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…
Dion Charles moved from Bolton Wanderers to Huddersfield Town in January, but things haven’t gone as planned for the Northern Irish striker thus far.
After being granted multiple starts in his first few games, Charles, like his new team, suffered with a bad run of form, and in recent games, he has been forced to make an impact from the bench.
Speaking to the Yorkshire Post about his lack of opportunities in recent weeks, Huddersfield head coach Michael Duff agreed that the striker had been given enough chances to make an impression in the starting lineup.
“It’s not quite working for him at the minute,” Duff told me.
“It’s a difficult decision, but at some point, it’s not about him, and you’re doing what you believe is best for the team.” We’ve tried to help him, but there’s only so long before there’s a tipping point.”
Duff is also a man under pressure, having received harsh criticism from supporters in recent weeks for his style of play as the Terriers have struggled to produce results. However, the head coach would have anticipated more from his £750,000 striker, who has failed to find the net in eight games.
Huddersfield pundit admits Charles has been “unfortunate”
To get a Huddersfield perspective on Charles’ debut at the John Smith’s Stadium, Football League World spoke with their resident Terrier, Graeme Rayner, who admitted that the striker’s entrance was not ideal.
“Dion Charles has actually been very unfortunate,” according to Rayner.
“He joined the squad at a period when we were making a lot of chances, but since then, we haven’t made as many. He creates his own opportunities, which are frequently only half-chances.
“The climate at the club is really negative, which must be extremely difficult for a new signing.
“I hope he will do well. He has pedigree at this level and will reach the goals. It will be the football cliché of ‘he gets one off his backside’, followed by a scoring run.
| Dion Charles’ Bolton Wanderers Record | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 149 |
| Goals | 57 |
| Assists | 11 |
| Source: Transfermarkt | |
“He looks like he is lacking in confidence and familiarity – he has rarely played with the same partner or the same system because of the impact the many injuries have had on the squad.”
Dion Charles can still have an impact on Huddersfield’s season
Eight games and 493 minutes of action is a short time to evaluate a player, and Charles still has 14 more games to establish his worth to Duff and the fans.
The Terriers are now just inside the play-offs, but they will be anxious to reverse their recent bad run, having won only two of their last eight games. The primary concern during this stretch has been a paucity of goals, with Duff’s side managing only seven in that period and failing to score at home since December 29th.
If he can find a way to be the man to restore Huddersfield’s prior fortunes, the Terriers fanbase will rapidly rally around him, and his early problems will be forgotten.
Ideally, Charles’ experience in the play-offs will be invaluable, and if the Yorkshire club is to gain promotion back to the Championship, their big-money January addition must step up.
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