The Voice - Match preview Barrow vs Bradford City Wednesday 1st January 2025 3:00pm

You don't seem that bothered how the club is spaffing your ST money up the wall. Just happy to have a club to support I guess?

 

I don't think they are "spaffing" my seadon ticket money up the wall, I think we're having a decent season, half way through 5 points off second with a game in hand. I am reasonably happy with that.

 

Oh deary me. Both teams with absolutely shocking defending, What was Baldwin thinking?

 

Of course you are.

 

Absolutely
How naive of our hierarchy to believe Cook would play all season and not take a knock or a suspension
If blame is to be laid it's firmly with those at the top
We signed players for other positions but not back up for arguably the two most important positions on the pitch goalscorer and keeper it was blatantly obvious to anyone around the club
Those thinking we will sign a capable/comparable replacement for either are in for a disappointment
Oliver/Sanderson will stand in till Cooks rushed back (probably too soon) and Doyle will fill in (at a pinch) for Walker
Yet another glaring example of how changes at the top are urgently needed

 

I do.

 

I disagree. We're entirely unpredictable so recent results shouldn't surprise us and somewhat predictably, we continued with the inconsistency today. I fear we'll have this up and down in performances for the rest of the season.

 

It is really poor planning how we have three individuals/positions with no real cover - Sam Walker, Smallwood, Cook - and then too many in other positions.

 

Has the time come to try Harry Ibbitson as a first team striker?

 

Rupp should be saying "we can't go into the season without back up", some will baulk at that, but we know Richmond and Lawn would have both seen what was happening and insisted upon action.

Sadly even with Sharpe at the club that hasn't happened, which says something is STILL off, and that can only really be an issue with the owner and CEO not understanding the game even on a very basic level.

The difference is, Richmond and Lawn insisted on being competitive, that's not what we see now.

 

Poor planning and a clear lack of football knowledge. Rupp won’t pay for previous mistakes Oliver etc. Then the budget is set as if these past mistakes have not been made. This is why we end up with our unbalanced side. The ST holders don’t get a say, we are ignored.

 

No.

 

Time for City to get a bit creative/"norty" if Cookie is only out for a few weeks,

An early kick-off on Sat but some snow if forecast,
So- leave the covers off groundsman and a couple of frosty starts due on thurs/fri so deffo leave the covers off and wait for the ref to call the whole thing off
Then there is only the trip to the Villa kids and a trip to Carlisle on 18th Jan before the end of the month looms
Gives our striker more time to recover
Lets Call The Whole Thing Off
You know it makes sense

 

Hopefully Cooky's injury not as bad as we all fear. If he is ruled out for say 2 weeks, he might not even miss a league match.

Saturday we will probably be snowed off and we have a free weekend following that.

 

We are all hoping for the best re Cooky but if it's ligament damage you are looking at 2-3 months at best. Obviously if it's ACL then it's season ending.

 

Is Walker injured?

 

And the excuses we've been given by GA as to why that is the case are even worse.

Sam Walker - 'we've looked at other keepers and even had a couple on trial but we haven't found anything better than what we've already got'. Look bloody harder then!!!!

Smallwood - 'we didn't feel we needed to bring anyone else in. Richie doesn't get injured and wants to play every game and even if the worst did happen, we can just put Pattison or Odour there to fill in until he's back'.

Cook - 'Andy scores all the goals. I don't put any expectations on any of the forwards that partner him to chip in because I don't see that as being their role'.

 

Is he not up to the job?

 

Not as far as I know but he will be very lucky to go through the season without injury