Most liked posts in thread: Leyton Orient away 14/12/2019

Did you travel the length of the country to watch that Park?
I'm a pragmatism and I'm pretty tolerant of dull football if it gets results. But Bowyer's extraordinary lack of attacking ambition makes Parky at his most cautious look like Kevin Keegan. And it's starting to wind me up.

Today's game was crying out for the speed on the flanks of Connolly, or some trickery from Ismael, to unlock a defence that is anything but impregnable. We had not a single corner and made the second worse defence in the division look like Arsenal under George Graham. It would have been perfectly possible to introduce a bit more creativity off the bench without going gung ho and risking defeat. With the players we have we should be beating teams like Orient, not hanging on for a goalless point.
We all want promotion. But watching live football is supposed to be a pleasure, not an ordeal, and today was grim.

 

Apart from two or three usual suspects, no one is saying it's a disaster. You are overreacting to what you claim is an overreaction.

Of course it's not a disaster. Being threatened with relegation would be a disaster. Being effectively joint third is clearly not a disaster.

But it's a bit more than disappointing.

We all know that we've had a terrible run of injuries that have affected our options and I agree that Bowyer has done well to get us where we are in those circumstances. But Donaldson and Devitt aside, we've got a virtually full squad available now.
We have, for this level, quality midfielders in Cooke, Pritchard, Palmer and now Reeves. Any three of those should be passing teams off the park, creating chances galore and bossing games at this level, but they're not being allowed to be positive. We've got sheer pace in Connolly and trickery in Ismael, but they're not getting games, even off the bench. We have two fullbacks who have shown themselves to be good at getting forward and putting crosses into the box, but they're hardly crossing the halfway line. We have a proven PL/Championship striker and a promising, rapid, Championship loanee who are getting two or three half chances per game between them and, therefore, not scoring, when they really ought to be scoring for fun at this level.

A point away at the worst form team in the division, with the second worst defence, is more than just disappointing, especially when you set up in a way that makes it damn near impossible to create scoring chances. It's pretty shameful, actually.

I'm generally seen as a happy clapper. I defended Parky's pragmatism. I even tried to support Hopkin until it became obvious that he'd lost the plot. I want to like Bowyer; he seems like a decent bloke, with the interests of the club at heart. But this unnecessary ultra negativity is straining even my patience. I don't expect to travel away and watch PL skills or tika taka football. And I understand being negative if you're in a relegation battle. But with the players we have and the position we're in I do expect us to attempt to win games against teams with bad defences at the bottom of the league. Bowyer keeps praising our wonderful away following but seems happy to serve them up utter dross like Saturday. There is a limit to how much boredom people will pay to endure when they see a team that, on paper is capable of so much more. No one expects us to throw caution to the wind, but there has to be a happy medium, surely?

 

How about what would the reaction been if we had played open expansive football and given them a right beating? Yeah you guessed it we’d have been rightly praising Bowyers attacking intent. Instead for the third game on the bounce and for the majority of games this season we are bored shitless. We should be going all out to beat teams like Macclesfield and Orient FFS, not hoping for a penalty or an own goal.

 

I wouldn't really have a problem with us setting up like yesterday, to grind out a point away at high-flying Swindon. That's pragmatic.
I have a big problem with setting up like that against Orient, who've been conceding goals for fun. That's just poor.
We have to take the points against the poorer teams when we can and we won't do it like that.

 

Enough about Gary Bowyer, let's focus on the game.

 

Who cares if he just sits on the bench? What I'm interested in is derailing them by taking away their top (our?) top scorer! They could drop like a stone without him. Let's just bring him back and give them a problem. We're competing with them! We shouldn't be helping them!

 

That was dire. Glad I came down for the weekend with my kids in London and not just for that shite.
We created almost nothing. Not a single corner all game. No creativity. Connolly and Ismael left on the bench while our strikers toiled with no service whatsoever.
Parky could be pragmatic and dull but this is taking it to a new level.
I've nothing against 3 5 1 if the wing backs get forward, but they didn't. So it was mostly 5 3 1, against a team that hasn't won for 9 games FFS.
And what the hell has happened to Cook? We were told he wanted to be in a more creative role. He's now got Reeves playing DM behind him so create! He's disappeared off the radar.

 

plenty of ticks on TCA bingo card there m8. Should have called house.

 

I'm not saying we should be 'open and expansive' away from home. But winning no corners and having just a couple of shots against the second worse defence in the division is ridiculous. We have a quality ex-PL striker running around like a headless chicken and receiving no service whatsoever.
There's being cautious, which I understand, and there's being absurdly unambitious against a team near the bottom of the league on a terrible run of form. It would have been perfectly possible to introduce Ismael or Connolly off the bench for half an hour to try to make something happen without going 'open and expansive'.

 

How can we be when we are so shot shy and toothless in front of goal?

We wont go up on bore draws mate.

We need to be scoring or building up and attempting to

We did none of those (again) today against a team performing poorly lately

We should have hit them for six had he used our wingers, which worked so well in earlier games

The guy is tactically useless and dull dull dull is an understatement of the football we are having to endure

 

This is spot on I would also add that following city away has been painful pretty much all season and whilst I’ve got Carlisle tickets I don’t think I can watch much more of this crap away from home

A lot of fans spent a lot of money yesterday and were served up some right rubbish

 

Let's spoil the party then. No sentiment from me. 3 points is all I'm bothered about. Cooke to go in early on Wright early doors as well, he won't want to be involved for the rest of the game from then on.

 

I can’t remember a more insipid, unambitious, uncreative performance by a Bradford City side. Against a team that hasn’t won in 9. 5 mins to go, Oteh comes off for McCartan and Bowyer tells Oteh to slow down as he’s coming off. Pathetic stuff Mr Bowyer.

Our performances are getting worse.

 

I asked before the game where our attacking players were. Lo and behold we create feckawl all game. We're not going win many games without having anyone to supply the front line. Setting up for a point against a team 19th in the league is piss poor from Bowyer.

 

Come on guys. Isn't it obvious? We definitely need 5 at the back against this type of team. Orient are ruthless!

 

We have no identity on the pitch, no settled system, no creativity and seem to be going backwards. It's all good and well saying we're 5th but the way we are playing is clearly not sustainable which I think is the biggest concern amongst fans. Something needs to change. I'm not suggesting we sack the manager but setting up with wingers and not playing half the team in defence will be a nice start.

 

Some reet moaners on here. GB's job is to get city promoted and is on track to do it. People pay £6 a game and complain about all sorts. Go watch Strictly Come dancing if you want entertainment. Most fans want promotion at all costs and GB will get us it and I put my money were my mouth is.