The Voice - Match preview Bradford City vs Barrow Saturday 11th November 2023 3:00pm

You're sticking your head in the sand. The club is a mess, the players are poor, the fans are fed up and everyone's confidence has fallen through the floor. This is very much a relegation battle and it stinks of Edins relegation

 

didn't take long did it, 1 game and the moaning starts. Hughes and his ego completely lost the plot this season and the next guy will unfortunately have to deal with the consequences.

 

See the problem with people like you Is that you don't see what's slapping you in the face. Hughes didn't pick that team I didn't pick that team. GA picked that team and the failings under Hughes haven't been addressed despite their being options to do so. I down really give a flying feck who the manager is, this season is a write off in terms of success but its not difficult in your first game to not pick shit players is it? I've seen you defend the club and managers come what may and its supporters like you that give this miserable fecking club a reason to fail.

 

Only just seen the score, so little interest in city.

Up the IPA

 

Nah. We were banking on Dom Poleon and Jake Reeves then. In relative terms, our squad is fine to survive.

We do have problems at the top, of that there is no doubt, but there is no way we are worst or second worst in the 24 teams in L2.

cooks goals alone - when he’s back on it - would prevent relegation

 

I'm not losing my sh1t over today like I would of over recent previous defeats, I thought today despite ending up with the same result we actually looked like we were trying to be more positive in our play, we had more players forward when attacking and moved the ball quicker, obviously we still failed to get a result but it wasn't down to a poor approach as such but more that the players wern't good enough in certain areas to get a result with that approach if that makes sense.

 

I think he wants the group togetherness and it is very important. If he starts dropping players he has never see play then that Will be disruptive. He said he wasn’t about take the team apart, he will assess them and have a plan if action before January. I am also thinking he will use the pressure of no progress or even worse relegation. That might focus minds. This is not his mess, but he has been assigned the job of clearing it up. My guess he won’t be doing it without a decent brush pan and shovel. Watch this space.

As I said earlier this might be where we part company with sustainability and reality.

 

Sorry I just don't see Herr Rupp sending any emergency funds any time soon

 

No? Fair enough then I hope he is well stocked with toilet paper then! If we get relegated it is his precious investment will be down the toilet as well. After January there is no reprieve and the ST sale will be a right old flop if we are struggling in the basement. As I said reality tends to surface at those times. I can’t remember how many times I have seen City relegated, but not into the Conference.

 

After 3 days of training, I’d say it’s hard to be in a position to rip up the script and start again. He made a few tactical changes but generally stuck with the players that have played most of the season which makes sense as I doubt he’s in a position to make big calls so early. If we get to the end of November and the same below par players are still getting a game then I’ll be more concerned. Seems a bit odd that you thought we’d have a major overhaul of the starting XI for todays game.

 

Our squad as it stands has plenty of good L2 players for sure, but we lack a few high end players in specific areas which is costing us and making them all look bad, an alternative approach to Cook but of equal quality, a top L2 centre mid and a very good L2/L1 centre back with pace who can can get about the field to cover the gaps left behind our full backs when they go forward from a back 4. Our squad last season fell short, but there was some good aspects among them to build on, MH ripped a lot of it up and also gave out contract extensions to squad members clearly not needed. If all the funds wasted on our large quantity of dross were mainly focussed on signing a few quality additions in the obvious gaps we had we wouldn't be in this mess, I don't get it!! Am I missing something at how these professionals get a simple game so wrong??

 

And to have such a big squad and no second choice keeper to push Lewis and no back up to Cook, when we knew Oliver was out for 4 months.
3 year deals to Odour, Smith & Wilson.
2 year deal to 35 year old McDonald.
All the loans have not been good enough.

A shocking summer of recruitment.

 

Yes truly awful, the more I look at the summers recruitment the worse it looks, Odour I've never liked as read plenty negative comments about him from previous, and then I saw him first hand for the first time at Accrington away in the cup which is very local to me so went along with a few mates who were a mixture of Burnley and Stanley fans and we all couldn't believe how bad he was, as Stanley is a ground you very close to the pitch. Then to my shock I came on here afterwards to see people raving about how good he was!! I'll be honest I was gob smacked, I don't think I commented at the time but seem to remember only @NorthernMonkey thought the same.

 

I think it's clear now that Hughes didn't care, and we were a hobby to get him out of the house. The whole lazy recruitment, the squad being unfit and blowing after 60 minutes and even his tendency to sit all game with his arms crossed.

We must make the best of what we have because many of these players will not willingly move on as they have 2-3 years on their contracts.

 

Pete says they rode their luck -

Barrow AFC on X: "The Gaffer reacts to today’s dramatic win against @officialbantams ️ #WeAreBarrow https://t.co/VKouLOBOYC" / X (twitter.com)

 

I wouldn't say he didn't care but more of the fact he's had a successful career at the higher end of football and his lack of knowledge of the lower leagues lead him to underestimate the competition.

 

I think he comes across quite well. Very early on he mentioned the injuries and, I assume he was meaning Oyegoke, hoping the lad’s alright. Nice one sir.

 

It's not an overhaul to replace the 2 worst players in the league it's common sense. And where we're these 2 shocking players for the first goal ? It's no GA fault we're in this position but if you're a new manager going in to a new job like this you find out why we're in this position and these 2 (especially Ridehalgh) are part of the problem. When Tranmere got relegated to the conference have a look who played in their defence, that's right Taylor and Ridehalgh.

 

We aren't the worst but then names on paper don't necessarily make decent sides as we are finding out. Barrow were simply a better drilled outfit than us yesterday, not so much better players but better prepared. And thats not to the detriment of Alexander, it will take him a few weeks to work out that Hughes and Gent have left him with a squad not fit for purpose.