The Voice - Match preview Bradford City vs Crewe Alexandra Saturday 26th August 2023 3:00pm

Didn’t Smallwood take over captaincy from Stubbs when he came on?

 

City do look far more comfortable when in the 4-2-3-1, i replied to @Faithful Bantam in an earlier thread as to our strongest starting eleven and the whole team was pretty experienced for L2 level
When we go with the wing-backs they are by far the least experienced in a Brentford B lad and a Wolves academy lad that we paid a nominal fee for so the big question for Hughes is does he stick with giving the young ones more game time to improve or listen to the older heads and get back to a formation that can get better results from the players.
Halliday looked, erm, dynamic when he came on, pushed right up to attack Crewe when he could.

 

First things first, why on earth was a remote control car driving the ball onto the pitch?!!!

RE the game, well done City.

It wasn’t a great performance but I never felt Crewe would score. Richards looked good, McDonald steadied things. Pattison continues to look a superb signing.

Its not happening for Cooky, who had been starved of service again.

Smallwood upped his effort when he came on.

we need to improve, it was a moderate display, but it was pleasing to bounce back from a thrashing at the hands of an average Morecambe side.

 

That car was faster than Cook.

 

Yes, normal practice. Darbs used to do if Jones ever came off the bench.

 

Cook was cleaner than the car after 90 mins.

 

Isnt that what got Jake Young shifted out ?

 

Yes and McDonald did it twice too

 

Hughes appeared to be having a "conversation" with someone in block B of main stand just after half time whistle sounded. He was gesticulating with his arms out wide then appeared to throw his right arm up in the air. Can anyone on here who sits in that area shed any light on what was said?

 

That's who I meant. Thanks for the correction.

 

That's why I said collectively. Strength in numbers and all that.

 

Stubbs may have twigged that there could well be a managerial vacancy here some time soon ...

 

Indeed although I don’t want to disrupt the team or push the club back. I have changed to twist today. I don’t really know what has changed since yesterday but it doesn’t feel right and there is no sign we are changing anytime soon.

 

If he was missing 2, 3, 4 chances a match then we could say he's off form.

Like last season really, we aren't creating enough chances for him aside from the Stockport match.

 

I didn’t see anything in him to worry any defence, let alone ours Park. Probably having an off day? Did he have any attempts at goal?

 

We created nothing all game for him.

its all due to hughes and his system

 

For me, it's pointless signing a young prospect like Richards and then not playing him. You accept he's learning and will make mistakes, and you take it as part of the process in developing young players that are actually yours, as you benefit in the long term. It's early days but I dont see the point in signing players like Ogeyoke on loan. Young loan players need to ve able to make a real impact on your team. Signing young defenders on loan makes no sense unless they're going to be a strong part of your team.

 

Completely agree. We created little in open play last season for Cook either. His goals mainly came from set pieces or individual brilliance. The system itself is dull, defensive and creates little. I'd love us to actually go an get manager that's committed to attacking football for once.

 

It is. It's unimaginative and dull resulting in the divisions leading scorer last season goalless after 6 games. I can't stress how much I hated the first half yesterday, it was gutless management just watching a game drift on by. And as with the Colchester game the goal came at just the right time to take what would have been warranted flack off Hughes.

 

And Hughes they 'got a reaction' after the Morecambe game. Don't make me laugh. The second half was better but that wasn't saying much. We will not go up under Hughes, we'll be mid table at best, and if Young keeps his form up then the pressure will only build.