Showing posts with label Bradford City. Show all posts

How we think League 2 will look at the end of the season...

The League two season is finally back and it is looking like it is going to be an interesting one for us fans. There has been plenty of movement this off season with some teams really improving whilst others have lost some key players and have maybe surprised fans with who they have brought in as replacements. I am hoping we are in for a season where it really goes down to the wire again for who takes the league title and who ends up in the playoffs but at the same time I think this season we could end up with a real fight for avoiding relegation too that could even possibly go to the final game of the season for the final relegation spot. When you look around the league with those who were relegated and promoted at the end of last season I think we could see those teams coming into the league and cause a few shock results but I guess only time will tell. After having a look around the league here is what we think the table could look like at the end of the season...

Stockport County

Bradford City

Northampton Town

Leyton Orient

Salford City

Stevenage 

Tranmere Rovers

Crawley 

Colchester United

Doncaster Rovers

Walsall

Mansfield Town

Swindon Town

Crewe Alexandra

Newport County

Harrogate Town

Gillingham 

AFC Wimbeldon

Rochdale

Carlisle

Sutton United

Hartlepool United

Grimsby Town

Barrow

As we said at the start of the post we think it could be a very close season especially at the top of the league however, on paper newly promoted Stockport have really strengthened their squad ready to take on the new season and honestly they could cause some big upsets in the league and I think it they gel quickly and start the season on the right foot they could end up winning the league. I do wish I could have put Bradford City in the top spot but unfortunately I think they will get beat to this spot but will hopefully be promoted automatically this season, Hughes has brought some quality into the squad and they look way better than past seasons. Let's just hope this season is a good season to be a Bradford fan as after recent seasons we certainly deserve it. As for the remaining automatic promotion spot I really do think Northampton could push for this and again if they have a good start to the season I can see them just beating those around them to that final spot. 

The playoff spots are going to be widely contested with plenty of teams capable of putting in some great performances to gain the chance of being promoted to League 1 but I think at the end of the season we could be looking at Leyton Orient, Salford, Stevenage and Tranmere fighting it out for that final spot with Stevenage being the team to go up. As for at the bottom of the table I just can't shake the feeling that Barrow are going to struggle this season but also I feel like Grimsby and Hartlepool will be battling all season to stay above the drop zone with Grimsby losing out in the closing few games and heading back into the National league. 

Obviously these predictions have been made without a team kicking a ball yet this season so I am really looking forward to seeing how the season actually progresses and there will be a midway check in to see if these predictions are looking likely or way off plus a full round up at the end of the season with how far off the predictions were or if I got anything spot on. All I can say is I am really looking forward to this season as it has the possibility to be a great competitive one all round and fingers crossed it is the start of something good at Bradford City as that has been a long time coming.

Who do you think will finish in the top 3 and bottom 2 of League 2 this season? 

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Our Thoughts On Mark Hughes Being Appointed Bradford City Manager

 

Photo Credit : Bradford City 

It has definitely been a rough time to be a Bradford City fan, things just haven't been going to plan the past few years but have we finally found the cure to those past few seasons with the appointment of new Manager Mark Hughes? 

The is no denying that this season so far has been absolutely terrible (but more on that another day as that is a whole post itself) with results just not going our way and terrible performances on the pitch. It is safe to say the majority of us fans went into the season with high hopes thanks to promises from the club and the then new manager Derek Adams, with his track record it was hard not to be hopefully of pushing for promotion. But this didn't go to plan and it was safe to say everyone was getting frustrated. 

With the manager & team we had there is no doubt that we should have been getting much better results but something just wasn't clicking and performances were boring and painful to watch, you just knew walking into the ground you weren't going to be seeing the best from the players and I really do believe this is due to tactics and falling outs more than anything else. The tactics just seemed all wrong how you can play with 1 man up front and play the long ball every time baffles me, you need 2 upfront in this league and if you are playing the long ball you need 1 man to flick the ball onto another striker not just 1 man doing all the work for 90 minutes. We have had our fair share of injuries too which hasn't helped but we have a bench full of players that are more than capable of stepping up and putting in a good performance if they wanted to and if they were given the opportunity to. 

I wasn't a fan of Adams as our manager if I am honest, the football her orchestrated wasn't fun to watch and he didn't seem to want to change, his ego was a bit too big for my liking too. He constantly played it off as it was fans at fault rather than himself and seemed to keep bigging himself up as a manager when performances told a different story. His comment about us not finding a better manager tipped me over the edge and I wasn't bothered if he left the club. I do find it funny though as that was one of his final comments then along comes new manager Mark Hughes... 

