Match Thread Away v Harrogate Sat 5 Feb @ 1.00pm

You knew what was going to happen today as soon as we had chances and didn't score. I called it at the time as did the home commentators and probably 90% of our fanbase. All too familiar for City and no matter what manager we get we play the same shit football. Change has got to come somewhere and it's apparent changing the manager alone won't fix it. The whole club needs a new direction and it's got to come from the top (Rupp). Get him to sell up because the only direction he's taken us is down.

I think what Ryan has done with the kiosks, dugouts and other commercials dealings has been alright, so I'm not really Sparks out, I'd prefer him to move to a position that isn't to do with how we play on the pitch...

Adams is right about managers not getting a lot of time here but to be honest they've all laid an egg and their style of football was negative to say the least. We sacked our recruitment team so that he could appoint his own, and all it resulted in was late transfer window panic loan signings. Maybe if he recruited a little better he wouldn't have had the problem of not finding the net with umpteen chances, which has happened ALL season. If the finances weren't provided then say so. If that's not the case, Adams out.

Rupp out.
Adams out.

 

I don’t understand a person with your intelligence why you are finding the situation with Adams so difficult to understand?

Ok, it’s like this, if we hired Steve Evans then more than likely you would be against him because you don’t like him and he doesn’t connect with the fans.

Right now Adams isn’t liked by the Bradford City fans and has no connection with us. He was brought in to take us up that I feel Steve Evans would do a better job. He can’t get back to back wins and his football is utter dire. He has come in not even caring about the fans and his interviews are embarrassing.

Bradford City is a club that’s for the community. It’s a club that’s been through a lot in its history and what a club like this needs as a MINIMUM is a manager that can at least connect with its supporters. Think of a Klopp at Liverpool, an Ainsworrh at Wycombe, a Ferguson at Peterborough for example. Managers need to do more at clubs like Bradford City.

@Bronco said you would have thought Sparks did his diligence on Adams and recruitment but it seems he didn’t do it on what the club really needs and that’s because he is a novice CEO that shouldn’t be in the position. The club is now going backwards and to move forwards we need Adams to go ASAP before fans vote massively with their feet which will happen because we don’t like Adams! It’s over!

Surely as a Bradford City fan you can see what football is about now in 2022 and that sometimes a manager is just the wrong fit for a football club no matter what they have or has happened before.

 

Seriously, most of these chances were made in the first half, without doubt Oxley who was MOTM kept Harrogate in the game with 3 very important save.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0bmdrvz

 

Just like Bowyer did. With the same result.

 

Something's got to change.

I thought that was the whole point of Turnbull.

 

Are you quoting Adams or defending him Bronco?

 

So did Ryan if you remember at the time hence my question why Turnbull left.

 

It seems a strange one. Maybe a clash of personalities with Adams?

Feels like the strategy completely flipped within 3 months.

 

I'm saying what I saw with my own eyes 3/4 very good chances that were saved by Oxley, they go in were on easy street but they didn't and it took a wicked defection to get Harrogate in front, they got the break today, once Diamond made it 2 - 0 it was game over.

 

I listened for a bit on the radio and sounds like their keeper played a blinder.

the vultures are circling round vp thats for sure.

Sparks is a muppet imo, gobshieite. Sack Adams and who does a better job working in this pantomime.

 

I watched the game and don’t think we were majorly on top. Matter of opinion I guess. He made a few decent saves but nothing major. We would never be out of sight with this idiot in charge as if we had put one away it would be 10 men behind the ball for the rest of the game to gain a 1-0 win.

 

But that can happen, right?

Tbh I don't have much of a problem with today's result. It happens, teams have good efforts then the oppo flukes one in and we end up losing; that happens.

The problem, as I posted earlier, is that Adams ran out of goodwill weeks ago due to a string of awful performances so wasn't actually able to come out and say "we were unlucky" because he's been saying "we're unlucky" for weeks even when we haven't been!!!

Today he could have said - "we had the best chances, couldn't score, they were lucky, I needed to change things because Elliott hadn't played much and Cook was carrying a knock but it didn't work out" and most of us would have gone "yer, you know what, fair enough, he's right". But first of all he can't blame himself and second of all his team have been playing crap for weeks.

 

And if the club were to go down the road of sacking Adams (which I don't think they will) we may find out, but who knows maybe Turnbull could see what situation arising and found another job to take the flack off Ryan, do we know if he was sacked or Turnbull left for pastures greener on 1 December 2021 he joined Hartlepool United in a consulting capacity to lead the scouting and recruitment of the club ?.

 

This suggests it was our decision -

BANTAMS PART COMPANY WITH TURNBULL | News | Bradford City (bradfordcityafc.com)

We wanted to go in a different direction.

 

I was replying to Fairbantam post with regards his comment "Thought first half was very 50/50" I disagreed and posted my reasons why, as @Fairbantam says all about opinions, as is your above reply, he did say we had the best chances but couldn't score, quoting Oxley was MOTM and Harrogate got the lucky break.

 

But what would you have said if Sparks had said promotion wasn’t our main aim this season. He would have got pelters. It hasn’t worked out because Adams came with the best CV we could have expected in a manager and so far at least he has failed miserably. Sparks as CEO only sets the budget within parameters and he doesn’t influence anything on the field. The person to blame for this poor season is Adams.

 

This is the reason I'm asking the question, a couple of months earlier Ryan had said bringing a Director of Recruitment (or whatever his title was) was the way our club was going with regards future recruitment, something doesn't ring true.

 

Of course every team (or most) want promotion but you temper it, right?

Something like - Three crap years, Edin has gone, managed to turn the season around last time, invested in the manager, we want promotion but it may take more than a season to get things totally straight etc etc

Instead he was like "we want promotion, we only ever wanted Derek because he's got promotion, Derek will get us promoted etc etc"

His messaging was all off and that's probably because he's doing it all himself. It's lonely being the leader of an organisation. No one really supports you, coaches you, helps you and that's why having a mentor and contacts is important - to help you sound out ideas and sense check things.

I'm far from against Ryan but honestly he has made a right rod for his own back.

 

I agree at half time the stats were 58% in Harrogate's favour they had the majority of possession we created the openings but couldn't finish them through a mixture of poor finishing and good goal keeping, if all 3 had gone in I don't think even this Bradford City team could have squandered that sort of lead, but who knows what this present team are capable of.

 

If I’m looking for any type of positive from today and it is hard, then I would say it was another solid display from Foulds. Have to say he’s exceeded my expectations so far he’s looking better every game, shame he’s not right footed…