Pre-Season Friendlies 23/24

I hope so as he was MOM for a Colchester a fair few times last season and performed well against us.

 

I was livid Serge, that league was ripe for the taking. To have the league’s top scorer, one of a top two keepers after Vigoroux (sic) and loan talent like Crichlow, Wright, Banks, and well paid talent like Walker and Smallwood (both on excellent money for L2) and still feck promotion up (too three would have done), takes quite a bit of doing.

still, the board kept faith. The league looks much tougher now but we’ll have to put up with him for another year.

As you can tell, I’m buzzing for another season of football at Valley Parade after our pulsating pre-season.

 

Stoke fans also said the best football they had seen at stoke and he transformed their club.

 

I'm not making comments with regards players until I've seen them in a game that means something not pre season friendly games, BUT Mark Hughes has been at the club since 22nd February 2022 he's had 3 transfer windows in that time and along with Stephen Gent has to be held accountable for players who have worn the shirt during their watch.
I'm not shouting for his head but this is the season we have to get out of this league, not because were big b**ls Bradford City but because in my case I'm finding watching Bradford City especially at Valley Parade a chore and that has rarely been the case in my 65 years or so of supporting our team, and if that was the case it was because the manager at the time was under financial constraints that is not the case under Mark Hughes.
As with every other season football fans will be optimistic with regards how their team will perform I'm no different I hope this will be our season, but lets say I've been more optimistic in the past, Hughes is talking as if he intends to play "on the front foot" whatever that means so lets hope that not only delivers the results but they are won with attractive football, there will be games where we have to be more defensive as a team but lets have a situation where teams worry about Bradford City not vice versa.

 

Yet your telling everyone pre season friendlies don't mean a thing its all about fitness and getting the right formation.

 

We wernt a million miles off. Yes it will be harder this season but sacking him a bit extreme....

There was progress and positives last season and for that he should get another go at it. He wont be hear in 12 months if we fail again and we will move on to the next one...

 

I think we will have to accept our defensive stability is gonna be weaker if we really are looking to play more on the front foot but if we end up doubling 1-0 leads more than we chuck it and finish 1-1, as often happened anyway, it is worth taking some risk?

 

there were several times on the promotion run in when the top three looked in our grasp, but, when the chips were down, we disappointed. We played some good stuff at times, which made it frustrating we couldn’t see more of it.

Losing Wright in January was a blow and maybe the signings we made limited our options to mix things up.

he’s had another pre-season now though so if we don’t go up i’ll be glad to see him walk.

he’s spent his whole managerial career at clubs who never contested titles but a different mindset is needed now. Safety first and survival mode (just happy to be out of action at either end) isn’t needed here - we need some ambition and a bit more willingness to finish teams off.

 

We were not too far away from promotion last season, a bit of quality tweaking was required to improve us.

Really happy with the signing of Pattison to give us more threat from central midfield.

My main concern is the defence which in the main was solid last season, however, central defence has been weakened this summer and the formation of 3 at the back is going to make our defence a sieve in my opinion with the players we have.

 

As Johnny Nash sang 'There are more questions than answers ' which isn't really where you want to be after all your preseason games and preparation! We look very stodgy in certain areas and I do worry whether Hughes has total clarity of mind in what he wants us to do.
Guess we'll start to find out in the coming weeks

 

Love it, and just about sums it up at this moment in time, as most fair minded fans would say they will not judge Hughes until we have played a fair chunk of the season, I think most will recognise within the first 10 games or so where were at as a team.

 

I echo your sentiments regarding pre season and to be honest I'm hoping for a more aggressive approach to our play which was certainly not on show in any of our friendly games.
I realise no one wants to get injured before the season starts but sometimes in these fitness and team shape games it's so obvious players fail to commit fully which adds to the overall spectacle served up.
My biggest worry going forward is once again upfront.A solitary Cook isn't the answer.
Our defence as shipped goals for fun so far but we need firepower to win games and that's not been addressed over the summer.
Young Bobby Pointon as definitely been the one standout performer in pre season the lads definitely got something,plays with no fear.Great and one to watch.

 

Broncs that’s a fordy quote ten games in ….stop it now or he will get all Bon Bon Bon clever me

 

Forgot to add the traditional scapegoat is obviously Ash Taylor.
Hope he proves the pre season doubters wrong to be honest I don't want any of our players to fail.
They are gifted enough to make a career out of sport I'm not.

 

Agree, some need to give their head a shake.

Just an attention seeking little boy. First thing you notice …never engages in a debate and discussion? Just says something ridiculous, seldom stringing two or three sentences together and then disappears waiting for his next rusk.

 

The perennial excuses are just starting up, we're in the middle of "the results are unimportant as they're just friendlies at the moment"
However from next weeks defeat at Crawley until early October it'll be " Give them time to Gel"
For a few weeks after that it "We're just getting the lads returning from injury up to speed, be like a new signing"
Then it's "we need the transfer window open to beef up the squad"
haha

 

Here comes another one.

 

Great record.

 

Quite right Park, I can't do with this negativity over one result being the reason to dredge this bile up. Speaking as a fan many on here like me and Broncs plus others have been around long enough to have seen great pre seasons followed by abject fails and vice versa, it means little or nothing which is one reason I don't go to games although I did do Bury, out of solidarity and Boro out of curiosity.
For me the biggest issue is to play on the front foot as we did in both games I've seen, plus Hull I'm told. We have pace and we have some good players, better than last season in my view.
The one big issue for me is for MH to get rid of the mindset we seemed to have last time and what seems to have been an issue yesterday. That is 'we only have to turn up to win or at least draw', not so and despite what some on here say it was that which cost us auto promotion last time. Points dropped in the last 10 minutes or even added time against Barrow, Colchester, Crewe (thanks to our moronic fans), Swindon home and away, Gillingham and possibly others. The abject Cup loss to Harrogate are all symptoms of a state of mind which had it been eliminated would have us in L1 next Saturday.
High press will, as MH said, see off a lot of opponents and perhaps another two loan signings, please no Billy Sharp, from PL or Championship, ala Cullen, Burke, Pickford, Staunton qulity to name a few in whatever position we need will do me fine.
On Saturday we play a Club in chaos with fan demos planned, 3 wins in the first week will calm everyone, 3 wins with goals we are capable of scoring in my view will be better.

 

Love that sums it up perfectly