With all the names being thrown around on who could possibly fill Adams shoes I honestly thought we would end up with Steve Evans or Richie Wellens especially with them being the most frequently spoken about names. I really didn't see Mark Hughes becoming our next manager, in fact when it was announced I was so shocked I thought it was a parody account that had tweeted it. When it finally did start to sink in though it got me thinking about what could be to come for the remainder of the season and next season. 

Mark Hughes is one of those managers who has been around for a while now and has managed at some great clubs with some big names playing at the clubs at the time, I have actually enjoyed watching the teams he has managed so lets hope that doesn't change with him now being in charge at City. With Hughes being used to managing at higher levels it is going to be interesting to see how he does with us in League 2 with standards and tactics being totally different to top leagues, I am sure given time though he will settle in nicely and find out the strengths of the team and how we can make it work in the league. He has notably had a few years away from the game too but I can't see that being too much of an issue with him and fingers crossed it brings him in with a clear view of what he wants to achieve. 

All that I can seem to think about though is the connections he possibly has from previous appointments and just his general time in the game to date, not only that his name should also bring the club to some great players attention and should help us build a great squad for the future. Granted there is not much he can do this season unless he brings in some free agents whilst that is still an available but I am more looking forward to the summer transfer period when fingers crossed we should be able to build up a strong squad and really look to push ourselves up the leagues in the future. Let's just hope we are right and his name does help bring in some great players as it is definitely needed in most positions on the pitch at the moment.

The announcement definitely seemed to help win back some fans and give them a little bit of a sense of hope after how the season has gone so far but I think most fans are going to have the same attitude of not getting their hopes up too high for the remainder of the season thanks to how the previous appointment turned out but I do believe the general sense is that we could actually be onto something good here and if given the support from the board I really hope this turns into a long term appointment and we could end up going back to the days of Phil Parkinson being in charge where fans really looked forward to game days and the stadium was full of fans chanting unlike it has been the past few months. 

I definitely aren't going to set my hopes too high with this appointment and I think it is going to take time to see drastic changes which we need but fingers crosses Hughes settles well at the club and gets plenty of backing from not only the board but the fans too, I know we have been having a bad season so far but miracles don't happen over night. We need to give Hughes time and a good chance to build his team, if results don't go our way straight away we don't need to be giving him abuse straight away because remember he inherited this team, he needs to have a chance to find out what works and to bring in the players he can work with the best. 

Fingers crossed we start to see the results change and start to go our way and lets hope the players start playing to the best of their ability now too and give Mark Hughes a reason to pick them week in week out. Hopefully we can start picking up points rather than dropping them. 

What do you think to Mark Hughes becoming Bradford City's new manager?

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Our Current Favourite Bradford City Players


It has been a strange start to the season for the Bradford City team with some great performances and some absolutely terrible ones, we went into the season full of hope after a pretty promising build up to the start of the season. However, once again it has been difficult to be a City fan with results just not going our way when we know that on paper our team is capable of big things. For some reason something isn't clicking at times with the team and performances just haven't been good enough. A few players have definitely not had the best of times lately and a few have also been hit by injuries that have kept them out for a while so I can't really judge them, there are a few players who have definitely stood out for me though and have had some very good games and have helped Bradford City get some of the results they desperately needed. So here are our current favourite Bradford City players...


Vernham has been brilliant out on the wing for us this season as his pace really helps us beat the opposition defenders and also get us in some dangerous places. He is also able to put some really good balls into the box which is what we really lack when he is unavailable for selection. He has got a few goals to his name but honestly it is his build up play that impresses me the most. 


I am so glad that Sutton is back from injury as he has been a big part of the team recently. He is absolutely fantastic in the middle of the field and can win the ball back in some great positions for us and help us break forward. He is definitely what City have been missing recently and fingers crossed he can stay injury free as I think he is going to be a key player for us and help us finally start to move up the table. 


Callum Cooke is a brilliant player whether he starts on the field of play or comes on as a substitute. His set pieces are great and he is brilliant in the middle of the field. I would love to see more of him alongside Sutton though as I think that midfield partnership could be great. I would definitely love to see Cooke get some more game play as he definitely deserves it and a few of the current midfielders definitely look like they could use a rest. 


I have absolutely loved Paudie O'Connor since he first arrived at the club as he is a great defender for such a young age. He has solidified his spot in central defence and is not only a great defender but we have seen how he can grab a goal for himself at set pieces. O'Connor doesn't seem to make as many rash decisions as he used to and he has shown he is a leader of the team. Let's hope he can stay injury free and away from suspension as the team definitely need him in that back line. 


