"Very Marmite" - View given on Huddersfield Town owner Kevin Nagle's communication | OneFootball

The American bought the Terriers in June 2023, but life in Yorkshire has not come with success.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Huddersfield Town's struggles in League One have stretched into the start of October, as supporters begin to worry about the club's future.

The Terriers looked to be one of the favourites to win promotion to the Championship at the start of the campaign after being relegated from the second tier in 2023/24, but four wins from nine games, and five losses on top of that has seen them stuck in the bottom half of the table early on.

Manager Michael Duff is under pressure to turn around the season despite it still not even being a quarter of the way through, with Huddersfield's latest defeat to Northampton Town making it four matches in a row in the league without picking up a point.

It has left the Yorkshire-based side 10 points behind league leaders Birmingham City already, and the on-field issues are creating a dire mood at The John Smith's Stadium.

But, with owner Kevin Nagle not currently in the UK, there will be worries that supporters will be left in the dark over any decisions taken in the coming weeks, with communication key in times as tough as these.

Kevin Nagle's communication skills are very indifferent

Since Nagle took over the club in June 2023, the Terriers' standards have dropped massively, and a side that was in the Premier League just five years ago, are now in danger of getting stuck in the third tier.

2024/25 is the first season that Huddersfield have been in League One since their promotion to the Championship in 2012, and they have proven to be extremely inconsistent since the American became the owner.

Fans will start to demand answers, and despite his X account being very active, there are not many coming out of it at the moment.

Football League World's Huddersfield Fan Pundit, Graeme Rayner, sees why supporters feel very indifferent about the way Nagle communicates with them, and believes he can be better.

"He’s hit-and-miss, really. Kevin Nagle does a lot of stuff on social media, and it is very Marmite if you like. Some fans really appreciate the frankness and honesty of what he posts on Twitter, and he does quite a lot of video diaries and some really like that.

"Fans don't like it, particularly in the past, he has perhaps tweeted when things haven't gone well. Some people say that his assertions that things aren't good enough, for example, could be damaging, etc. and maybe are a little undignified.

"I'm undecided. I think that it's good that we've got someone that cares and quite often the things he says are what lots of fans are thinking, but I think he's that damned if he does, damned if he doesn't."

Graeme continued: "I've seen people this week asking why he's tweeting about the success of his team in Sacramento in the United States this weekend and hasn't said anything about our current poor run. But, when he does comment on things that aren't going well, other people criticise him for doing it.

"So, I think that he’s just got to do what he sees best, and people will like it or lump it. But I think he communicates well enough. It's just whether people like his style. It's very direct and frank, and he does sometimes bite back when people, as they will do on social media, comment to him and maybe that's something he needs to look at.

"But, I think it's better than in the past when we had very little communication."

Nagle must be more professional on social media

While being active on social media does allow supporters to interact and see his thoughts, Nagle must use it more carefully, particularly when results do not go their way.

Following defeat to Doncaster Rovers in the EFL Trophy in September, the American took to X to say how he felt about the club's performances: "Not good enough!! Cup or league we need to do better.

"From the players on up and right back down this is NOT the standard.

"Glad to have a bit of time to work on the issues and come back strong. I have full confidence in Michael and the lads to get right back in form.

"Still in good standing, need to build and never look back. UTT."

Since then, he has posted just once about the Terriers, instead focusing more on his USA club, Sacramento Republic.

This will be extremely frustrating for supporters who may feel as though his true loyalties and desires lie across the Atlantic, and that Huddersfield are an afterthought, especially if their form continues to be poor.

If he does utilise his platform more professionally, then it could be a brilliant way for fans to see what is going on behind the scenes at the club, and they can get to know their owner better, but currently, staying away from his X account may be for the best.