We are now a good few weeks into the current NWSL season and I honestly totally forgot about my predictions post. These early stages of the season we have seen some shock results and who would have thought that after 4 weeks Orlando Pride would be top of the league? After previous seasons you wouldn't have thought they would have had the start they have and it is great to see the progress the club have made. After week 4 North Carolina Courage are sat in the bottom half of the table and after how dominating they have been in recent years who would have thought they would be struggling? 

Teams have seen a lot of movement with some players heading overseas and others being traded to other teams in the league and I honestly think this is playing a big part on how things are going in the league because 2020 saw a lot of movement, in fact more than I have seen in the NWSL for a long time so for most teams it has been all change in the squads meaning players are with people they may never have played with before. I think a lot of teams are going to take some time to gel with how each other play before they can really hit the ground running and who knows for some teams it might take almost the whole season due to breaks and the Olympics which will mean key players coming and going.  

This year has also seen the addition of a totally new team Racing Louisville so they are going to need some time to get used to playing together as a team and find their feet in a league that has been set in its way for so long. Could they cause a surprise though and bring in some brilliant results as their team goes from strength to strength, the addition of Nadim & Ebony Salmon could very easily bring in the goals for the club. We are also seeing Kansas City back in the league due to Utah Royal being no more. Kansas have a few of the Utah players still on their books so are more than capable of picking up the results but for some reason they just aren't managing to get them yet. So after the first few weeks of games here is how I think the table is going to look at the end of the season... 

1) Portland Thorns

2) Orlando Pride 

3) Gotham 

4) Houston Dash

5) Washington Spirit

6) Chicago Red Stars 

7) OL Reign

8) North Carolina Courage 

9) Racing Louisville

10) Kansas City 

I think that when the Olympics is played we are going to see just who has the most depth in their squad as some teams are going to lose a lot of their big named stars for the tournament so for a month it is going to be down to the younger players to keep bringing in the results. I really do think this is where we are going to see the table change the most if it is going to change at all. Pride are currently top of the table but I think they are going to just miss out on that top spot to the Thorns but I really do think it is going to be a close call on who does eventually get that top spot. Gotham seem to be doing really well this season too so I think they are going to keep up the pace and end up in the third spot. In terms of the middle of the table I think we are going to see it finishing with the teams on very similar points with no real break away team  as they all just seem so well matched to each other this season. Unfortunately though I think that the bottom two is going to end up between Racing Louisville and Kansas City as those two teams just don't seem to be hitting the ground running at all. It is what I expected to see really though with them being the 2 new teams in the league so they are still finding their feet but I think Louisville are going to finish just above the bottom place which I think will be filled by Kansas City. 

I am really looking forward to seeing how the rest of the season plays out as I think us fans are going to be in for a real treat. Remember you can keep up to date with the results on the blog during our weekly round up and there will be a lot more NWSL content coming up very soon. Who do you think is going to be at the top of the table at the end of the season? 

Bradford City haven't really been having the best of times lately with results just not going their way and managers coming and going for the fun of it. We used to be a club with a solid set of players and a manager that stuck around but since the German takeover things have changed and not for the better up until now where we seem to be getting ideas together and hopefully we will notice a big change this upcoming season. 

Last season started off terribly for us once again and then we had Trueman and Sellars in charge and results started to change and we were moving up the table and looking to head to the playoffs but the last few games didn't go to plan for us and we missed out on the playoffs, we also saw Trueman & Sellars step down from their joint manager position. To say we were doing so terrible at the start of the season though I think we did remarkably well to finish where we did. With Trueman & Sellars stepping down and a new manager coming in I think it was inevitable that we were going to see a mass exodus of players who were no longer under contract especially as so many players were actually out of contract at the end of the season anyway however, some of the players we have let go have actually come as a shock to so many of us fans. Granted a new manager is going to come in and rebuild with his own players but some key players have now gone and we are really needing to bring in some fantastic new recruits if we want to even attempt to get out of League 2 this year which is what we definitely need to do. 

We ended up releasing 9 players at the end of the season and here is who we lost...

Anthony O'Connor

I wasn't exactly a fan of Anthony O'Connor up until last season when my opinion on him changed. At the start of the season he was one of the only players who seemed to want to play each game and he even did really well when we played him out of his usual position. It was nice to see him playing well and showing us what he was capable of. It is going to be interesting to see who is going to end up replacing him.

