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

I was one for waiting for a dozen games to see improvement but that today has me questioningy own sanity. So many things wrong it's hard.to know where to start to put them right. We have fundamental problems with the formation that need sorting out asap or we will be fighting amongst the lower half. Hell he can't even decide how to line his defence up after a full pre season and five games in. How the heck are the players supposed to build relationships with other players.

 

It was so easy watching his Morecambe players play the simple game he has no worries about turning us over at Valley Parade.

 

Carlisle, FGR, Port Vale, Bristol Rovers, Stevenage.....

So yes it works. And 442 is for dinosaurs.

 

Fantastic to see the young Jake Young over coming Hughes ‘rejection’ and scoring two past Wrexham today, along side Charlie Austin and Dan Kemp (class players). Also, well done to our ex manager Adams, ok it didn’t work out for us and him, but he is a proven manager at this level and a great example of why we need to rethink how we are going about this season. Fight - desire - determination and passion - not things we possess at the moment, I’m afraid to say.
We will be lucky to finish in the top half of the table as things stand, the play offs are long gone - as things stand, flogging a dead horse with these shocking tactics, arrogance on Hughes part.
I think Sparks needs to call Stefan on Monday morning £££, this is a car crash waiting to happen.
Most of us sensed it towards the end of last season (not the happy clappers), but we have all kept optimistic and faithful. Our club is now at risk of relegation to the National League. Act NOW PLEASE!

 

I know its pretty clear I haven't been enamoured with Hughes and his team for some time - very underwhelmed to be honest.

Interesting that Hughes didn't spare his players at all today in his interview, particularly the experienced ones. And the fans totally right in their views on that performance.

Hughes is def walking on egg shells but some of our senior pros need a rocket up their arses, abysmal effort and commitment whatever the shambolic leadership and tactical clarity of the management team

 

Hughes really is the most protected interview manager we've ever had.

Pathetic interview no questions about his formation, tactics, team selection or this bloody shambolic 3 at the back.

 

Keep the faith for now. Its hard when you see results like that but 2 or 3 wins and its forgotten.

Just have to hope that its gunna click at some point. Hopefully today is a wake up call for Hughes and the players.

Smallwood has lost my patience though. Hughes is only close for now...

 

We won't get anywhere except the division below with a performance like that, but it is entirely fair to point out that there are lots of matches left.

1998/99 plus 2015/16, had us around near the bottom of the table and that was around the mid part of September , i.e. 6 to 8 games in. Happy clappers were mocked then as well!! I remember vehemently defending Parkie after that 2-0 late September defeat to Colchester, to of course much mirth.


Now on to something constructive.

1. Hughes needs to abandon the back three and play a 4-3-3, with McDonald in the team and Pattinson pushed forward. Clearly he must be thinking the same, given the half time change. Or at the very least he stops playing it away from home.
2. Halliday needs to come back. Him been dropped just so Hughes could play at back three, shows how ludicrous the idea of such a system change was.
3. Stubbs and Platt, showed last season that they are as good anyone. No need to panic. Just play them two. Return to a back four, might increase the confidence of Lewis as his confidence as totally gone and remember he's had no experience of how to get out of a bad run.
4. Winger / or striker needed. But I'm still not worried about Cook.

 

That bad, as I posted I've seen some sh1te over the years but today ranks right up there with the worst, as someone posted Adams never say down encouraging his side on what did we see.. noting apart from Hodges having an occasional rant.
Do we show him the door usually I'd be against it but there was very little today on show to take any positives from, apart from the kid Pointing.

 

Interviewers from local stations, always keep it friendly. Rarely heard any journalist ask searching questions who are part of a commentary team, who follows that club for all the season.

I don't really see what good it would do anyway. Hughes sounded annoyed enough. What do you want, the journalist to use a few swear words about it not been good enough?

 

I thought it was a alright interview from Reynolds better than Raynor gives who I think is intimidated by Hughes.

 

People who say “we should play 4-4-2!!!” should leave with Hughes. It's not 1992 anymore

 

Folk were in tears after Barrow and Colchester last season. Things got better....could have been far better but we had a good go at it.

Hooefully that battering today sees some positive change.

 

We need leadership in the dressing room and training and we most certainly need leadership on the field of play. He needs to be respected by all the players so they will follow his lead.

These rumours about the manager falling out with players needs to stop. The manager need good players and we can’t just have them shoved out of the door because the manager is sulking with them. That has to stop. If as manager you can’t take criticism then you shouldn’t be in the job. Yes it needs to be done behind closed doors.

I don’t want to see Smallwood as captain again.

 

I know. Utterly ludicrous. Does anyone actually play that anymore???

The 2 in the middle get swamped.

 

The Oldham defeat under McCall's third stint and that 2-0 defeat at Colchester back in 2015 - were in the same ball park of appealingness.

It's only three points though. As we saw in September 2015, a piss poor performance early on can galvanise a team.

Hughes has got a few tricky games coming up. Wrexham and Mansfield, with their attack attack attack mindsets will be licking their lips at playing us - so the only positive is, we'll no fairly quick if this is just a poor start like 2015/16 or a road to a place we don't want to go, like in 2020/21.

 

Who mentioned swear words..dont need them to ask relevant questions.

 

I'm always fairly positive, but there was nothing as bad as that last season. It wasn't as if Morecambe utterly dominated us. At the start of the second half we had plenty of the ball to make correct decisions - but everyone looked panic stricken.

You do genuinely wonder if it is the pressure of expectation at our club. Particularly when you see ex-players from last season and before, looking far better than their peak performances for us.

 

Chris Wilder’s Bradford Army .
If only .

 

They'd be happy we lose 8-0 but Cook has a friend to chat to upfront