The Voice - Match preview #21: Bradford City vs Port Vale Thursday 26th December 3:00pm

I don't think we are far off but then you could say that about 3/4 of the division. The one constant being that Andy Cook keeps scoring despite whoever lines up in the rest of the team.

 

Alexander said that Walker was doing his job. I don't think anyone is saying others shouldn't be contributing more goals, Alexander has said so himself but also it shouldn't be forgotten what work they do aside from scoring. Likewise, there has been more good points to Cook's season than just the goals like his workrate off the ball has improved a lot.

The way the team is set up it is to create as many chances for Cook as possible so he is bound to get more chances and goals. No manager is going to say their team is a 1 man team which is what the question was angling at whether intentional or not. Kavanagh will get the assist for the 1st goal as he was the one who flicked it on.

 

That’s two of us RT!

 

Barring Cook they would say the same about our players though.

in fact they might say if they had Cook that they would be top of the league not midtable like us.

Yes, they had a poor game yesterday but the facts are we are performing worse than them at this moment.

 

I believe Walker could leave in January if as we're given to believe he wasn't happy with regards the club talking up the 12 month option on his contract, and if he can get to the club who were apparently interested during the closed season it wouldn't be a bad deal for both parties.

 

Not sure which club it was who showed interest during the closed season, for some reason I thought Walker was looking at going back to Scotland, I watched the game but obviously would have preferred to have been there.
I certainly won't be letting football spoil the coming year, a pick up in form and performances would help but long gone are the days of being in a bad mood because Bradford City did not deliver on a match day.

 

A totally pointless resigning. I did say that Walker wouldn’t do much this season.!

 

It was a sitter though and your auntie would have scored that.

 

You could say this about 90% of league matches. If Walker doesn't save the header yesterday, if Swindons defender and then goalkeeper don't gift Kavanagh an absolute sitter. Port Vale vans had been saying this exact thing, they hadn't been playing any better than a lot of sides in league 2 by it picking up scratchy wins by the odd goal. Difference from last season where the 3 sides that went up automatically really stood out. You could say the same when we went up in 98, we really were better than 23 other sides.

 

I'd rather keep players like Jamie Walker, but we handled his contract situation very badly.

Trying to strong arm him into signing a worse deal, only to then forcefully extend his contract is ugly garbage that benefitted nobody.

Walker is class though so didn't air his dirty laundry in public, I just wish the club had the decency to offer what they thought was fair or let him go.

Shady Ruppish from VP.

I suppose I could be led to believe we wanted him to sign for 2 years, but again, if he didn't want to then let him walk.

 

Think he was just underlining that he expects players to do their job. He did go on to praise Cook for not only scoring goals, underlining his all round contribution. He didn't mention Kav or get asked about him in that interview did he?

To be honest for me GA is one of the most sensible sounding coaches I've heard at this level in interviews and press conferences. Of course he is not always candid and is giving a political answer, or most often I think an answer partly designed for the player/s and not the broader audience, but his assessment of things is usually spot on. People laughed at his interview last week, but I couldn't personally see how he didn't perfectly reflect what happened on the day.

Still think he could turn out to be the manager who takes us up. Hope he doesn't end up a scapegoat for broader issues higher up the food chain as a diversionary tactic once again.

 

Ruppish... brilliant. Our new adjective

 

A silly thing to say would have been to agree and single Cook out as the key to success as the question implied. That would be awful man management for the rest of the players listening to that interview. He said exactly the right thing - praised cooks all round contribution, told him to carry on scoring goals, and said everyone was important. That's what I want to hear as a squad player from my manager. He is not talking to you and I alone.

 

Alexanders got this season without doubt, but we know Sharpe allowed Clough time to assemble his squad/team and he alluded to that in the resent interview with regards mapping out the next few transfer windows, I'm hoping he realises we are not Mansfield Town and as we see and hear on this forum many have had enough.

 

I also think he might be Carlisle bound in January with us possibly taking one of their players in exchange. An ex Harrogate striker perhaps?

 

I never expected him to single Cook out but as the question was with regards being beholden on Cook goals getting us where we were under Hughes and again under Alexander I thought he gave the lad short thrift with regards his reply, of course he's not going to isolate other players but like it or not he has to recognise without Cook we would be in deep trouble.
It's not as if Alexander has just come to the club and is still bedding players in he knew Oliver. Smith, Wright. Wilson etc, have shown little in the past, he's brought Sanderson in from the Premiership don't they watch these players and what they would be expected to offer to the way Alexander wants his team to play high press putting defender under pressure which he was doing early doors and chipping in with goals, then he cant get on the bench and we hear Alexander isn't happy with his all round game.

 

Was it Carlisle who were interested during the closed season, at his age Jamie needs game time.