The Voice - Match preview #42: Swindon Town vs Bradford City Saturday 12th April 2025 12:30pm

It was a miracle that we were 4-3 up due to monumental eff up.

Swindon were garbage there was no need to set out to defend for 45 minutes with 7 defenders. Two banks of 4 and a one would have been suffice

 

He's such a moron.

What a stupid challenge, and after 15 minutes when 2 0 up.

I expect an apology in the T and A Monday morning.

 

Just got back from Swindon. A better drive back than it was there, with the sat nav taking us through like likes of Stow-on-the-Wold. Some lovely villages down there I have to say.

A few points about the game:

• Pattison - I'm going to start with Patto - he cost us two goals. First one was a suicidal ball into our box which led to an easy goal for Swindon. For the second goal, we all shouted for him to "wake up" as he just let the Swindon player win the ball without so much of a challenge, and this led to a couple of passes which led to the goal. If he wasn't half asleep then he wouldn't have cost us two goals. Really frustrating from him and he was rightly subbed at HT - a really poor half, despite getting an assist.
• Smallwood - from the stand it looked like he won the ball but followed through. It gave the referee an easy decision to make really, but it was a rush of blood to the head from Smallwood. He's been great this season, but I have to say that was a big mistake for such an experienced player. We're going to miss him in the next 3 games.
• Stop Crosses - this is basic stuff, yet in the second half they just launched cross after cross into the box. Everyone could see that's where the danger was but somehow we contrived to just let them cross it. Basic stuff, yet we failed.
• Marking - when you let wide players cross into the box you don't leave Harry Smith unmarked. For the goal that made it 4-4, great header, but Shepherd and Kelly were nowhere near him. Again, basic stuff. We really missed Baldwin I thought. I think I read he was ill? Let's hope it's nothing too serious.
• Sarcevic - thank God he's back, and let's hope he can drag us out of this stuttering spell.
• Kavanagh - really pleased for him. He's a real nuisance in the box and despite Swindon's poor defending, he still had to make things difficult for them. I think that's 14 goals for the season now? That's an excellent return, especially after an indifferent start.
• Tactics - second hand we were just asking for trouble sitting back. GA has got to have a think about this - I'm not sure what his plan was for the second half but we were just inviting pressure. More goals for Swindon were inevitable. He's an experienced manager but I think he got the second half setup wrong.
• Swindon - their defending was poor too, but fair play to them for being relentless. Holloway has certainly got the boot up them. It was a good game for a neutral.
• Conclusion - we make it difficult for ourselves don't we? Thankfully the other results were "OK" for us - they could have been much worse.

 

That is an absolute sickener. Smallwood will take the blame but our game management with 10 men was atrocious. Why is it we watch other sides spoil and time waste for 90 minutes and get rewarded yet we seem totally inept at doing so.

 

No monkey the season is over. Finished. Kaput. I don't want to see any of them in a city shirt again etc...m

 

For me it's a bit of a nothing interview from Alexander, he's trying to play the victim card and the world is against us to deflect from what happened to protect the players. I can understand why he doesn't want to go after the captain in the media as it is unlikely to end well but I would be incredibly surprised if he doesn't say something to Smallwood behind closed doors as there's no doubt his decision to go in like that made the same a lot harder than it should have been as it is a clear red card, no reason at all to go in like this.

 

Patto withdrawn for his poor first half imo.

 

But during his interview he said that he didn’t see the referee because there’s no point !!

 

I think there is something in the quote too many cooks etc, as a defensive unit we have been very strong most of the season our goals against certainly supports that, only conceding 3 or more twice far this season Notts County and Swindon, for me having so many defenders on didn't help when we needed an out ball we had no natural midfield player to receive it and go forward allowing Kavanagh to run at defenders, I hope after watching both Halliday's and Alexander's post match video clips the players are not feeling sorry for themselves, its over we were involved in one hell of a scrap and although we didn't come out with anything to show for it we know without the sending off we were more than a match for the so called inform Swindon.
We can discuss it till the cows come home mate we're all gutted because as @Offcomedun posted we've seen Smallwood make those kind of challenges all season and the referee has waved play on today Thomas Kirk saw it differently, not that I'm disagreeing it looked bad and doesn't look any better no matter how many times I've watched it

 

If an opposition player had made that tackle on our player I would have been screaming for a red card. It was intentionally high and aimed to catch the ball but to intentionally clatter their player. Seen many of those over the years. Leave one on the opponent. Smallwood got it wrong. At 2-0 it was particularly unnecessary. He will know that. I expect GA to deflect but assume he will read him the riot act 1 to 1. Smallwood shouldn’t need telling. It’s happened. Onwards. May be a blessing. Having to play a different way when cook got crocked hasn’t harmed us. This may prove similar. Pleased for Kav. Poacher goals. But we should never concede 5, whether we have 10 men or not.

 

They gave their all except Capt Calamity. Piss poor subs from Alexander that hamstrung us with no other leader on the pitch. That's what will kill us in the coming games.

 

That comment was made directly after the game had finished by the guys commentating on todays game they said they were awaiting Graham Alexander but he was seeing the referee first before he had his post match interview !!.

You once again miss quoted me here https://bantamtalk.com/index.php?threads/42-swindon-town-vs-bradford-city-saturday-12th-april-2025-12-30pm.8970/page-26#post-970162 and I corrected you !!.

I'll not reply again in this thread you seem to have a problem with your reading.

 

Needed to flood with midfielders not defenders. They had control of all the pitch outside of the box. Made them look like PSG with nobody in their face trying to break up the passing.

 

Maybe if Capt Calamity had not given his all with that tackle we'd have won the game .

 

Not if Pattison did a job and closed him down. He was a passenger today and was pretty much the same last week. Has to be benched against County.

 

Yes whe will launch free kicks into the stand or keepers hand?

 

If Sarc is fully fit he has to be captain. Pattison is presently a liability and maybe rushed back too soon. Pattison from the bench for me.

 

Good summary.

However, I'm not certain what else GA could have done. Let's remember we were swamped after the sending off, so it's not as though the changes made us far worse. I guess the idea was have a line of defenders and then pushing the wing backs further forward - so we could break more effectively as they were weak defendinging from the flanks. And it nearly worked, after all we were leading in the 90 minute.

His biggest mistake was not having Huntington on the bench as he could have taken care of Smith - but maybe he was unavailable.

 

I wasn’t having a go at you. It’s true what you said. They did say that!! It was Alexander who said something different !!

 

God the WUMS are out in force !