Match Thread Bradford City V Salford - Tue 23 January 2024 7.45pm

To be fair they do look similar

 

Sorry not myself this morning.

 

Totally agree. I've already said that Sparks is totally culpable for, in particularly, the Adams farce. I mean his character is well known throughout football - but our CEO seemed a bit vexed, when he had to deal with that side of Adams. Not to say of all the money we wasted, implementing his scouting team.

He now has to hold his nerve. If we only win 5 from now to the end of the season, he has to stick with GA - not panic about season tickets, get in some marquee manager to compensate who know nothing about L2.

 

He wasn't doing it previously though. That's why he got dropped - go look at the boards after the boxing day Carlisle clash, for once he got plenty of (fair) criticism.

Most at the time, agreed that the break did him good. In fairness to Hughes that was very good management and it yielded our best points per game run (Jan to mid-March) under his regime.

Incidentally, Oliver scored twice in the five matches he started and two of them were against our promotion rivals.

Cook scored three in his previous ten.

His dropping was totally justifiable and worked.

 

It wasn't a goal kick. If I remember correct it was when the ref had stopped play for a head injruy and we passed back to Walker. He kept nudging it forward... gaining yards... Yet morons were trying to rush him. Which explains the fanbase in a 2 second period. FECKING DOYLEMS

 

Cook scored in 3 out of his previous 10 matches, which culminated on people on these boards asking for his dropping after his performance at Carlisle on Boxing Day 2022. And asking for a system change.

Hughes did both. Oliver came in and scored 2 in 5 (ironically it was the Salford match where he and Wright looked a constant threat as a 'front two'. Then Cook came back in and was back to his old self.

Plus the system change yielded virtually two points a match up to the Crewe game in mid March.

For those were the highlights of Hughes management. I thought his handling of Cook was exemplary and I seem to remember even Cook reluctantly acknowledging that his 'rest' has benefited him.

To me, last night he looked like a player whose head is a bit scrambled. There were plenty of balls to be won (and yes some crap service as well) and he barely got near any of them. To such a degree one idiot fan near me started shouting abuse at him - as if that's going to help.

A rest would do him good. But it's irrelevant as it can't happen.

 

Oh come on Park, he beat the same man 2 or 3 times in one move and followed it with a crap cross. Beagrie he ain’t. He’s a distinctly awful player and his body language is appalling. If there was a war , I’d hope he’s on the other side!

 

I differentiate, it’s not the way the club is “ Run” rather the way it’s “Operated”.

The “ operation “ dictates the way it’s “ Run” .

It might sound like semantics but of critical importance, imho.

 

Of course you are grammatically correct.

 

You may be correct Just my guess.

 

Smallwood needs dropping for McDonald.
Gave the goal away, lost possession in midfield then could have challenged Watson before he shot. Made no effort to win the ball. I hope he is offloaded in the summer, terrible player.

 

But also, Cook was out of contract in the summer. Those 33 goals won him a new 3 year deal on double money. That was his motivation, where this season he has none.
At the end of this contract he’ll just disappear back into non league until he retires.

 

Firstly, Oliver has been here all season and Cooks performances have been exactly the same so I disagree they've drastically changed in the week Oliver has been gone. "No competition affecting his performances" is a fallacy in the same vein as his apparent "weight issues".

Secondly, Oliver scored both his goals in the same game, one was highly dubious and more than likely an own goal. After that he was completely infective so to suggest we looked a "constant threat" when in fact we only scored 2 goals in the 4 proceeding games after Salford is quite simply not true.

Thirdly, after Salford we won just 5 of the next 14 and they all came in a 6 game spell in which they were sandwiched in the season by runs of no wins in 4 so the formation wasn't as much of a success as you'd like to claim. I do concede though that the overall tally of 24 points in 14 games is pretty decent.

 

I wasn’t trying to be smart, but it’s important to separate out the owner from those who run the club day to day. Those people are going to have candid talks with the owner, that the way we operate , is actually putting his “investment” at risk. I would have thought he realises that by now. ?

 

He was top scorer in the previous 2 seasons despite his contract not expiring and he's top scorer again this season.

We've had many poor players at this club and some continue to be here but Andy Cook is certainly one that can hold his hand up as one that's actually done the job we've asked since he joined.

 

You are obviously more trusting than I am. I don’t think for a minute Rupp will get chapter and verse on the club current state. It took a couple of fans to shake him up last time. That doesn’t mean I think Rupp is off the hook. He is not interested of otherwise he would engage with the fans more. The only time he becomes interested is if he is asked for money.

 

I would rather us lose GA than one of our own, like Pointon. Put Mark Trueman back in charge for the rest of the season!

 

I’m not suggesting he’s a poor player. I’m debating whether to get the best out of him he needs a driver whether that be contractual or fear of losing his place in the team.
Right now he’s going through the motions because he’s financially secure and knows we don’t have anyone else to pick since Oliver left.

 

If he won’t put further funds into the club over and above the self sustaining stuff then it’s ENTIRELY down to him, imho .

 

He already has 1.7 million apparently