The Voice - Match preview Bradford City vs Gillingham Saturday 22nd April 2023 @ 3:00pm

That comment says it all, every corner Gillingham took today were excellent and caused us problems, I hear fans saying Lewis was boxed in but could you imagine Pickford in those situations he'd took his Captain out breaking his shoulder in doing so, sorry guys 6'3" you have to command your box.

 

Well we struggle to even play good football. I haven’t been impressed with our performances all season and if we don’t go up then serious questions need answering. Recruitment has been sketchy at best and without Cook we would be mid table. Cook won’t emulate this form again next season. That’s even if he stays here.
The loan signings apart from Banks occasionally have been very poor. Giving Derbyshire 18 months and Oliver 3 years is criminal. Where is the lad from Hartlepool? Chapman has been largely crap all season. I think the only player I’ve genuinely been happy with is Stubbs. We have an over inflated squad with not much quality and who can’t do what is being asked of them by the manager. I’m so pissed off that we now have to pretty much win our last 3 games to ensure we stay in the playoffs. Two of those teams are 1st and 2nd. It’s just not good enough.

 

I agree, seasons over. Gutted.

 

Sadly we have blown it, Mansfield will see off Leyton Orient on Tuesday and knock us out of the play offs. It’s been a strange frustrating season especially at home, had some great away results but over reliance on Cook who’s been sensational has cost us dear. I would say Hughes has been too cautious at places like Walsall, Crawley,Newport all winnable games but if we’re honest did we really go for it in those games?

 

Lewis looked as uncomfortable as I’ve seen him all season from their corner tactics. He still made 3 very good saves but gillingham blocked him off coming for corners.

Bringing an extra centre half on was supposed to help deal with them slinging the ball in the box.

I didn’t understand the time added on being 8 minutes but nevertheless deal with it.

however the root of this draw was in our abject start to the game. We were lucky they weren’t out of sight and a combination of them being first to everything and our inability to execute our short dead ball routine lead unnecessary jitters in the crowd.

city deserve great credit for their second half performance which was night and day to the first. Gilleard was driving us, banks and cook were excellent.
But I always feel we are susceptible to chucking it away late on.
Today was a very costly result.
Hopefully our second half team performance is delivered at Northampton.

 

I said this at half time. He’s absolute tosh

 

I didn't take any pleasure posting that mate, and some take the piss with regards Salford.
If we don't at least get into a play off spot (and we all know its the best team on the day) and are still in this league with Mark Hughes at the helm playing the same sort of nonsense football at Valley Parade I can forget about loyalty points for home games not sure I can stomach another season of having a very good squad being held back by Hughes way of playing, playing it out from the back first half was embarrassing to say the least so much so that the defender is telling Lewis to play it short and Lewis obviously concerned that it was getting us nowhere wanted to welly it.
F**k it I'm going over to @andyc place to kick his bottle of whiskey .

 

But they're not are they!!!

 

Not a clue where 8 mins came from. Penalty, a few subs and there player going down from fake head injury briefly don't make up anywhere near 8mins.

Nevers should never have come out for 2nd half.

This is where fingers should be pointed this season lack of goals from players not named cook. Look at all other forwards lack of goals.

 

But they still got 6 points from staring defeat in the face and we have to give them credit for that most teams down to 10 men a goal down in injury would have been happy with a point.

 

Exactly, in our last 11 game unbeaten run we still failed to beat a couple of very poor teams. Even by going 11 games unbeaten we didn’t really see a great deal in change to our league position. We just pulled further and further away from 9th.

 

I guess I was right about Nevers. Who knew eh?

 

But they're not are they!!!

We've been playing this way all season, of course you blame the players.

 

Can't stomach another season in this league next year watching Wrexham walk to title with there funds/budget.

 

not sure mate, I still class it as a bit jammy but tbh I don't give a stuff about them I just see them as the weakest link to our path there, and I am still confident we will make the playoffs

 

Only thing I disagree with is Hughes subs I thought both were the right calls, Platt for his height as we knew their corners were excellent and Derbyshire an old pro gets the ball and takes it to the corner or anywhere to run the clock down, not the first time Hawkins has scored goals against us from headers, always a danger at set pieces.

 

Rupp was there today.

Mustve thought well that's gonna be another season now I can't sell this club.

 

Lets see how Wrexham handle going a goal down after one minute.

 

Really he's a braver man after what he's done to our club, or do you mean Rupp ?.

 

A draw a fair result in the end. We just lack dynamism around the park, everything is so laboured when we attack and the last few games our normally solid defence has looked pretty shaky. First half today has to rank as bad as anything I've seen all season and shows how poor we are when any team high presses us. As for trying to pass out from the keeper when the press is on, you need high quality players for that, can't believe we kept trying it especially when we have nothing in the middle of the park to receive it. Thought Banks had a good game today but final ball was poor and Halliday showed up well second half. Lewis was as nervy as seen but did pull out some decent saves and Cook again showed without his goals we have little else in attack. The rest were poor to average, the midfield back to the days of being slow and problematic.
Onwards to next Saturday now but we look like a team hitting poor form at the wrong time.