The Voice - Match preview Bradford City vs Barrow Saturday 18th February @ 3:00pm

Has to rank as one of the most pointless games of football I've seen in forty odd years. 77% possession and no shots on target against one of the worst form teams in the division. Started slowish and by some miracle actually got slower. Barrow will not have an easier game than that al season. Maybe being away next week with a big following may inspire a better performance but Christ watching football at Valley Parade these days can be utterly painful.

 

How many weeks ago did I say , playing at VP has become counterproductive. The chicken and the egg scenario, if we could play away for the rest of the season I’d be more than happy.

Due to technicals I hardly saw anything of the game but once they went 1 up early I guessed what their tactics would become thereafter, a flat back 5 with 4 in front and let the game fritter out with lots of injuries and timewasting.

Good sides break that type of anti football down, we ain’t good enough at home against teams intent on shutting up shop. Simple.

 

If the third auto spot is out of the question then I honestly do not want us to get in the play offs. Can you imagine this gutless bunch of inconsistent idiots bottling it at Wembley? I know I can

 

Just got in and I'm thoroughly p****d off, once again 77% possession mostly in our own half we looked freighted to death of going forward and sorry to say this situation has got to be laid at the door of Mark Hughes, not one shot on target the whole game and on the few occasions we did venture forward there was that lonesome soul on his own against 3 giant CD.
Rochdale was bad enough and we could make excuses with regards the conditions they were bad on the night (for both teams) but no excuses today a totally inept performance, Hughes and his football is stifling good players not allowing them to play what should be their natural game, for crying out loud Mark let them off the leash before its too late, 4000+ going to Doncaster spending their hard earned cash to watch their team give them something to shout about Mr Hughes what were witnessing is not good enough,
Tuesday night those who expressed their disappointed with our overall performance we told (its all about results now not performances) well today we got neither and it's down to you Mark.

 

I had this exact thought walking away.

These lot are cowards, expecting everyone else to make something happen, nobody taking responsibility.

I think the player that played the most forward passes was Ridehalgh.

Halliday was a ****ing disgrace today.

Platt is incompetent, but we know he's useless on the ball.

 

Doncaster was always a massive game, a win today and at Doncaster next Saturday we could put a bit of daylight between us and the other play off contenders todays result just makes the job harder.

 

Hughes has not appeared for his post match interview, sent out Stubbs to offer the excuses

 

I actually thought earlier in the week that platt was starting to improve slightly game on game. The manner in which he crumbled today on the back of a few boo’s from the away fans was criminal and very worrying

For me there were no players that get any credit today with the exception of Banks, his introduction seemed to lift the players for 10 minutes or so but to not have a shot on target against a team in such poor form is ridiculous and unforgivable. Barrow have done the double over us ffs

 

Because we did not replace him with a similar type of player, only one thing on Wrights mind when he received the ball and that was to go forward, the forward movement today was none existent, and when we did get into a position to put in a cross very few beat their first defender, basic stuff.
Hughes was out of the dug out gesturing to players to get into certain areas surely during training those scenarios are played out, when a player gets into a certain area the others should know where they need to be not have the manager gesturing with him arms at times it was amateurish.

 

September I called it.


Not getting promoted

 

Next season, perhaps a few new players, and certainly changes in mentality on the part of the players, and approach / tactics on the part of the manager.

"Hello mid-table my old friend / I've come to stay in you again / ..."
We lack the consistency and steel (amongst other things) of an auto-promotion side; we lack the steadiness, for want of a better word, of the sides just below that level, the playoff sides. We are genuinely too good to worry about relegation; but we are not good enough to be confident of anything higher than mid-table. Part of that is due to failings in the players, but a significant part has to be assigned to the failings of the manager.

RCB

 

Always have going back to the 70’s

 

Just how can players individual performances fluctuate from a 7/8 to a 4/5 Gilliead was far from being alone today, the other week when he was given the armband he was outstanding today our entire midfield were very poor.

 

What's more, Barrow were awful, absolutely awful.

They scored because Clayton fell over, and other than that offered nothing but anti-football bollocks.

I don't want to hear Wild's name mentioned in the same breath as our club for some time, that's once too often watching Barrow this year. I'm sure some will say "professional job" and "did what they had to", but no way.

Horrendous football.

 

the game summarised

Ridehalgh did alright, considering its his 2nd game back

Stubs was okay

Platt is dogshit an only looks good when he has Crichlow covering his feck ups

Halliday can do 1. was given the ball 3 times in succession an the Twit passes back on every occasion. too slow, too lethargic, get rid

Clayton for all his age an wisdom, clearly does not know a very important aspect about football. dont feck about with the ball when your the last line of defence. like what the feck was he doing. didnt he learn a thing from when he almost got caught out 5 mins earlier

smallwood was actually doing alright until the goal but why the feck is he back on set pieces. Hughes must be suffering from dementia if he thinks that was a bright idea.

Gillead. Its been a while since he’s done his wandering jew impression but he was back at it again today. looked absolutely clueless an chased shadows for 75 minutes

Eisa in that system looked like bambi on ice. i dont know what the feck he’s doing by playing deeper than cook, rather than being the last man, but its clear its time to throw him back onto the wing

only ones deserving any credit were Cook, Walker & Banks. And most importantly, the fans

That Costelloe lad looks like a good player. its a shame Ridehalgh wouldnt pass him the fecking ball all game

Hughes is out of his depth. Changes should of been made on the 30th minute, not the 60th. it is sheer madness to waste the first 15 mins of the second half doing the same shit that got us nowhere in then first. The man is bloody clueless

 

Thoughts on todays game?

 

It's when we see another poor performance like today with as you say 77% of possession and no end result you have to question the situation, especially when you don't get out of jail because you create nothing unlike Tuesday night.
I was not happy with Tuesday nights performance and got told its all about results which I can't disagree with but we don't seem to learn its O/K Hughes saying we controlled that game they didn't lay a glove on us but as someone pointed out there were at least three balls from Tranmere that went right across out goal area any touch and it could have been such a different story.
I've not been happy with Hughes formations but who am I to question Hughes, he needs to seriously think will what we've seen certainly at home in our last two home games is good enough to get us 3rd place I'd suggest its not and today provided a great opportunity to cement our challenge for 3rd place, so disappointing, at least Everton put a smile on my face .

 

The bottling bazzas are gonna bottle their losing streak and win at Donny, aren't they?

Tossers.

 

The whole crowd were screaming for the players to get the ball forward, pretty damning for our manager that.