The Voice - Match preview Most liked posts in thread: Bradford City vs Stockport County Friday 29th December @ 7:45pm

Despite travelling up & down the country for decades following County last night was my first visit to VP. The Bradford fans I spoke to in the pub beforehand were friendly & knowledgeable, VP is a fantastic ground to watch football at despite the crap catering & silly stewards (searching kids & people in wheelchairs? what's that all about?). It's easily up there with my favourite grounds I've visited. A ground like that & the support you give deserves so much more than league 2 football, I can only imagine what the place must be like when it's truly packed.

As for the game I was happy with a point. You're a far harder prospect than when under Hughes. It wasn't the best of games played in poor conditions but both teams put a shift in without really troubling each other too much. I thought you probably edged it to be fair & had the better chances, we didn't really test your keeper at all especially in the 2nd half which was slightly disappointing. I'll be glad to get through the festive period unbeaten & get to the January window, we're missing several key players especially in midfield & need some fresh blood in to bolster our promotion bid. It doesn't help when we have a player like Nick Powell taking up a huge wage, talented player when he puts his mind to it but seemingly made of weetabix!

I hope both our clubs are in league 1 next season, I'm pretty confident (which is an unusual feeling being a County fan) that we'll secure a top 3 place this season, I think it may be play offs for you again but I hope you're successful this time round. Your support deserves it.

 

After barely a peep and seeming distraught after beating Doncaster, I see the usual suspects have crawled back out of the woodwork after (checks notes) drawing against top of the league

 

Actually decked at how negative some on here considering when you think how bad it was at Notts County and whats gone on after we are a 4 points off the play offs with a window about to open, the top striker in the league may be about to join us ........... we look more dangerous we look mpre solid and we aint fooking about with it at the back boring the crap out of folk, and players look like they know what there doing

Listen i am far frpm happy with the recruitment with the owner that needs sorting know but come on 4 points off 7th going into the new year how many thought this was gonna be on the cards at half time at meadow lane ?????

We go into the new year with a big chance of the play offs aint that something to be posistive about ???,

 

Thoughts? We never got going this season under Hughes -- for whatever reason(s) -- and by the end of his tenure we were more likely to be worrying about a relegation scrap than a promotion challenge. Perhaps he could have turned it around, but the numbers and trends were not good.

McDonald stabilised things, but after an initial improvement we were trending downwards again.

This continued under Alexander, to the point that after his first two matches we were headed straight towards a relegation battle. But since then he's managed to turn things around, to the extent that in his 8 league matches so far, we are playing at a guaranteed playoff position pace. Defence has been solidified, offence is no longer offensive. Will all this continue? Too early to say. But at this moment the numbers and trends are heading in the right direction again.

Given where we were, and where we seemed to be headed, I'll take 11th and 4 points back of the playoffs with half a season to go. 6 in a row unbeaten in the League is good, too. Yes, a win and a loss over these last two matches would, pointswise, have been better than two draws, but in terms of putting confidence into the players, perhaps two draws, one in which we came back from 2 goals down, and the other against the league leaders, to continue an unbeaten run maybe makes up for that other point, and might just pay dividends later on.

RCB

 

After not watching city for nearly 3 months, we really are a technically poor team. Yes tonight was a fair result so was Morecambe but this team is bang average, so short of ideas, movement, off the ball looking for space and lacks real leadership.

Under Rupp this club has gone backwards and now stagnates. Reading comments, some are happy with a draw tonight...yet Stockport were clearly there for the taking...

 

Awful conditions that produced an awful game of football, Stockport started well and passed it nicely but that type of football couldn’t really last long in those conditions. Decent point though, just a shame it wasn’t to back up 3 against Morecambe who lost 5-0 today. Onto Monday.

 

In the grand scheme of things,a point against the league leaders is nothing to sniff at. Could we have taken all 3 if not for Hinchliffe? No doubt, but again its progress and that is the main thing. Who thought we would have a realistic shot at the playoffs going into January when looking at us pre GA? I sure the heck didn't. Hopefully we can strengthen somewhat in this upcoming window and really make a push for them, only 4 points back.

Enjoyed watching it here from the States with some fellow USA based supporters(Give us a follow on our new Twitter @USABantams haha, hope to have a meetup for fans over here soon).

Keep the faith gents.

