The Voice - Match preview Mansfield Town vs Bradford City Saturday 2nd September 2023 3:00pm

Let’s just conclude that it was a welcome point against a team likely to be in the top 7 but the way we achieved it was some of the most dire football ever and for me personally my football experience has to be more than just accumulating points. I want to be entertained also.
However, I’m happy to sacrifice entertaining away performances if it’s the opposite in home games and we can get VP rocking.

 

It's the mentality that's a problem. Is it a bad point? No. But the fact that some would have 'snatched your arm off for a point' in a game where the opposition were down to the bare bones, reflects our attitude in most games under Hughes, and teams with that mentality rarely go up. Case in point, the playoff tie with Carlisle. Go 1-0 up then spend 160 mins plus extra time trying to defend. Many home games were the same. Unambitious, uninspiring and unentertaining.

 

It was dire to watch but always had a feel of an away smash and grab unfortunately not to be yesterday.
In a nutshell entertainment sacrificed for a point.

 

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Of course we should aim to win every game. But that doesn't mean it will happen, does it? Even Man City drop points sometimes. Orient won the division comfortably last season but, after their freakishly fast start, dropped plenty of points they'd have expected to get.

 

I don't expect us to win every game. I expect us to see every game as winnable. Clearly some, including Hughes it would seem, don't. My problem isn't with only taking a point, it's with the attitude and manner of the performance as seriously implying that's all we set out to do or we're capable of. It's gutless.

 

Good report. Sums the situation up pretty well:

https://widthofapost.com/2023/09/02/some-flashes-of-promise-but-goals-continue-to-be-the-hardest-thing-to-come-by/


Smith should have buried that simple first half header. Easily the best chance of the game for either side. We'd all be having a different conversation if he'd done so.

 

Park, can you stop with this nonsense of a weakened team UNLESS you're going to accept and agree that Mansfield had a weaker team.

They had Oates and Quinn both missing and a striker playing right back!! Imagine if we rocked up with Smith or Oliver at right back. We'd be ridiculed!

Then look at their bench- all kids!

They will have been happy with a point as well - keeps us behind them and they can try and work out a better formation/team for their next match.

Their recent form is completely overhyped. They have some real problematic injuries and we should have done more to exploit them.

 

Never mind Man City, even Gillingham don't win every game. They've lost 3 on the trot now including the cup game, but I still expect them to finish in the top 3.

 

Didn’t stop them beating Sheffield Wednesday midweek or scoring three against Stockport

 

Yesterday's 4th league start in a row has tied Smiths record since coming up to the FL at 18.

I think we are seeing why he has never kept his place in sides, he just has no consistency. His pace causes problems and he always seems to be in a good position going forward but doesn't seem to have that goal scoring killer threat a lone striker needs.

 

Considering we were without Cook and Pattison, I thought we approached the game in a positive manner. We played some nice attacking passing stuff going forward. It was in the final quarter of the pitch that it all broke down which, sadly, shows up our frustrating lack of striking depth. I'm perplexed that we haven't signed another decent experienced striker over the summer.
However, it would have been madness to go completely gung ho without our two biggest goal threats. But I saw nothing to suggest that we weren't trying to win it.

 

Exactly. We keep signing these forward players with 'potential' who flatter to deceive. With Oliver out injured until who knows when, I'm gobsmacked that we haven't signed a decent proven striker as competition/support for Cook.

 

I don't want to here excuses, there isn't one game in this division where you can't get 3 points. But that won't happen unless out manager throws a bit of caution to the wind. 6 games so far this season and three I could have easily fallen asleep at.

 

We should, but football doesnt work like that. Its about accumulation of points and particularly at this stage of the season, if you don't win the game it's a case of making sure you don't lose it. After the Morecambe debacle back to back league clean sheets gives us something to build from. We absolutely need to improve in the final third but with players we have to come back in I'm still hopeful that we will.

 

Feel like I've missed something somewhere and even looked on the highlights for a great chance we created but showed nothing?

Even Walkers sliced cross into the roof of the net for a mention though so can't have been a chance of note?

 

Isn't that Derbyshires role? It makes his signing even more bizarre. I think he's struggling to complete 15 minutes these days.

 

I think he's talking more about how we set up and whether we show an intent to win.

Edit: sorry you've already addressed that.

 

Listening to the Mansfield commentary they singled out Platt for his poor distribution. I'd add Lewis to that as well. I'm growing more and more frustrated with his high lofted balls either into touch or head high, giving the defender no chance of bringing it under control before being pounced on. I think we miss an Elliot Watt type player who collects and gets us on the front foot. I had hoped Smallwood would be that person, but he's the prime instigator of passing backwoods leading to long punts upfield by the aforementioned Platt and Stubbs. For the amount of time that Hughes and Gent have been here, we still don't have a midfield that can mix it up between quick and slow passes. It was too pedestrian yesterday...

 

I want promotion every season but accept that won't happen, if he buys a season ticket as he says I'm happy to read his (at times) deluded comments.

 

I just watched our 25 second highlights on the EFL show. There were two highlights both for Mansfield. The narrator described us as resilient.
Depressing.