Songo'o was one of the players we got in the summer and I was a bit on the fence about how he would fit into the squad but since seeing him play I have realised how good of a player he is. He is great in defence or as a defensive midfielder and he has put in some great challenges and helped us get into some great positions. Having him as an extra defender when he is in that defensive midfielder role is great as it just gives us a bit more protection at the back. Yes he has had some questionable games but so have the rest of the team but he seems to realise his mistakes a lot quicker and bounce back with a great performance.

These players have definitely helped City out so far this season and I can see them being influential right up until the end of the season. I am sure when I do my favourite players of the season overall some of these names are still going to be in the mix as I can only see them helping the squad as long as they stay injury free. It is going to be interesting to see how the season progresses for City after the Christmas period and I hope it is going to be a case of us starting to pick up all 3 points from games and hopefully by the end of the season a few more names will make the list.  

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Match Report : Bradford City Women Bow Out Of The FAWNL Plate After Penalty Defeat

 

Bradford City Women unfortunately bowed out of the FAWNL Plate competition with a penalty defeat again Midlands team Boldmere St Michaels Women. City actually came back from being behind twice, once in normal time and then again in extra time just showing how much of a fight they were going to put up to try progress to the next round of the competition, they unfortunately fell just short though with the game ending 2-4 on penalties in favour of the Boldmere St Michaels. 

City started the game well with them actually having the first the first chance of the game which unfortunately found its way over the cross bar. From then on the game was pretty end to end with both teams having some good possession but just unable to break the deadlock with shots either going wide or over the bar.  City did make some very promising looking runs forward with the ball in the first half and the right hand side was looking very strong with Stuart, Roberts and Hawkins all linking up really well to get City into so good positions. 

Unfortunately for City though it was Boldmere who broke the deadlock with a goal that you could say was against the run of play, a nice ball through saw them able to lob the ball over Richards who managed to get a hand to it but it just wasn't enough and the ball ended up in the back of the net. City tried to respond almost immediately with Norde having a long range effort but that ended up going over the bar too. Boldmere really seemed to pick up tempo after their goal but City still didn't give up and kept trying to break Boldmere down. It was Boldmere who got the second goal of the game though with them capitalizing on the windy conditions, the corner was swung in and with the held from the wind it beat everyone and ended up in the back of the net. 


It looked like the game was going to be 0-2 going into half time but once again City didn't give up and kept on pushing which paid off just before half time when City had a chance on goal which was originally saved by Boldmere but thanks to City pressing they were unable to clear their lines and the ball eventually landed with Stube who was able to slot the ball into the back of the net meaning City went into half time trailing 1-2 rather than being 2 goals behind. 

The second half started really well for City with the continuing to search for the equaliser and they were once again creating some good chances but were just unable to convert them into goals. It was in the second half when frustrations really started to show not just from those on the pitch but those in the dugouts too as some terrible refereeing decisions were made and some very questionable calls were given. Boldmere ended up winning a penalty which luckily for City they were unable to convert and the ball rattled the cross bar before being cleared away from danger. 


Frustrations started to boil over properly after the the penalty decision with both sides clearly getting worked up, after a run of questionable calls City's Roberts found herself in the sin bin for 10 minutes so City were down to 10 players on the field. It didn't stop City though who kept on fighting and pushing to find that equaliser and that eventually came when Roberts came back onto the pitch. City won a free kick in a dangerous position and Roberts stepped up to fire it into the back of the net, the rest of normal time City were pushing for the winner and looked like they could have possibly got one but unfortunately time ran out and the game entered a period of 30 minutes extra time with normal time ending 2-2. 


It didn't take long for Boldmere to take the lead once again with the wind on their side yet another long range effort found its way over Richards and into the back of the net. Once again City were behind but not looking like they were ever going to give up. City did end up down to 10 for the remainder of the extra time with Jakeman sent off for a second yellow card offence which in all honest was very questionable seen as she got her first yellow for what seemed like simply coming on as a substitute. There was just so much confusion created the whole game from the referee and the lack of consistency in calls and to be honest it did spoil the game a bit especially with players going on to yellow cards for the most ridiculous calls. Even though City were down to 10 they didn't give up and kept pushing for that equaliser once again which eventually came when City were awarded a penalty for a handball inside the box. Stuart stepped up to take the penalty and City were once again level and neither team could find that extra goal to stop the game going to penalties. The game finished 3-3 after extra time. 

Unfortunately even though City scored their 1st and 4th penalties they were just outdone by Boldmere who picked up after missing their 2nd penalty and went on to with the game 2-4 on penalties to progress into the next round of the FAWNL Plate competition. City can definitely hold their heads high from this game though as they showed that they can fight back and get themselves back into the game and not give up even when calls are going against them for the most ridiculous reasons. 



