Huddersfield Town v Stockport County: 'Drive in and leave your ego at the reception': Duff on culture shift after Breitenreiter warning
The German, an honest and engaging interviewee who had clear high standards, is best remembered for calling out several unnamed players in damning fashion after the club’s relegation was effectively confirmed after a draw with Birmingham City in late April.
He spoke of ‘unacceptable’ things happening in his short-lived tenure that he had never previously experienced in his ‘30 years in the business’.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdBreitenreiter spoke of ‘many, many changes’ needed in terms of altering the playing culture at Town. He may have left soon after on his own volition, but still did Town a service all the same by getting his concerns out in the open.


They were duly noted by Duff. Six months on and the working environment at the club’s training base is being transformed.
A quick glance at the league table at Christmas - Town are within striking distance of the top two and are unbeaten in 11 matches - illustrates the significant strides that the club have made since Duff’s arrival.
More especially given a colossal amount of disruption on the injury front.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdChanging the whole ethos of the playing side of the club has been every bit as important. Probably moreso in truth.
Back in August, the club revealed a new brand identity and a campaign slogan entitled ‘Everything Together’, created by marketing agency Fantastic Media. The phrase succinctly conveys Duff’s impact at the club so far.
Duff, whose side are unbeaten in eight matches in all competitions at home - Town have won seven - said: "We don’t train with 11 players. They are all involved and in the meetings.
"The same is expected of them whether they are in or out of the team.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"They have to take their ego out of it for the benefit of the team. We have a saying. Drive in and leave your ego at the reception, put you kit on and train and get your ego on when you drive out of the door.
"But when we are here, we are all the same. No-one is better or more important than anyone else. If we can have that humility and put the team first - which is difficult sometimes - it’s getting that mentality into everyone. You need each other.
"There’s 25 individual businesses, but they need each other. But it’s competitive and they need to push each other as well."
Town’s strength so far in 2024-25 has been their strength. Countless players have put their hands up at various junctures. So far they have fielded 27 players in league matches - only four clubs have used more.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIn addition, 13 different goalscorers have found the net at league level. Only Wycombe and Charlton have higher numbers.
Those statistics are a further barometer to the meritocracy and egalitarian nature of playing life at Town these days where the load is shared.
Respect, hard work, humility and enthusiasm are core values that guide Duff’s life. If his players don’t display that on a daily basis in the workplace, they will certainly be told and have been.
Straight-talking is the Duff mantra and he has no time for grips and moans.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdDuff, whose side are five points behind second-placed Wycombe, who they visit in early January, continued: "If I leave anyone out of the team and they come knocking on the door and say: ‘Why am I not playing?’, it’s ‘make sure you are ready then’. Don’t come knocking on my door and then not deliver in training. There’s pressure on them as well.
"Because when they do come out of the team, we look at them and how they are behaving and what they are doing about the place. Are they making it about ‘me, me, me’? They haven’t by the way.
"It’s also (saying) the team is going to change and don’t come crashing my door down saying this, that and the other. Make sure when you get your opportunity that you take it. That’s the competition and they know."
Standards are being driven on the training ground and competition is healthy and getting the best out of everyone. On the occasions that players have been left out, Duff believes that most will know the reason why, deep down.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe Town chief continued: "Footballers aren’t particularly clever. But they are astute and they are not stupid.
"They train with people. It’s very rare that you leave a player out and you take them completely by surprise. They will have a gut feeling going: ‘I might be in trouble today.’
"They watch people training and think: ‘he’s at it at the minute.’ The day to day of pushing each other drives competition and standards and hopefully drives results."
Recent evidence suggests they are.