Just How Bad Is This Squad?

Hits the nail squarely on the head yet there are one or two who would say it’s mindless whinging, slurry or some other nonsense and demand we keep backing the club.

It’s not an over reaction to a defeat either, you’d say fair enough if a 3-0 defeat was out of character, like Liverpool at Villa or Man City at Leicester, but it’s not. Week in week out it’s poor and has been for nearly three years despite over 40 different players being used. The rot at the club is systemic.

 

Fordy117 it was the same when Rahic was here. Some just don't for whatever reason want or are incapable of seeing it.

The fallout from that era is still unravelling now. Whilst the Rahic era, will take time to fully unravel, the post Rahic era is now creating a secondary fallout, with the potential of relegation (which I strongly don't feel will happen) that could irreversibly damage the club.

Ive been saying for months that Rupp needs to go. Yes I know we need a buyer and in itself, that is an issue. I wish no harm on the man but under his watch this club has alarmingly gone backwards. And whilst I don't see relegation this season, their is absolutely nothing to suggest the regression will end. Rhodes going is all talk as far as I see it. Talk is cheap.

This club needs a reset. From the top. The reality some want to come on board, others will bury their head in the sand and accept mediocrity.

 

Think Kenny Black should be getting flack, not just SM.
He'd be a minus 3 IMO.

 

I think the opening poster has the assesment pretty much there. I was watching the BT Vanarama NL lowlights this morning and what I saw would genuinely be cause for concern if we played those teams. Big strong physical players; usually big defenders across the back and a great outlet up front to bump the opposition around and run into the channels. Its rarely pretty but its effective and I think these types of teams would just out fight us. We dont have that character out on the pitch to get hold of the ball; keep their head and direct things. Bark out the orders and the bollockings !. Circa Stuart having to do all of that from the touch line himself !

I have gone on record that most of these players will have to leave the club before it can move forward. I have no idea what Stuart was implying yesterday when questioned he says "how many games have we left 30 is it; lets wait and see "? If that implies he thinks we will make play-offs as much as I will always stand by Stuart - its delusional.

This is an extremely limited group of players who would not be consistent in the National League. In many ways the players are getting away with it and Stuart & Kenny. They claim to want the fans back in Valley Parade ? But they must be thanking the high heavens we are not because there would be real venom raining down from those seats !. These players cannot play in front of a few staff & cardboard cut out fans ! Nevermind 15000 of us heaping scorn on their short comings ?

My own view is this; we have to let this play out. We not there game to game that actually should help the team to be fair. Theres nothing to be gained by Stuarts departure ? ; no one is better placed than him to take us this season of absolute nothingness. Defeat to Oldham in the Cup will consign 20-21 to the bin. We should have enough to stay out the bottom two ? Although we must not be complacent on that. Somewhere Stuart & Kenny have to find enough from this underwhelming assembly of the old; the new and the useless to keep our heads above water ?

Its no good calling for the like of Cook or the Cowleys or whoever. That will not change anything on the pitch. And why would they take the job ? It should be a great job to be manager of Bradford City but the FACT is that it is not. For that to change there must be real change behind the scenes. That means a change of owner (unlikely ?) or at least the departure of Julian Rhodes for a new CEO with a vision for the football club and vitally the playing management & staff. Alas that seems to be meandering on and that is no help to anyone.

All we can do is see out Covid Season 20-21; hopefully avoid further ignominy and pick up the pieces next season.

 

We need to tackle our problems now.

The club doesn't like issues but we to address them.

If Rupp let's the world he's selling
Rhodes leaves
McCall is sacked.

Either way just waiting until the end of the season or a vaccine is entered into every human on earth isn't the answer.

Fans urgently need to understand this club is failing and it won't be Covid that ends it.

 

People saying we’ve no chance of Cowleys, they nearly took the Tranmere job but the board wouldn’t sanction him bringing his full management team with him. So it shows he would drop back this low.

 

How bad?
SHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHSHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT.

I'm sure that you get the message.

 

So when is it going to happen, you made comment with regards the new CEO, will it be a Christmas Box for us all ?.

 

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/10634710.exclusive-peter-jackson-finally-reveals-why-he-resigned-from-bradford-city/

Offered to resign after Lawn said that about the squad, which was subsequently accepted.

