The Voice - Match preview Carlisle United vs Bradford City Saturday 20th May 2023 @ 3:00pm

Mostly agree Jon, other than we don't "play football" at the back. There's no result to it other than improving the possession stats. We feck about with it going side to side until eventually we get penned in and hoof it

 

I can agree with that, at times.

We seem to have no aim at times at the back, but I think with the right signings, we might just get players who can execute the strategy properly.

Having a better, more mobile, competitive midfield would be a start.

 

I can agree with that

 

I mean look at the names you’ve quoted. Is it any surprise they haven’t worked? We knew exactly what we were getting with the majority of them too.
I think the appointments are crap. I don’t think there is any kind of plan behind the scenes running the club. Like I say, Sparks turned down Wellens in the summer and went for the big name in Hughes. I can see why he did it, but it hasn’t worked and look at the brand of football Orient played and their league position.
We desperately need someone who is above the manager that knows football because Rupp and Sparks know very very little.

 

That’s just one of them isn’t it?

 

Grayson - multiple promotions
Bowyer - multiple promotions
Adams - multiple promotions

Hardly dud's pal.

 

Irrespective of formations or style of play, the absolute bare minimum for a team in League 2 is to have height, physicality and pace.

Height and physicality wise we have absolutely none bar the two centre backs and Cook. And even then, I'd struggle to put Critchlow in that category because he's quite poor in the air. Unfortunately, due to the nature of L2, you've got to have big lads in the key areas of the pitch otherwise you get bullied and lose too many duels (like we do every week).

Pace wise....what pace? Honestly it's like watching a vets game watching this lot play football. We've only got one winger who can go past a man (Banks), none of our strikers can get in behind and our midfield couldn't win a race at the paralympics.

If our summer signings don't all have at least one of these characteristics then Hughes has learnt nothing.

 

Free hit this season

 

Orient, Stevenage and Carlisle, like us, have had six or seven managers since 2019, it's bollocks to suggest that there's some kind of natural progression or plans in place in those appointments everywhere except at City.

Lower league football is full of desperate short term appointments from clubs trying to get out of holes. These guys appointed at those clubs have just been better at doing it than Mark Hughes has, despite their lack of fame.

 

MH has gone for more technical players.
If they are technically good, great in the air and have pace they aren't playing in League 2. They're in the PL.
If you go down the technical route you have to accept you lose a bit in other areas.

 

All crap appointments and completely uninspired.
The due diligence by the club when hiring managers has been non existent.
We literally went for Adams because Morecambe managed to anti football their way out of league 2.
I agree we can’t keep sacking managers but we wouldn’t have to if we actually had some kind of plan on what type of manager we wanted and what the long term plan was.
Hughes came here after a long time away from management and with zero experience of managing in league 2 or knowing much about the standard at all. He said so himself. Sparks couldn’t believe his luck when he was offered his services and that’s why Wellens was turned down.
It’s just amateur and it’s why we are where we are for yet another season.

 

But you're saying let's roll the dice and change the Manager again?
All those Manager's have had success elsewhere.

I appreciate you're frustrated but changing the Manager is the last thing we need.

We're not far away. 3/4 quality signings in the summer and we'll be knocking on the door again.
Keep the faith.

 

Only if you include caretaker's (non-appointments) who managed for less than a month.

Since 2019 we've had Hopkin, Bowyer, McCall, Trueman & Sellars, Adams, and Hughes.

That's 6, none of whom logically succeeded the predecessor in terms of style.

Those other clubs aren't even close to that many permanent appointments, and in Stevenage's regard, they've relied heavily on Graham Westley and Steve Evans, who might as well be identical twins in terms of style, and who seemingly love one another (because they're the same type of manager and character). Google the two, the love-in spreads to around two dozen articles lmao

Who have we ever had that was close to Hughes?

Nobody.

 

You've got to have balance and we don't. Your technical players won't see the ball if you're not winning the scraps and second balls, particularly in midfield.

 

I do agree that we lack a bit of pace going forward and I haven't understood not playing Platt as he is excellent in the air.
As you say, balance is the key.

I do wonder if MH will let Gilliead go in the summer to bring more 'legs' into midfield.
I do like Gilliead but are him and Smallwood too similar?

 

Close to Hughes in what sense?

 

Stevenage have had two permanent managers between Westley who left in early 2022 and Evans, who took over from Paul Tidsdale who definitely wasn't in their mould.

Stuart McCall had his teams playing football from the back (or trying to), if you're claiming a direct link from Westley to Evans, ignoring what went inbetween, then you could argue the same for McCall and Hughes, but we both know that would be silly.

 

There's a huge difference between a direct, long ball side like Stevenage making a mistake in appointing Tisdale than what we've been doing.

I don't believe you can't see it.

I think you're trying to deny it, just to make City look like shit. I've no idea why you'd make that your agenda, though.

 

You've got to be fecking joking.

It's people like you who try to make my club look like shit with the way you go on about the serial managerial failure Mark Hughes like we are lucky to have him anywhere near our club, I'm actually surprised you haven't praised him for the way he takes a shit, so clear is your inexplicable admiration for him.

Even in this thread you are trying to make out that all these other clubs are brilliantly run to some kind of plan, and we are the outlier. Yet you accuse me of doing my club down? I don't fecking think so.

 

Which makes the key question do you trust Hughes and Gent to make the right signings?