The Voice - Match preview Colchester United vs Bradford City Tuesday 16 August @ 7:45pm

I see my wingers like Beags, Reid, Marshall etc. Ones who get to the byline and whip crosses in. Happy in the yards nearest the touchline. I like Chapman but for me he's not a player who's gonna get you crosses in like a 4-4-2 demands. I see him more of a runner with the ball, happier in a 4-3-3 where he can run towards the corner of the box where most of his goals have come from. I think it's the sort of player coming from academies these days, the days of out and out wingers seem few and far between.

 

The game has changed. MH wants the wide men to cut inside and the width to come from Halliday & Ridehalgh.

 

That's why Vernam was good, being naturally quick and having the ability to beat a man allowed Ridehalgh to get forward a lot.

 

That’s what the flaw in 442 is , better option outside , weaker in the middle. Great if the oppo is playing it, fine, nobody does anymore, that’s the issue.

I highly recommend a book I’m reading …The history of football tactics (and formations) called Inverting the Pyramid.

Imho of course.

 

442 gives less control or possession as a trade for more potency but it’s a basically a hoof system.

 

Ive been a fan 30 years so im not new to this. Its still a big embarrassment. Maybe city's true performance is a metaphor for the city as a whole.

 

The professional sporting clubs of the city certainly have seen a dramatic decline along with the city over the last 20 years. But there are plenty of successful teams that are in dump towns/cities. It has at times felt like some of our squads(not all) have lacked a certain pride and willingness to ‘run through brick walls’ for the club, and have given of a smell of just here to pick a wage up. Who knows there maybe something in it. The club ownerships haven’t helped a great deal, Lawn for his persona brought some passion to the club and it rubbed off for a bit under Parkinson but that’s about it. I think if it were a simple answer as to why we fail(not just the football club) then we’d have sorted it by now tbh.

 

Who appointed you the schoolmaster I will express myself on this media exactly as I see fit. I try and do that with respect. If I want to “get ahead” of myself I will. Supporting a football club requires stamina, but only getting excited when you are actually passing the finishing post is boring. I am optimistic that we have a good squad and all the signs are there that we have some very good footballers. MH is an excellent manager, and will get this right but it will take time, and there will be bumps on the road. I just don’t get why we have to focus on the bumps and not be happy at good performances.

 

Love you @Onside

Let me explain my I suggest you should chill and all Bradford City fans should.

The club is dead inside and the plan is to go up next season.

Football clubs are run from top to bottom and at the top it’s dead. Don’t be fooled by these non cash deals we are doing.

MH is a good manager that needs time. The players we signed mostly in the summer will take 6 months to a 1 year to settle.

If we go up this season it’s a bonus but in truth all points to next season.

 

I am chilled, is that one of your rules? That we all have to be chilled? I agree that the team needs time to settle and that it may not be this season. MH is a good manager but even he needs time to sort it all out. I don’t agree with you that the club is dead, am I allowed to disagree with you?
Regardless of how this all pans out we must keep the manager, this is a good appointment and he needs time to build a squad of players.

 

What is a non cash deal?

 

Who knows, but Bradford was once a fabulous textile and engineering city. I don’t see that today. We used to “ make” things and sell to the “ Empire” at inflated prices paid for by GoV “ Aid” . Just saying. There is no coincidence that as the Empire has disintegrated, Government aid is spent on nonsense or weapons , that Bradfords engineering industry disappeared.

 

Out of curiosity Wilsden …your second sentence. Who are these clubs that haven’t been purchased as a play thing by some billionaire conglomerate. I can’t think of many in these run down industrial towns and Cities you refer?

 

Depends what you mean by play thing Kev, if you mean like a Wolves then I can give plenty of examples of clubs who have had more regular success that us over the last 20 years without chucking Wolves type money at it. Here are some and I’ll highlight where they were when we were in the last year of the PL:

Sheffield clubs - both in the championship (division one) when we were in our last year of PL. Admittedly Sheffield is chalk and cheese to Bradford as a city but they’re still very much working class and a two club city.

Middlesborough - PL at the time, spent all their time in the last 20 years in the PL/championship. The city almost makes Bradford look respectable but have always been well above us.

Coventry - PL at the time. Have been right to the bottom, but even with their terrible owners and playing in front of a few thousand and alien grounds they still find themselves two divisions above us.

Blackpool - League one at the time. Had a rollercoaster these last 20 years, a dump of a town and had poor owners who are far from billionaires chucking money about. Find themselves 2 divisions above us.

Hull - division one at the time - another poor area, their owners in that time along with a new stadium have turned them into a regular championship side minimum.

Luton - championship, ruined by their former owner and one of the most deprived towns in Britain, despite going down to the NL they haven’t let it hold them back and now find themselves 2 divisions above us while probably(when we were both in league 1 anyway) spending less at times than us. Certainly not a billionaires play thing.

West Brom - championship at the time, spent last 20 years comfortably above us not aware of chucking silly money about.

Burnley - championship as above got to the PL on a modest budget in a very modest area.

Preston - league one, again comfortably above is in the last 15 years or so, without having a sugar daddy to fall back on. Never been in the modern PL but still usually above us.

Accrington - non league - feels weird to be mentioning teams like this, but certainly not a well to do area and their owner couldn’t be accused of chucking money about. A whole division above us.

Morecambe - as above.

Barnsley - league one, not had much success but bet they’ve been above us most the time in the last 20 years and we’d certainly switch places with them league wise now.

Although these teams haven’t set the world alight we’d swap place with any of them in a heart beat. All baring the Sheffield clubs from run down areas. It is possible to have a half decent club without been in London or having a sugar daddy as these prove.

 

Whilst I agree with your sentiments, the Championship Clubs lose hundreds of millions ££££ every season.
It may not seem that Middlesboro and Preston have a sugar daddy, but if you do some digging you'll see that the owners are funding the significant annual shortfall. In Preston's case the reward has been to stand still in mid-table for 10 years.

Sheffield United are owned by a Saudi prince. The Sheffield Wednesday owner is worth $700M.
I can't imagine there are too many clubs in the Championship breaking even. Luton are possibly the exception.

Burnley & West Brom have lived on the PL TV riches.

Life's always going to be tough for us running a sustainable ship, unfortunately.

 

I’m talking last 20 years as a whole not hear and now, the championship clubs got above us and stayed there. It’s not their fault what the championship has turned into in recent years, they are just playing the same game everyone else is and one we’d play if we got there.

 

But you need significant sums to stay there -
Sheffield Wednesday reveal significant loss of £25m - but Dejphon Chansiri remains committed 'for the forseeable future' | Yorkshire Post

This sort of loss got Sheffield Wednesday relegated.

 

Yes but everyone is in the same boat as would we be, Kev asked about billionaire owners like Wolves/Man City that’s totally different kettle of fish to my examples. We’d be no different to the clubs I mentioned if we get to the championship unless we accept relegation.

 

WOA!

Hold on here. A number of those named are owned by Arabs, or American “ Investors” Sheffield United for starters.

How many of those owe millions to their banks or benefactors?

I could go on, but name the club in those Cities that are down on their heels who are in a higher division and this is key …..debt free to banks or owners. That’s the measure imho.

 

You said billionaire play thing Kev, non of those Chuck around money that others in the championship don’t. If we were in the championship we would face the same issues or face certain relegation, they are playing the game as you have to. I’ve given you examples such as Accrington and Morecambe that should be enough on its own to know there is hope without a sugar daddy, I think we’d all take their league position right now.