Expectations for the rest of the season (with Poll)

Formation is no issue for me just how we implement it, although we need more than a plan A.

Some actual improvement as looking like a coherent unit is the big one for me, and playing a bit more entertaining football. If this pandemics taught me anything it’s life’s to short to be sat freezing your arse off on a Tuesday night watching us grab a drab draw with the likes of Barrow and Crawley.

I’ll probably end up getting a season ticket again but for the first time in 26 years I’m having a serious thought about it, even when we were winning I said enough times the only real difference I noticed is we were now hard to beat. The football is boring me like it did under Bowyer and even though we were top 7 all season I barely went to an away game which is unlike me and didn’t bother with Tuesday night games at all.

So that’s my hope for the rest of the season these two to prove it they aren’t dull managers who’s only trick is to make a team hard to beat, yet to be convinced but more than happy to be proven wrong.

 

I want to see the signs that they're capable of coaching an effective attacking team, playing on the front foot. Because that's what we'll need to be next season if we're to go up and as of yet we've been anything but that.

 

Are want them to prove they are up for the job.

Look, let’s not be bloody fooled here talking over from McCall in the position we were in was perfect. We wasn’t going down and all what was needed was to be solid, play players in the correct positions and results would come.

I want them to show they have what it takes to take us us up. I am not sure they do.

 

You have a short memory Fordy. We were in serious danger of being relegated had we kept McCall on. Have you already forgotten the remarkable transformation under Trueman and Sellars, which admittedly has come to a halt during the passed couple of weeks or so. However, surely nobody was expecting the unbeaten run to last until the end of the season?

Trueman and Sellars have still got a fair few players they inherited that I'm sure they would want to see leave this summer.

They have my full backing to steer us to the conclusion of this strange season and to work with Turnbull in recruiting better players in the summer.

Next season is a big one as far as I am concerned, and I have faith that they will have us challenging for the expected promotion. They will realise that if they fail so soon, it would signal the end of their first team management here or anywhere else for that matter.

One thing I do wonder about though is do they perhaps have a clause in their contract that if it doesn't work out, they can resume their roles with the academy?

 

Was thinking the same this morning - hopefully whoever filled their roles in the academy was only given a contract up to the end of the season, meaning they could step back in if things don't work out. Pure conjecture but Sparks seems savvy so it wouldn't surprise me.

 

Trueman & Sellers got us out of a hole McCall got us in
Wether we would've gone down no one can be certain
Trueman &Sellers where doing well untill injuries started to hit
Novak, clarke, Pritchard, cooke,Staunton hosannah all-out at sametime & longterm doesn't help
We are now safe from relegation summer recruitment & a good pre seasons training is next to look forward to a lot of players out of contract & those not good enough must be shown the door & recruitment must be able to play in a division above
That also includes coaches must be better than what we have especially Fitness coach
Then next season Promotion automatically must be main goal
Nothing less will do
Give these boys the chance

 

this is a tricky one. I do listen to some EFL podcasts, they were suggesting that the good run of form wasn't really supported by good stats. I know there's some out there that are not fans of xG but in terms of form and trends it does paint a really interesting picture. Even on the good run of form if we had scored in terms of our xG we would still be 18th. I do wonder with our current form if it was just luck. it was quite telling how in the post match interview Mark dodged a question about trying to play expansive football. I also wonder why we played expansive football away from home? why change the formula that worked quite well? I am a tad sceptical now with this team. also that all being said we hit the crossbar 3 times in this game so maybe its a case of really really bad luck. Colchester will be a very interesting game that I do think Sparks will be watching closely too.

 

The season's over for me, so I'd like to see a bit of experimentation. I think 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 are formations that lower league players struggle with so I'd like to see them try either 4-4-2 or 3-5-2. I'd try Evans or Sutton at right back or right wing back with Wood on the other side. I'd try FCD as a defensive midfielder with Sutton and Watt around him but further forward in 3-5-2. I'd tell them to go and and enjoy themselves and, above all, attack. Do anything, in fact, except the turgid rubbish we've had to watch recently. We've nothing to lose and we need to get the smiles back on the fans' faces. Those season tickets won't sell themselves.

 

I think that’s the season done now isn’t it. Won’t go down. Squandered chance to get in playoffs.

We know we have a generally solid set up. 4-2-3-1 is the best we’ve seen this season. We’ve learnt a few things since the bosses took over.