 

Why after months of turning teams over 8-0 a couple of games ago and top of the league are they suddenly there for the taking. As for your first points there are very few “technical” teams at this level. Under GA we have turned a passive team into one which shows intensity togetherness and will to win which has seen us go 8 undefeated now. 2023 has been very disappointing I think next year is going to look a lot better

 

Well said
Battling and organised.
Forgot the stats, we were the better team by a mile tonight.
I'm not talking footballing wise and keeping it on the ground.
The pitch and the conditions dictated the way we had to play.
Did Lewis make a save?
Were we ever under sustained pressure??
No to both.
Only way we were denied was through a really good save.

 

A bit of a nothing game and in all fairness not worth the effort put in by the ground staff, who did well to get the game on.

Not sure why both teams decided on trying to play through the mudbath when the other side of the pitch was perfectly fine but hey ho, probably shows why they are league two footballers.

I certainly think by trying to understand Bradford city, Alexander has made a point to try replicate Parkinson's Bradford city, that was a very parky like performance. No frills, get the ball forward, try feed off any scraps. Not a lot in the way of creativity unfortunately.

Back three solid enough, wing backs did their job defensively whilst seemingly being employed in different roles to the previous games.

Thought ridehalgh did alright on his return to be fair, solid defensively and put in some great crosses. To the poster blaming him for Halliday not getting forward, don't be such a plant pot.

Midfield held their own despite being out numbered at times. Booking ruined gilleads game a bit, Smallwood was Smallwood, odour showed bits of skill here and there , but also went for periods where the game passed him by.

Smith and cook were dominated really, cook didn't really win an header all game against their number 6, I thought it strange when Oliver came on that he didn't switch with cook and try win that dual but he seemed to target the number four with varying degrees of success.

Not sure that particular sub works, cook and Oliver have no cohesion, no pace to get behind and when played in this formation have no service from wide so stands to reason we aren't getting a great return other than hoping for playing the percentages as they say.

Would I have taken a point pre game, probably, did I come away slightly disappointed, probably more so.

 

Conditions dictated the game but can't be disappointed with a point in the circumstances. Huge game next against Crewe where a win is really the only option to keep us in the playoff picture. A draw normally wouldn't be a bad thing but that would be three on the bounce, 3 points over the festive period would be seen as a set back.

 

No offence but it's boring now m9.

 

Really enjoyed that first half, we competed for everything, what more can we want. Complete contrast to the garbage served up earlier in the season

 

Good point all in all, not a bad watch for a 0-0.
Shout out to the ground staff for getting the pitch ready, took a lot of effort from the sound/look of it.

 

Decent point in the end vs the league leaders.

Going into tonight they were the top scorers - Notts County are now level with them - and (random stat) that’s the first time Stockport haven’t scored away from home in the league all season.

We restricted them to not too much and perhaps might have sneaked it through Cook.

As a couple of others have said, the ‘dropped points’ were more vs Morecambe.

 

Apart from dead ball kicks I thought Smallwood had a decent game. Halliday again was really solid and the three of Halliday, Gillead and Tomkinson completely shut down their obvious threat down our right.

A neutral spectator would not have known who was top of the league. Good battling gritty performance giving as good as we got. Both defences were very solid. Another step forward for the team tonight to continue to believe they are better than the league position. Is that 8 unbeaten now?

And I was right behind the save from Cookie and their keeper finger tipped it round the post. Amazing save.

Great support from Stockport as well. Hopefully we are playing them in league 1 again next season.

Finally their number 8 needs to get some new legs as the current ones aren't keeping him upright that much.

 

In the conditions, that was a terrific performance last night. We matched the team at the top of the table, who have won 15 games already this season.

It is hard to believe how much difference GA has made to this squad of players. The discipline and organisation they are showing beggars belief at what went on earlier in the season.

Hopefully we can freshen up the squad a bit in January. I would be concerned if we lost either Alex Gilliead or Richie Smallwood for a few games - despite criticisms of both - their partnership is central to us right now. Richie Smallwood's set pieces might drive us all to despair, but his positional sense and breaking up of play has been superb under GA.

 

Would really like us to win this one.

It's been a good run and to pick up a win after the draw would be a great confidence booster.feels like City of recent years have been much more inconsistent and would probably timidly lose this kind of match.

I'm hope Alexander gets them pumped up and get Stockport on the back front from the off.