Most liked posts in thread: Andy Cook

It's quite easy to forget that he's spent most of the season as a 'lone' striker against a minimum of 2, and often 3 centre halves, with aimless long balls up to him (and sod all protection from the referees!!). We've got nowhere near enough balls into the box. I agree that he's missed chances but that's why he's at this level, if he was banging 20+ goals a season in consistently he wouldn't be here!! I seem to recall somebody did a piece on here, or may have been C&B, about our 20+ goals a season strikers...and we've had maybe 4 or 5 in 40 odd years or so.....

 

If this club achieves promotion, it won't be with Andy Cook as a regular starter. I think there'd be a case for him being a squad striker though. That's the level we should be aspiring to, in terms of how we build the squad for next season

 

Do we honestly believe, such an overhaul will happen? Names may change but quality?

Expectations are high amongst our fan base but tempering of expectations are needed.

Much is expected of Hughes. Not only will he need his managerial experience, midas touch and a lot of luck but full backing and cooperation of the club, for which I have historical concerns

 

Not a chance it will happen and I'm not overly hopefull he'll get anywhere near the backing he should get.

 

Gillead hasn't offered enough. However, I'm mindful of the environment he's been exposed to and the way he's been deployed. We've played him as a winger, often to the right of a lone front man. That's not him. At Scunny, he was used in the centre of a midfield 3 and they seemed to rate him highly. I remember our games against them last season and their commentators were resigned to losing him, but assumed he'd go to League 1 because in their words 'he's too good for League 2'. I'd like to see how he fares under Hughes. It really wouldn't surprise me if we see a more effective Gillead between now and May.

 

Leave Cook alone...he's got enough on his plate

 

100% agree Rod. The budget is not the issue, it's the total dross that Adams picked up and the injuries that have caused the issues. We do need a big clear out and I would do the following

GK - Keep Hornby as backup, release ROD and sign a new first choice (not Bass)
RB - Keep FCD and Hendrie, pick up another who can also play anywhere across the back. Find a way to bin off Threlkeld
LB - Staunton, Foulds & Ridehalgh
CB - Keep Paudie, bin off Kelleher, sign at least one other specialist CH
CM - Keep Songo'o for cover, Keep Sutton, Keep Cooke. Sign two of which one is a real leader. Bin off Watt
RW/LW - Keep Vernham, try to sign Walker, and another winger, bin off Daly, Eisa, Evans, and anyone else I might have missed
CF - Keep Cook as back up only, possibly keep Lavaory as back up (there is a player in there). Bin off Robinson, Elliott, Delfounso & (sadly due to injury) Angol. Sign two new strikers, one of which is a target man and the other a poacher,

BY my reckoning that means we get rid of 11 players and need to sign 9 leaving us with a squad of 22. Sign players that can play in Hughes style rather than 4231. Easier said than done.

I haven't even included Lord Luton in the above, as he doesn't actually exist. He's a hologram.

 

I keep reading this but since we were relegated to L2, the standard of player has been from good to damn right poor. Cook more towards the former.

With an inevitable fall in season ticket prices, especially if they go up (in the midst of an economic slide), where just does this "better" come from? Rupp?? No evidence whatsoever to suggest so... The fans??

Hughes may be a name. Adams was a name at this level. Was he backed? A fear similarities in budget will be our achilles heel again, throughout the tenure of Hughes.

"Better" costs. Wasn't it just a few months ago the club wanted supporters help towards hand dryers??

Not picking on your post, Idle but history at this club under Rupp, especially in L2 has a pattern. What has changed in the last 4 days

 

We've no wingers, so maybe we simply play Lavery and Robinson with Cooke (please not Daley) in a more forward role.

I like Cook, but I don't get the protection he gets for his numerous errors, i.e. missing a sitter against Forest Green - whereas Songo just gets abuse after abuse, when he's barely played more than four consecutive matches in his correct position.

