The Voice - Match preview Morecambe vs Bradford City Saturday 19th August 2023 3:00pm

Morecambe have been going as route one as possible so far, little in terms of possession but a lot efforts on goal compared to the amount of ball they have.

I think a possession based team will be exactly what Morecambe want on Saturday. Adams will know we will have 60/65%+ possession but will bank a bit deeper and try launch it over our back 5. Bloxham and Mellon are quick young strikers they have on loan for the season and Slew off the bench will be the target man they throw on for the last 20.

Wouldn't mind seeing Odusina in for Kelly, cant think of many other changes to the starting 11 than that unless we bring in a LWB over the next day or two.

 

With Gillead and Walker possible long term injuries we need a couple in quickly

 

Surprised at a suggestion of dropping Kelly, he’s really impressed me and was an absolute warrior at times last night, putting tackles in and throwing his body on the line.
Would be one of the last players I’d be looking to drop

 

Warrior? He looked woeful to me for about 80% of the match. Clumsy headers or completely missed headers, sloppy attempts at challenges, sloppy on the ball a fair few times in the first half. The Stockport commentary had a giggle at him at one point and said "sorry Bradford fans, I don't mean to pick on him but Kelly will have better nights". Last 10-15 he seemed to recover well and had some blocks but the majority of the match was one to forget.

 

.
I didn't realise Gilliead suffered a potential long term injury?.what type of injury

 

It’s a thigh injury I believe Hughes said they can drag on

 

I can just see the Walker injury being played out as before. He’s doubtful for Saturday but might play it’s nothing too serious,
waiting for swelling to go down, going for a scan, seeing a specialist, oh he’s out for 3/4 months.

 

To be fair every team is difficult to play against? Ain't a single team gonna roll over for us, and not just this season. When did we last get an "easy" game?

 

The last ditch tackle to block a goal bound shot was quality.
He's only gonna get better.
First full season in English football.
This dislike for the team needs to stop because this back 3 isn't going to change.

 

Maybe the wrong time to send East out on loan with the midfield injuries unless better is lined up to come in.

 

I bet it’s his left leg the amount of times he spun Roy to check back onto his right

 

Be careful what you wish for with regards Odusina, any wish to see him given a chance is suggesting "Timi's reputation seems to be rising without playing for the best part of a year - for me it smacks of failings to address the issues we have when a player who didn't impress becomes a potential saviour not by anything he's actually done", I do agree though.

 

FA Cup about 4 years ago under McCall. We beat some 8th tier side about 8-0.

 

Tonbridge Angels.

Then some City fan started a crowd funding for them and suggested we all take them on as a second team as it became a little obsession.

It was quite bizarre really.

 

Never knew that. We are a weird bunch...

 

Austin Samuels only goal for city came in that game as well.

That was a bizarre signing as well.
Didn’t McCall say they’d been in touch months before but Samuels said the first he heard of the signing was the morning after he’d played against us for Wolves U21’s.

 

I like the lad. I think it would help him enormously if he had an actual LWB playing at the side of him rather than a make do and mend one.

 

That's an excellent point. Time and again on Tuesday Gillead was miles out of position and Kelly had a lot of covering to do.

I'm not slating Gillead as it's an unnatural role for him and he's probably the best player suited to it at the moment but he looks every inch a stop gap there.

 

So once every blue moon then? Anyway I was referring to the league we are in, there have never been any easy games in all the time we have been stuck in it

 

Not suggesting he solves a problem, i just think at some point having 3 CBs who all aren't comfortable running towards their own goal chasing down a striker, at some point is going to bite us in the arse. Given at Hartlepool he was a ropey looking CB in a 2 man partnership and then looked incredible in a 3 CB setup and we are now playing the tactic we signed him on the back of, it's weird he still doesn't make the bench. At some point, our only defender with pace has to be considered?

Odusina has the Tim Dieng about him to me. Where Dieng was a bench player who came in occasionally then was needed in the midfield for a spell, did ok to good, no troubles then had that game against Sheff Utd and looked atrocious. Thats all fans said about him for the rest of his time here that season, even though he came back into the side and went back to being a good midfielder, online and in the stands it was always that Dieng wasn't good enough after that one game. Timi has had nowhere near the comparable game time to Dieng at just 4 league apps, but all people think of is Wootton being a unit against him for 45 minutes. His other starts, a clean sheet in a 3-0 win against high flying Stevenage. A 2-2 draw with Wimbledon with a Foulds ball watching error not tracking his man and a 25 yard free kick against us. And the 3-0 defeat at Stevenage where I don't remember anyone playing well.