The Voice - Match preview #26: Huddersfield Town vs Bradford City Saturday 24th January 2026 12:30pm

I think its more a reality of the position we are and the financial market we're in. For the striker we are looking for a league 1 Haaland, to get that we will need to spend over £1mil plus a 5 figure weekly wage and we can't afford it. Even if we can there will be 2 or 3 others that can comfortably out bid us.

 

Feels like we've forgotten how to do the basics. First shots in the last two games were about the 40 minutes mark, you cant be that pedestrian at home or away in a derby.

Goals from sloppy defence again, that's crept it's way into our normal defensive displays now. It seems like no matter who plays in the attacking mid roles, they cant get into the games and are chasing shadows. We struggle to be able to pass the ball to our nearest man. We struggle to show some intent and everything has to be direct. I cant see us still being a play off team by this time next month with the way we are showing lately.

 

Scary thing is today and a loss midweek could fook our season over big tiime ............no need at all for that today that 1st half was piss poor no need for it

 

Fair point re Ashby, my comment was that overall we do not look any stronger this window (potentially worse) and the spirit and togetherness looks a little astray. Let's tell it for what it is - that was a very uninspiring performance from all involved

 

Its a cliché....but absolutely this.

That 3-0 feeling at half time will never be forgotten.

 

That's exactly what I said on the way out.
We had a 0.16 xg.
Says it all regards chances created

 

We got what i feared zero
If Sarce and Swann were doubts and having already weakened the squad, then going into this game without refreshing the squad is criminal
We were 7 players down from the squad at the start of jan , the 3 replacements don’t look anywhere near what we need
We have an abundance of midfielders who create very little and when they do no strikers good enough to convert their 1 chance in 90+mins
Two more very tough games to follow
It feels like a big week for the club, but as I said in an earlier post, we could be sat here on four straight defeats come the end of next weekend

 

I’m not so sure.

What really scares me is that we could quite easily play like that on Tuesday night.

If you can’t get up for a local derby what’s going to change in 3 days to Tuesday.

Too many players are so out of form and others just look disinterested (yes you Humphrys) that you can’t just flick a switch and we are back to playing like August and September.

How is a 56% passing accuracy going to turn in to 75-80% by Tuesday.

Is GA going to admit that Humphrys isn’t the answer and often looks like he’d rather be anywhere else than in a city shirt.
Or Pointon(injured or not) is so far off in most away games it’s untrue?

Some serious looks in the mirror needed between now and Tuesday.

 

Fair play to Tyriek Wright today. He has many critics, however, today he was the only player who showed an ounce of passion and attempt to take the game to Huddersfield.

 

Of the loanees Ashby looks decent and will start at Lincoln, White to me looks lightweight and Sibley is just mediocre. We’ve lost some leaders in the squad and we need at least 1 striker and a creative midfielder. Sadly I think we will only bring in the Man Utd kid.

 

What happened on the touchline at the end of the match by the way. Tilt looked upset by something and police involved, racist chant perhaps?

 

Baring all that in mind, it does seem foolish to have let a player who has scored 88 goals for us go out on loan for the rest of the season. Anyone that says he no longer fits the way we play would do well to ask themselves if Humphrys does.

 

It's the same problem we've had since we bet Cardiff at their place, as we've never matched that since.

If Pointon, Sarcevic or Neufville - who significantly were the cheif architects against Town at our place, are out or off form we're unlikely to be doing much. In other words we have absolutely no ball control without them.

However, we had Sibley who can control a ball and then bizarrely played the undercooked, underconfident and naive White. Rarely I say this, but that was a bad error by GA.

And I keep saying we get away with murder at times with 3/4/3. If Pointon and Sarcevic are not available or so terribly out of form like Bobby is (not his fault, since September he's had a stop/start season) we need to switch to a 3/5/2. A midfield three of Power, Metcalf and Sibley looks like it would work against most teams.

Never mind. Let's remember it's late January and we're still very much in a League 1 promotion race. If I'd said this two years ago, that this would happen when we were busy not turning up against a Swindon (losing 2-0) team who hadn't won for ages, I'd have been banned from these boards

 

Tyreik Wright! I thought he was appalling. Had about ten clear opportunities to take on their full back - turned and passed it backwards every time. I’ve supported him at times, but a winger who won’t run with the ball is like a chocolate fireguard.

 

How come other clubs hang onto players until their replacement is brought in, but we, as in Cook, happy to let go before a replacement is in the building?

 

I agree Wright was much better today but his reluctance to take his man on is still so frustrating. Compare to when the Huddersfield wide men were running at us, albeit against our more pedestrian defence

 

Poor from the offset. Pushed back and never recovered. Not sure how they play every week but suspect it’s been nothing like that. Deserved their win. We created nothing vs 11 and had no creativity to unlock 10 men. Feels that we didn’t turn up which is frustrating especially vs the near neighbours. Could have been more than 1 first half. Start again. Tuesday is very important. Get something positive at Lincoln and this is in the rear view mirror. Worrying lack of Sarcevic and Swann. Need something to spice us up.

 

He's our best option in the attacking positions at the moment.

 

It’s been turgid football for quite a few months now but we’ve ground out some results.
Unfortunately now we are coming up against better teams where we won’t get away with poor performances.
Hard work starts now for GA. Could be a slippery slope from here.