Billy Clarke

Unfortunately it wasn't 3rd time lucky for Clarke and once again he has left the club. Clarke is one of those players for me who is hit and miss but for some reason we never seemed to get his full potential. I aren't sure if it was because of the players around him or us not playing him in a position that suited him best but we just couldn't get the best out of him and he has left the club once again. 

Clayton Donaldson 

I have to admit I was a bit surprised by this one as I thought with his age and injuries he would have wanted to end his career at his childhood club but I guess everyone else thought different. I honestly think from the middle of the season Donaldson played brilliantly, he got a few goals and his brilliant long throws got us into some threatening positions to create some chances for us. I think even keeping him as a sub could have been a good choice for us as his experience and throws could have served us well for another season in League 2. 

Connor Shanks

I never actually got to see young Shanks play but at 19 years old I can see him being a player who works his way up the ranks elsewhere as I have heard is a player with a fair bit of potential. Leaving Bradford could be a good move for him with him still being young as even if he has to drop to the National League, game time will help him get his name out there and get him some more experience. 

Connor Wood

Now this one really did surprise me as I thought we would have done everything we could to keep the left back at the club as he has been an influential squad member for a few seasons now. I have heard he had been approached by other clubs in January but we managed to hold onto him but I am intrigued to see where he is going to end up as he is a player who could play really well even in the bigger leagues. I just hope he doesn't end up as a bench warmer as he is too good to not be getting game time. I am definitely going to miss seeing him in a City shirt. 

Harry Pritchard 

I think Pritchard struggled to find his feet at City and injuries he picked up didn't help him out at all. Again I don't think we got to see Pritchard's full potential in a Bradford shirt but he did put in a few good performances when we needed them. 

Lee Novak

I was actually pretty excited when we signed Novak and to be honest he did put in some great performances and scored some brilliant goals for us. Unfortunately we didn't get to see him at his best due to injury and I really do wonder if his age and injuries are a reason we have released him as I think he could have played a big role in getting us out of League 2.

Will Huffer

We never actually got to see young goalkeeper Huffer play but honestly I don't think we had any intention of playing him when we signed him. I think we got him in a bit of a panic when O'Donnel was out for a lengthy spell just in case Hornby picked up an injury too. It is going to be interesting to see  where he ends up next. 

Zeli Ismail 

Ismail is a player who actually impressed me when we actually got to see him play as he was great on the ball and also had a fair bit of pace. Once again though he seemed to really struggle with injuries throughout his time at the club which I think may have played a part in us letting him go because if not I think he could have been a regular starter for the club. 

We only actually have 11 players currently under contract and they are...

Callum Cooke

Charles Vernham 

Elliot Watt 

Finn Cousin-Dawson

Gareth Evans

Levi Sutton

Niall Canavan

Ollie Crankshaw

Paudie O'Connor

Reece Staunton 

Richard O'Donnell

We are definitely left with a nice mixture of players and a few who really started to show us what they were capable of last year such as O'Connor, Watt and Staunton. I think it is going to be interesting to see if we sell any of these players and how much game time they get this season as I think a few of the could end up playing well under Adams, especially the younger ones who could end up learning a lot from him and any experienced players he brings in. 

The club has offered new contract to Jorge Sikora, Kian Scales, Matty Foulds and Sam Hornby so it will be interesting to see if any of these accept a new contract as I think all the players have potential to get game time and help the team progress up the league and due to their young ages they could be at the club for a while. We saw Hornby pulls off some great performances last season before eventually losing his spot to O'Donnell when he returned from injury so it will be interesting to see if he sticks around or not as I think it is all going to depend on how much game time he is going to get. We didn't get to see much of local lad Foulds last season but he is a player who has a lot of potential as we have all seen in the past when he played against us for Everton Under 23's so I think he would definitely be a good player to keep hold of. 

There are definitely a lot of key areas we are going to need to fill this off season to push for promotion but I think now we have Derek Adams on board we can bring in the players we need and really put in a challenge this year. I am definitely looking forward to seeing who we do bring in and finally returning to Valley Parade to see them play. Things might finally be looking up at Bradford City and hopefully we are climbing the leagues like we should be soon to get back playing the football we are more than capable of playing. 

