The Voice - Match preview Most liked posts in thread: Bradford City vs Carlisle United Tuesday 21st March @ 7:45pm

It's about time the other outfield players stopped been frightened to shoot.
Cook is single handedly keeping us in the top seven.
Work the Carlisle keeper don't give a night off.
Get stuck in

 

Cook has always been a top goalscorer at this level. But what has really surprised me is how much the other aspects of his play have improved in recent weeks.
His control of the ball with back to goal, his awareness of others around him, the weight of his passing, winning headers from long upfield balls, his chasing down, are all streets ahead of what we saw last season and even before his Hughes-enforced mid season break this term. It used to be that if he didn't score he contributed little else that was positive. That is very far from the case now.

 

In what is the norm for City I will set off to the match hoping for the best and fearing the worst.
Although there is plenty of points to play for I think a win is vital if we are to entertain any hopes of the automatics.
Please be a bid bolder play with a bit more flair by attitude and personnel and go for it

 

Carlisle have sold over 1100 tickets so far for tomorrow’s game. Bloody outstanding support for a Tuesday evening fixture, over 200 mile round trip

 

I'm surprised so many people are being critical of Oliver. I thought he did well when he came on. He wins the majority of headers and his hold up play is very good in tight situations and able to bring others into the game. With him on the pitch we keep the ball in the final third and are able to get bodies closer to goal.

I would really like us to see if we can form a relationship between him and Cook.

 

I

disagree over Crichlow I thought he was great when he came on

 

He did in the first half, then got better once Hughes altered it and put him in a position he can actually play.

I get he's been slightly underwhelming at times but Hughes is hanging him out to dry on the left of this diamond shape, he simply hasn't got the legs to play it.

 

Derbyshire in 1 match did more than Costelloe in 6 matches.
If there's any chance of him playing then imo, play him.

 

Match sponsors need new glasses as only Gillied was possible for MOTM

 

Literal game of 2 halves they controlled the first and we looked the better team in the second half. Cookie was immense again everything but a goal. I thought Gilly really put a shift in, Smallwood had a decent game, I like Banks but he needs game time, Chapman was trying too hard. We missed Walker today good game of football though.

 

I think they shaded first half and we more than shaded the second. At 80 minutes they started to look all in, and with that their confidence went as well.
Great effort from the team, no complaints. May be we should practice different styles of play so we can switch which is what we did when the subs came on.
I don’t know why but I don’t think that we are out of it yet. I did after Hartlepool, but I saw determination tonight. We are going to need double that and confidence. We are really hard to beat sleep on that one.
I thought Gilleard was outstanding tonight. Cook once again put in a magnificent effort was unlucky not to score. All the back 4 put a shift in. So did the subs when they came on. Oliver plays much better if the midfield get a bit nearer to him.
The rest will allow our players to get fit.

 

We certainly weren't at the races first half but nobody can honestly say we didn't give it a go second half. Just a shame we are so toothless!

I have been wanting Chapman to start for some time as I thought he'd grasp his chance; unfortunately he proved me wrong as his decision making and overall demeanor let him down

Interesting to read the views of Carlisle fans on twitter after the game, didn't see a single comment saying they deserved to win, and that we were certainly the better team second half, with most saying it was a hard fought point against a good team...

 

Gillead, in one of the moments he'll have been (rightly) lauded for last night, nicked the ball from their wing back and drive is 70 yards up the pitch onto the edge of their box.

Then lost it.

He also lost it every time he got in an attacking position last night, twice because he didn't have the confidence or the ability to just try and put it in with his left foot or beat his man when checking back onto his right.

Yes he ran his arse off and yes he broke things up superbly and yes I agree he probably deserved his MOTM shout BUT, he simply doesn't do enough in the attacking third for a man of his ability. He completely underuses his talent and desperately looks for an easier 'safe' option rather than taking on the shot or cross. That has to change it he'll continue to drift through games making very little contribution in terms of our results.

 

The trouble is we are very consistent at home just about every home match is the same consistently average or below. We come to life a bit when we make changes chasing a game why can we not do that from the start. I am sick of travelling back from home matches miserable. If the tactics Hughes uses worked then the fact that it’s boring wouldn’t bother me at all what we need now on a regular basis is three points and we aren’t getting them

 

If Smallwood starts alongside Clayton at home then for me Hughes isn’t learning.

Smallwood needs dropping.

 

Walker was struggling most of the match with his knee should have been of much earlier even if he is so important for the team

 

I'd be amazed if Walker is passed fit for this one. Looked shattered for a while last saturday and was looking at the bench every time the ball went out of play for the last 10 before he was clattered off.

I think Banks deserves a chance, a goal and an assist in his 38 minutes at VP since his comeback. For me at home he needs to go back to the 4231. Changing to that at HT stretched Hartlepool and gave us some commanding spells in the second half. He needed to go to that system to get the win against Colchester too. At home, we need to start playing with some intent and drop one of the sitting midfielders for a runner.

 

I've just rung the club and told them that they need to redesign the survey with a N/A option to enable many supporters to complete it.

 

The only worrying factor is that it's a home game. 2 points against the current bottom three at Valley Parade yet a 6 point haul against the team currently 2nd kinda sums up our season. Hughes has some big calls to make on Tuesday, it's clear as day his current go to line up struggles at home. Could well be a season defining result as a draw isn't much use to use.