The Voice - Match preview Bradford City vs Harrogate Town Saturday 16th September 3:00pm

TBH let’s face it, there’s little movement throughout the whole squad. You only have to look at throw in’s, we offer almost zero from them every-time and often result in going backwards or losing posession. It’s been the same for years.

 

Yeah I've often noticed over the 6 years or so how many so called average sides move the ball quicker and run through midfield way better than we do. We did improve with Pattison but without the likes of him you simply can't pass out from the back. If I was an opposition manager I'd just have a team press us, we simply fall apart.

 

And you can’t start both McDonald and Smallwood.
They are just too safe.
One or the other in my opinion.

They are not bad at what they do but it’s definitely not getting the ball forward with any urgency.

 

Macdonald needs quite a few more sub appearances before he’s more up to speed IMO. However based on what I’ve seen he’s quicker at transitioning the ball and tends to be more forward thinking, however he looks like he’ll cover less ground than Smallwood.

When fit id be interested to see a CM 3 of Macdonald, Gillead and Pattison.

 

It's probably me but I'm just not getting the Macdonald thing. He's looked bang average to me so far.

 

Although performances haven’t stood out, firstly he’s definitely not been fully match fit.

Stockport was the biggest indication of what he brings. Whereas it wasn’t a standout display, you could see he was orchestrating everything around him - communicating to others on and off the ball, in front and behind, linking and transitioning play quickly, looking to move forward where ever possible. Sadly this is what I think we miss from Smallwood and if Macdonald had the two above mentioned alongside him, I think we would be more effective, providing those around them also step up.

 

Thanks for answering. I was awày for the first few matches and you don't get a feel for that sort of thing on ifollow. I didn't really notice it against Grimsby but hopefully he'll come good

 

The Grimsby game wasn’t the game to judge.
He was as ineffective as everybody else in the first half and was then subbed at HT.

I hope when he gets fully fit that he does what we hoped he’d do when we signed him.
Orchestrate the midfield and provide a few goals from set pieces.

He just simply can’t play in the same team as Smallwood.

Gillead Mcdonald and Pattison would be my choice if all fit.

 

Hopefully we have a back 4 like the second half against Grimsby

His preferred 3 CB + 2 WB system may be effective away from home, being difficult to break down, but it is clear teams come to Valley Parade already gee'd up by the surroundings. Pointon and Walker want to attack - let them attack. None of this holding back bollocks. Let's hammer a poor team for a bloody change

 

An easy game plan and every time he falls into that trap............. is it so difficult to actually go after a team from the first minute ???? To actually get the crowd behind you not on your back.????
Sadly you know what's coming he will allow another average team time and space to get a foot inn the game the crowd will no doubt get peed of with it and we are off again .............he's hanging a lot of these players out to dry and I bet a big part of that group are simply pissed off that the crowds frustration is aimed at them rather than the loon who sets them up this way

 

Yeh lets be fair to old McDonald - he didnt have a pre season. Will take a few more weeks on the grass to hopefully find his groove.

 

Hopefully he starts Afoka in place of Derbyshire then you need to pick two from Pointon, Walker and Oduor to support.

If he decides to go 4 at the back you could fit all 3 in behind Afoka.

 

This is something that has also bugged me for years. You see opposition players moving around trying to make themselves available to the throw in taker, whereas our lot just seem to stand there and hope that the nasty round muddy thing goes to someone else. This is not, I should stress, unique to the present team, we have been like it for a very long time. I just wish I knew why.

 

Exactly this. It's the same when we are trying to play out from the back. The only real movement comes from Tyler Smith but we don't have the nous to find him

 

And another thing while we are at it. When we p#ss about at the back and the ball ends up with Halliday, often his only out is the ball down the line but the players in front of him never make that run. Maybe Pointon might solve that if he plays regularly

 

Any chance Tyler Smith will be fit for this ?

 

Maybe it’s the heavy surface of the school playing fields training ground that makes stagnant positioning feel normal?!!

It has been the case for years. Morais even commented on Afoka showing some good intent by actually trying to make space from a throw when he came one - he and Gillead were literally the only ones.

 

I was talking to a work colleague who watched the game on Sky and he said there was a throw in when the mic was clearly very close to where Richards was taking it and you could hear him getting frustrated and shouting 'come!' because there was nobody making themselves available.

 

That would be my preferred set up and the one that should offer us the chance of actually offering a threat going forward.