Match Thread EFL Cup 2nd Round - Bradford City vs Blackburn Rovers Tuesday 23 August @ 7:45pm

Who cares what other clubs go with though? We’ve tried 4-2-3-1 this year and we had the lowest open play xG after two games. It was cack. It failed last season under Derek and it failed under Trueman and Sellars.

We switched to 4-4-2 at Hartlepool and it won us the game. Yes, we were ultimately overrun tonight playing it but it was a free pass as they are a Championship club.

We took the lead, hit the post, created chances and turned up. Yes, their class told in the end, but Hughes will have learnt plenty from tonight.

All we need now is a CM partner for Smallwood until Walker returns and we are sorted.

Cook and Harratt is our best partnership upfront for now. Platt and Critch fine vs L2 players. Halliday and Ridehalgh will do.

chapman and banks are our best wide options.

it’s coming together nicely. I see why we tried 4-2-3-1 in preseason but it didnt work and it wont work when we’re invested in Cook and Oliver who is here on a three year deal. Would be suicide playing either as a lone striker now we’re seeing the best of Cooky again.

 

Two of our best players recently Pereira and Critchlow are both Championship reserve players.

 

I care because there’s a reason nobody uses it, it’s a useful plan b but not as a start. Hartlepool are terrible not a team to totally change all we’ve worked on so far over.

 

Spot on. We weren't beaten by the formation, we were beaten by a very very good championship side with quality oozing all over the pitch. We actually ended the match playing a near 424 but, hey let's blame trying to win on losing.

You are bang right @Fordy117 they were just too good for us. A very impressive effort from our lads though.

 

Seems a go to song now for the cretins who lead this sort of thing. Gary Bowyer was treated to the exact same chant and worse by our wonderful NWC rabble last season

 

https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/12680231/bradford-1-2-blackburn-carabao-cup-highlights

 

Won't come up against teams of that quality in League 2.
I liked the way that they played the ball on the floor, fast movement, with pace.
Something that we should work on.

On to Crewe, Sat. Let's keep this momentum going, play like that and we'll be fine!

 

Relevance Gaz?

 

I’m sure the pics of Jupiter will help too.

 

Blackburn were clearly the better quality team and deserved the win, but there were periods of the game when we matched them. If Harratt's shot that hit the post had gone in, who knows?
I was pleased to see Angol play in the centre when he came on. Lewis pulled off some very good saves.
It was an enjoyable match to watch.
I didn't think the evening was enhanced by the referee's performance though. He missed quite a bit. There was a 5 minute period when things got a bit heated and he almost lost control of the game. He missed at least 2 shirt pulls on Oliver, and a handball in the build up to their second goal. The free kick he gave Blackburn on the edge of the area should have been a penalty. Smallwood was well inside the area when he made the challenge. Worst of all was when he blew up for a foul then changed his mind after our players had stopped and waved advantage to Blackburn who were now clear with the ball. That was inept.
So a good watch overall. City competed well and their confidence should not be dented going into the Crewe match.

 

Actually there weren't that many spare seats in the lower main stand and in the end they opened the upper tier.
We got there at about 7.25 and managed to get seats together but by about 7.40 there weren't many spare. I saw some heated arguments between several supporters and a senior steward.
The club either issue tickets with numbered seats or tickets that say unreserved. If unreserved there must be sufficient room.

 

Pretty much my take on the game. For the first 15 minutes I thought they'd tear us a new one. But we grew into the game and got a good goal. BR a good team and played some very good football. I think we gave a very good account of ourselves. As MH said pre-match; it was a free hit, so no shame in losing.
I thought the ref was a bit inept but that actually added to the game. Instead of blowing up for every challenge he let a fair few go and that 2 minute spell where it could of got a bit tasty added rather than detracted to the atmosphere. Fantastic support from Rovers too. I know its just over the border but 1500 is a great turnout.
We weren't overawed by BR and we should take lot of positives from this into Saturday's game against Crewe.

 

I agree with Hughes that our players having been exposed to Blackburns quality could be a great learning exercise. I'm terms of playing approach, both sides have the same philosophy and approach, they're just able to execute it more effectively and much quicker because they have better players. If we can get just a bit more cohesive and quicker in our approach, we'll have too much for most L2 sides.

 

Spot on. And if any of Blackburns 'reserves' from last night need a loan, we'd take them here in a heartbeat!

 

They were a step up from teams like Luton. Bristol when they came here and stuffed us years ago before they all got promoted. Class all over. A bit like Forest last year. Very good players all over the park. We competed though and I like that.

 

I'm not sure what Adams/T&S have to do with anything. They may have played the same formation as Hughes but that's where the comparison ends. They had a completely different style, approach and not to mention squad of players. Also don't forget how well the 4-2-3-1 worked at the back end of last season.

The 4-4-2 may have worked for 25 minutes against a poor and tired Hartlepool but just as we won't face quality like Blackburn every week, we won't face sides as bad as Hartlepool were.

And Walker at CM in a 4-4-2? Behave.

 

I disagree. Rovers were quality but they beat us 2-1 not 5-0. We had a couple of very good chances to extend our lead in the first half and could have taken it to penalties towards the end. It wasn't our night in the end but we are talking about small margins here so to say we wouldn't have beaten them with any formation when we could have done just that had we put our chances away, is well wide of the mark imo.