Lee Grant and Joe Low press conference: Huddersfield Town team news, rotation policy and Stevenage preview.

Plus the Terriers manager’s stance on potential transfer exits before the transfer window closes.

This is a rough summary of the press conference, with the answers to some questions grouped together for ease of reading. The full audio from the presser is available at the top of this page on our website or via the podcast feed.

Lee Grant

I’ve worked with managers and been a part of squads where the managers weren’t as open and didn’t enjoy those conversations, but I’ve always tried to get ahead of things and be as upfront with the players as possible, and I’ve always been very clear from the start about how I saw things growing and developing throughout the season.

When they are on the team, there is usually a conversation. I always like to talk to players about where they are and how they can get ahead of things, and whether they like it or not — which they usually don’t — I make sure they understand why.

Sometimes they have bigger picture reasons, and sometimes they don’t agree if they think they did well, but they must trust and believe in what I do for the entire squad.

At the moment, they are buying into it, which is great for me because it makes it easier when they leave or rejoin the team.

They are never left wondering why or how they will return to the team. Clarity is the most important thing for me and them. Do I ever envision having less rotation? Absolutely.

However, we are still gathering information about the squad’s dynamics and relationships, and the group is aware of this.

As I’ve previously stated, we have a lot of good players, and we want to give those players opportunities. If we’ve reached a point in the season where we believe the dust has settled, perhaps things will change.

Relationships in the back line: is it risky to rotate?

We are conscious of bringing in the right players at the right time. The risk increases if we have an injury and need to replace a player who does not have the necessary minutes and match reps. We want to ensure that everyone receives the necessary exposure to prepare for the entire season.

We don’t want people to think they only play in the cup or at home; we want everyone to be prepared for anything and to ensure that we have a group that trusts each other, not just ten or eleven players.

Surprised to see Stevenage at the top? Not surprised at all. I completed some of my coaching badges with Alex Revell, and I’m sure some of his personality and demeanour rubbed off on his players.

He has a strong personality, and we believe they will carry that strength as a group, as they have demonstrated. Their goals against Port Vale provide insight into their mentality and character.

Have Stevenage had an easy start?

Well, we played Blackpool [as Stevenage did], and they gave us problems. Regardless of who you’re playing, you must approach it with humility, the right mentality, and the right mettle, and we must be on top of our game this weekend.

Any transfers out expected?

Nobody is about to leave as we sit here right now. It’s all quiet on that front, which I kind of like.

It doesn’t mean we’re not working on anything, but we’re concentrating on what we have. Part of me is looking forward to closing that window so I can focus on this squad. How do you handle players who aren’t going to be featured? It’s critical for me to be true to myself in how I treat others, and my employees are the same.

Everyone in the building will be treated equally and will receive the same love, attention, care, and effort to improve as a player every day. The ones who get the opportunities will be the ones who work hard and fit into what we do and buy into it as well.

It’s fortunate that we have a close group, as there aren’t many who would fall outside of it.

It is critical to try to do the right thing by people, and my job requires me to coach and manage, so that is what I will do.

It truly is the same for everyone, and part of that is having very open conversations with everyone. When this occurs, trust flows more smoothly both ways.

Joe Low

Reflections on Donny

Every game presents unique challenges, so adaptability is key. We ended up with a clean sheet, so I believe everything went well. We held our own against them and ultimately won.

Castledine’s Tackle I was still in the other box at that time! But I could see him opening his legs, and we think of him as a creative attacking player, and he possesses that skill as well. We talk about it a lot on the training pitch, and if you can help out by doing two jobs at once, we’ll do it for each other.

Relationships in the defensive unit

We’re still learning about each other and how we work together, but it’s all about doing the basics right, the brilliant basics. We’re always looking out for one another. We’re always helping each other out, talking, and trying to do our best.

It’s still early in the season, so we’re still establishing those connections, and [on the ball against Doncaster], it was only a fraction off from working. We made those minor changes, and the second half definitely clicked better.

Squad rotation

It’s a team sport, and people will start and be left out of games, but that’s not the same as missing them.

It’s a long season in a difficult league; we have a good squad, and we’ll need everyone. Nobody has the right to start, so if someone is better suited to a game, now is their chance to step up and give it their all.

We are all shoulder to shoulder with one another and will continue to do so. This is the best team I’ve ever been a part of, and I believe we all feel the same way, and it’s really working. Thoughts on Stevenage

Every game presents unique situations and circumstances, but if we want to compete at the top of the table — which we absolutely do — we’ll need to beat teams on both good and bad runs. To be honest, I’ve not looked at the table.

I don’t see the point in looking at it until after Christmas. Opportunities on a global scale Playing for your country is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have.

I’ve been in there before and had a taste of it, but I want to make sure I go every time. I just need to do my best and hope that at some point they won’t ignore me.

I haven’t spoken with Craig Bellamy in a while, but I’ll let my football speak for itself.

Debut goal.

I had my family in the stands, and my father always tells me to go score a goal, but this time was a little different and surreal.

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