The Voice - Match preview Most liked posts in thread: AFC Wimbledon vs Bradford City Saturday 14th October 2023 3:00pm

Two quotes came to mind whilst watching City’s impressive victory at Wimbledon.

Paul Jewell once said you have to firstly out-work the opposition, then you earn the right to play and your ability will shine through, this we saw this afternoon.

A complete transformation to two weeks ago, watching lethargic players going through a methodology that they clearly had no belief in and felt difficult to carry out.

The second quote about Bradford City came from former England manager Graham Taylor when he managed Watford after we’d just beaten them 2:0 in our promotion season to the Premiership, he said “Bradford don’t have a lot of possession, but when they do, they hurt you.

These two qualities are synonymous with Bradford City’s successful history, and they are back with an abundance.

Out of the three victories under KM, this one is the most impressive. Wimbledon are easily the best opposition we’ve played in the league this season. They oozed confidence and played on the foot front with pace.

They couldn’t match the two qualities I previously mentioned.

We edged the game and earned three deserved points.

Osadebe showed in the pre-season of 2022 and the opening 7 minutes prior to having his leg-broke that he is a very useful slightly unconventional player. He has long limbs, a bit gangly, never looks fully InControl of the ball, however has heart and is strong, his confidence since coming back from his horrendous injury is slowly growing. I said in the summer of 2022 he reminds me of a league 2 Pogba, and I’m feeling that way again. Some games he’ll be anonymous, some games a match winner.

Every player deserved a 7/10 just for work-rate.


Interesting to read in the media after the Grimsby game how KM’s rhetoric on wishing to remain a player as opposed to manager softened a little.

KM has to look at maybe playing 50% of games in his final season registered as a player, in balance to a shot at a club in the lower league the size of Bradford . Clubs our size don’t come knocking every day for you to cut your teeth at.


Now, I’m not saying on the back of three games give KM the job.

There’s more than a bit of heart required in a unchanged squad that’s won two league games to getting a team promotion. There’s former managers out there with bags of experience to deal with signings, formations, injuries, loss of form, and tactical decisions etc etc …


However if KM is still in charge for the Wrexham game and we turn them over with the same qualities of the past three games, then the welcome breathing space KM has afforded Sparks in not having to appoint a manager imminently, almost becomes a dilemma, because there’s a ready made guy here who commands respect, has bags of footballing experience, and may well be the diamond we’re looking for…


Given to the end of the season maybe?

Who know, it’s a bloody lottery haha

 

Watching Osadebe's comeback I believe at times he's been trying too hard to make up for last season, like him or not he always tries to carry the ball forward with his play.

 

3 wins on the bounce in a week.
Hang your head in shame Mr Hughes, your players playing with fight and a determination not to lose, why could you not see what we all could.

 

Fighting and effort. That's how we won. We fought and fought and fought and put in the hard yards. Brilliant effort.

 

Low on quality but very high on resilience and dogged determination. Sometimes you have to dig it out, especially away from home. Another criticism of Hughes tenure is that too often players didn't want to do the ugly stuff. Not the case today, they'll come off that pitch battered and bruised but very satisfied.

Well done lads!

 

Hughes looks increasingly arrogant, in retrospect. There's a squad here. It still needs work and I still see holes, but its a solid foundation, IF we pick the right manager. I've said it for years, the right manager is one who'll deploy a team and style that the fans connect with. Our identity is based around a spirit and a dogged determination. We're never going to be a possession based side - you need to engage this crowd with direct, aggressive, bold and purposeful football. Get the crowd onside and it's a huge asset - not a toxic millstone some would have people believe.

 

3 wins (2 very impressive wins in the league) but I’m not sure I’d be giving him the job just yet. Both league games were incredibly close games and could easily have been a 1-0 defeats on another day. So whilst the results have been good and the performances much improved (easily done based on the dreadful showing under MH this season) I still think there’s more to come from this squad with the right manager. Maybe KM can get them to that level but if we have some good quality options for the job then I’d be tempted to go with them.

 

Oh be fair Kev. Up until the last two games Manny has been woeful. Now he is showing us what he is capable of and I am sure opinions will quickly change. I saw a real player in the first 7 minutes against Donny before that tackle and I think we are now seeing that player once again.

No coincidence that this has happened since MH has gone.

 

We put the ball in the goal
They didn't.

 

Stand up Osadabe. Massive credit to him for strength, balance and finish for that goal.

We MASSIVELY rode our luck. Better finishing from Wimbledon and ref decisions could have gone other way, but the back 4 were really good outside of the first 15-20 mins and sometimes we have to accept a bit of luck on our part.

Difference seems we play on the front foot much more in the past 3 games. Pretty simple but that’s this league - you need to press, you need to fight. We lost that with Hughes at the end.

Bravo to management and players - no other way to look at it than a great result.

 

McDonald admitting we rode our luck and could have been better.

Not sure Hughes ever really admitted any deficiencies in his games.

 

986 from Bradford well done guys.

 

Good 3 points that. Well done team.

 

We are a battling team now. We lack quality but winning and that’s what we want.

 

??

 

Love it.
Platt gets a really bad elbow, red card worthy right in front of the ref.
Goes down with a split face.
Ref plays on.
Smallwood complains and gets booked.
Joke officiating.

 

I’m sorry Manny. You are a legend!!!

 

Decent substitutions as well.

Oyegoke took a lot of the pressure off the back line with his runs down the wing.