MILLER: “WE’RE THERE TO BE SHOT AT”

Tommy Miller insists that Huddersfield Town’s amazing unbeaten run has made them one of the big scalps in League One this year.

Town are currently on a sensational 34-game unbeaten league run (at the time of print), stretching all the way back to December 2010.

Midfielder Miller, who joined the Terriers from Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday in the summer, says that the further the run stretches, the more Lee Clark’s men become targets.

He said: “It’s remarkable (the unbeaten run). But we’re there to be shot at, and obviously a lot of clubs want to be the first ones to end the run.

“The lads did ever so well last season and should have been promoted really. The play-offs are a lottery and they failed them, but league-wise, it’s a run that they’ve continued this season and all credit to them and also the new lads who have come in and helped along the way.

“There’s great belief in the lads and the whole squad throughout, so we’ve just got to keep that going now.”

Whilst speaking at Town’s Galpharm Stadium, Miller also revealed that he shunned other teams, including one higher division club, in order to rubber-stamp a move to Town and he cites the team’s playing style as the catalyst:

“It’s a fantastic club and everything’s set up here. They play football the way that I like to play and the manager’s ideas all added up so it was all perfect and I was delighted to come.

“I also know a couple of the coaches: Steve Watson from Sheffield Wednesday and Paul Stephenson who I played with at Hartlepool back in the day.”

Miller also revealed that a new deal was initially promised at Wednesday, before a surprise change of heart paved the way for a move to West Yorkshire. The former Sunderland and Ipswich man concedes he was disappointed not to be kept on the books at Hillsborough, but believes the future is bright for both himself and Town.

He added: “I’m enjoying it here and hopefully we can be up there come the end of the season. It’s a big squad and I’ve got to bide my time but at the moment I feel fit, injury-free and hopefully this season I can kick on, stay in the team and get a few goals aswell maybe.

WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITIES

When it comes to the transfer window, opinion is very much split.

Some believe it should be scrapped as it promotes rushed deals with over-inflated fees for players, whilst others are fans of its ability to cease trading for a fixed period.

However, one thing that most football followers will agree on, and that the media thrives on, is that deadline Day is very much unique and undoubtedly entertaining.

The latest offering, last Wednesday, may not have included any stand-out deals such as the ones in previous years, but it did provide the base for a number of top-flight clubs to get rid of the deadwood within their squads.

The best example of this was Tottenham, who throughout the window brought in the experienced trio of Brad Friedel, Scott Parker and Emmanuel Adebayor whilst at the same time moving on the likes of Crouch, Hutton, Jenas, Bentley and Palacios.

Shrewd moves as ever by Harry Redknapp who recouped far more from those departures than was initially spent on the aforementioned trio.

Similar movement went on at Anfield, where Kenny Dalglish sprang a surprise by re-signing Craig Bellamy. As the temperamental Welshman swooped into Merseyside, Dalglish was busy moving on the likes of Poulsen, Kyrgiakos, N’Gog, Cole and Meireles.

Both Liverpool and Spurs now have the look of lean, quality-laden squads with potential for a top-four finish, thanks to their business in the window.

As far as other Premier League sides were concerned, the window, and Deadline day in particular, brought a mixed bag. QPR must be pleased with their business having acquired experienced players such as Young, Barton, Ferdinand and Wright-Philips, whilst Everton fans are understandably disgruntled after the departures of Arteta, Beckford and Yakubu and the arrival of just two loanees.

Elsewhere, Arsene Wenger frantically supplemented his squad with Arteta, Mertesacker and Benayoun to make up for a recent torrid time (on and off the pitch), City did their business relatively early, meaning a surprisingly quiet deadline day for them and Alex Ferguson was watching the madness unfold safe in the knowledge that his business had been done long before August 31, with his new recruits already settled.


WINDOW ASSESSMENT

GOOD WINDOW FOR …. LIVERPOOL: completely reshaped the squad, with Dalglish getting rid of deadwood and bringing in quality such as Adam, Enrique and Downing. A top four finish now looks more achievable with the revamped team.


BAD WINDOW FOR …. EVERTON: Another window, and again Everton fail to spend a penny. The sale of star man Mikel Arteta is worrying and others to have left Goodison include Beckford and Yakubu, who despite not being regulars, also chipped in with their fair share of goals. Their replacement by an unproven Argentine forward (on loan) has not gone down well with Toffee supporters and for the first time in his reign, Moyes’ future may come into question.

SIGNING OF THE WINDOW…. Take your pick from AGUERO, PARKER or CROUCH: Granted those three may all be very different players, but for their respective clubs they could prove priceless. AGUERO cost a fortune but already has shown the qualities needed to be a big hit at City, PARKER could prove to be an astute signing and the reigning player of the year will slot perfectly into the Spurs team, whilst CROUCH may come as a surprise to many to be in this category, but Stoke’s unique style should suit him perfectly and he may prosper from being a first-team regular again.