Lack of an effective strike force

This club is crying out for strikers who can score from open play.

McCartan and Oteh are not the answer.

Patrick should try and build his career and his spell at Wrexham is his opportunity to get a contract somewhere else.

Doyle, although we could recall him, ‘failed’ under Bowyer and has made it clear he wants to stay at Swindon. A potentially sullen/sulky player who isn’t prepared to go the extra yard, would not put his body on the line, and is running the clock down of his contract, would offer very little.

My view remains the same we need two replacement strikers to challenge Vaughan & Donaldson and offer options on the bench.

 

I think I covered it in the second word, of the second sentence. Looking to the future. Put it bluntly, he has made it abundantly clear where he wants to play his football. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50874079

 

Now l know that 3-6-1 can stir up a range of views, but their statistical analysis (which may be flawed but l haven’t the evidence to prov/disprove it) suggests, ‘Bradford have the most dangerous-looking attack but their defence is performing at a relatively average level’. https://experimental361.com/2019/12/27/scatter-graphics-league-2-27-dec-2019/ So we may well have a team capable of creating chances, just not enough strikers making the most of them.

Given the current circumstances, then as our strikers we have:

• Vaughan, who’s now up-to third equal top striker in the division (albeit with a lot of Penalty goals).
• Donaldson, on 13 appearances and two goals. If that form continues when he returns, expect a return of around six for the season.
• McCartan, who despite being around the club for a long time, was ‘ditched’ by Lincoln when they got promoted (he scored eight times out of thirty eight appearances) and looks well down the pecking order.
• Patrick. Despite cameo appearances never a proven scorer at this level and has dropped down to a team struggling in the league below.
• Doyle. Under Collins, Hopkins, and Bowyer his return was eleven goals out of forty six league appearance. He has made it abundantly clear that he wants to see out his season long loan at Swindon.
• Oteh, on loan from QPR, so not ours. Fourteen appearances and a mere two goals. One for the future, perhaps, and not with us.

So there is a dearth of goal scorers in the club. Without strikers getting into positions to make the most of chances, then you aren’t going to score many goals from open play. You watch teams like Leicester, Liverpool who often play through (long but you aren’t allowed to say that) balls and their strikers get onto the ball as they are stretching the defenders. In my opinion, you could argue that our midfield is constricted by the lack of options available, as Vaughan likes to go ‘walk about’ often drifting very deep and then not being in a position for the midfielder to pick a pass.

My view is that we will have to stay with Vaughan and Donaldson, but given the current ‘circumstances’ I could see the other four go, to create an opportunity to bring in two solid forwards.

 

I genuinely hope you are right, if he returns.

I guess the view l have, is that he is not a piece of plant machinery which the club ‘own’, which will perform to its capacity wherever it is deployed. He has emotions and feelings. He has gone much further, in making the comments that he has, than most players.

For the avoidance of doubt, this is what he is reported to have said, ‘he wants to stay at Swindon Town and would be "disappointed" if Bradford City recalled him’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50874079

He will be a free agent at the end of the season. I guess it is in his interests to be injury free, avoiding those nasty tackles, turns at pace on an uncertain pitch or anything which could limit his prospects.

If it didn’t work out at City, he could quite rightly say he was ‘forced’ back, and that going to a club where he is comfortable, he is more likely to replicate his early form.

This side is still one which score very few goals for a top ten side, only Forest Green Rovers have scored fewer. So how is it a different side from the one he left on 16/8/2019. Apart from Oteh IN and Patrick OUT?

A gamble either way.