The rescheduled 2020 Olympics are almost upon us and Team GB have announced their squad selection. With 4 nations to pick from and a whole list of quality players it was always going to be hard narrowing the selection down to 18 players with some big names bound to miss out. I had a feeling before the team was even released that we would see mainly Lionesses players names on the announcement and that definitely happened with just 3 none England players making the cut. We have see Nobbs left out of the midfield which I can't get my head around as she is a fantastic player who deserves to be at the tournament but I guess if it was just a squad of England players she would have been on the list. Erin Cuthbert is also missing which I have to say I am disappointed with as she is an amazing player who could have provided a lot of potential to the squad and add another attacking threat. I am also surprised to see no Alex Greenwood on the squad list as I believe she had a really good season at Man City last season and with Demi Stokes been out a lot with injury I thought Greenwood would have been a safer bet. We do have a very talented squad going to the competition so lets take a look at it...

Goalkeepers 

Karen Bardsley 

Unfortunately it looks like Karen's Olympics could be over before it has even started due to an injury she has sustained whilst playing for the OL Reign. Fingers crossed it isn't as bad as it seems as I was really hoping to see Karen play in the Olympics as you would think that with recent injuries and the frequency of the tournament this could have been her last Olympic opportunity. 

Ellie Roebuck

Roebuck never fails to surprise me and she is having brilliant seasons year after year, some of the saves she makes are exceptional and she definitely deserves to be playing in the Olympics. Some of the saves she can pull off could prove to be crucial for Team GB's progression through the tournament. 

Defenders 

Millie Bright

If you have read the blog in the past you will know that I love Millie Bright as I think she is an absolutely fantastic defender. I think Millie is a big reason why Chelsea are doing so well lately and for Team GB she can be a great help as a solid defender but we all know she can provide an attacking threat too which is fantastic. 

Lucy Bronze

I think it was a given that Lucy Bronze's name was on the list given how well she has done in recent years and cemented herself as arguably the best right back in the women's game currently. We all know that she can defend brilliantly but also pick put some great crosses and provide some great attacks. She is also great at scoring great goals in competitions so who knows we might get to see another fantastic goal or 2 from her this time around. 

Rachel Daly 

I still find it funny that Daly always seems to be put on the sheets as a defender when in reality these days she is much better in an attacking role. She can provide goals when needed and we have seen that with her at the Houston Dash already this season but she is brilliant at tracking back and putting in some crucial tackles. I hope Daly gets plenty of game time and shows everyone just what she is capable just like what we see from her in the NWSL week in week out. 

Steph Houghton

Houghton is a brilliant defender who's season unfortunately ended earlier than expected due to injury. I am just glad she is now fit for the Euros as I think her experience is going to come in very handy whilst we are competing. Fingers crossed Steph can stay fit throughout the during of our time in the Olympics as she could be very useful for Team GB especially at set pieces which we know she is more than capable of scoring and creating opportunities from. 

Demi Stokes 

This is one of the choices I am surprised by as Demi didn't play much football throughout last season due to injury. I think Greenwood had a great season at left back and might have been a much safer option. Granted Demi is a fantastic player when fit but with such as small squad already I think I would have opted for a safer bet. 

Leah Williamson 

I am glad Leah has made the squad as she really is a great defender. I am really hoping Leah gets some minutes under her belt but to be honest I can see her being more of a stand in just in case of any injuries to the other members of the back line. I think we are yet to see the full potential of Williamson but I think if she gets on the pitch this tournament we are going to see some great performances from her. 

Midfielders

Sophie Ingle 

I am really glad Sophie Ingle made it into the squad as she has had yet another brilliant season and I think she can definitely add some depth to the midfield. I think that Ingle is a fantastic player and her spot in the squad is definitely one that should have been an easy choice. I am excited to see how she links up with the other players that she doesn't play with week in week out. 

Kim Little 

Just like with Ingle I am glad that they have called up Kim Little, we always knew the squad would be English heavy but I was really hoping to see Kim's name on the squad list and I was definitely impressed when it was there. Little is a fantastic player who can bring a lot of experience to the team and again I am excited to see how she links up with the other players in the squad that she doesn't usually play with. 

Jill Scott

Another player who can bring a lot of experience to the squad is Jill Scott, I was so pleased to see her name on the list as who knows if she will make it to another Olympics in 4 years due to age, game time and injuries. I think Scott's ability to both attack and defend well is going to be really beneficial for the squad and her and Little's experience if played together could be just what Team GB needs, lets just hope they do get the chance to play together. 

