the play-offs and get promoted, I think you need someone with experience who's done that.

"It doesn't have to be a long-term vision, I think people want to plan for three, four, five years ahead in football and ultimately miss out on what's important right now, and for Huddersfield Town the most important thing isn't what's going to happen in two-three years time, it's getting into the play-offs and being promoted this season.

"And I feel like they need someone who's capable - I'm not saying Mark Briggs isn't capable, but someone who may have the experience that has been there and done it within the EFL and has had success through the play-offs before."

Kevin Nagle faces Huddersfield Town backlash if Michael Duff decision backfires

Ultimately, Nagle has made a bold call to dispense of Duff with 10 games remaining, and with his temporary replacement being so inexperienced, it could end up being a disaster.

Of course, Worthington could prove people wrong and take the Terriers into the top six of League One, but getting rid of a manager in Duff that got Barnsley to the final two years ago doesn't make a lot of sense.