Why Lee Grant may be having the last laugh over Kevin Nagle at Huddersfield Town right now | OneFootball

Lee Grant was sacked by the Terriers in January, but the side have not improved at all under Liam Manning.

When Lee Grant was sacked by Huddersfield Town in January, it came as a slight surprise to the former Manchester United and Derby County goalkeeper, and he has not quite come to terms with the situation just yet.

The Terriers job was his first in management after leaving the coaching team at Ipswich Town in the summer, and what looked initially to be a fantastic decision made by all parties, quickly turned into a nightmare as the West Yorkshire outfit failed in their bid for automatic promotion.

While they are obviously not mathematically out of the equation yet, those at the Accu Stadium would need somewhat of a miracle to close the gap to the top two and finish in those automatic spots at the end of this season, with their path to promotion now looking as though it will have to come through the play-offs - if they are to even remain in the top-six.

However, Huddersfield are struggling for consistency right now, an issue that Grant had to deal with himself. Yet, he may well just have the last laugh if his former side's problems continue, as his successor continues to fail to get the most out of the team.

Liam Manning has failed to get Huddersfield Town going since his arrival

Liam Manning has quite the managerial CV already, despite having had a relatively short career in the dugout and he has frequently found himself at the top end of the table with the likes of Bristol City, MK Dons and Oxford United in the past.

Yet, there is no denying that his time in HD1 has not been quite as successful as he would have hoped, having won just four of his eight league games in charge. He has drawn only once, and lost the other three, allowing those below them in the League One table to close the gap.

Given the time of year, this is not what Manning and Huddersfield need, with Reading, Stevenage and Wycombe Wanderers all finding a decent level of form when it truly matters. There are just over 10 games to go for every side in the third tier, and the pressure is starting to mount on the team currently sat in sixth position.

The Terriers have won just one of their last five games, and with the Royals just a point behind them now, this is becoming quite the problem for their head coach.

Lee Grant may feel vindicated amid his disappointment at leaving Huddersfield Town

Kevin Nagle's decision to part ways with Grant is now starting to look the wrong one, with Manning suffering from many of the issues that Huddersfield were already facing, and it seems at this point in time that these problems run deeper than the person occupying the dugout.

Their former boss took to LinkedIn on Sunday to once again speak out on his disappointment in being sacked, writing: "As managers, we know the landscape we are operating in can be a brutal one. It's certainly all-consuming. At the same time, it brings huge fulfilment and joy. I loved every moment and every facet of my time as Manager of Huddersfield Town AFC.

"Obviously, I've experienced the full raft of emotions over the last few weeks. It's important to recognise the excellent work that has taken place and was ongoing. Yes, we were in a Top 6 league position (10 points from Automatic). Yes, we were top scorers in League One. Yes, we were top of the set piece chart. Yes, we were in the quarter-finals of the Football League Trophy.

"3rd in the race for most clean sheets. Proven development of players (Castledine sold for £1 million +, Ashia, Radulovic, etc etc), debuts for Ashia, Vost, Sway, Mrisho, [and] Cup victories against Premier League and Championship opposition. Despite all the work and so many things pointing in the right direction, it wasn't enough. Time to reflect. Time to take the learnings."

Grant won 11 of his 27 league games in charge of Huddersfield, and his win percentage was lower than Manning's currently is. However, he had the team in a much more secure position than the Terriers' current boss has them and perhaps he did deserve more time.