'YOU'VE GOT TO BE FAIR'

New Terriers boss on Magath's lesson

- Chris Dunlavy

ANDRE Breitenreiter, the new manager of Huddersfield Town, puffs out his cheeks at the mere mention of feared taskmaster Felix Magath.

"Oof," he says, to emphasise the point. "Felix? He was my head coach at Hamburg when I was 20 years old and he was really, really hard. We ran and we ran. I was exhausted every day.

"But you know what? We won. For me, he was a very good coach because he was always fair with us.

"It didn't matter if you were a young player or a well-known player. It didn't matter if you played for the national team. If you gave your best and he could see you trying, you started on the pitch on Saturday.

"There are some aspects of what Felix did that of course would not work now. But that is something I made part of my philosophy always to be fair and to show every player that if you give your best, it is possible to play. I want every player to have that confidence." Confidence has been in short supply at Huddersfield this season, who until last week had achieved the remarkable feat of spending four straight months in 21st position.