- we are usually tough to break down
- we’ll never roll over teams but can do enough to win games narrowly
- we are vulnerable to pace at the back
- we don’t have a solid no. 1
- Paudie should be captain
- we don’t have any back up for Watt/Sutton in the holding roles
- Rowe can dip in and out
- Cook lacks pace but offers a physical presence
- Crankshaw and Vernam offer pace but the former especially is very in and out
- AOC isn’t a RB
-Wood is out of contract in the summer and we’ve not got an obvious replacement
- we’ve not seen Foulds yet, or much, if anything, of Burrell, but latter on loan anyway
- Stevens hasn’t made a massive impact
- We badly miss Callum Cooke - his energy in the 10 role brings out entire set up to life
- The Don and Clarke are two of a few who might be moved on in the summer

If I was in charge I’d like to see Evans involved instead of Crankshaw for now.

I don’t feel comfortable with FCD at RB but if AOC is out of contract and our season is dead maybe he should come back in.

Can Staunton play LB? If Wood won’t sign a deal do we explore playing him or Foulds there for a few games or just play Wood until he leaves then sign a replacement?

Assuming Wood is off then we have the following core for next season;

GK - need
LB - likely need
Canavan
Paudie
RB - need
Sutton
Watt
Crankshaw/Evans
Cooke
Vernam
Rowe

We might sign Cook? Depends if Novak is out of contract but guessing he’ll be on a decent wack.

We’ve certainly made progress and couldn’t solve every problem in January. I’d like to see a dynamic RB brought in who offers something going forward - like we’ve had from Wood on the left.

 

Of the six in front of the defence only Cooke would get in a promotion winning side. The rest are backups.

 

Don't agree at all.

Cooke, Watt and Sutton are all capable of performing in a promotion winning side.

Novak, Rowe and Cook are all capable of scoring goals in a promotion winning side.

I have some reservations about the wingers, and we certainly don't have the required level of back up to BE a promotion winning side, but to dismiss five good players is pretty silly.

Were you the poster that reckoned you should only sign players from outside the division for some reason?

I'm not sure who you think played for us when we got promoted under Parky, but we were promoted on the back of a Carlisle reject (Wells), a lad from Guiseley (Hanson), a non league full back from York (Meredith), and a bunch of League Two stalwarts like Garry Thompson, Gary Jones, Ricky Ravenhill, Will Atkinson, Rory McArdle, Luke Oliver, and good old non-league goalkeeper from Harrogate Jon McLaughlin.

We literally got promoted with a TEAM full of League Two and non league players, the only ones that came from the divisions above were Davies, Doyle, Reid, Andy Gray (lol) and Matt Duke whose experience was limited largely to non-league football with Burton.

What we need is to strengthen the first team, bolster the back up, and make more shrewd purchases. We haven't lost a game under T&S in which we had a full strength team, and that's a fact.

 

Sutton and Watt too lightweight and inconsistent. Vernam and Crankshaw just poor. Rowe a maverick that league clubs avoided for years with good reason.

 

We lost all of our strikers for the Exeter game; then we haven't won without Cooke.

In both instances we haven't been able to replace those key players in key positions.

I know Cooke is only one player, but it's badly unbalanced the team, I don't think we can overlook that. It's still our fault we didn't have back up, like.

 

I think that's a bit of nonsense you've made up about Rowe.

To be honest, several things have been made up about Rowe. There were rumours he was on £2,500 a week at AFC Fylde, and that's how they kept him - their chairman blew that rumour out of the water. The cap there was £1,000 a week, and Rowe was on that amount.

This idea nobody wanted him; no, he was happy for many years at Fylde and Fylde were asking too much money. They only sold him to Oldham because his contract was up in the Summer - they fully expected him to retire at Fylde having destroyed the club's goalscoring records and with Danny being happy there.

Danny Rowe's story is very much in the public eye; he was going to retire from football having hated the way he was treated, but he carried on playing 'for fun'.

Quote the Fylde chairman in January 2020: "We, therefore, reluctantly agreed to honour his request and subject of course to receiving the right offer, will allow him to move."

Oldham then needed to sell players in January to balance the books; they sold their second top goalscorer, who has 12 this season.

Whatever narrative you wish to stick to is your business, but you're wrong about no league clubs wanting Rowe throughout his career.

 

Home games against Grimsby, Crawley and Scunthorpe and trips to Colchester, Stevenage, Harrogate and Vale as well as 4 tougher games I'd be very disappointed if we aren't getting at least 20. This season isn't completely dead in the water but we at least need to go in to next season with some momentum.

 

I've given up on expectations, they always end up letting me down. Que sera sera for the rest of this season for me now.

 

Totally agree Petrov same for me
Que sera sera tune by Geno Washington was very popular on the Bradford scene in its day. Blast it out before the match today . Stoneski you’ll like it