The Voice - Match preview #22: Bradford City vs Port Vale Monday 29th December 2025 7.45pm

So this team that haven’t won in 10.
On the back of a 5-0 defeat.
Scored 3 and conceded 19 in those 10 are suddenly going to find some form with a guy in charge who was already on the existing staff?

I’ve heard of new manager bounce but that is some stretch.

 

So same old , just a different name in charge .


Coaching career
Smith joined West Bromwich Albion as a youth development officer and was promoted to under-18s coach in 2016.[34] He was elevated to under-23s manager in 2018.[13] Darren Moore named Smith as his assistant manager at Doncaster Rovers in July 2019.[35] He would follow Moore to Sheffield Wednesday in March 2021, taking on the same role as assistant manager.[36] Following Moore contracting COVID-19, Smith took charge of match days for the Championship games against Watford, Cardiff City and Queens Park Rangers.[37][38] He would again lead the dugout after Moore suffered a setback in his recovery.[39] The pair led Wednesday to promotion out of the League One play-offs in 2023.[34] He left Sheffield Wednesday in June 2023, with manager Darren Moore and the rest of his backroom staff.[40] In September 2023, he re-united with Moore once again as part of the new coaching staff at Championship side Huddersfield Town.[41] Moore was sacked the following January, along with Smith and the rest of the coaching staff.[42] Smith joined Moore at Port Vale as the Lead First Team Coach in February 2024.[43]

 

Trueman and Sellars managed to do it, they took over us when we had lost 9 of the previous 11 league games then the next day got a draw at Crawley. Oxford sacked Rowett this week after a run of 1 win in 10 in the league and got a win against Southampton. Of course it could go the other way and have no impact like had at Wolves.
What the players will end up doing is upping their game knowing potential new managers are watching and the last thing you want to do is give them any sort of belief.

 

The manager bounce is exaggerated. The reality is, we play to our strengths tomorrow, we win. Less thought process needed on our opposition

 

Correct

 

Year and a half old but worth 3 minutes of your time

https://www.888sport.com/blog/football-myths-new-manager-bounce

 

It’s that easy is it?
A click of the fingers and form suddenly changes?

 

I had forgotten Trueman was still here until I heard Bobby Pointon speak in glowing terms about him last week, saying how much influence he has had on him since Bobby was a very young lad here.

 

Get at them , get an early goal and we will soon see what they are made of and so far this season, they haven’t been made of much

 

I'm not saying form will suddenly change but you do see teams raise their game after a manager sacking so we have to be aware of it. Also there's a chance they will play in a different formation or play in a different way that we have to be aware of so we've got to be switched on

 

He's in the stands as the high up view for Alexander so always in the background but to still be here after 3 different managers says he must be a good coach and an unsung hero behind the scenes. It looks like he's one of these coaches that are better as coaches than managers similar to how Martin Drury has progressed. Since signing a 3 year deal when Adams joined in June 21 I don't think anything more has been said about his contract so no idea how long he has left on his deal.

 

Do you think GA will take that into consideration in his pre match discussion?

 

I would imagine it will be mentioned especially if it looks on the team sheet like they are going to change how they play but a lot of it will have be covered already about being professional etc and not taking them lightly. Most of it won't really need saying as the squad is very experienced and i think the likes of Power will know how teams can react to a manager being sacked.

 

Forget Vale. Its more likely City will look lathargic, forget how to pass a ball and be scratching their heads in the final 3rd. Just like Forest Green and Tranmere from years gone by.

 

The joys

 

2-0 victory tomorrow.
Our boys know what to do.

 

I've always thought this was a bit of a myth but it seems to be a recurring theme over the last few seasons. It'll be well and truly put to the test tomorrow.

 

They won’t change how they play or very unlikely . This temp manager/ coach has followed Bruno from club to club so why do we think Bruno’s head coach will be any different ? I’m not sure BB.

 

Play our game, to our strengths, and a change of manager for a team bottom shouldn’t matter.

get humphrys on the ball running at them early. He’s a confidence player more than any other. Get him involved and not cut adrift, when he can get frustrated, and let them worry about us.

 

I think if we looked like romping to a 5 0 win or something it would be a HUGE ask for Vale to get anything tomorrow - but we're looking more like grinding out a win, and the margins will likely be much closer. We just aren't scoring freely at all lately.

So realistically, they need to find 2 goals to get at least a point?

Difficult against our defence, but not impossible. If we were on red hot form, sure, their situation wouldn't make a difference. We're not, and it's closer than it seems imo