Match Thread Most liked posts in thread: Away v Carlisle Utd Sat 8th Jan @ 3.00pm

The general feeling up until yesterday was that Adams needs time, and the constant changes of management does nothing. I see that as a fair and understandable point, but at some point we need to start to see some fruits of his labour so to speak.

What is his plan, and what is he trying to achieve? I'm lost on what that is at the moment and genuinely cannot see any sort of improvement game by game, nor have any sight on what he is building for the future.

The formation•
We play a system that invites every teams full back to carry the ball deep into our half before been pressured. Its causing us issues every week.
The players can't play it, they aren't fit enough nor fast enough to ensure we can cover the wide areas constantly and not fast enough to break quickly on the counter attack,which is the whole point of the formation.

Youth•
It's quite clear Adams doesn't rate any of our youth players. People would maybe more understanding if there was a 2 or 3 year plan which involved blooding youth players into the team, which ended with us benefiting from either a well moulded team with many academy graduates or the youth players at such a level they could be sold for profit, creating a sustainable model.

Transfer market•
Again this is very patchy, all the signings thus far have appeared very random almost without any thought of where that player would fit in the team. At one point we had what could have been argued as five wingers in the squad yet essentially we don't play with one winger most games as the front three, is seemingly instructed to be as deep and narrow as possible.
Areas that need improvement have been vastly overly looked. That's obvious to us mere fans, why can't the club see it?

I just don't see the plan here yet, we are aren't building for anything, we are just wasting game after game carrying on with the same old same old. Nothing is changing except for perhaps while three months ago we were creating umpteen chances per game and missing sitter after sitter now we are creating nothing. Games are just passing by.

A big push has been made to get fans inside and this resulted in a plenty getting behind the team even with the 33% price increase but they have been treated to a season of nothingness yet again.

I want promotion, I won't demand or expect it however I will expect to not have the piss taken week after week. Someone is going to have to grow some balls, hopefully Tuesday, and tell us what the F is going on because quite frankly it's turning into a shambles.

 

Listened to the second half and all I can remember is Gary Jones constantly laying into the whole team for lack of desire and direction on the pitch. He said they were leggy and second best all over the pitch. Inept and disinterested.

I can no longer relate to this team anymore.

Nearly set off from Keighley at 12.00 as a last minute decision to go and bloody glad I decided to stay at home.

1200 away support was a magnificent effort and you could clearly hear the reaction at full time.

DA didn't sound that upset after the game really.

If DA can't be arsed and the players can't be arsed then I am dammed if I can be arsed anymore. I doubt I am on my own.

 

And to think some thought last weeks pathetic win would be some sort of turning point. Today ranks with one of the most gutless spineless performances I've seen in 40 odd years and I include the likes Bowyer and Taylor in that. Infact I'm pretty angry right now, my club is just one big piss take. From the owner down to the players. And a manager who seems to think he's beyond reproach.

Put a fork in us we are done.

 

Up early too mate?.

It's hard to know where we go from here until someone buys out Rupp. Problem is that isn't going to happen anytime soon.

Had a chat with Mark Lawn a couple of weeks ago, he wishes he had the money Rupp has and he would come back in a heartbeat and sort this mess out.

As for Sparks, talks a good game doesn't he, but he is out of his depth here in my opinion.

Adams has been a major disappointment for me. I know he inherited some right crap but he is also responsible for bringing in crap too. His footballing 'sons' Threlkeld and Songo'o prime examples.

Cannot see Rupp or Sparks pulling the plug on Adams though, Sparks specifically will insist on backing him to save himself the embarrassment of appearing to make yet another poor manager appointment.


Only that season under Taylor when we flirted with relegation to non league have I felt so disenchanted with a City management team and players.

 

I gave this a like Bailiff because I so share your 'unlike' thoughts about these sad sad times at the club we all love. Have supported for 50 years and in that time we've gone through some dreadful times - and those fleetingly wonderful ones. But I can't feel as bad as I do now. Because we've been promised so much over the past five years and it's all been bullshit. The Great Friendly Giant might have eventually put us near out of business in the end, but he gave us our greatest days and what a giddy exciting hot passionate journey that was. Now we are chillingly cold. A cold remote owner. A cold remote manager. Cold players - literally and metaphorically - who 'claim' passion for the club but so often show little of it on the pitch or beyond it, unless it's for a propaganda sound bite. It's become freezing out here, apart from the fans. The only people who keep the heartbeat of Bradford City going.

 

Songo'o - perfectly good goal disallowed. Shocking decision.

 

It falls into the same state as so many of the recent seasons
It becomes a “chore” rather than an enjoyment.
All the build up and anticipation is gone.
I go because I’ve always gone rather than because I want to go.
I know for sure that if I go on Saturday it will be alone as the wife watched that with me today and no way will she fancy a cold afternoon in BD8 over an afternoon at home in the warm awaiting me coming home and telling her how sh!t it was.
Sad sad times at the club we all love.

 

Makes me laugh when fans cry if an opposing player goads us after same City fans have been giving him stick first. Don't dish it out if you can't take it back

 

At the ground, not raining and getting brighter by the minute.

 

Update, sun bursting through clouds but could be showers coming. At the mo shining right on my car but then always shines on the righteous eh Fordy.

