Away vs Cambridge United - Sat 15 Feb 2020

Well we are...........but are million miles away from being an auto team, or a team challenging for an auto spot. We are a middling 4th Div team hoping SmC can wave a magic wand, it's hopeful but not realistic. McCall inherited a play off semi-final team before, it's no wonder he did well with it, the icing on the cake was the (mostly) thrilling football. We no longer have those players.

 

That's true. However it wasn't that long ago that we were on the verge of the championship. At the very least we were a decent and solid league one side. Then it all went to pot and rather quickly too.

 

We are a middling fourth division team. Sad but true.

 

I have to back this up by saying that the occasions, rare as they might be, that when we gain a promotion or a giant killing or even win a game, I feel a foot taller. Or at least a few quid better off.

 

And Rhino skin, as yourself @Tom Hallett 60+ years nothing surprises me any more with regards Bradford City, defeats still hurt be not as bad as they did in my younger days.

 

How do they have TWO men unmarked in front of goal for the 2nd? However, it was embarrassing tracking back by MH for the cross. He was challenging their no.21 in the attack but trailing woefully when he arrives unmarked in the second wave to put the cross in for the 2nd goal. If MH was too tired he should have a breather in our half, not theirs. We've had this before. It's like some players feel they don't have to defend when we play 3 centre backs. He was also slow to react to the loose ball in the first goal.

I'd have given a foul for the left hand push on the back of Pritchard.

Https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/11935149/cambridge-2-1-bradford

Everybody attacks. Everybody defends. That's teamwork and organisation. If they can't do it, get fit or get lost.

 

What did we all think of the new lad on the left wing? Unfortunately for him, DMH was playing decent first half, so most of the ball was down the right.
Seemed a bit lightweight and suprised by the physical style of league 2. Had one good run, but sadly couldn't find an end product.
Was a shame DMH seemed to disappear in the second half. He was a good and dangerous outlet.

 

The way we crumbled at the end worries me.

True, the wind made the second half very difficult, but they deserved to equalise long before they did.

We still lacked balls in the middle of the pitch. We needed a stronger leader to gee us up and drive on to the death. We need a Gary Jones man badly.

 

Akpan shouldn’t be playing if he can’t do more than seventy minutes. Playing him automatically wastes a sub.

 

No one's marked because we went from two centre backs who knew what each was doing to three where no one knew what they were supposed to be doing. Only one person to blame for that.

 

That's football isn't it that goes in 2 - 0 even though it would have been against the run of play it would have knocked Cambridges confidence,

 

And you was so positive before kick off.

 

Hoping for something like the third on Tuesday. Against the run of play but game over. When we start doing that we,re getting somewhere.

 

We have lost so many points to late goals recently that today’s loss was not unpredictable. I’ve said it after every one ef these defeats that they’ll keep happening until we get a dominating physical presence in midfield. The opposition can run straight at thd heart of our defence. What should be our last line of defence is actually our first and only line of defence. Akpan is not this player. Is there nobody on the free agent list we can sign on a twelve-game contract. Never mind more attackers, we need desperately, desperately, desperately somebody who will stick his head on it, stick his foot in, break up play, read the game. Of course Bowyer should have done this rather than sign Guthrie. That deal at thirty seconds to the eleventh hour is looking more bonkers than ever. Idiot.

 

Why can you see this and not the club? Why didn’t somebody read the posts on here and say, doh, er Gary don’t you think we could do with this big guy in midfield, er are you listening Gary?

 

You mean only 3 people to blame for that?

If 3 grown men cant organise themselves into a simple defensive formation that they would have practiced during the week then you have to question their mental and physical ability.

 

Middleton did nothing to justify starting ahead of Connolly. He contributed very little. Not really good conditions for a twenty-year-old winger to make his debut.

 

Poor lad. Was it too windy for him?

 

I felt this one Bronco as painful as ever because it was one we could have won but you could just see it going belly up. For about four hours after the match I couldn’t bring myself to post anything on here. I was just so gutted.

 

Well if anybody thought that Stuart and Kenny could turn this squad into a tough promotion team, I think by now those delusions are becoming apparent. I have no doubt they will try, but we have a flabby, unbalanced squad. Trying to get to know their best team with results required immediately is a tough ask for any manager. Whenever improvements are made and we have seen improvements despite today’s result there are always setbacks. We move on to Newport.