The Voice - Match preview Most liked posts in thread: Bradford City vs Swindon Town Saturday 7th October 2023 3:00pm

If ever a sacking of a manager was justified this was it. Like watching a different side today, that's what Valley Parade is like when you have a manager instructing his team to press and be in positive off the front foot. He didn't try and reinvent the wheel, he simply played players in their right positions told them to press league 2 standard footballers. All I ask for on a game day is to be entertained and today I was royally so.
Thank you Kev MacDonald for giving me back my enjoyment of football even it is the first 90 minutes, cos under Hughes I'd lost that enjoyment.

 

I can't begin to describe how much I'd hated going to VP under Hughes. I'd go as far to say that today was as good as anything he served up during his tenure here. And all this nonsense of the crowd making it difficult for managers, Kevin MacDonald showed all you have to do as a manager is get us on the front foot and put a proper shift in. If you do this apparent 'negative fanbase' will back you to the hilt and VP rocks like it did today.
Pretty simple really but something that completely escaped Mark Hughes.

 

Sorry I've got to disagree, we created enough chances to score 4 or 5 goals. You don't get that with a 'scrappy' performance. I ain't saying we are suddently promotion world beaters for once in a long time we were very very good and fully deserved three points off the back of a very impressive performance. If we revert back to Hughes ball next week I'll call it as I see it.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0gk3gj4

 

Oyegoke Did great when he came on today

 

I felt first 15mins of the game both the crowd and the players were tentative. It was almost like after 18months the handbrake was released and they were told to go out and express themselves positively. After that initial period the penny dropped that no one from the bench would admosnish them for breaking any ridgid instruction.
To see shots from distance, players looking at a forward pass as first option, the energy of closing down in high areas, being one goal up and the only focus was attack for a second one, and most refreshing not been camped in our penalty area for last 20mins.

Just a enjoyable matchday experience that we'd long forgotten after 18months of garbage.Surprised many on here had become institutionalised to such crap and were happy for it to continue. Credit to Sparks for listening to the fanbase and acting fairly quickly although not quickly enough for me.

Bigger challenges coming up, as Swindon came toe to toe and afforded us lots of space to play.
However big plus today was the players were very comfortable with what they were asked to do, and thats 50% of getting were we need to be.

Walking down manningham lane and having random conversations with other fans all happy for their Saturday night because of a bit of positive football was something Id almost forgotten the pleasure of.

 

Why are we all thinking Swindon have somehow transformed into league twos Manchester City?

Yes they've had a good start but have only won once away in the league all season and in the last 3 they've drawn at Donny and Morecambe then lost at Notts.

Will it be a tough game? Absolutely. Can we turn them over? Also absolutely.

In short, we're dicking these on Saturday. 3 points all day long

 

Well thats more like it.

Seemed like the shackles were well and truly off.

Some excellent performances today.

Whilst Pointon will grab the headlines, and rightly so, his mate Halliday behind him was excellent too.

I thought Gilly and Smallwood looked very good together today. Certainly Smallwoods best performance for a long time by some distance..

We do have some brain dead fans though, booing Smallwood on the one occasion he had to go back.

Well done Kevin McDonald for getting that performance out of them.

A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon in the Autumn sunshine

 

If the players show a reaction to the sacking of Hughes , play well and win the game then I’ll be questioning their character and why they couldn’t perform in previous games.
There’s nothing McDonald can change tactically or personnel that should make much of a difference so it’s all about the players desire.

 

Good game today! Enjoyed it.

Gillead was excellent today, my man of the match

 

Past the 93rd minute, 1-0 up, and not only did we have a player drive into the opposition box towards goal, there were three other City players in the box too.

It's far from perfect but the change in intent made such a difference.

 

Well what a breath of fresh air that was no negative dawdling on the ball and endless sideways and backwards passing, we looked organised in defence, pressed at the right times and were dangerous going forwards. They didn't really have an answer for us at points today we absolutely dominated them and looked levels above.

Bobby will rightly take all the plaudits that was an incredibly hard working performance and he throughly deserved the goal so happy for him! Smallwood put in a captains performance, Holiday was awesome, I thought Stubbs really put one in today he will be shattered after that, Cookie was so unlucky not to score and Harry Lewis what a save when he was called on.

What was most pleasing to see was them playing as a team and working their knackers off for each other.

 

Oyegoke looked a totally different player today. Very impressed with his positive runs and control of the ball throughout

 

Great game, great result. For me the biggest plus was Smallwood. 15 minutes in, it struck him that Hughes had gone and he didn't have to play it back. By far his best game in a city shirt. This is what I hoped we had signed.

Also Cook. So involved without scoring

 

Loved it today. The crowd properly got behind McDonald having seen the lads double their effort and workrate compared to what we saw under Hughes.

We pressed well and all of the lads were snapping away like terriers. We fought for each other - I remember when Ridehalgh was outmuscled in second half in corner and in flew Wilson - who was great - to cover him.

the moment that stood out for me was Richie Smallwood trying to lob the keeper from halfway. Under Hughes he’d have gone back to the CBs, Lewis or sideways if we were lucky.

Pointon and Walker supported Cooky well with Wilson, and Gilly and Richie both put in proper shifts.

They missed a few chances but so did we. Surprised Cooky didn’t bury his header first half.

The crowd really appreciated the effort and the chants for big Kev were great.

same players. Same formation. But the lads had a new level of motivation, urgency and desire we haven’t seen under Hughes.

Keep it up lads. Effort like that and a positive mindset every week is all we ever ask for. We might come up short some weeks but have a go like that and keep entertaining us.

 

If McDonald is doing this properly he'll start himself, make himself captain, take the kick off, all corners, free kicks, goal kicks and penalties and sub himself off at the 89th minute to get a standing ovation.

No point being half arsed about things...

 

Yes, I know I said I would not go back until there was good improvement but I feel we need to support the lad’s whatever the result.

 

Smallwood has to be player of the match? Imagine they'll give it to Pointon but Smallwood has been incredible compared to how he has been all season. Ridehalgh too, stopped everything down that side.

 

Cracking 3 points get in.