 

Why is a 44 year old former player commentating on our game showing more passion than any of our players today.
Very sad situation.

 

I’m done.

Rupp and Sparks are a joke. Players an embarrassment. Derek Adams as useless as all that have failed before him.

Carlisle. Two ex players scoring. One taking the piss all game.

Shocking.

 

This is all on Sparks and Adams. Talk of bringing players in during the January window and slag off the ones already here, what did they expect. I suspect most know they won’t be here so why would they bother. We should have had those new players in the building ready to go. Carlisle had 2 new signings involved, ours is nowhere near the team bus.

 

What about getting a price for a fly bye @JonButterfield I've tried to be positive with regards our season but that had to rank along side the poorest performances for a while, maybe if Rupp realises the fans are not falling for his BS statements he may take OUR club seriously.
" As a proud custodian of this wonderful football club, my first and most important responsibility is to protect it and safeguard its long-term future, while upholding our values" well our values slip with every week that goes by.

 

Gary Jones:Sums today up admirably in words that most if not all who support the Bantams would agree with 100%
"What it means to the City supporters, they work all week and pay for this. At the very least you want to see them working their socks off. It costs nothing to do that, it should be a given every time on the football pitch."

What a shame the players have in the main an almost arrogant attitude to their profession these days.
Stealing a wage I and many would love to earn in a job we enjoy doing, unfortunately that's not so.
Said individuals wearing the Bradford City shirt for a living should take along hard look at their selves. They have certainly lost my respect as a group after years of support home and away.
Spineless performances like today just fuel my frustration and anger I want to see commitment and fight from my team not the heartless, gutless fare being served up week in week out were the only winner's are those who pick up a wage for doing nothing on the pitch..

 

That was a disgrace of a performance.

Gibson and Patrick scoring and taking the piss out of us, Mellor joining in with the celebrations and sarcastically applauding us at FT makes my blood boil. Three players who played their parts in our downfall over the last few years and they're waving a big two fingers up at us.

As for Adams, don't get me started. Never have I felt so cold and disconnected from a City manager. His football is only second to Bowyer in terms of how utterly boring, turgid and unambitious it is.

Persisting with long throws that don't even reach the box, hoofball, unwillingness to press from the front, midfield who is 30 yards behind the striker, late subs, baffling team selections, dare I go on?

I'll say what I said in the summer. Derek Adams may be a good manager but he is not the right fit for Bradford City.

Would I sack him? No. Not because he deserves to keep his job, but because I have zero faith that Sparks and Rupp are capable of making the right appointment. Not only that, they're incapable of implementing the correct off field infrastructure to allow a manager to succeed. So I doubt a managerial change would make the difference we would hope.

 

He’s clearly not arsed while us loyal fans fall for the bullshit that Sparks is told to feed us every pre-season.
There’s a fan forum on Tuesday so wouldn’t this be the perfect time to hear from the horses mouth where we are heading as a club.
Sparks is no mug when it comes to communication and anybody who thinks he doesn’t read this forum is deluded.He’ll know the animosity and ill feeling is mounting and the most devout happy clappers are starting to turn as well.
Let’s hear what proper structured plan is in place to move the whole club forward and not just a few sound bites to sell season tickets.
There are at least 4 flights from various German cities into Manchester airport before lunchtime on Monday.
I would expect these to cost £150 max.
Add a covid test,a couple of nights in a decent hotel and the flight home and your probably looking at about a grand.
This is a small price to pay to prove you mean what you said about righting the wrongs from previous mistakes.
And I don’t want to hear no shite about how hard travel is with covid.It’s perfectly doable if you want to.
When you own a football club and the majority of your fan base is turning against you the least you can do is put yourself out a bit from your other major interests and attend the odd game and see for yourself what the club has become under your tenure.
I suspect the grand cost mentioned earlier “hasn’t been budgeted for” but I’m sure we can divert some funds from the hand dryer fundraising efforts.
Or alternatively Rupp could dip in his very large wallet,fund the trip himself and tell us face to face how he’s going to get OUR club out of the massive shitheap that him and his puppets at the club have gotten it into.

 

Well don't put him on the sodding bench then. Sick of hearing his post match pressers now.

 

Ok not going to gloat but here is a Carlisle point of view.
It was an even first half and nobody was really on top, cracking goal by Gibson who has been a real beacon in this season of averageness. Can't comment on the 'Bradford' disallowed goal as I was in the bottom end of the Paddock (in other words too far away) although I did see the linesman put his flag up straight away, so something must have happened.
Non of us home fans could understand why on earth your manager kept Cook on for so long, it was as obvious as night following day that he was injured and couldn't carry on.
Second half it was more or less all us, and we got a well deserved second from the Bantams reject 'Patrick', Guy, more or less dominated the midfield and Watt was more or less a passenger.
In my opinion, a pretty all round poor display by City.
However don't despair too much, as we are not as bad as some opposition fans seem to think we are. The new manager is certainly starting to mould them together, solid at the back, determined and robust in midfield and now (at last) a forward line that makes the opposing team something to think about.
Will be down at Bradford for the last away game of the season, so looking forward to that, and I'm sure you will give us a much better game.
Oh and another thing, we have had that Ref before and he was absolutely pants to us last time he was here, so maybe he was trying to even things up a bit.....LOL