As for player of the match it was actually really hard to pick this time around as each player played well for various reasons, Hawkins made some fantastic runs and never gave up and Stuart played very well in defence linking up really well with Roberts and Hawkins to get City into some good positions. Roberts just beat the rest of them though to be our player of the match as she played some great balls into some dangerous areas and got forward to create chances plus she never looked like giving up even after the time in the sin bin, she came back on scored the free kick and defended really well to stop Boldmere on some dangerous looking attacks. Roberts is definitely a stand out player to us so far this season and we are really enjoying watching her play every week.

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It Is Another New Era For Bradford City


 

For a long time Bradford City seemed to be one of the few teams who would stick with a manager through thick and thin and we were settled but in recent years things have certainly changed and we seem to be going through managers far too quickly, it is almost like we really can't wait to get rid of them and make more changes instead of working on weaknesses and changing things around. It seemed like the owners didn't have a clue and no-one at the club actually wanted to progress which just frustrated us fans. The changing of managers always came after the closure of transfer windows too which didn't help as the new manager was coming into a team picked by the previous one that never seemed to fit their playing style and we saw those negatives on the pitch far too often alongside players been shut out of the match day squad. 

When McCall left and Trueman & Sellars took over results started to change for the better and we went from a team battling to survive relegation to being on the edge of the play offs within just a few months, granted our form dipped and we ended up missing out on the play offs but what we saw from the team was passion and a desire to be on the pitch, something we haven't seen for a while at Bradford now. Trueman and Sellars seemed to have something good going on and they had players wanting to play for them which is just the lift we needed which is why I was so shocked they stepped down from their roles at the end of the season. I know it was always only going to be temporary however, I thought we would have tried to continue what we had instead of hanging yet again but it wasn't meant to be and a new manager was announced. 

We seemed to be waiting a long time for the new manager announcement even though us fans knew who it was going to be way before due to numerous rumours and leaks. The reason we had to wait was a pretty good one though as new manager Derek Adams was busy leading Morecambe to promotion to League 1, something we hope he can replicate this season with Bradford City. Honestly I was very surprised that the signing of Adams went through as I was sure after the promotion he was going to stick with Morecambe but it went through and he is now in charge of us and fingers crossed he can enjoy the same success and stick with us for plenty of seasons to get us to where we belong once again instead of us being stuck in League 2. 

Adams has the potential to do big things at Bradford and he clearly has the backing of the club which is definitely needed after previous seasons so it is going to be interesting to see the results on the pitch. The best part of him signing preseason is that the transfer window is open so he can build a team he wants and by the signings we have seen already we can see he is aiming in the right direction and the club are clearly liking his vision for the future, we aren't just seeing loan after loan and we are bringing in people in positions that have been lacking quality it is definitely going to be great to see the team linking up on the pitch as there is a lot of potential there for a huge promotion push. Trueman has also been appointed as Adam's assistant which I think is a good move as he has an understanding of the players left from last season and he seems to have good knowledge of the game in League 2, he also seems to be able to manage the younger players really well so I am sure he is going to be influential in helping the youngsters of the squad develop into first team players.

I am really hoping that Adams is our only manager this season as I think the clubs only way out of League 2 is going to be consistency not only on the pitch but with players and management too. We need someone who is going to stick with us through the ups and downs and show some passion and drive to get us the results the club deserves. Granted the success wont happen overnight fans need to have patience to see form improve and if we don't get out of the league this year once people are settled and gelled we stand more of a chance, yes it would be great to be writing about being promoted at the end of the season but it will also be great just to write about an improvement from the team and looking like we are a solid team who have a push in them for the season ahead. 

The club finally seems like it is heading back in the right direction after a rough few years not only with the pandemic but with issues with owners and players etc. As a fan it is fantastic to see everything looking hopefully for a change and fingers crossed it is going to be a season of cheering rather than not wanting to waste time going to see poor performances week in week out like previously, it got to the stage where I wanted to stay home instead of going to games so I am hoping that this season I am waking up on game days raring too go and honestly from what we have seen since the end of the season I think this is the case and things are going to get better. Both on and off the pitch things seem to be heading in the best direction possible, we are seeing new signings, positive attitudes, great season ticket sales and stadium improvements at long last and Ryan Sparks has definitely had a big part in getting all this done for club as since his appointment we have seen so many positive steps and like we are getting our club back to how it should be for the first time since we were taken over. 

We are definitely on track for getting our Bradford City back now just get me back to Valley Parade for the new season. What do you think to Adams appointment? Are you hopeful or still on the fence?

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