Exclusive: Kevin Nagle urged to take Michael Duff stance at Huddersfield Town | OneFootball

Carlton Palmer thinks the Terriers owner should remain patient with Duff despite poor recent form

Former England international and current pundit Carlton Palmer has urged Huddersfield Town owner Kevin Nagle to stick by boss Michael Duff, after the Terriers' American chief posted a cryptic message on social media following the club's tough loss to Wigan Athletic on Tuesday evening.

Huddersfield were widely tipped to return to the Championship at the first time of asking under Duff's guidance at the start of the season, but while they currently occupy fifth spot and are well in with a chance of reaching the play-offs, their automatic promotion hopes have taken a huge hit in the last week.

Town had won two on the bounce ahead of a clash against struggling Peterborough United on Saturday, but then slipped to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Posh, and were unable to put things right against Wigan Athletic in midweek as the Latics emerged 2-1 victors on home turf.

Carlton Palmer pleads 'patience' for Michael Duff after confusing Kevin Nagle message

Those successive defeats have left the Terriers nine points behind second-placed Wycombe Wanderers, who also have a game in hand, and further questions have been raised by supporters over whether Duff is still the right man for the job.

Nagle moved to address Huddersfield fans on X in the hours after that Wigan loss, but his cryptic message of: "Town Supporters, I hear you loud and clear. Trust me," arguably raised even more questions than answers about the 47-year-old's future.

Whether Duff will remain in charge for the foreseeable future at the John Smith's Stadium is anyone's guess right now, but he certainly needs to help his team start picking up more wins over the coming weeks, or he will likely be out of a job before the season is out despite their play-off possibilities.

With Nagle's message in mind, 18-time England international Palmer has urged the Terriers' owner not to sack Duff anytime soon, as he believes it does not make sense to get rid of him while in the midst of a promotion push despite their inconsistent form.

"At the end of the day, Huddersfield’s plan was to get automatic promotion this season. They’re competing with Birmingham City and Wrexham, who have each spent an awful lot of money," Palmer told FLW.

"Yes, the past few results have been disappointing, but I think he (Kevin Nagle) has to be patient with Michael Duff.

"I agree with Kevin Nagle, the fans should trust him, but they should be patient. The season needs to play out, they’ve still got a bit of work to do to secure a play-off place.

"It is going to be difficult to get promotion out of those play-offs if they do get there. You look at the sides that are up there, you’ve got Wycombe, Wrexham, Stockport.

"It’s going to be tough, but I think there has to be patience. It’s not always about ‘we should change the manager, change the manager.’

"Michael Duff is a really, really good manager, right? Sometimes you have these little blips, but now they have to get on with it, secure a play-off place, and let's see.

"Changing the manager at this stage of the season serves no purpose, in my opinion, because the transfer window is already gone.

"Unless you’ve lost complete faith in a manager that is there, with so few league games left, you stay and keep the faith with Michael Duff.

"I think Huddersfield will be in the play-offs, and then we’ll have to see how they go from there.

"Of course, Michael will be worried, because his remit will have been to get them promotion, but the next game is where you have to get the next result, and move on from there."

Duff has not had any reassurances around the safety of his job

Huddersfield's league position does not read too badly right now, with the club in fifth spot in League One, but their issues are made a lot more apparent when their recent form is laid out.

Duff's side have won just three times in the last 12 third-tier games, and while he has had to contend with a host of injuries to his key men recently, it is pretty understandable as to why certain sections of supporters have become increasingly vocal in their desire to see him relieved of his duties over the last few weeks.

The former Barnsley and Swansea City boss is in desperate need of three points to increase the buffer between his side and seventh place, and with a trip to mid-table side Stevenage next up this weekend, he was asked about his future in the Terriers' dugout and whether he had received any guarantees about the safety of his job after recent poor form in his pre-match press conference.

"I have had conversations with people above me, but have not had reassurances on the good or bad runs," he told the Yorkshire Post.

"I live in the world of reality. I have said it before. The (fear of the) sack has never driven me in any job that I have done, it’s not why I get up in the morning.

"I come to work because I am manager of a very good football club and there's an opportunity to do something. Loads of work needs doing and you need time to be able to survive and thrive. But you have got to do the first part first.

"It feels like the ‘end of the world’ at the minute and it’s all ‘falling apart’. I get that. It’s an emotional game and an emotional club and there’s been a lot of ups and downs in the last few years and this year has been the perfect example of it.

"I’ve had no reassurances but I wouldn’t ever ring up and ask for reassurances either.

"I live in a world where eventually you will get sacked as that’s the world we live in. Whether it’s today, tomorrow, two months, two years or 20 years, it will happen eventually.

"Hopefully, it doesn’t because the work that has been going on has been good in terms of the long term progress of the football club. But you have to do well in the short term as well."

Those quotes do not exactly give the feeling of a man who is confident that he will see the season out in West Yorkshire. Duff has been in the English game for nigh on 30 years as both a player and manager, and so is clearly realistic about the cutthroat nature of football at such a level.

He does, though, at least look set to take charge as his side travel to the Lamex Stadium on Saturday afternoon, and it feels like a make or break 90 minutes for his future as the manager of Huddersfield Town.