Match Thread #3: Bradford City vs Bromley Saturday 24th August 2024 3:00pm

This team won't finish top 3, I don't think they'll even be close. We could make the play offs if key players avoid injury but unless we bring in 2 or 3 more genuine first team players I think we'll see a similar pattern to last year.

 

You are so negative Monkey, remember our 86/87 where we went from relegation fodder, then with a great run we finished 10th which led to our fantastic season in 87/88. Same with Trevor Cherry in 83/84 a great finish which led to our title winning 84/85 season. Finishing the previous season well while keeping most of the players can lead to continued success the following season. I know you would rather moan about our signings but lighten up just a little you may just enjoy this season.

 

They weren’t irrelevant,had they gone the other way it would have been meltdown, more protests and another total rebuild with a new manager.

 

Well you are probably correct there, Sparks has form for sacking manages at the end of a season when results are pretty much irrelevant, so if it helped GA keep his job then they do have some importance. I think with GA we can get promoted, but it will take some luck as I don't think we have brought in the required quality personally, but at this level teams don't necessarily need a quality squad.

 

You don't even need to track his run. Get a small lad to stand in front of him

 

Of course it CAN lead to success the following season but by having to go back nearly 40 years to try and prove it I'd probably suggest that it tends not to matter. Especially in the lower leagues when player turnover is so high.

How many of those that were mainstays in the team during that run are starting now? 5, maybe 6?

 

It didn't do Stockport or Wrexham any harm continuing their form from the previous season, momentum "winning games" is a great confidence builder, long may it continue.

 

It’s 7 actually as Wright played in the excellent end of season run in. In my opinion it should be 9 as I’d still have Pointon and Walker in our current side.

 

Your right most teams going for promotion go through bad patches throughout the season not having points in hand from when Hughes was in charge is the reason we missed out

 

And him (Hughes) being a complete bellend

 

If we're playing those games then some of yours need to be logged too Monkey. Ones like us finishing 8th-14th, Bryne and Baldwin being non-league standard. You've been anonymous on this thread but I'm sure we'll be seeing more of you when Baldwin and co have an inevitable bad game. No narrative though eh.

 

Feel free, log as many as you want.

There's a load of Ash Taylor posts very similar that you can find from last season if you want a look?

For this season though, and unless we strengthen, why do you think an 8th to 14th place finish is so outlandish?

 

Lewis seems a great lad and he attended the fire memorial service after he'd left us so fair play but he does deserve some stick and he will be getting some. We gave him his first break in football and he jumped at the first chance he got. This was after a poor first half of the season for us where his head had clearly been turned and being part of the blame for that terrible second leg at Carlisle. Fans are too soft with their sentiments, nowt better than getting one over on ex players. Hope they both have stinkers against us and are still league 2 players next season

 

Jamie Walker was marking him. I said to the guys next to me at the time “What on earth is Jamie Walker doing marking Webster”. Ridiculous.

 

Totally agree. It can't be denied that fans like that exist. Sergio is another one who has gone anonymous now that it's time to praise a good performance. If you can't give it both ways you can't really deny that you do just have it in for a certain player.

 

I do get it, you've been proven right to be negative as a City fan especially in the last 6 years.
You might be proven right with Baldwin and Byrne and I will bow to your superior knowledge/experience if you are but it wouldn't weaken your argument to just say that we and they have started better than you anticipated, it'd give your points more weight when it comes to criticising them as the season goes on.
Maybe you were busy saturday but I don't believe for a second that you and @Sergio Pinto III would have been this quiet if we'd lost.

 

Even more ridiculous than that, was the free kick that Walker gave away in the first place, which resulted in their goal. He made a similar error in the Grimsby cup game, he gave away a needless ball and it led to them scoring

I have a feeling it is errors like this that are keeping Walker out of the starting line up....particularly if GA addresses it with him and then he does it again next game....

 

I was at the Ebor in York and didn't see the game so it's very difficult to comment on performance.

From what I have read though it didn't sound like it was a completely dominant performance and the red card severely limited Bromley as an attacking force.

P.S. you never explained why my prediction of us finishing between 8th and 14th, unless we can strengthen, was so ridiculous in your view? Is it because we're currently second and in your mind that's how the season will play out?

 

As i said in an earlier post , i am spending very little time on here of late..
Its far too negative at times.
You would not think we are on a 10 game unbeaten league run, albeit over 2 different season's.
The much maligned defense has actually looked alright in the games i have seen.
Yes we have not been overly exciting to watch, but should have won by more on Saturday, Byrne, Sarcevic and Patto could and should have done better with their chances.
I said at the game , the only way they are scoring is from a set piece, so do not give away a silly foul, hey presto Walker does just that, their guy was going away from goal, no need to make the challenge.
Its early days and the new players are still settling in, as with all clubs.
A win at Grimsby, like we should have had in the cup and its a really good start.
Wins breed confidence and the aim is to get out of this bottom division and if we get 25 scrappy wins and 10 to 12 draws to achieve this, who cares.
I personally think performances will improve with game time.
Would like to see Pointon get more minutes, the lad has something.
Hoping this Adams lad can move with the ball at pace, as Sarcevic certainly cant and Pattison has looked a little off the pace to me. Smallwood has started the season well.

 

Have to say, Smallwood has been great so far, he really suits that in the hole position. Baldwin, much better than expected and Byrne looks pretty solid. Reminds me of Gary Liddle when he played CB