The Voice - Match preview Mansfield Town vs Bradford City Saturday 2nd September 2023 3:00pm

Last few visits Mansfield has been a ground we have done well at lets hope it continues.
( Cookys goal there last season was a goal to remember )

 

I get a felling all is not right with Andy Cook have a listen 50 seconds in, Hughes really doesn't answer the question , yes possible but uh, long pause, well it's another one we'll just have to wait, looks very much like he really doesn't want to say anymore with regards Andy Cook.

 

Love Andy's reaction when he scores against Mansfield, especially after he'd got stick most of the game from the home fans.

 

Whilst I don't put a great deal of faith in body language theories, looking up and to the right (which Hughes does) is said to be the following:

When they are delivering a speech or presentation, looking up may be their recalling their prepared words. Looking upwards and to the left can indicate recalling a memory. Looking upwards and the right can indicate imaginative construction of a picture (which can hence betray a liar).

 

You might be right but equally, it could be a bit of mind games to keep Mansfield guessing.

 

I wasn’t saying you were, but in response to you saying we’ve been reasonably poor in every game except Stockport, it is a bit dramatic? I’ve been to every league and cup game so far, crawley we weren’t great and morecambe absolutely abysmal. But in all the other games we have steadily improved and shown we are gelling as each game passes

Wrexham wasn’t a fluke, we defended fantastically and played some good stuff at times in the first half

 

He wasn’t the only one getting stick, as we walked to the car a load of home fans gave me and the lad grief about the players constantly throwing themselves to the ground to waste time

We swiftly called him a sour bastard and went on our way lol

 

Is it?

I didn't see the Wrexham game but the point I was making was pre Wrexham so either way it matters little.

The performances have been poor imo as I'm yet to see us really comfortable in a game and we've made some real basic individual errors.

If the Wrexham game was really a step up then good, I'm pleased we're moving in the right direction but it'll take more than a penalty shoot out win to convince me.

 

Don’t get me wrong. We are nowhere near as strong a team as we were promised/expected, and as it stands I honestly cannot see us challenging for promotion

 

He's certainly not been the Andy Cook of last season, of course when you're a striker you want to be putting the ball in the back of the net and the lad must be getting very frustrated (as he's had a few chances) but he defiantly looked like he was carrying a knock last Saturday late in the game, usually Hughes will make some comment about players, but for some reason he didn't want to say anything when asked about Andy, we might know more tomorrow.

 

My Team for today

Lewis

Halliday - platt - Stubbs - Richards

Smallwood - Macdonald

Odour - Patto - walker

Smith

 

Like that. In that system we rely on Oduor and Walker having an 8/10 to create a viable attack. If we can get the two in them positions causing problems we dictate the game and make life easier for the back 4(6).

 

With so many players on our books, I can't even begin to think what today's team will be and what formation we will play, other than it will be a 5/something

 

Is Cook injured or ate you just preferring to drop him?

I heard he went off on Saturday that's all and badly looked like he needed a rest so wondered if he was actually ruled out today?

 

A lot of team predictions with Pattison in the starting 11 but he went off at half time on Tuesday night with a tight hamstring. I'd rather he be rested today rather than risk aggravating it further. Yes he'd be a miss today, but he'd be a greater miss if he plays and then ends up being out for months.

 

in all honesty, whether he was fit or not, this is the team I would play. It just hasn’t worked for him so far, and with Macdonald, Odour, walker and smith, we can actually play some football on the deck, rather than the default launch into cook who is marked by 2 defenders.

just my opinion of course but cook really hasn’t been at it so far.

 

I agree. The opposition centre backs have found it relatively simple dealing with cook. I know he jumps well, but when a CB is 6’3” then the long balls are just bread & butter to them all day long. At Wrexham we actually played football

 

There is something in this. If you are looking to open sides up with quick attacking football then Cooky isn't really your man as that really isn't his strength. We all know Cooky thrives on balls into the box from wide, in that respect I don't think there is a better type of player in league 2. But we haven't done that all season resulting in Cooky feeding off scraps and generally looking way off his form last season. There's definitely a half decent side amongst this squad but I'd say we haven't seen it yet

 

If only we had some wingers.

 

4-4-2 m8, it should be incorporated into our badge.