The Voice - Match preview Bradford City vs Carlisle United Tuesday 21st March @ 7:45pm

Yes' its the same tickets. I was just thinking some who could make the Saturday , would not be able to make a Tuesday evening. It appears they have sold more though, so well done to them.

 

Well, not every player can do well every match. He has been good since he's joined. The problem is more on the manager not changing things when someone isn't playing well

Course not! They get three points from us and it strengthens their promotion chances and in effect knocks one of the chasers out. Massive match for them too

 

Actually, Saturday's type of match was unusual and not the norm. We created a good number of chances and missed them all. Most of the season we've relied on scoring from very few chances. We can't keep scoring from our very limited number of chances, we're going to have matches where we miss a load (like Saturday). That's why our form has been so average really and if we had been more positive at times we could have had at least 4 more points by turning two draws into wins.

 

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

 

Sounds sensible but the problem Hughes has got now is that to play that system would need him to bring in players who've hardly played like Chapman probably, Bola, maybe East, even Banks. Then they're not up to speed or not in sync with other players because the formation and pattern of play is so different to normal and suddenly everyone is on their backs for making errors when they're just rusty.

Hughes has got himself in a difficult situation by persisting with a formation and team that hasn't lost but also hasn't really taken games by the scruff of the neck and won them and a whole bunch of players are on the bench who've had little game time.

I'm not sure what he's going to do but the safe bet would be very few changes.

 

Surely you factor that in? 25% increase for example.

 

Quite right
2 contract offers on the table
1 should we fail to be promoted
1 should we get promoted
Have an awful feeling we will "Dilly Dally" and he will sign for Salford

 

I don’t think he’ll change much. Costello, who has no end product and been wasteful, could be dropped for Banks or Chapman, but can’t see any other changes being made.

he’ll start with Smallwood and Clayton and then freshen up with East if either looks jaded. The rest of the side picks itself really.

not looking forward to this. They score at will and I don’t have faith in us to score two (or three) if we go behind.

 

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 think he has ability, it's clear by the way he goes past people and the odd individual piece of skill. He's also a young lad and will get physically stronger the more he's exposed at first team level.

That doesn't mean he'll automatically make it of course, we've seen similar from Pereria but the building blocks are certainly there so I can see why Burnley wanted to get him some first team football.

 

I think the norm seems to be to offer 2 contracts dependant on the division. I've heard it plenty of times in the past and don't imagine it's a major issue to any club that really wants to retain a player.

I've still that nagging doubt that Hughes doesn't want Cook and wants a more mobile option to compliment the style he wants to play but his hand has been forced with the sheer amount of goals he's scoring.

 

Even if a contract was put on the table this morning for example, there's surely no way Cooks agent is advising to sign it just yet? The guys in the form of his life, in probably the best shape of his pro career and turns 33 early into next season.... this is most likely the last chance to command a real good money contract.

His agent must be already putting out feelers to most L1 clubs and your Wrexham types, regardless if we go up or stay in L2 and offering the leagues leading scorer out to the highest bidder? Unless City offer him a massively improved deal, I cant see any sense in signing it before hearing out other clubs at the end of the year.

 

It depends how settled he is at the club I suppose. There's 101 reasons people would stay rather than taking a few extra quid, especially if they'd have to relocate but I agree that usually the extra 1000 reasons for leaving wins out.

 

100% , of course there are no guarantees but to write him off at 19 as some have done, is just plain stupid and frankly naive. I think we can all see what he’s brought to Cookies game already. He won’t be dropped tonight for sure imho as a result.

We shall see , however he’s got something about him that just needs a goal?

 

Might be something to keep an eye on if anyone travels that way to get to games, but at 10am this morning a car has crashed into a wall and injured two pedestrians on Girlington Road, not too far from it's junction with Thornton Road. Looks like there's a road closure in place at the minute, if its still in place by this evening the back end of rush hour traffic along with matchday traffic might be a bit mental around that area of town and approaching VP.


Updates as Audi crashes into people on Girlington Road, Bradford | Bradford Telegraph and Argus (thetelegraphandargus.co.uk)

 

Alarm set for 6.25am ......I must be mad!!

 

I agree, that is not the issue I questioned - the 2nd part of your message is the key, can we get him on the pitch?!

 

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

 

Well if we start a midfield of Smallwood, Clayton and Gilliead then you will know your answer

 

It's ok (far from what I'd choose though) if we adopt the 4231 shape with Gillead in the 3 with Clayton and Smallwood. At least that way we won't be overrun in the middle but on the flip side Cook won't get any support from Gillead.