'Intent, excitement, energy' – the vibes Huddersfield Town want Martin Drury to find again

Only this week, former manager Lee Grant defended his time at Huddersfield by pointing to numbers like Town having been the division’s top scorers under him. But something was missing.

“I'm not talking about 'X's and '0's, tactics, No 10s and profiles, I'm talking about a feeling, an intensity,” says Markham. “A direction, a bravery, a feeling of wanting to win, of being on the front foot, an excitement. I think that's what Huddersfield Town fans want.”

Grant and Michael Duff made decent – but only decent – starts to their Terriers careers but failure to deliver the right vibes cost them their jobs. Now the hope is Martin Drury and his assistant Jon Stead can find that special something.

That the three top Terriers on the footballing side are local lads is no guarantee of anything – Herbert Chapman came from Sheffield, Mick Buxton from Corbridge, David Wagner Geinsheim am Rhein – but Markham thinks it can help.

“It's having an understanding of this club,” explains Markham.

“As a sporting director you go on courses about bringing 'my style', or you bring a coach in to bring their style. I've had a lot of conversations with people I respect in the game recently who say the best operators look at where they are and adapt.

“Each club has its own personality, its own infrastructure, its own culture with the fans.

“What we're trying to implement might not work at Brighton or Brentford and (local knowledge) hopefully gives us an insight to try and make sure we're producing something that resonates with our fans.

“I was lucky to be here when David (Wagner) came. The first part of the Championship season wasn't really any better results-wise but it was building that momentum, building that identity.

“What everybody got behind with David and that team was the style, the front-foot nature, the intensity. He created something fans can feel.

“I'm hoping certain of us being from the area means we've got a better feel for that.

“We know there might be times where we have an injury to a certain player or it's windy on a Tuesday night in Burton and it might be difficult to impose your style there.

“But the idea is to try and enforce our style onto the game so in the longer term we're moving in the right direction.”

That undefinable quality explains why Drury got the job despite winning only two of seven matches he was in caretaker control of with Stead at the end of last season as they tried to steer Huddersfield into the League One play-offs with Liam Manning on compassionate leave.

Asked what he saw then, Markham replies: “Intent, excitement, energy.

“In such a difficult scenario with Liam and he didn't have Bojan (Radulovic) for many of the games, our top-scorer, with the level of difficulty of the fixtures, there was the emotional side of it, attacking, brave and galvanising. They're the things we want to try and grab and push even further forward.

“I thought the type of performances resonated more with what I would hope to see on a regular basis from Huddersfield Town.

“But I think the things that I alluded to in the statement (announcing Drury's appointment) were the things that nobody will probably know and see outside of Canalside, the cultural pieces – the quality control, the level of intensity, how demanding he is, and leadership in what was a really difficult moment.

“After the international break with Plymouth (when Manning stood back, ultimately permanently) things were not a good ebb. To be able to turn the performances of certain players and the team round so quickly is not just a coaching thing.”

“Culture” is another thing that is hard to define at a football club, but the modern-day holy grail.

“We had some post-season reviews with all the staff across every department, which were enlightening and really beneficial,” says Drury. “I really enjoyed speaking to people that were here when David Wagner was here, when Carlos Corberan (Drury's boss at West Bromwich Albion and Valencia) was here.

“The way they spoke about what the culture and the football club was like at that time and what it was like to work in, they spoke about it being very challenging, really tough, really demanding, but over time, really respectful, collaborative, working together with a common goal.

“To get to that stage there will be uncomfortable moments for people because we're going to try and raise the bar to get this club where it wants to be. But that will take time.

“It's about reintroducing some of the values that this football club stood for in years gone by, particularly in the Premier League.

“I'll be tapping into people who have been here a long time and ensuring anyone who comes in has got that mindset, that relentless nature, trying to improve and get better.”