Assessing where expectations are for Huddersfield Town are this summer

We now know Huddersfield Town will be in next season’s Championship having once dreamed of more. Drawing a line under last season we can say it was a monumental effort to get to third place, and then just not to be in the play-offs. Time to look forward then, and a summer ahead with all the usual transfer speculation, pre-season friendlies, and at least one kit reveal.

Another thing the off season brings is expectation. Last year there was an undertone to everything. Town were relegation favourites with more than one bookmaker but it almost… didn’t matter? What was important was that fans were coming back. A pint, a pie, and a day out at the football. No one wanted to let the actual football get in the way of that feeling returning.

This time around things are a bit different. Not only is life almost back to normal barring the odd bottle of hand sanitiser, but Huddersfield Town are a good side. That’s undeniable, no one finishes third in the Championship by accident. It means this summer expectation is higher than normal, and rightly so, but where is realistic right now to set your sights for next season?

Firstly there is some context to consider here. If we go back to the ghosts of pre-season past there is a pattern. Before Town’s first year in the Premier League there was excitement but a general acceptance a relegation battle was the least fans could expect. After survival the following year’s summer was spent with basically the exact same thought.

After dropping back into the Championship no one really knew where to set their expectations for the 2019/20 season. It was hoped they might be in the mix but a new (and unknown) manager, an uninspiring summer window, and a general hangover from the previous year left a