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

Of the names you mention, I'd have Jones, Moore, and the Cowleys at the top of my list of replacements.

As for questioning Hughes, who in the VP hierarchy would be qualified to do so? That is a major problem, as I see it...and why I've always been banging on about appointing a DoF / General Manager / VP Football Operations / whatever you want to call the position, who is indeed in charge of football operations and hiring and firing of the football people below, e.g. the manager. Sparks has been good on the commercial side -- VP Commercial Affairs would be his role. But he has to do that and football operations, and the latter has not gone all that well.

RCB

 

Totally agree! No way is RS gonna fall on his media sword. MH was a massive coup on paper.

 

Although Hughes says we'll bounce back next week I hope he realises that Crewe players will also get amongst the City players as they try to remember which triangle pass must be played "in certain situations ".

 

Sad that I simply ain't arsed any more the club is a shambles and yet again the poor sods who turn up on mass are made out as mugs ................

 

We weren't in the best position to see Morecambe's first goal as we were looking across it rather than behind it, saying at the time it's not the first time Harry has not set his wall up correctly, but would not comment further until If seen the video, well and after watching the video replay the wall and his positioning behind it leave a lot to be desired shall I say.

 

Hughes: 'its difficult to fathom where that performance came from'.

No. No its not.

 

Like others have posted, watching the ifollow feed in real time, I'm sat there literally saying to my mate 'there's a huge gap in the wall, he's just going to leather it down the keepers throat'

Schoolboy stuff.

 

In the post match interview Mark Hughes mentioned Morecambe played in a higher division last season. However I reckon only about 4 of today's starting 11 played for them last season.
Apart from Songoo they have signed or got on loan mainly young players.
How I wish City had signed Mellon instead of Costelloe as his Burnley loanee

 

3 nil against this absolute load of pony with that plum for a manager.
Absolute joke

 

The interviewer should have asked him if Tyler Smith looked capable of emulating Jake Young's two goals and two assists, that Jake produced for Swindon today. Or whether Ryan East ever performed as badly as Richie Smallwood did today, on the few occasions he was given the chance at City. Or whether he has any intention of giving Osusina an opportunity, as he struggles to solve his defensive problems by continually shuffling the pack.

 

I found that comment rather amusing, as you say Morecambe were scratching around to get bodies in at the start of the season, the difference between the movement of Morecambe and ourselves was massive, several times during the first half I mentioned to the grandson how many bodies Morecambe had IN the box not around it where as we had Cook once again battling two CD.
I've made my opinion with regards Cook known several times in the past when others have criticized him but although the whole team we very poor today once again we offered him little support, because IMO the players looked as if they were frightened of getting over the halfway line apart from possibly a 10 minute spell second half.

 

Totally agree with this. Hughes gives the impression that he’s embarrassed to be seen to be caring too much or trying too hard in League 2. So he remains suited and seated whilst opposing managers are animated and proactive during matches.

Fine if things are going well, but not a good look when they aren’t and not very inspirational. How can he expect the players to be arsed when he doesn’t look like he is?

 

If he mentioned that he's really scraping the barrel. They only had a few players left after they had to let a load go due budget restraints after dropping a division. That was a team cobbled together in the last few weeks with the lowest budget in the entire league. You were outplayed Hughes because you wanted to go 3 at the back with wingbacks but you and Gent decided not to purchase players capable of doing it. You need a quick defender who can the ball out of the three, we lost Crichlow and you replaced him with oil tanker stuck in reverse gear. We needed wing backs, you bought one and played him at centre back pre season, we finally bought a left wing back 4 games into the season after you dropped Ridehalgh and you hung Gilly out to dry. You've thrown Ciaran Kelly in at the deep end with no arm bands. You persist with an ageing captain whose legs have simply gone. In your favour your two best players are badly out of form but Cooky is again feeding off an empty dinner table bar the couple of chances at Stockport.
This is your doing Mark. No one else's. You had positives from last year yet chose to change the principle of a back four for your wing backs in order for what you saw as the solution to that elusive creativity. At least have the confidence in your own convictions and stick with the formation you are desperately trying to get to work. Don't change back to last season's default then cry the poor tale about where on earth that performance had come from.
Because Mark, that ranks in my top ten of woeful performances and believe me I've seen some classics over the years.
That ice is starting to crack Mark, you need to act fast before you fall under it.

 

Spot on.

 

Christ, not this crap again. What is it with our fans and the comfort blanket of 4-4-2?

 

Well it's pretty obvious. Succinctly summed up when Smallwood lost the ball and subsequently decided that it wasn't worth trying to get it back.
How on earth can you have someone like that leading the rest of your players?

 

Despite todays fiasco Just a little prediction here and will be about to be shot at if I am wrong. But by the end of September we will be either in or very close to the top six.

 

BANG!

 

What happened...

Did you forget to clap very very hard