 

For emphasis, say it in Trumpian tones, and add a BAD, VERY BAD or two!

There was a sportscaster here, back in the day, who had his own classification system for NHL teams. I've no idea what the good classes were, as the Toronto Maple Leafs were only ever in the bottom two groups: Muddling Mediocrities and Fearful Frowsies. I may have been a bit optimistic at the end of my 10-game-segments post in thinking of us as reaching the heights of muddling mediocrities...

There's an excellent comment by 'Oliver' in the WOAP match review. He writes that he sat a little up from Stuart at a recent match and, amongst other things, "... Finally, Stuart was giving them instructors, not too many, 2 mins later they had forgot. It was like telling a goldfish. Who to mark, or who to close down. The manager said ‘how many times do I have to tell them’… real simple instructions & they couldn’t do it esp DMH. ..."

This is rather like the complaint of our region's medical officer regarding workers in care homes not following proper procedures during this pandemic -- they sent people in to teach proper ways, but as soon as their backs were turned, the workers reverted to their old, unhygienic, ways.

Either way, the players/workers seem either too untalented, or too uncaring, or too pressured from above (in the case of the workers) to do things in the right ways. It is said that a bad craftsman blames his tools, but sometimes, the tools deserve all the criticism they get!

It's going to be a hard season; we'll stumble along doing just enough, I think, to still be in the League next year.

RCB

 

Let's have them switch the Cristmas lights on in Centenay Square as an unveiling
Hope it's a dry evening and their are no sparks tricky things these Chrismas lights

 

I keep reading comments like this, and find it odd because we have a clear example from our recent history where we were in a similar situation and a change of manager did change everything.

Because of the success of Parkinson's tenure I think people forget what a balls-up Lawn and Rhodes were making of running the club before he was appointed. Terrible managerial appointments, money spunked on Archie Christie and his development squad, and link ups with obscure Belgian football clubs, threats to wind the club up because the fans weren't grateful enough...

At this level a well organised team where everyone knows what they are doing and the right kind of personnel in terms of attitude and mentality in goes a long way, this comes from the right manager.

 

Honestly, I have no idea. I'd expected something to have been announced by now.

 

Individually, it's as poor as McCall's first spell in charge in this league. When he severely underated just what was needed to compete. But even that squad's defence was superior to this one with the likes of Weatherall and Heckinbottom in it. Thorne up front was also better than any of the present strikers. I can't see any of them scoring more than the 14 that he did in that season.

Collectively it's as poor as the team that got relegated under Rahic. That team had some decent players in it, but it didn't work out as a team. The brief spell over Xmas when form picked up was all to do with Payne's free role. Once the opposition worked out how to nullify him, they were back to being very poor again.

I have totally wiped the Jackson/Taylor period from my memory. It might have even been as bad as what we've witnessed thus far? We did flirt with the arse end of the league at one point. But apart from Evans and that lad from Huddersfield that we had on loan, I can't recall much about the squad or the players performances.

 

best way to judge your squad is to look at it and say how many clubs, in your league, would love to have your players. unfortunately, the answer with us is not many - and the ones they would take wouldn't be the first name on any team sheet.

 

Agree on all. Considering those points highlighted of course its unrealistic McCall was ever going to be that transparent. However his actions in pre season recruitment and communication was the where he set his stall out and gave us the insight as to where his mindset was. Turns out at such an early stage in the season it’s clear we are in a pretty bad place.

Are you confident the situation in January will be any different to now? Honestly, I’m not. The only difference I feel we will have will be been further into the season and based on performance and results so far, I’m terrified where our league position will be. The only hope I have is we have a few of the stronger squad members back and we can grind out some results and see where we get to.

 

Sometimes I wonder if the club even had a plan then or was it actually Parkinson who set the stall out from the pitch and had the support of the owners.

 

That's fair comment but I'd also suggest given its a small squad as McCall said he preferred then the question should be asked if your leading scorer Novak, your best wing/full back Hosanna , your best number 10 Clarke and what looks like a good potential defender in Staunton who playing regularly get any sort of long term injury bearing in mind were playing 2 games a week have we anything like cover in those positions, the answer is sadly no looking at yesterdays replacements.