Most liked posts in thread: Kian Harratt

comparing what kian harratt has done to child abuse has to be the most stupid comment ever posted on this site

 

Whataboutism is the most banal and intelectually bereft type of argument there is. The idea that if you are against/for one particular thing, your position is invalid unless you are against/for everything else to the nth degree is just specious.

 

Ive not heard of him but Port vale fans seem to rate him and he’s scored goals there and been a success so it sounds a promising loan, this.

Hudds have a great academy and its good to hear him mention playing for Hughes was one of the lures to coming here.

We will have a much younger team next season. Hopefully fitter and more energetic and it should help build a good spirit amongst the lads, with so many 20-24 ish?

 

I feel quite negative in general about this signing but a players old clubs fans usually give a good indication of what you can expect so hopefully I'm very wrong on this one.

 

At this rate there won’t be any panic buying ffs what the hells going off down there ?
Players being signed early my god do these fools not realise we only go after players that nobody wants ????

 

I wonder if this squad is going to turn out to be the youngest average age we have ever had by the start of the season?

At least we are signing players who have already shown that they can play and perform under pressure.

 

It'll have much more energy and pace than we've had for years. Id like to see an older head or two come in as well though.

Talk of Richie Smallwood - he'd be excellent.

 

At least they are nearer school age than our usual signings.

 

Good point. Although, weren't all 3 generally squad players? Harratt came in when Proctor was injured. Young was backup to the the front at FGR. East played a similar sort of squad role to the one Sutton plays for us.

That said, they're all young, they'll have that positive experience and you'd think they'd all be on an upwards trajectory.

No signing is guaranteed to succeed but for the first time in years, we seem to have a proper strategy thats guiding our recruitment.

 

Unsure about this one purely based on I know nothing of him, but what I will say is despite all coaches and managers in the game supposedly huge knowledge of the game many constantly sign clear dross and the clubs fans overall opinion is more often than not pretty accurate, I've lost count of the amount of players we've signed over the years where the other clubs fans are like thank god he's gone etc. And despite reservations with regards to the young players we've brought in it is certainly refreshing to see from the other clubs fans so many positive comments towards them and most disappointed they've left.

 

Young, Tall, quick, with a great work ethic and an eye for goal, What's not to like? Welcome to the club

 

Parents , wives etc should learn to button it on social media. It does no good to any party. What’s gone has gone as far as they are concerned, and old tweeted comments are irrelevant to new circumstances.

 

It is odd, it’s not a second hand car he’s selling it’s two dogs. Dog for life and all that.

 

To get into the team you have to take your chance when handed to you.

So far no striker is doing enough to dislodge Andy Cook from his starting position. When he went 1 on 1 with the keeper on Saturday, if he had scored he would have helped place himself up the pecking order. By the sound of it he is looking to get his chance and work to be first choice but that doesn't happen overnight when the fella you are trying to replace is making his mark on being top scorer.

 

I like Chapman, second only to Cook in the goals/assists contribution and didn’t play in the Micky mouse trophy to help his stats. People moan about our players not playing it forward, then moan at someone like him who takes risks by trying to take players on and pass forward. Sometimes a player can’t do right for doing wrong. All while probably not in his most natural position.

 

Interview PART ONE to follow. (Apologies)


Part two of interview with Bradford City head of recruitment
thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/20954914.part-two-interview-bradford-city-head-recruitment/

Simon Parker

STEPHEN Gent has revealed the family connection that helped pave the way for Richie Smallwood’s move to Valley Parade.

The capture of the former Hull captain was the real eye-opener in City’s hectic summer business.

And in the second part of his exclusive interview with the Telegraph & Argus, head of recruitment Gent spoke about the part his sister played in initiating the deal.

“Richie is married to my cousin Amy and I’ve known him since I was a kid,” he said.

“We grew up in Dormanstown near Redcar. My dad and his dad used to play together and I used to play with Richie’s brother Michael.



“Richie was younger than us but he obviously came through Middlesbrough’s academy and into the team so I’ve known him a long time.

“My sister works and lives in Dubai and Richie and his wife were over there on holiday in the summer when it got announced that he had been released by Hull.

“My sister texted me to say Amy had asked if I could take Richie to Bradford … I said,’ absolutely, no problem’.

“I texted Richie and we had a conversation and agreed to speak when he got back.

“I told Ryan and the manager there was possible interest from him. We met Richie and they were impressed, obviously with the level he’d played at with 240 games in the Championship.

“That’s the calibre we wanted to attract at the football club.

“He knew the size of the football club, and was interested about working with Mark Hughes but obviously he had a lot of interest from being captain at Hull.

“There were League One clubs in for him and he did give us a few sleepless nights, to be honest, but we got there in the end.

“That triggered Harry Chapman, Brad Halliday, other Middlesbrough lads who we knew, and it showed the intent from the club.”

City can currently boast two senior players for every position in the squad - something that Gent, Mark Hughes and chief executive Ryan Sparks wanted to avoid the risk of getting caught short at any point in the season.

Gent added: “We knew the gaps that we wanted to fill within the budget that Ryan gave us.

