Most liked posts in thread: No wins in 5 - a cause for concern?

You know, it's possible to get promoted winning by the odd goal and having the odd bad run of form.

Just thought I'd throw that obvious sentiment out there.

 

Disagree. Finish 7th and get promoted via the play offs would be deemed a successful season, after last seasons debacle

 

You keep mentioning Doyle...you also (rightly) mention GB and his inability to get the best out of key players. What massive brainstorm is likely to enable GB to play to ED's strengths? He'll do what he did before and play him as a target man, which he isn't. Also we don't have a midfield set up to supply what Doyle needs, otherwise he'd be here still...with 15-20 goals to his name. Some of your moaning is bang on....some of it is just nonsense. Bowyer is a typical journeyman 3rd/4th div manager. He'll try to bend players to suit his way, he can't bend his way to suit the players he has. It's so frustrating to see the players we have playing the way they're instructed. He's obsessed with the opposition and how to combat them rather than focused on getting the best out of the talent he has available. He's typical of a lower league manager, every now and then he'll have a group of players that suit his ways and it'll work, most of the time he'll underachieve. Doyle would be better staying where he is than coming back here to rot in a system that doesn't suit him.

 

The one thing that is a fact is that things hav got change. Because if this m

I agree with your point about Bowyer being too obessed with how the opposition play ? Theres nothing in this league that I would over compensate for in preparation. I would focus on us and how we impose ourselves no matter who we play ?. If we get the ball down; feed the wide men and get balls into a double strike force we will have this league no question.

 

Stop moaning. At least we're not Bury FFS

 

The football is turgid but I can stomach that if we are taking the points. I’m not fussed how we get out of this league just that we do and at the first time of asking. If we don’t go up this year and the football remains painful on the eye crowds will dwindle for sure.

I’d give Bowyer the full season however anything less than promotion he can go for me.

A couple of other requests / expectations

Whilst I’ll admit we aren’t playing to his strengths, Vaughan needs to start showing he’s played at the top level, like many I was excited by his signing however apart from maybe 3/4 games at the start of the season he’s been well average for someone with his pedigree, at least Donaldson looks like he’s played at a higher level.

Secondly, that we deploy a simple a 442 formation, no boring, negative 451 or whatever formation, 2 up top to ask more questions of these god awful league 2 defences and work keepers more.

Thirdly, A pairing of Reeves and Cooke in central midfield as soon as possible

This league is shit, light years behind league 1, I’m guessing it might be the poorest it’s been for a while, If Bowyer can’t get this club out at the first attempt with a budget bigger than most then for me it would be a total failure

 

Depends on your perspective I suppose. Some people are looking at our performances for the season as a whole, as well as our recent form and drawing their conclusions based on a number of factors. Maybe it's right, maybe it's wrong.

But I remember the same 'loony bin' accustaion being levelled at supporters in the second half of the 17/18 season when their position was 'we're going down next season'. It wasnt as funny in the end....

 

They were set at 'lucky to be top 7', but given the investment in the first team, those standards were increased to top 7 minimum, top 3 realistically.

I don't think we differ too much here Fordy, it's just that I think we will make top three based on what I've seen this season and you apparently don't.

There is no difference in ambition, just perceptions of where we are right now.

 

I don't really understand his thinking. Two wingers in the squad? Check. Central midfielders? Check. A combination of holding and creative midfielders? Check. Two strikers? Check. Is one of them a target man? No. Do we play better as 442? Check.

Very strange. Seems he is trying to make things difficult. We talk about him overthinking the opposition, but he didn't seem to try and counter the fact that Vaughan is 5 foot 10, and their two centre backs are six foot three.

 

Macclesfield have lost 3 0 twice this season, every other loss has been by one goal. Theyve drawn 8, have conceded less than Swindon and Crewe, and only 3 more than we have.

I think the poor off field situation is making fans make assumptions about their on field results.

 

I've read the stats but base my view on watching the game on Saturday - they looked terrible. A team playing football should wipe the floor with them and we should have done too.

 

So if we win say 3 out of the next 4, you will leave out all this talk of getting rid then?...until the next time we go 2 league games without a win

 

Macclesfield set up with a 3-4-2-1, and committed 7 players to defensive duties.

This is why they have now conceded just 1 goal in 3 league games, and have only lost 6 of 19 games - when we visit them with just one seasoned striker in our ranks, we needed a bit of luck that we just didn't get. However we did create enough chances to win nonetheless - but it's not good enough for some because of one simple piece of analysis:

They're Macclesfield, and we're Bradford.

That's a bit silly, isn't it.

 

Don't let the stats fool you, only two of those shots were inside the penalty box. The rest were just hopeful long range attempts.

 

We do have a game in hand to some teams but currently sit seventh, that position to me is absolute bare minimum requirement for this side. we should be aiming for top 3 all season in this division.

 

We all keep on talking about the awful football under Gary Bowyer but other managers set their teams up the same way, yet they manage to produce attractive football. And the end of the day it is up to the players to perform when they step on to the pitch. The player's movement off the ball is not good enough, quite often the player in possession has little or no option.
Yesterday Vaughan missed a sitter and I was telling at him like everyone else. Having said that even with the system we are playing we are giving him enough support and consequently he is having to do far too much work outside the box. One good thing from Vaughan yesterday was the headers he one against the two giants they had at the back.
The fact that our passing and movement is poor made the presence of both Reeves and Taylor such a big plus. Jake Reeves was cramping up before he went off and I am not surprised the amount of work he got through.

 

Agree but might be too late to wait on players coming back

We need to produce now. It's not been good enough for weeks.

Tactics haven't been good enough also.

 

No doubt we'll have a mini run (1 on the trot..!!) before end of transfer window and end up going with what we have...................

 

We look like a team that can't put a decent run together at this moment.

We should be beat midtable teams.

4-4-2 has always been the formation Bowyer should of been playing with this group of players! It's worrying that he can't see this.