The Voice - Match preview #17: Bradford City vs Exeter City Saturday 29th November 2025 3:00pm

Agree but the comparison was to this years Cook, not previous seasons.
Humphrys won’t have a record like Cook and we do need a more clinical striker
Think we’ve been a little lucky with the others contributing to the goals.
Seems all those players have gone off the boil at the minute

 

Agree 100%
Neither Cook or Humphrys are the striker we need
Can’t rely on others contributions all the time

 

Budget wise aren’t we in the bottom third of the division? At least bottom half?

we’re punching, for sure.

xG suggests we should probably be about sixth, but that’s still excellent for a newly promoted side.

i can’t believe we’re third, having not won since Sept before yesterday.

 

From the stats that I saw this week, we're 13th in terms of budget, on £5.8 million. Top three: Luton (£17.7m), Cardiff (£13.7m) and Huddersfield (£12.5m). No real surprises there. They're the only clubs spending over £10m though. Clear underachievers arguably being Plymouth (£8.7m) and Blackpool (£8.2m). Bottom three: Wimbledon (£4.2m), Doncaster (£4.1m) and Exeter (£4.0m). So yeah, I'd say we're punching well above in terms of our spend.

 

spot to up front is the way to go now one up front leaves him isolated midfield to me has lost its way go back to the first games we looked good swan was scoring every game the midfield will have to play like Exeter one touch football six passes they where up to our box all the time.

 

But who do we blame for the first 45 when Cook wasn't in the pitch?

The point is that we're trying to lump excuses about poor performance on someone who played just 220 minutes off league football. It's absolutely bizarre.

Is Cook the answer, no, I don't believe he is but some posters trying to make out that he's the issue is absolute nonsense, plain and simple.

 

I think the 3 forwards are as good as we are going to get all 3 of them are not scoring now to up top get the midfield passing better will see us get back to winning ways.my favourite formation is 442 or 352.

 

On YouTube Caldwell reckons the free kick which led to City's goal wasn't taken from the right place. Having just watched the extended highlights I suggest he books an appointment at Specsavers.

 

Isn’t there a Cook/Swan partnership possibility, not too dissimilar to Hanson/Wells? Or am
I talking my usual crap? Probably just me thinking it!

 

He can't argue. There were at least 3 times in the first half in front of the kop where their free kicks were taken from the wrong place. On two of those occasions their player actually rubbed the foam away with the ball and placed the ball elsewhere!!

 

To the letter of the law he is right as the free kick was about 3 yards in front of where it should have been but as others have said it's very common for free kicks/throw ins to be taken from a different place to where they should be. The only way to stop it is by the referee stopping play every time and putting the spray down to mark the spot which nobody would want. It's a pretty weak excuse even by manager standards but I'm sure behind closed doors he's asking why they didn't try to stop the quick free kick, why Power had so much space to put in the cross and how they had a 5 on 3 in the box yet Wright had so much space.

 

Shock horror free kick is taken in the wrong place ...........let me guess Exeter take every free kick in the right place
Honestly the majority of managers need to have a good think before spewing crap out ...........see the Leeds manager was spouting shite about Man City bending the rules yet another manager i guess who never employs dark art tactics

 

His whinge is just any way to get an excuse out to try save his job. Literally every single team in the countries goal keeper goes down, pretty much every single match these days but especially when they are winning. It's a bollocks time wasting tactic, but every team does it. His keeper has done it most weeks this season too as is being pointed out online.

 

Imagine being on here after we had spent £12.5 m on players ?

 

I saw a suggestion to combat this where the outfield players must all go to the centre circle whilst the goalie gets his 'treatment', great idea.

 

The centre half must go off. That will focus minds .

 

Something needs to be done .........they brought in the 8 second rule only for this bollocks to start happening

 

Yes, I've seen loads of people praising Exeter's approach to the game on Saturday with regards to antics. They fell behind after 20 minutes, you can guarantee their keeper would have had a few injuries if the shoe was on the other foot.

 

It happened before this 8 seconds rule, it's been happening since the start of last season when the 30 seconds for injured outfield players started in this country. There was an article on the BBC yesterday saying that IFAB are looking at a couple of different laws to stop this one option is that a nominated player must go off the other is to stop players going to the touchline. The first one is the easiest but I'm not sure if it is much of a deterrent if a key tactical change needs making. I can see the players unions pushing against the 2nd one as they will say what if a player needs a drink. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cewjkn2ww8zo

The problem will always be that no matter what the change is to the law there will be lots of coaches looking for loopholes to get around it then once 1 starts others copy.