McCall & Black sign 1 year contract extension

To be honest I’m surprised at the massive negative reaction on here. Some people have a very short sighted view of things.

When McCall arrived last season it was was clearly already a write off. We had the likes of Hope Akpan, Chris Taylor, Kelvin Mellor and Jermaine Anderson in the squad FFS.

Fast forward to this season - against the backdrop of a pandemic - most of the players (who we should know better than anyone aren’t good enough) are still here.

So far McCall has signed Clarke (who is turning out to be pivotal to our squad, despite - as usual - most fans despairing that he signed), Cooke (who was good last year but had taken time to settle this year), Evans (lots of experience since he left the first time). DME has been a disappointment. Hosannah has been great. Samuels looks like he’s starting to get up to speed (good game on Tuesday).

We’ve got/had injuries that are hurting us - Hosannah (although French has been doing OK), Staunton, Novak (our most reliable scorer), Cooke, Evans, Clarke. These are all starters.

This club needs stability, not uncertainty. We are still suffering from the Rahic era, and now is finally the time to put it to bed. What happens if McCall went at the end of the year? A new manager again, new players again.
Everyone talks about us lacking an identity. Ryan and McCall and everyone else are trying to build an identity. You don’t build an identity by chopping and changing every few months. I thought Bowyer was the answer. A good guy, but sadly the wrong manager for this club.

We now have a solid and consistent base of staff from the CEO to the manager through to the coaches, physios, fitness manager, and down to the youth team where good things appear to be happening.

Some of the vitriol on here is painful to read and I’m considering deleting my account and leaving you all to it. Call me a happy clapper all you want, but these are my thoughts. Not saying I’m right, but I do think a lot of people have a very short sighted view of the whole situation and how we got here in the last 2 years. Now is the time to arrest the decline and move forward. They’ve chosen the way to do it, let’s come together and get behind it.

Cheers.

 

Don't doubt about Saturday, to which I think we will lose anyhow.
With all the decisions, talk, squad assembly.... Just how skint are we?

 

Come on @wetherbywhaler.... I still await your reply.

 

It was obviously a good batch!

 

Are you still of the same opinion now you’re not trippin’?

 

pointless deleting your account because you don’t agree. What’s the point in a forum but to be debate?

Can you tell me what identity we are building? I see no style of play. No real signings that show we are after let’s say pace and power? Or set pieces and tough to crack? Just a few examples would be good.

granted we have injuries and there is no hiding place at the minute as games continue to come thick and fast but we chose to have a small squad. January can’t come quickly enough.

On the signings Clarke has been half decent. Hoshannah too but only a loan. Watt looks to have a future but needs the right man next to him to succeed. The rest have been poor. Cooke looks a shadow of the former player we had. Evans good on paper but looks like he’s not fit or legs have gone. DMH should never have been brought back

With a smaller squad going forward McCall currently has about a 20% success rate with signings. Can he be trusted to bring in the right players to build us into a promotion side? It’s a no from me. He couldn’t do that in his previous spells to prove he could sign the right player.

 

Just caffeine today, but I am 99% in the same place as yesterday!

Changes at the club HAD to happen, they might not be the changes many fans were looking for but I think we are now in a clearer position to progress the club - but as with all things the proof will be in the pudding (always thought that was a strange expression but I digress) and they now have to deliver a vision as to why yesterdays announcements will make a difference. Biggest thing for me is Stuart now needs to grab the bull by the horns and stop pussyfooting to some of his players who are blatantly failing him, I am already sensing this is happening.

Need another expresso now

 

Sparks has apparently been running the show for a few months and McCall has been the manager. What changes have actually happened?

 

You've heard it from Ryan more than once. Suggest you read his comments in today' s Yorkshire Post.

 

What is the point of giving a new contract to a failing manager who no body else wants?

 

Fully agree with all this. Plus a batch of youngsters getting first team experience, something we haven't had for years. This will allow us to improve the squad further as will help with budget. I dont think we are too far from a decent side. Get a old nasty centre back who organises as we are too easy to score against

 

Yes exactly this! The amount of flak ryan got was absurd. Did any of those people listen to his interview on bbc leeds? Id bet that they haven't. He was saying what a lot of posters on here have been saying such as failing to get targets in the summer and that recruitment/scouting needs to be improved. Whilst i was a tad disappointed with the appointment he is saying all the right things. He will have my full support and hopefully other posters on here will do same!

 

I'd say we are at least 2 maybe 3 players short of a decent first eleven and 4 or 5 short of a competitive squad.

 

Thats why I totally understand the viewpoint of fans who are not happy with yesterdays decisions - I just think there is a big difference to the way they have been working and their decision making processes and to the clarity of the position now. To be fair Andy it means there is now total ownership of their roles and I expect a different attitude, particularly Stuart as I have already alluded to.
There are no guarantees (there never are in football) but they can now make all the calls and will live or die by their decisions - I just think we have got rid of some of the uncertainty (but not expecting many to agree with me at this stage)

 

Think we need to have some action to back up words. That’s the issue. Plenty of angry fans out there who are fed up with the same old sound bites coming out of VP

we had rahic and Rupp saying quid tickets in the premier league in however many years. We’ve had we will get back to league one ASAP to we are now using this year as a stop gap.
We’ve had talks of competitive budgets to not selling top players to Vaughan’s departure and a squad who can’t even cover for injuries.

So yeah, talks cheap. Let’s see some action for a change

 

Not going to disagree with any of this

 

Still don’t understand the big delay between “identifying” and yesterday’s big reveal.Were they hoping that the team would be performing better and the transition from Rhodes to Sparks would be so much easier with a happy fan base.Probably decided to make it public news yesterday as any more delay while the team are falling down the league would have been even harder for fans to understand.Agree with most previous comments about January being the most pivotal transfer window in the clubs history.Previous ones have been embarrassing.Lets hope lessons have been learnt and Stuart and the club can accept that things have to change.Only time will tell but if they can’t see it now then we really are up shit street.

 

No I haven't read it prior to your reply. The source is not a read of mine so that particular article had slipped my radar.

Having read the article, assuming it's this https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/football/stuart-mccalls-hunger-be-part-long-term-bradford-city-rebuild-after-signing-contract-extension-3049090 im struggling to understand how it addresses my original question. I'm more than happy for you to correct me....

Roger, it appears when questioned, you can go on the defensive. You are as close a representative to the club we have on these boards, to which genuinely, I'm grateful. I'm sure others are too.
However, let's not kid ourselves, you are their to be shot down because of your status in the club. I have done it to you on two occasions... Your attendance at games and your Bolton prophecy.
Despite my posting manner, like you and so many others, I am worried about this club and am looking for answers, or little scraps, to digest and bring some resemblance of understanding.
When you posted earlier about fa cup opponents, I didn't agree but each to their own. But because of your close proximity to the club, it raised my curiosity.

So, I will ask the question for a final time with a little more curtesy.
Do we as a football club, have financial pressures which at this given time, would give preference to a 4th round tie and the cost benefits involved?

Thanks.

 

Again cant disagree with any of this bbb, to us yesterday seems, on the face of it, like pretty minimal change but there will have been masses of contractual aspects that needed sorting. Its an interesting thought that they were originally hoping to announce this on the back of more positive results, but I think they would have done this after the last cup game if this were case

 

I only wondered due to the fact that it now appears that Ryan has pretty much been in place for a few months.