Match Thread Bradford City V Newport County Saturday 24/10/2020

It all comes down to leadership to me. Right from the top.

I've not commented on Rhodes in a negative context nor will. The new CEO will hopefully benefit the club as I'm sure Rhodes has during these turbulent times.

As for Rupp... Rupp out

 

I'm with you on winning 3 games on the bounce. It would really be a tonic in these times both at the football club and beyond.
I do tend to agree with your character statement. Not overly thought of that within this squad, which is a worry.

 

That last statement is a nail on the head one. For your information, I've gone for a 4-0 defeat within the prediction league

 

and Rhodes sold us to Rupp, im sure he thought it was a good move at the time but he sold us down the river to rupp and his loony mate.

The whole lot of them are a complete shower and have ripped the life out of our club.

 

I am pretty certain Stuart has been in the game long enough to have a good list of contacts and does not just use technology.
But having contacts does not mean we will get a glut of quality players. We are a fourth division football club , with the same buying power under the salary cap , as every other club in the division.
Stuart needs to decide on his best 11 and formation and stick to it. Let teams worry about us, not the other way round.

 

But that era has gone and come on, I'm sure you was as happy as most when we had a new ownership in place. I can't forget I did. Right or wrong to sell to R & R, it seemed right at the time.

 

Yes agree at face value, but Rhodes is far from free of criticism, he is setting himself up as our CEO and recruits these people, and runs this failing club. 20 years of decline with Rhodes hanging round like a bad smell.

 

I was watching the NRL final this morning and before the start the guy asked the Penrith coach what his last words to his players would be and he said "play to their strengths (and some other stuff)"

I can never imagine Stuart saying something like that at the moment because all we seem to do is set up and focus on the other team.

I'd like him to go back to the 3-5-2 from the start of the season. Play Wood and Hosannah as the wing backs because those two are clearly our best chance of scoring and we need to get them furthest up the pitch. Stick with that formation and work out who the best three defenders are and rotate Novak, Donaldson and Samuels until we find a pair that works well.

Just stick to one plan and make it solid and build from there. The formation (and player) roulette has to end.

 

I've got no idea who wrote this but have you ever read so much drivel before.

"Hard to argue this is anything but a well balanced squad." I'll have what you're smoking pal.

https://www.otbfootball.net/bradford-city-final-squad-assessment/

 

It's a bit of lighthearted banter - nothing more. I don't genuinely believe he is a luddite.

 

the performances straight after Bowyer left we're not good either. it's not now and the latter, it's a continuation.. McCall has done nothing to rectify the issues we were having previously. if anything we are weaker in certain areas.

one of the main issues is that some players will realise that due to weak squad depth and inbalance, they are technically undroppable - Callum Cooke for instance. for everything he supposedly offers; we've seen very little so far. but who is knocking on the managers door saying they should be given a chance to show what they can do? we have central midfield options of Cooke, Watt and Sutton plus a couple of your players - less than 150 (being generous) football league appearances between them I bet. you need experience as well as quality in the middle of the park to dominate games, especially at this level - if McCall couldn't see this (being an ex-midfielder himself) then it's worse than we thought.

 

You can have the best woodworking tools in the world but if you give them to an electrician you can expect poor results

 

I truly believe he still puts credit on his phone.

 

Really really poor, I was critical at the time of not replacing Vaughan and I think the flaws up front are being highlighted. I hope for the love of God we weren't relying on anything from Zeli this season as we have nothing out wide..... Cooke looks a shadow of the player he was. I don't know what it is about AOC either, I don't like him. A focal point of our regression over the last few seasons.

Really disappointing.

 

The John Kane show is on Radio Sheffield but not Radio Leeds any longer - who knows why? Agree with the comments on city btw.

Agree regarding AOC.
Why did he boot the ball out when their player was injured - it was not an head injury. He should have played on. A minute later the replacement scores and we are 2 nil down.

 

Cooke said in the week that it is taking him time to adjust to his new more attacking role this season. How much time does he need? He had all pre season and now we are 7 games into the season but he's still struggling?

 

It maybe some thing to do with the ever changing formation and the immobile forward line. Can't be easy being a midfielder when the team and formation around you is always changing. One match you're looking to make a pass then in the next match there isn't anyone there to recieve it because the formation has changed again.

 

We've had numerous managers, numerous players, ditched Edin, brought back Rhodes, signed experienced strikers and introduced youth. For all that we are still gradually getting worse season on season. The confidence in the side drains away at an alarming rate and I can't understand why.

We've supposedly the best man manager we could get and even he can't motivate them. There is something deep seated that is wrong at the club and no matter how many times you move the chairs around, we still see no improvement.

The club needs a clean sweep or possibly do what Parky did and bring a whole team with them, from scouts, to physio, to assistant manager, to goalkeeping coach. Leave no residue from the past just fresh ideas. Ditch the bad apples or weak and look for available leaders with good character. It'll cost short term, but long term its got to be better than painting over the cracks season after season.

 

True and equally, if it is taking Cooke this long to get used to his new position, we can't expect other players that are being played out of position to suddenly become world beaters in that position after half an hour.