'Angry' Liam Manning says Huddersfield Town fans deserve apology after loss to Plymouth Argyle
An “angry” Liam Manning claimed Huddersfield Town fans deserved an apology following his side’s 3-1 defeat to Plymouth Argyle.
The Terriers took the lead via Cameron Humphreys at Home Park before allowing the Pilgrims to flip the game on its head.
Goals from Owen Dale, Arbim Pepple and Owen Oseni put Huddersfield to the sword, exposing defensive frailty. The Terriers now sit ninth in the League One table, with promotion hopes fading.
Post-match, Manning delivered a scathing assessment of his side’s performance.
Liam Manning’s scathing assessment
He said: “We went in 1-0 up at half-time but I’m not sure if we thoroughly deserved it. Giving away a cheap corner and not defending it at the start of the second half doesn’t help.
“I thought we defended well. We showed a good desire to defend the box and be brave and head it and do that side of it, but nowhere near enough quality on the ball for me first half.
“We spoke about it at half-time: just don’t give away cheap set-pieces, defend them properly. And when you look at it, you can’t give away three goals like that and expect to get anything from the game.
“I am annoyed, frustrated, angry at the performance as much as anything. I thought we were miles away from where we need to be.
“The least the fans deserve is an apology for that performance because I thought it was poor.
“I am disappointed because the staff work so hard and we have spoken numerous times about defending set-pieces, but you can only do so much.
“You need people to take responsibility when they step on the pitch, own their performance, do their jobs and execute what’s been needed. Ultimately, we didn’t have enough players do that.”
Tom Cleverley lauds ‘incredible’ Plymouth Argyle display
Manning’s opposite number, meanwhile, was left purring over an “incredible” performance from the home side.
Plymouth boss Tom Cleverley said: “It was a tremendous performance. We were dominant in both halves. We had the mentality to not panic going in a goal down at the break.
“I thought we were excellent first-half. Out of possession we were forcing turnovers and good transitions. Whenever we forced them long, we were dominant in duels.
“We were good without the ball and with the ball. We have got a real confidence about us at the minute that we will score goals, whether that’s a set play, a cross in the box or good combination play.
“We have got a lot in our locker with a plan A, B and C which we were crying for earlier in the season. And I thought we were excellent in the second half to capitalise on an early goal.
“The message at half-time was recreate the first-half performance and a couple of tactical things. As a group we know why we conceded the goal. [I am] super proud of the group.”