The Voice - Match preview Most liked posts in thread: Newport County vs Bradford City Saturday 23rd September 3:00pm

Wow! I’ll happily eat humble pie, I didn’t think we would even score today. Best performance of the season by a COUNTRY MILE……FINALLY!!!

Firstly Cook. Class. I’ve often been his critic but wow did he show us what we have missed today.

Thought Odour and Tulloch were really great first half. Really pulled Newport all over the place with (finally!) some decent quality into the box.

Macdonald was also class for me. I really like him. Not only his assist for Tulloch, which showed his past level - different class. But as a whole performance it was exactly what I’ve always wanted to see from Smallwood.

Walker and Halliday again really good.

TBF all the team earned their crust today.

However I’ll leave the finally credit to Hughes and staff. The work apparently done in training certainly looked like it paid off. They’ve deservedly had a lot of stick this season and it’s been well deserved - but only fair to acknowledge they got it right today.

Something to build on - important we do.

 

Giving this one a miss. I have been to every away game including Accy and Wrexham, and with the manner we played yesterday I am not subjecting myself to a 4 hour drive to a shithole like Newport just to watch us put in yet another abject and demoralising piss poor performance. Opted for an afternoon round Pudsey instead for my mates birthday

I think 10 days away from thinking about City will do me the world of good to be totally honest!

 

Not sure there's much Yann can do to keep Harrogate up when he plays for Morecambe.

 

I think it’s appalling that he’s going to risk long term damage to Cook by bringing him back too early to try to save his job. Hell of a risk!

 

Pattison and McDonald with Walker making up the triangle? Yes please!

 

Got to love a Saturday after a win, from absolute shite to world beaters. The wonderful world of social media.
Amazing just how important a firing Andy Cook is to this side, was excellent today

 

The one game I decide not to go to and we trounce them. Un-fecking-believable

 

Agree 100%. If fit, McDonald has to start ahead of Smallwood imo and once Pattison is back, the pair of them together could be the CM pairing we've been crying out for.

 

Cook looks thin today

 

How refreshing to see a City side playing with intensity and attacking purpose. Its an approach thats the exception rather than the rule where Hughes is concerned, so lets see if it can be repeated consistently.

 

Very good win! Same again next sat please!

 

View from the other side, good write up:
https://markvickery007.medium.com/county-second-best-all-over-the-pitch-1204ca7c0e5d

 

I think it's kinda clear that today was a 1-1 outside of Andy Cook.

Andy Cook came back and smashed in a hat trick.

Tulloch played well, and some awesome balls from McDonald.

But Cook was the difference, not 'set up', not 'formation', not 'tactics'.

That first goal was a slightly above average cross from Tulloch, not to be mean or anything, putting the cross in when Cook's in there is absolutely the right thing to do. But the fact Cook attacked that cross like he did, smashing in his header from such height, that's all about Cook.

Without Cook, any other City player doesn't do anything with that cross, and nobody remembers it even getting put in the box.

Andy Cook.

That was the difference today. The rest, all the excuses and reasoning, is kinda nonsense.

 

Its worrying how quickly the mood has gone downhill since losing in the playoffs. Home results show us unbeaten but thats not half the story. Each game has seen us score either just before half time or full time to mask over what were pretty poor and uninspiring performances. I've heard the line trotted out about getting injured players back but lets be honest only Pattison looked anything like scoring regularly. Andy Cook only looked like scoring in one game at Stockport, the rest he was feeding off nothing.
And with Hughes choosing to revert to a 4-2-3-1 but without the likes of Scott Banks and the injured Andy Cook, we go back to a line that generally flattered to deceive, bar the fantastic season of Cook. Even with the likes of Walker coming back and the return of Chapman its hardly getting the pulse racing for whats to come. I'll be honest i don't know how it changes with what set up we have, we need to forget this notion of 'handbrakes' being on and the like. that ain't a handbrake, its the managers modus operandi and as i've mentioned before you can't change a managers philosophy.

 

Pointon isn’t dropped, he is being brought on gradually. Remember he’s only been given an early full debut because of injuries

Expect to see him come on after 60 or so in all honesty.

 

Take a bow Rayhaan Tulloch, an assist and a goal already on his first start for us

 

I disagree Jon. I know I didn't see all of the game but the bits I did see, look how many times McDonald played forward and started attacks at the turn over of possession. Then add in that assist and the difference between him and Smallwood I think was also a huge factor.

 

So Hughes has gone from Saturday not being a must win game, to considering bringing back a not fully fit Cook next Saturday because it's a 'needs must' situation.
Can someone make this make sense?

 

Can't stop re-watching that pass from McDonald to Tulloch, absolute class. If Smallwood had started instead, you can bet your house he would have played that ball backwards.

 

He getting carried away with the result, water off ducks back, I've been disappointed with our situation like the majority on the forum have but I can't recall me waiting him out.