The Voice - Match preview Bradford City vs Grimsby Town Saturday 9th September 12:30pm - sky sports

I think you mean Park forgets about the opposition injuries - he did the same against Mansfield.

Also, I thought the "agreed convention" was a draw away and a win at home, so on that basis we're clearly way behind where we should be.

Anyway, an interesting point raised by Jason in his WOAP report yesterday. He puts forward a theory that with at least four more clubs budgets being larger than us this year then doing the same formation and tactics again wasn't going to get us higher up the table so he believes Hughes invested in a different way of playing to try and gain a competitive advantage.

It's an interesting theory and let's say it's correct, the main issue is in a results basis a team can end up with a poor start and having to play catch up. Which is where we are and now in need of wining our next 5 or 6 games in a row to get up to the top (5 or 6 because i'm assuming those at the top maintain their current point per game)

 

Look at how many games we have played in all competitions and how many actual wins [not counting penalty shootouts] we have, the longer these results go on the more the confidence will drop, and winning becomes even harder.

 

Undecided about Hughes. My mind will be made up one way or the other at 2.20pm on Saturday.

 

This is what's so frustrating. If we can all see it, why can't he? He won it all as a player but has never won anything as a manager and we are both his best and probably his last chance of changing that. I want him to be a winner with us I really do, but if he isn't prepared to swallow his pride and admit that 3 or 5 at the back isn't going to work, then he will have nobody but himself to blame when he ends his managerial career winning nothing.

 

Maybe Derbyshire asked Hughes the same thing and Hughes said just get as high us the park as possible, wasn't Derbyshire flagged 4/5 times the first half being caught offside, Sunday morning stuff for a player with his experience.

 

I think there many people on here also that need to swallow their pride, eat some humble pie and admit that 4-4-2 is the tried and tested blueprint for getting out of this division.

 

First post after just watching the game , recorded as out all day .

Dire set up with the availability of key players missing. Completely toothless as an attacking force at the front and from the midfield.
McDonald and Smallwood together doesn’t work
We missed Pattison’s drive big style.
Nothing more to add.

2nd Half
Hats off to MH for recognising it just wasn’t working
Different formation, different intent
Gilly made a huge difference…some won’t like it I know, but facts are facts.
Bobby …well done lad

We made Grimsby look good first half, mediocre in the second

How on earth did we miss the lad Conteh with his Boro connections. He ran , unopposed, the first half, but not as effective the second.

Bobby P is coming on leaps and bounds. I said it earlier in the week , he will become a permanent fixture soon enough. I think that proves it. Lovely passing movement in his assist for Gilly!
The new lads did OK and offered a forward threat that was missing in the first half.

The injuries are now hurting.

 

See my post sir….Out all day. Don’t fret .I don’t even know any results but breakfast first!

 

Although Cook has played most games before his recent injury we missed his goals and that can only be because of the system the team are being asked to play, I do believe if Hughes swallowed his pride and played more the formation we did second half against Grimsby we would be better suited and would climb the league, Mullin's return was a real surprise I thought with the injury he had and the physical contact he would not be back this early then again I believe Charlie Wyke has started most games for Wigan.

 

I also have been wondering this and that's why I wonder if Jason's view in yesterday's WOAP article has some merit - with more clubs having a higher budget than us this year then he felt we needed a different set up and tactics to get ahead because he believed if he stayed the same as last year then we'd end up where we were again.

I think what others would say though is that that kind of approach was over engineering things and going too far. Actually, with some small changes to last year's set up he could actually get more out of the team. Rather than ripping up and re-inventing he just needed to to tweak his mindset and be more attacking at times. Let's hope he realises that a bit now and changes things up again.

 

Still looking for something. ?

 

Maybe hard was the wrong word but Mansfield, Stockport, Morecambe and the surprise package Crawley who many thought would be cannon fodder all away was I'd say not the easiest of starts to the season.

 

We all saw it within 5 minutes, why wait 'til half time .. ?

 

Totally agree Tony.

Initial thoughts not chapter and verse on a completely unforgettable first half. I’ve just finished watching.

 

That IMO is the main reason for our poor performances the system, Hughes is reluctant to change when most fans who have watched us this season can see the players either don't like the system or are too cautious with regards trying to play it, when we had a dead ball situation the first half you could see the players gesturing to each other is our full back going to play it to Lewis and play it out from the back or is Lewis (who's kicking is atrocious by the way) going to launch it.
I've made the same comments with regards your second highlighted quote, makes no sense.

 

Its becoming a theme with him isn't it!? I genuinely think he decided early on that a good leader is someone who sets out his principles and sticks to them in the face of criticism. I think he'd see a change of tack as a sign of weakness in himself. Ultimately it'll be his undoing.

 

Ah I see …our prize asset scored again

Who frankly cares. I haven’t heard people crowing so consistently about another teams players day after day before. Would you drop say Pointon to let Jake play instead?

I wouldn’t on last seasons dire performances.

 

I'd say our opposition so far balance out at very mid table. Under no circumstances can we say our opening fixtures have been tough. They've been average I reckon. Look in the bookies market and we've played maybe 2 teams who are tipped for a top 7 finish. The rest are tipped for mid table or lower table finishes.

 

Agree with with all your points but regards his corners you have to wonder how a kid of 19 can put his corner kick within a certain area in the penalty box consistently, yet our usual players mainly Smallwood with a wealth of football experience doesn't have any sort of consistency with either his corners or free kicks.

 

Quite right about other teams and their injuriers, Rod. People either forget or ignore. As a fan I look at the others like you.

Crawley, nailed on 3 points we said. They only had 3/4 of a squad the week before the season, the match winner signed 24 hours before the game with another of the starting line up. Accrington - made 8 changes!. Morecambe had players out. Wrexham made changes, enough that 4 usual starters were on the bench. Finally Mansfield had 5 out and Grimsby, as you say, missing several.
On the other hand regarding style of play / lack of goals, I don't hear moneybags Gills fans complaining at all their 5 wins being 1-0 with several of those being late or added time goals. Their fans don't say they have a budget twice everyone else and still don't score, they are happy with three points. Yes we need more but in my view the second half yesterday should be a blue print for the next few games. Some decent players on view after the substitutions in my humble opinion.