Lee Grant told exactly what he needs to hear from Kevin Nagle - Huddersfield Town need to see a reaction now | OneFootball

The Terriers' American owner has publicly backed the 42-year-old amid fan pressure

After a period of instability, Kevin Nagle looked to put an end to such chaos at Huddersfield Town this summer with the appointment of Lee Grant.

In a period of just over two years in which the American has held power at the Accu Stadium, the Terriers have fallen back into League One whilst he has overseen the fortunes of six permanent and temporary managers and head coaches.

Last season saw Michael Duff take the reins of the third tier club after relegation, having previously guided Barnsley to the play-off final in 2023. However, his tenure in West Yorkshire would prove disastrous, and so would the interim appointment of Jon Worthington as Town succumbed to a 10th-place finish, ending some 14 points behind eventual play-off finalists, Leyton Orient.

Unsurprisingly, a major overhaul in the dugout and within the playing squad was a MUST if Town were to mount an expected promotion bid throughout the current season, and it began with Nagle's action of poaching the 42-year-old from his position as assistant to Kieran McKenna at Ipswich Town.

It has been a tightly contested opening two months of League One football so far, which has Huddersfield sat in sixth place after 11 games with 19 points to their name.

This would, normally, qualify as a relatively impressive start to most managerial careers. And, whilst recent form and performances haven't pleased the locals, Grant will be buoyed as Nagle reiterated his belief in the ex-Manchester United goalkeeper to deliver short and long-term success.

Lee Grant walked into a high-pressure first managerial role at Huddersfield Town

Due to the club's recent pedigree in the Premier League and Championship, Huddersfield are - alongside a cluster of sides - expected to be among the front-runners in the third tier.

After some strong January transfer moves, although Joe Taylor and Dion Charles' respective stints with the club have been contrasting to say the least, Grant was heavily backed following his appointment, recruiting several high-profile names for the level across all departments of his squad.

This included Alfie May for £1.2m, with the experienced frontman falling down Birmingham City's pecking order despite delivering 16 league goals for Chris Davies in a record-breaking season in the West Midlands.

At the other end of the spectrum was the loan signing of Owen Goodman from Crystal Palace, with the 21-year-old registering 24 shutouts in the regular League Two season and the play-offs last term as AFC Wimbledon won promotion at Wembley.

The signs of a dominant force were certainly there in the opening weeks of the season, as Town swept aside Orient, Reading, Doncaster Rovers and Stevenage in the league, whilst also claiming scalps over Leicester City and Sunderland in the EFL Cup as a strong wave of early-season momentum was generated.

However, what looked like a potentially minor blip in a Yorkshire derby against Barnsley at Oakwell on August 30th, during which the aforementioned Goodman received his marching orders, has become a turning point in the eyes of many, although that doesn't align with Nagle's beliefs.

Lee Grant will hope for Huddersfield Town reaction after Kevin Nagle social media backing

Since then, Huddersfield have only won two games out of six, with sections of supporters believing that Grant has become slightly one-dimensional in terms of his tactical style.

This was particularly evident in last weekend's 2-1 home defeat to Stockport County, during which Dave Challinor's visitors played the final 37 minutes with 10 men following Tyler Onyango's red card.

With the visitors already defending a 1-0 lead at this point, Grant opted to make like-for-like substitutions rather than being proactive in the situation and pile the pressure on a side reduced in numbers, proven by the fact seven of their 16 in-game attempts came from outside the 18-yard area.

As such, there has been a major decrease in output from an array of centre-forwards at the club, with May yet to score since August 23rd, whilst Taylor also hasn't found the back of the net in over a month.

Despite the concerns shown in the stands, Huddersfield have still averaged the fifth-best goals return per match whilst accumulating the joint-highest number of clean sheets along with Cardiff City and Northampton Town.

Therefore, Grant would have been reassured by the fact Nagle doesn't buy into the aforementioned criticisms, responding in a brutally honest manner to a supporter who claimed that the newly-appointed figure's job was already on the line.

He will know, above anyone else, that recent performances haven't lived up to the consistent levels required to achieve promotion, and that he has to repay the American's faith, which starts next Thursday in a crucial home encounter with Bolton Wanderers, who have endured a draw-heavy start to Steven Schumacher's first full season despite having the division's top scorer, Mason Burstow, among their ranks.