Huddersfield owner promises ‘active’ January to avoid ‘sleepwalk into relegation’

Huddersfield Town will not be allowed to “sleepwalk into relegation” and will be active in the January window, promises owner Dean Hoyle.

After a promising first campaign in the Premier League that saw them finish 16th and four points above the drop, the Terriers are mired at the bottom of the table this season, five points from safety.

The club endured a December that saw them lose all seven matches this month – including setbacks to relegation-threatened Southampton and Fulham.

And though they face difficulty in remaining up, club chairman Hoyle has promised to fight as hard as he can to help the Terriers defy the odds once more and avoid the drop.

“For my part, I can only say this; I will NOT allow us to sleepwalk into relegation,” Hoyle wrote in a message that appeared on the club’s official website. “I can promise you that we will fight with everything we have; that is my minimum expectation.

“Behind the scenes, we are constantly challenging everything that we do in a quest to improve. In all departments, people are under pressure to deliver. That’s how you get better.”

Part of the plan is to be active in the January window. However, Hoyle says while they will be involved in the market, they will not undertake any move that puts the club in financial risk.

“The January transfer window opens tomorrow and that’s a big talking point in the media and for our fans, understandably,” Hoyle wrote. “We will be active in this window, but not at the financial risk of the Club.

“There is a balance to be struck, for sure, and we will strive to get that balance between risk and reward correct.

“We all know how far this Club has come in recent years and I know every fan is proud of that, but that cannot be an excuse for not doing everything we can to be successful in the here and now.

”Having achieved what we have and reached the highest level of English football again, we cannot – and will not – give it up easily.”

Hoyle also backed manager David Wagner, who oversaw the Terriers’ promotion to the top-flight and their first year in the Premier League.

“As Chairman, I’m delighted that David Wagner and his staff share this ethos,” Hoyle said. “He’s not one for lingering on past achievements; he’s an ambitious man who wants to write another chapter in our book.

“He pushes himself as hard as anyone at this Club and deserves all the backing in the world.”