The Voice - Match preview Barrow vs Bradford City Wednesday 1st January 2025 3:00pm

Overcast, but now dry, and not too windy.game should deffo go ahead.

 

Thomas Kirk will be the man in the middle today So far this campaign, Kirk has taken charge of 13 games across the EFL and has dished out 69 yellow cards.
Could get very messy if the bad weather persists.
Another card happy official great.

 

I think most refs are. I would imagine 5 yellows per game is standard these days?

 

Yeah not far off. Average so far this season is 4.48 cards per game in L2.

 

I think the yellow cards are a given these days unfortunately.
What boils most peoples piss are the refs who can’t accept any contact whatsoever.
Contact doesn’t always have to be a foul.
It’s just contact.
Sundays whistle happy prick just had to constantly blow for everything and had to be the centre of attention at every free kick.
It stops any momentum from either side and just makes it all about him.

I thought the Port Vale ref got a couple of things wrong but at least he allowed the game to move along with quick free kicks and allowing the players a little bit of leeway with where the free kick is taken from.

 

Don’t the EFL learn something from the data extrapolated from these officials dishing out cards like confetti ? Add to that Premier league players and referees seem to play under totally different rules than us plebs?

 

Averages are a great guide but don’t tell the full story …some of the bookings we witness are just pure physical contact in a contact game yet deemed a “foul” worthy of “punishment” .
Totally annuls the reason for having them in the first place.

The fool we had the other day dished em out on ridiculous petty infringements early on then left himself with nowhere to go in the second half with more foul play going unpunished and eventually losing total control for 5 mins.

Spoils the game for fans of both sides.

I’d be curious to know how the stats stack up re penalty awards. They “seem” terrified to award one these days, both for and against.

 

The booking given to Jay Benn is a prime example. It was a great tackle - hard but accurate. He got all of the ball. The Chesterfield player’s foot hit the other side of the ball fractionally later, and with less balance, and he therefore went flying. That’s football, or at least it used to be. Sometimes you get floored and/or hurt in the physical contest of a tackle. That doesn’t necessarily make it a foul challenge. It shouldn’t even have been a free kick, let alone a booking.

 

Wonder who GA will tinker with today? ( Assumes no injuries or illness)

In Huntingdon, out Byrne

In Richards, out Benn or Halliday

In Bobby, out Wright ( Not even on the bench? )

 

Wish I knew this was pay on the day! Fancied it this morning, like an awsy trip in Barrow specially seen as there's bar is attached to the ground, friendly place to go aswell.

Come on city! Can't wait for kick off.

 

Interesting changes, I can see why though with such a hectic schedule. We really need the 3 points today, time to improve our away form if we are serious about promotion.

 

Does Callum Johnsons return spell the end for Jay Benn? Noticed he hasnt made the squad today.

 

Whatever the performances/results we were always going to make a few changes each game as playing the same 11 over the Christmas period last year killed us and Alexander admitted after that it was a mistake from him. Good chance to rest Kelly and Sarcevic who are only just coming back from injury.

Good to see Callum Johnson is fit enough to return to the bench, suspect is it is partly for a mental boost for him as much as anything to put him on the bench ahead of Benn who's travelled with the squad. In an ideal world we are 2 or 3 up with 10-20 minutes left then you can bring him on and also give Smallwood/Cook a rest who've played every minute since Notts county so far.

 

2 away wins all season, one of which was the opening day way back when.

No confidence in that turning around after scraping wins against relegation-form Port Vale and Chesterfield Reserves.

It'll be a comfortable Barrow win.

 

Is there what looks like a member of the aristocracy or a racehorse next to him?

 

Pitch in great shape.
Must be still drunk, I'm seeing Callum Johnson

 

Does his Mrs know?