Most liked posts in thread: Blackpool (home)

Feel for Payne. He is clearly quality for this level and his goal return has shown that in a dire side for a midfielder.

I still maintain what I said a few months back, Imagine him in a McCall team we had? If we had him the season we got to play off final, IMO we wouldn’t have needed the play offs we would have gone up via autos. Him behind the front man rotating with law on the left. What a dream. He would have got 15 in that side.

 

I think most of this squad with the exception of Caddis, LOB and Payne, are at the their level or below.

I’ve said it before, recruit players from relegated teams and you run the risk of them returning to type when the going gets tough. It’s in their DNA.

When you look at January, we lost Jim O’Brien and Henry but never replaced like for like. McGowan replaced by a kid who can’t get in the worst defence in the league. We signed players who hadn’t played much football and we’re injury prone. Guess what, they’re injured. Jones never replaced, Gibson never replaced. Scannell being 2 weeks away in January and it’ll be April before he’s ready (cough, cough).

Hopkin and Rhodes are responsible for blowing January. We could’ve have and should’ve not only strengthened but plugged the gaping holes in the squad. Pace, wingers, striker and dominant centre half, leaders. We signed none of the above, in fact we exacerbated the situation. This can’t be laid at the door of Rahic or Abbott.

This club needs a total rebuild. Scouts who know the lower leagues, a Manager who has a proven track ready, coaches who command respect, a CEO in it for the long haul and able to implement a blue print for the future and an Owner with deep pockets.

Next season isn’t about recruiting premiership potential, it’s about rugged been there, done that, streetwise players who want to play in front of the largest crowds in league 2. Who will embrace that and not fear it. Go back in for your Jim O’Brien and Henry’s because that’s what we’ll need to get out of the khazi.

 

HUGE difference in appointing Collins and Bowyer.

 

Yes he did. But what’s the excuse since he left? He’s not out there today telling the players to not give a shit is he? He’s the cause, but the players have got a lot to answer for as well.

 

Those applauding at the end are a disgrace.

 

That is the worst display I have seen at VP for a long long time. We are a bunch of softies, we don’t tackle, and stand off, we don’t run and track, we just let them run through us. I left after the 4th goal goes in only the second time as a supporter for 50 years.

Where is the guts? Where are our hard men? We are going down and not one of them gives a toss. I say to whoever ownes this club, first job is to clean the crap out, yes it will be expensive, but has to happen or otherwise we will drop to non league and then we will be done!! We just cannot go into league 2 with this load of crap, we will get turned over every week.

We need players who wants to wear our shirt, who actually feels pride in wearing it, and wants to perform in front of the fans. They have to be the right character. This isn’t about the manager it is about the strength of the squad, and every single one of them better have character, strength and be prepared to fight for City.

I am angry and depressed.

 

It wasn’t so much the not spending, but the ones brought in were totally wrong.
Butterfield (centre-mid and out of form), Clarke (similar to Payne, better days well and truly behind him), Woods (injury prone as proven), Anderson (centre-mid and out of form), O’Connor (worse than we have).

We put all our eggs in one basket unfortunately and that’s backfired massively.

 

First of all, I want to apologise. You were spot on and I was not only wrong, but bang out of order.

If anyone is not a proper supporter, having left the ground just after the 4th goal, it would be me.

Apologies once again
The soft underbelly on show once more

 

Lee Duxbury was spot on. He got rid of Stuart out of jealousy, and then we had nothing. No CITY DNA!! Since then no manager has been able to get a tune out of them. Clear it out!

 

You’ve a lot of minibuses

 

Caddis in my opinion is head and shoulders above anyone in our squad.
He gives 100% no matter what,hope we can keep him in the summer.

 

Undoubtedly, January was a disaster (again).
It's hard to get a handle on why we weakened the defence by allowing McGowan to leave, just as he was coming into decent form, let O'Brien go and failed to bolster obvious areas of weakness (striker, wingers, better CB etc).

Did the December blip fool Hopkin and the board into thinking that we didn't need much reinforcement?
Did the club's league position and well publicised troubles deter decent players from joining us?
Did Rupp fail to provide sufficient funds (after blowing a fortune on keeping Payne) to sign anything other than crocks and has-beens?
Or was David Hopkin's judgement of players seriously flawed?

Maybe the problems left by Rahic combined to make good January recruitment impossible. Maybe the inside story will emerge some time in the future. I'm sure many of the players and others at the club will have many hair raising stories to tell about this disastrous period in the club's history.

 

Are you really a troll?

Yep, it's my opinion.

You are free to relay yours without the superiority complex preferably.

 

You are joking. Seriously?























You stayed till the end??

 

Good to hear how pi$$ed off Bowyer is.

Not sure what he can do with this shower but it's good that he cares and wasn't happy.

 

Butterfield is our best player, but needs to play centrally. Oops. As do Payne and OB. And Akpan. And Bowyer's favourite, Anderson. Someone has to give way (or play out wide).

What a shambles our recruitment has been this year. Our best players are all too similar and aren't ours to keep.

I look forward in anticipation every week and I'll be cheering them at VP on Saturday, but there's no width whatsoever.

I hate digging players out but if Anderson starts ahead of either of Butterfield, Payne or OB then I give up.

 

I am normally quite vocal at games, but that performance sucked any fight I had left in me into backing this shower any more. Just want this season to end now, and not see any of them again in a City shirt, except perhaps Caddis.

I will be renewing season tickets out of love for the football club. However, we need to urgently hear now the intentions of Rupp now that we have virtually been consigned to relegation.

Personally I hope Rupp is gone sooner rather than later, and a new broom comes in and takes over. Rupp is just as much to blame as Rahic for the decline of our club since they took over.

New owners, and a manager appponted, whether thats Bowyer or somebody else, it needs sorting as quickly as possible, then we can plan for league 2

 

That's as reprehensible as drink/drug driving. Should be ashamed of yourself for finding that remotely funny.

 

Long time listener. First time caller!!

Absolutely spot on submission.

I get that Rahic messed up but we can't keep wringing our hands and blaming him for everything that is wrong with Bradford City or for that matter that Stuart could have saved us (his record so far at Scunthorpe would suggest not and generally he does well in his first season and falls away in his second).

There was a major *@?$ up in January. We had the opportunity to move on and we didn't, to fill the gap and we didn't. Those mistakes are laid at the door of Rhodes and Hopkins. Notice I do not say Rupp. It is clearly evident that he is nothing but the money man here. He provides the wherewithal. He takes advice from those who claim to know, Hopkins, Rhodes, and signs off (as long as it ultimately makes financial sense).

It I Hopkins and Rhodes who made the decisions in January.

We also need to get over ourselves a bit. Huge club, Great club, Why aren't we in the Championship etc etc etc. There is a need to accept what we are (open flood gates to no ambition accusations) a small club in a run down city.

The two years in the Premiership, the cup run, the cup final are blips not generally what we do.

I am happy for someone to correct me here but in the 73 years since 1945 we have spent 60 of them in the bottom two divisions. We are where our history and support would suggest we should be.

Let's move on. New season, new hope. Rebuild and see where we go.

Lowell

 

if he keeps playing Clarke and Anderson over Payne and O'Brien we have no chance.