Huddersfield Town v Norwich City
The Sky Bet Championship
Saturday August 26th - 15:00 ko
at the Town Ground

Neil Warnock welcomes David Wagner to the John McAlpharm Stadium on Saturday afternoon for the latest episode of Friends Reunited. This one hopefully will be titled "The One Where Town Win Easliy".

However, this will not be a walk in the park. Wagz has improved his Norwich team in the summer, after a poor finish to last season saw them drop out of the Play Off positions. He's brought in plenty of experience in the shape of Shane Duffy, the ex Brighton defender and Ashley Barnes from Burnley, who always scores against us. He also went back to his old club in Switzerland, the Young Boys of Berne and paid them three million for right winger Christian Fassnacht. Add to that the emergence of 20 year old Jonathan Rowe on the other wing, who has scored four goals already this season, they have a squad that should be pushing for the automatic promotion places.

Teemu Pukki though, has said goodbye to Carrow Road and gone to Denmark to play for Brondby.

Another new Canary came from us in the summer. The ever popular, smiling face of Narcís Pèlach went down there to assist with coaching, alongside another former Town coach, Andrew Hughes, who was at Town with Wagner in those good old days from not so long ago. They've also taken on our former goalkeeping coach, Paul Clements and of course Wagner's best buddy, no not Klopp, Christoph Bühler is there as well. Who's been appointing all these coaches? Not that Delia. Let's be 'avin' yer. It's ex Town sporting director Stuart Webber, the man who brought Wagz to the Town in the first place.

Unlike Town, who gained their first point of the season at Middlesbrough on Saturday, Norwich have an almost perfect start. They would've won all four of their games so far had it not been for a very dodgy, injury time penalty for Southampton. They drew down at St Mary's 4-4, after leading three times during the match. That came after a 2-1 win at home to Hull on the opening day and before winning at home to Millwall on Sunday, they also had a Carabooboo win with a late 1-0 winner at QPR.

This though, will be their hardest game of the season so far. As you'll see from the next section, Warnock has had the wool over Wagner's eyes on many occasions and he's gonna do it again. 

Quote:
Cardiff manager Neil Warnock:

"When we saw their teamsheet, we knew what they were going to do as they were playing three centre halves.

"We wanted to change straight away to give ourselves more of an advantage. I thought that worked a treat - we warned them what we were going to do and we implemented it.

"I thought we really took the game to them to start with and we knew they would have spells because they are such a good side you can't get the ball off them at times."

Quote:
Cardiff manager Neil Warnock:

"I have steadied the ship and I have not spent a penny yet. I have agreed a couple of fringe players but we are looking to sign three or four who can really help us.

"Now it's time for a rest because the players have worked their socks off. I want the players to enjoy it with me. We don't train every minute of the day but I want them to die for me when they get out on the pitch."

Quote:
Huddersfield boss David Wagner: "I think, the first hour, we controlled the game. There was one team who wanted to do something in the offence and create opportunities and this was my team. We have known that in the last 10-15 minutes if we keep the tempo high, we will get the space, but unfortunately this was not the case because we went one man down.

"In the end this was a good point for us, the lads fought."

Cardiff boss Neil Warnock: "We have got to take chances. Even before they went down to 10 men I thought we started the second half better, we should have scored and should have won the game.

"If you'd have said a point away from home before the game you'd take it but I'm disappointed not to get all three.

"Overall I thought the lads did all right. The longer the game went on, the better we became."

Game 5 - Jan 12, 2019 Cardiff 0-0 Town:

The fifth match in the Wagner/Warnock Head to Head was the final game of the Wagner Revolution at Huddersfield Town. He resigned the day after following a month of disgraceful refereeing decisions that had robbed us of points throughout December and the first half of the season. This game at Cardiff just threw the tin hat on it all.

With 14 minutes to go in another goal less encounter, Joe Bennett brought down Florent Hadergjonaj and referee Lee Mason pointed to the spot. However, the linesman had other ideas and for the once in a lifetime occasion, he actually spoke up and told the ref he'd got it wrong.

To be fair, Warnock's lot had two stonewallers turned down, one for hand ball by Erik Durm and another when Flo brought down Junior Hoilett. Old Colin would've gone ballistic if we'd won it with that controversial penalty. It definitely was one though. Don't care what he says.

Penaly decisions apart, Wagner's boys bossed the game with 14 shots to their three, but it was one point apiece and Wagz still hadn't got a win over the old lad.

Wagner's last selection as manager in front of a crowd of 30,725 was as follows; Lössl, Hadergjonaj, M Jorgensen, Schindler, Durm, Puncheon, Hogg, Billing, Kachunga, Pritchard (Mbenza), Mounie (Depoitre). Unused subs: Smith, Kongolo, Hamer, Löwe, Stankovic.

Game 6 - Mar 15, 2023 Town 1-1 Norwich:

And so Wagner was gone. Warnock went down to the Championship with the Bluebirds, but left in November 2019. Wagz went to Schalke and then Young Boys in Switzerland. Warnock had a spell up at Middlesbrough.

Town struggled after Wagner left, a club in turmoil, despite the Wembley appearance under the leadership of Carlos Corberan. After he left, things got really bad.

In the early stages of last season, whilst Danny Schofield was the Head Coach, both Wagner and Warnock came to consecutive home games as guests of the club, both of them doing the half time draw and the reception both were given was amazing. When Schoey was moved on, we were sure that Wagz could be talked into coming back. He was out of work and this was the most natural thing for him to return. He had hinted as such when he made that leaving video.

But no. We took on some dummy from Dundee instead.

The club was in a terrible condition by February when Mark Fotheringham was finally dismissed. Neil Warnock, as we all know came out of retirement to save us from relegation.

Wagner meanwhile had taken the job at Norwich, starting off with a 4-0 win at Preston. By the time this game came around, they had dropped out of the top 6 though.

Huddersfield Town were doomed. Well adrift of safety. The Warnock magic was missing. We'd been stuffed by Coventry and Burnley and had lost at West Brom at the weekend when Wagner and his Canaries polled up at the JSS for a Wednesday night game.

Things were looking so bleak that me and Amelia couldn't be arsed turning up for this one. Even the return of King Wagner couldn't change our minds. And it was his team that went in 1-0 up at half time as Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Sara scored following a slick attacking move involving Kenny MacLean and Adam Idah.

But the half time team talk from Warnock proved to be the turning point of the season. Whether it was a paint stripping, tea cup throwing, bleep bleep bleeping rant of the old days or a calm, soothing encouragement talk, we may never know, but whatever happened, the lads came out a different looking team, playing with more determination. Town, playing in the Yorkshire Air Ambulance kit, never had a shot on target, but we did get an equaliser.

It was Josh Koroma, a revelation once again, winning the ball in midfield and laying it off to Martyn Waghorn, who chipped the ball over the out of position keeper, Angus Gunn. The ball looked to be going in, but hit the post before going in off the scrambling Norwich captain, Grant Hanley.

Who needs shots on target?!

They missed the Play Offs and we avoided the drop, so here we go again for Warnock v Wagner Game 7.

Warnock's line up for this match won't be too far off the team that will start this game either: Vaclík, Edmonds-Green, Lees, Helik, Ruffels, Koroma (Kasumu), Hogg, Rudoni, Jackson, Waghorn (Simpson), Ward (Diarra). Unused subs; Pearson, Rhodes, Hungbo, Bilokapic.

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