The Voice - Match preview #26: Bradford City vs Walsall Saturday 25th January 12:30pm

We did, absolutely no complaints. It was a professional performance and the type of result promotion winning sides get when not playing well.

 

You put together some really good points there. My thoughts on whether we would see a similar performance with Cook in the side, is that the press is started by Kav and as you say, Cook would be blowing after half time, that then allows the opposition defenders time to pick their passes and build attacks. Secondly, Cook isn't as technically gifted with the ball at his feet. I don't see the intricate passing we play now, coming off a often as it does. There's no doubting as a goalscorer there's no one to touch him in this division. It's all about opinions though and I'm in no way criticising the massive contribution he's made, single handedly in the last 3 years.

 

Agreed! He's been very very good recently.
That pass in the lead up to kavs goal at Carlisle was sublime

 

It will be interesting to see how they fair on Tuesday night when they face Fleetwood who absolutely battered them last time out.

 

Tnx, one bit I would disagree with, Kav isn’t technically gifted either!
Oh for another Robbie Blake!

 

Yes Alexander alluded to players and himself getting accustomed to managing and playing at Valley Parade, I know we have a bit of banter when we quote what players will say when signing for Bradford City but it is a challenge to play in front of that atmosphere yesterday. of 17/18,000, having said that I bet the lad was champing at the bit to be a part of that performance and

 

There will never be another Robbie Blake. I consider myself lucky to have seen him during the years of my life when football was a complete obsession.

 

Still is to some degree for 24 hours at a stretch?

 

I can only base my opinion on what I see. If I'm wrong in my judgement then so be it, you're entitled to call me out. I just think that we are a better attacking outfit without Cook in the side. I'd have said the same last season.

Like I say, I appreciate that it sounds counter intuitive but Cook scoring a goal every other game doesn't negate the fact that we look less dangerous as a team when he plays.

You're right about the long ball game. We used it constantly yesterday but it's what we do with the second phase that changes without Cook. The whole dynamic is different.

I said at the time when Cook got injured that we'd go up now without any doubt. I didn't post on here because I couldn't be arsed with the back and forth that I'd get dragged into.

If Cook was fully fit for Tuesday I'd be keeping the side the same with him on the bench as a plan B.

 

Eh? Technical is the one word you definitely wouldn't use when describing Kavanagh. His touch is terrible at times and his passing is very often wayward.

He's loads of attributes, not least his workrate, attitude and aggression but certainly his technical attributes still need plenty of work.

 

Good to see someone using this idiom correctly.

 

And won 5 out of the last 6 games and it should have been 6 from 6 as we screwed up at Barrow. so unlike you @Loyalbantam not to champion the team, you must have seen an improvement in our team since the Notts County debacle mainly Pattison Sarcevic and Richards being starters ?.

 

Happy to respect your opinion, you've explained it very well and it's good that everyone is now debating the positive angles rather than constant doom and gloom. However,I just don't see how the second phase you mention (and we both agree on) is enhanced by the change of forward.

For me, like I've explained, the big difference is the midfield shape and fact we've now got runners picking up second balls and even going beyond whoever the number 9 is.

I fully believe the exact same system would work with Cook as it's more about the midfield 4 and the wingbacks rather than the number 9.

I would keep the same side though, I agree on that as they've all earned it.

 

That's a little unfair comment this is exactly were we were when Cook did his ACL injury, hardly out of the promotion race and that was mainly because of one player scoring the majority of our goals.
League Two table on the 1st January :

 

Maybe to his credit it's the reliance on him as a goalscorer. I'm convinced that our attacks consisted of the ball constantly bring shovelled into wide areas resulting in hopeful crosses that were usually easy to defend. We look to play it through the middle a lot more now. I'd also add that Kavanagh's movement disrupts defenders a lot more. Even though Cook won more headers, they invariably fizzled out and when he wasn't winning headers he was far less mobile and therefore able to affect the number of aerial duels contested. I'd add in the fact that there was a huge over reliance on finding Cook early and missing opportunities to carry the ball and look for other options.

 

Not far off a goal every second game and got us into the playoffs single handed under Hughes. Some fans have a very short memory span.

 

Walsall was only the third game game without Cook and Carlisle was hardly inspiring we made hard work of a team we should have put to bed by half time, we beat both Port Vale and Chesterfield with Cook in the side, keep Cook out of the game and we don't score not many teams have done that over his time at Valley Parade and Swindon Town, Chesterfield, Crewe, Gillingham, Cheltenham, found that not to be the case

 

I get that so why have him on the bench if you have no intention of giving him as in yesterdays case 15/20 minutes when your 3 - 0 up against the run away league leaders that's my point.

 

We've 7 subs Bronco, they're not all going to get game time, it is what it is.

Perhaps he'll get some against Morecambe or Saturday with a few more training sessions under his belt.