“We’ve utilised the loan market but the idea was that with every team that’s a success, no matter whether it’s the Premier League or League Two, you look at the strength and depth in the squads.

“That’s what is going to get you out the league.

Stephen Gent found it "surreal" driving to Mark Hughes' home

“At the moment, we’ve got Manny Osadebe out who’s going to be out probably until December or January; Jamie Walker who will probably be out for another four or five weeks and Abo Eisa, who’s on the way back now but effectively he’s been out for 12 months.

“But look at the lads who came on at the weekend. Obviously, I worked with Neil Warnock for a spell at Middlesbrough and he always said that you know if you’ve recruited well when you turn round and look at your bench.

“We had the two wide players who came in on deadline day, Dion Pereira and Tyreik Wright, Vadaine Oliver, Kian Harratt, Ryan East and Yann Songo’o.

“Then you had lads who unfortunately weren’t in the squad like Lee Angol and Timi Odusina who are talented players.

“That’s going to be one of the ways we’re going to do it by having that depth throughout the squad and competition for places. We know we’re going to pick up injuries and suspensions during a long season.



“Andy Cook’s been a prime example of that competition with the way he’s playing. He’s a very good goal scorer anyway but seeing Vadaine Oliver walk through the door, you can see he’s ready for the fight and he’s the one wearing the shirt at the moment.”

After Hughes was appointed in February, City were keen to bring in someone to oversee recruitment once again - a role that had been disbanded by previous manager Derek Adams.

But Gent was not angling for the position when he contacted the club about potentially placing a few Middlesbrough youngsters in his role as Boro’s loans manager.

“I first spoke to Robbie Bloodworth, one of the analysts, about the possibility of a few players coming to Bradford on loan.

“He then put me in touch with Ryan and we had a conversation. I went to Valley Parade to meet him and we discussed things around recruitment.

“He didn’t have a head of recruitment in place, telling me he was doing it himself at the time, and it just built from that.

“I was in the car driving home and I don’t think I’d even got out of Bradford when he rang and asked me to come back on Thursday to meet the manager and have a chat about the role.

“Then he texted me the manager’s address. I’m thinking, ‘blimey, I’m going to Mark Hughes’ house!’”

Gent’s late grandad and a couple of uncles were big Manchester United fans and he was a bit gob-smacked when he rolled up at the manager’s plush Cheshire residence.



“It was a bit surreal at first. I was outside the house wondering what my grandad would be saying now!

We disagree respectively, we don’t have blazing rows in the meetings.

“I pulled into the driveway, it’s obviously a beautiful house, and I rang Ryan to say I’d arrived.

He said to just knock on the door and I’m like, ‘but this is Mark Hughes’ house!’

“We had a chat and just spoke about football for an hour and Bradford and my opinion from the business side of it as well, generating our own income bringing assets into the club.

“Mark and Ryan set out the objective of the club and how I would play my part.

“It all happened so quickly. Ryan called the next morning to offer me the job and said I was the perfect fit.

“I then had a decision to make over the weekend.

“I discussed it with my wife and family and a few people I know in the game to see what their thoughts were. Ultimately, I called him back and said, ‘yeah, I want to do it’ and they’ve been brilliant.”

Gent speaks to Sparks every day and the relationship between them and the management team is a close one.

“Ryan’s given me and the manager what we’ve asked for.

“He is very passionate and driven and wants to take this football club back to where it belongs. He’s been fantastic.

“Even when he was on holiday and I was on holiday over the summer, we were doing deals and talking about players, doing Zoom meetings with the manager and Glyn (Hodges) as well.



“One good thing is we are all in it together.

“I think we’re all comfortable with each other. We don’t always agree.

“There are so many opinions in football. I won’t throw something in without some logic or evidence behind it.

“We disagree respectively, we don’t have blazing rows in the meetings.

“The manager and Glyn have been great with me. They are obviously very experienced people and they’ve bought into what I think and the way I want to do things with the recruitment side.

 

Only in @Fordy117 world would you leave the second highest scorer in League Two on the bench, Cook has the best goal per game ratio, the best min's per goal, the best goal conversion ratio and the best shot accuracy stick him on the bench he does nothing for the team except score goals.

 

You've got to admit he was terrible. My lad came with me and has only been to the Tranmere game so far, he noted how weak we were down our right and how Wimbledon were targeting him. It's harsh when its your first game back but it's upto the player to put down a marker for the manager to pick him the next match. On that display Halliday is a shoe in next week.

 

I believe Harratt will get his time to shine but will have to wait his turn. The difference between this recruitment and others previously is that everyone has been brought in with a specific role in mind, rather than the scatter gun approach we became used to. If Harratt doesn’t have the patience and wants to sulk (not that I’ve seen evidence from him), then that’s 1 in 18 that Gent may have got wrong. I’ve every confidence he’ll have a role to play during the season.

As fans, we should support the squad be it, Oliver, Harratt, Sutton or Hendrie so that when they’re called upon we give them our full backing.

 

I feel for Kian in this. As far as we know he is knuckling down and getting on with it. His dad needs to shut up, he isn't helping.