Cook was terrible yesterday. Rawson, their No.6 dominated him more than I've ever seen a centre-half dominate a No.9. Put it into perspective, Hanson played better against the Swansea defenders 9 years ago in the Cup final (ah! the memories!!)

He should have buried that later chance and needs to stop feeling sorry for himself.

However, I expect Hughes, a former very effective striker, to get a tune out of him - so we'll see a different Cook against Swindon. He needs to shape up. None of them can live on a decent first half of the season.

 

Maybe out of desperation we are clinging onto resent comments from Mark himself and Ryan, ie Hughes on taking the job he would be backed, I know we've heard these comments in the past with regards a 5th 7th largest player budget in the league maybe this time it will happen, hopefully not by expecting the fans to pick up that tab with increased season ticket prices, the club show they are happy to invest and give Hughes a better chance then I'm sure the Bradford City faithful will happily pay more and back Hughes and the club as they did in numbers yesterday.

 

The plan is get the right manager who then brings in the right players who get results Parky created an identity to because he+produced a winning team. overvto you Mr Hughes

 

The grandkids piggy banks will have to be raided for me to match Stefans £2-3 M.
I would hope with Mark Hughes being our manager he will still have good relationships with previous clubs he's been involved with, we saw yesterday how 2-3 loans can make a difference to a club like Mansfield, but yes I'll pay more for my season ticket if our owner see his investment would appreciated the higher up the football pyrimid the higher we get and possibly give Hughes the best player budget on league two.

 

Totally.

I'm not quite sure why Ryan 'Sack 'Em' Sparks actually sacked Adams.

Was there even an 'Adams Out' chant? I don't remember that, I just remember growing discontent.

It wasn't anything like as vociferous as it was with Bowyer when the City fans had had enough.

People keep saying "he had no choice" and "it was the right thing to do", but I think we bottled it a little bit on this one, which is a recurrent theme with Ryan.

It's probably why all his decisions are framed in a 'saving his/Rupp's skin' light.

 

Oh come on mate....fans ARE "doing their bit"......by booing the players week in week out and isn't the CEO under pressure from said fans to get rid of managers? Is it really ALL on him?

What if MH doesn't get promotion next season....will he be given time by the very patient fan base?

 

I know it was said this season was a big season and the goal WAS promotion well next season is even bigger.

The signing of Mark Hughes has given us fans a massive boost with regards the future no ifs or buts we can't have another two seasons in this league.
I hope these are the terms Hughes was brought in for, Stefan backs him and he does the business.

 

It's funny that the club keep reminding us that if we were winning, no one would care about trivialities like style of football, individual players, formations, etc etc etc - WHICH IS TRUE - but when we aren't winning games, the club pretends to be appalled that people care about those trivialities.

Weird how you become a keyboard warrior when you behave exactly as the club recognises you probably should behave. After all, mediocrity cannot be tolerated.

(unless we're mediocre. in which case shut up)

 

He could be a 20 goal striker.

Nearly anyone could be a 20 goal striker in League Two.

Some of the 20 goal strikers in the past are very poor, or one season wonders.

It is what it is.

You're not getting Wayne Rooney lol

 

I agree, and find it bizarre that people would rather look for multiple goalscorers, rather than keeping the one we've got and adding to it.

I mean, if we'd proven that we were really, really good at finding goalscorers, fair enough, but... well... you know the rest...

 

We can find them quite well, it's just what we do with them when they get here that seems to be the issue. Cook needs a partner like Doyle needed to be allowed to goal hang all game and do nothing else. Bowyer sucked all of the energy out ofVaughan, it goes on. I think we need to ask serious questions about why we mismanage forwards so much as opposed to not being able to find any.

 

You probably need to reasses your expectations. Last season only one striker in the whole division hit 20 league goals.



Interesting to note there's two players there we couldn't get a tune out of though which suggests perhaps WE are the problem and not solely the strikers.