Summer 2023 Transfer Rumours

We know we are struggling when a clear wind up has some semblance of truth to it.

 

Yes, Wrexham have apparently increased their latest bid. So I suspect he will rock up there next week

 

Hope they fine him the absolute maximum.

Disgraceful when players do this. They've signed a contract so should honour that contract and give 100% until the contract either expires or they move clubs.

 

To be fair, Harrogate might not want him to risk injury if they are about to rake in more than they expected from say Wrexham.

 

Made HIMSELF unavailable. Sounds like he didn’t want to play?

Refuse to sell him, “play with the kids until your contract runs out in two years” ??

 

They may not need him after signing 2 of our better players that have improved their results including a good win away today

 

Some really interesting insight (on another message board) on recruitment thought it was worth sharing:

The recruitment has just not improved with Gent 'running' things. I know his hands are tied with Rupp and all but his there is NO proof he even scouts the players.

www.bradfordcityafc.com/news/2022/may/gent-to-lead-city-recruitment/

We are told we need players who are the right age but sign players like our running in treacle captain, Oliver, Derbyshire, Clayton and McDonald.

We say we need to get value for our investment but sign proven injury prone players like Chapman, Walker, Halliday, Clayton, Stubbs and McDonald.

We say we will be smarter in the loan market but for every Critchlow, Banks and Wright there is a Harratt, OShaugnessey, Pereira, Nevers, Costelloe, Bolja.

We sign players like Young, Odusina, East, Kelly and Oduor who were or appear woefully short of the quality needed.

We sign players like Taylor, Osadebe, Halliday and Clayton who get nothing but bad reviews from their current fans.

Players like Banks, Wright, Nevers, Oduor and Oyegoke have has mediocre loan spells at our level or league one.

This season only Pattison on paper looks a good signing. Smith is a complete unknown.

Finally Sparks keeps blowing the trumpet of Gent scouting all areas of football but our signings under the Gent regime had us signing players from these leagues. This includes youth loans to other lower league teams.

League 2 - 12
League 1 - 7
Championship - 4 (Inc pereira)
Premiership - 3 (Inc Lewis who Hughes knew)
Spl - Walker returning
Ireland- Kelly
India - Derbyshire ( who Hughes knew)

Some of the young loan players had played against our youth or in the tinpot Cup. Hardly a scouting masterclass.

In summary our recruitment is shit.

 

Has been for years.

 

It’s not just the recruitment though, it’s the team selection from Hughes.

 

I think the midfield was a lot better than last season (until the sending off), we were able to get the ball up the pitch a lot quicker than before. Walker looked very sharp, Smallwood looked a lot better now that he has Pattison alongside him. Even the lad from Brentford looked comfortable on the ball until his sending off. The issue was primarily the CBs. Our starting pair should be Platt & Stubbs. it worked well last year so lets not mess about with it now. Halliday did okay on the right but Ridehalgh was a one trick pony, i.e. cross it the moment it gets to his feet, an funnily enough, non of his crosses were good enough. If we are gonna persist with a back 3, we need to get a quality LWB. it is imperative to our season.

 

We were the better side until the sending off even though Crawley score, see Hughes mentioned in his post match interview the goal we conceded and the poor set up of the wall.

 

It’s both the recruitment has been awful

 

It was poor and I seem to remember Lewis being beaten from free kicks last season. Is that a flaw of his when setting up the wall? That was a long way out to beaten.

 

Pointless twitter rumour, but Shane Long has now been mentioned.

 

Not sure why we’d sign a carbon copy of Derbyshire. A 36 year old non scoring striker.

 

Because this is Bradford City and that's exactly the type of striker we tend to sign.

 

We need a young lad who looks promising, although young Poiynton looks like he might fill that role.
mid twenties and knows where the net is just what we need.

 

If true and it has any substance, I quite like the sound of that.

 

I like Pointon he’s fresh, unknown and keen to impress. I’d certainly look to be giving him the last 15 and building it up from there.