The Voice - Match preview Bradford City vs Crewe Alexandra Saturday 27 August @ 3:00pm

Sutton is shite.

We need better than Sutton.

If you honestly think Sutton is the best also side Smallwood then we are in trouble.

 

I expect a couple of signings this coming week

 

I just don't get the Halliday bashing from some to be honest

 

You might be disappointed. We haven’t got rid of many. We need to get rid of a few.

 

Your post confirms I am spot on with Sutton, Like most of your posts you are quite simply wrong. I would just make the simple point that when Sutton came on we actually started to attack them and create chances and could have won, up until then we were just passing the time for the final whistle

 

For me, two simple remedies. Go 4-4-2 and play both Cook and Oliver up top which gives teams some serious defending to think about and increases the chances of someone being on the end of a cross. The back up is Angol from the bench. And get Sutton in at right back - his energy and enthusiasm Is infectious and is an upgrade on Halliday. Defo need Walker back asap

 

Sutton is shite. End of.

 

We're struggling to stretch the game vertically because Cook isn't quick enough to consistently threaten to run in behind and laterally because the fullbacks can't (or aren't encouraged to) overlap and threaten a cross/cutback and the wingers we have play inverted. Its all very infront of the opposition. We do look drilled and organised, as did Crewe, and we do look to have some inventiveness, but its all a little pedestrian. A few players definitely had an off day for us today too. Hopefully we'll have more goal threat with Walkers return. The tactic to play Angol wide left out of possession then centrally in possession was interesting, but it didnt work out well at all unfortunately.

 

We can go on and on about tactics but we simply have to after these teams from minute 1 like the Newport game ..........these teams go in with a game plan to keep us quiet for 20 minutes knowing a few loons will start turning in our players we get an early goal yesterday we probably win that game comfortably..........still I will reserve judgement till early October thought we would have a dodgy start and let’s not forget that both Crewe and Donny graced a league above us last season ................ and on both occasions they have been a touch fortunate to get away with draws

 

I honestly don’t get why he continues to play Angol ?????? Has he done anything at all this season of note .............. honestly we may have played with 10 men yesterday for what he contributed

 

Who are the two wide players in your 4-4-2 that are going to supply the chances for Cook and Oliver?

 

I can’t see what East did wrong?

 

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

What I've been saying is, while I see this point, both Donny and Crewe are incredibly lucky.

The narrative that we didn't create chances is impossible - we've all but scored in both games, rattling the woodwork three times across both games.

That doesn't tell me their strategy is reliable. If other teams keep coming to VP and playing like that, do we really think they can replicate the 0 0s endlessly? I don't.

It's annoying and frustrating that they've both got their reward of a point, but it's by the narrowest possible margin. They both deserved to lose.

We aren't going to hit the bar every home game, those shots will go in.

If they'd stopped us playing and we'd failed to got shots on goal, fair enough - but we're beating ourselves up because we got unlucky.

It just doesn't make sense to say it's not working for us.

 

4-4-2 worked for Parky when he was here because that is his goto formation. I'll say it again, successful managers are successful because they build their team around their formation of choice. If its not working its because they haven't had the time for the players to get used to moulding as a team, they might have injuries or the players aren't capable of carrying out the instructions. I don't think Hughes envisaged Cook having the impact he's had and now has the dilemma of getting the best out of a striker who doesn't necessarily fit Hughes preferred 4-2-3-1. And as such we have a striker on form but not really the team dynamic to give Cook what he needed yesterday. Cook spent most of his time with his back to goal in the lone striker role first half, second half showed asking players to suddenly switch mindset isn't that easy.

 

Banks hit an identical shot against hartlepool which put us on our way to victory, yesterday the keepers pulled off a blinder as its going in the same corner as the Hartlepool game. Fine margins, if that goes in we win that game easily. We hardly look like conceding, the central midfield is generally solid. Banks is looking a threat, Cook is on form. There ain't that much wrong. Just an imbalance on left flank. Get that sorted and we good to go.

 

Sorry Wilsden I can't agree about Halliday. The tall black forward playing on Crewes left went past him for fun on numerous occasions

 

Yesterday he was ok in attack but poor in defence IMO

 

Fine margins, that’s the difference between drawing and winning. You don’t need to play well if the margin is on your side as yesterday proved. Banks was very unlucky yesterday even though they had a game plan from minute 1 to stop him.

We nullified the “ two defenders on him” when Halliday overlapped. From memory that’s how he got those two chances yesterday, which allowed him to go inside on to his left one on one as the other defender had to cover Halliday. Fine margins.