Keira Walsh 

Walsh is another player who can play really well in the middle of the pitch but honestly I would mainly have her on the bench or play her to give the older players a bit of a break as I think she could make a big impact from off the bench. I just think we are best of opting for a midfield with a lot of experience and playing Walsh when we need to go for a more defensive stance. 

Caroline Weir

I think it was inevitable that Weir's name was going to be on the squad list. She is just improving season upon season and I am loving seeing the player she is becoming. What I love about Weir is she can pull some absolutely sensational goals out of the bag as we have seen with her when she is in the Manchester City shirt, shes great at getting into attacking and creating attacking situations too so I am excited to see her link up with the likes of Fran Kirby as I think it could be amazing and really beneficial to Team GB. 

Forwards 

Lauren Hemp

Hemp is an exceptional player who's ability is beyond someone of her young age and I think other nations are really going to struggle when it comes to defending her and keeping her from creating some great attacking options. When I look at the list of other forwards going to the tournament though I just aren't sure how much game time she will get. Fingers crossed she gets plenty and gets to show everyone what she is capable of. 

Fran Kirby

The form that Kirby is in following illness and injury is absolutely fantastic so it is no surprise to see her name on the squad list. Her link up with Kerr at Chelsea has been brilliant so if she can link up with any of the other Team GB forwards like that throughout the competition I think we are really in for a treat. I really hope we see the Kirby we have seen in the WSL throughout the Olympics as I think she is going to be one of our standout players. 

Nikita Parris 

To be honest I wasn't sure if Parris would make the cut or not but surprisingly she did. To be honest if you go by current form I would probably have picked Ella Toone and put Parris on the reserve list but I guess for tournament experience Parris is a pretty good shout. Fingers crossed a Parris and Kirby link up works really well for us if they get some game time together. 

Georgia Stanway

 Stanway is another young player who has really proved herself over the past few seasons and only seems to be getting better with age. What I love most about Stanway is that she isn't just an attacking threat who grab herself some goals, some absolutely beautiful goals at that, but she also puts in a shift defensively. She isn't afraid to put a tackle in and can really prevent attacks from building up even at the early stages although there are quite a few decisions that go against her she is a great player to be included in the team.  

Ellen White 

Anyone who knows me personally will know that I was never really a fan of White but the past few years my opinion on her has really changed. I think Ellen's experience could be vital for the front line and we all know how capable she is of scoring goals in big tournaments so lets hope she gets plenty more this time around as I think we could do really well with White and Kirby up front with some of the youngsters getting us in dangerous positions. 

Reserves 

Niamh Charles 

Charles is another young player who has had a great season. Charles signed for Chelsea last year from Liverpool and to be honest I was skeptical about her going to a club with so many brilliant players already but she has really slotted herself into the squad and is showing her quality. I honestly think by the next tournament she will be off the reserve list and into the squad as she possesses a lot of quality and ability.  

Sandy MacIver 

It wouldn't surprise me if we actually see MacIver called up into the squad if Bardsley's proves to be enough to keep her from going to Tokyo. MacIver has put in some brilliant performances for Everton this past season and is really pushing for more England game time. I do wonder though if she would have missed out if Earps wasn't in for a minor operation this off season. MacIver is a name I think we are going to be seeing in quite a few tournaments if she carries on playing the way she does.

Ella Toone 

I am really surprised that Toone didn't make it into the squad and honestly like I said earlier I would have swapped her for Parris as Toone has had a brilliant season with Manchester United. She is constantly showing improvement and is working so hard to get United in the positions they are in. She is really starting to show her potential at the club but I really do believe there is still a lot more for us to see from her and by the time the next tournament comes around she could very easily make the squad.

Lotte Wubben - Moy 

When you look at the defense we are taking to the tournament and the names already missing from the list it does make you wonder who would have made it if we could take a bigger squad to the competition as there are a lot of names missing from all the nations that you would have expected to see but it is nice to see that young Wubben-Moy has made the cut for the reserves. Again I think that Wubben-Moy has a lot of potential and even going to the tournament as a reserve will help her out a lot and give her some tournament experience. I think Wubben-Moy is a name we will be seeing more often though especially on England team sheets. 

So there you have it that is how the Team GB women's football team is looking ready for the Tokyo Olympics. I am really looking forward to seeing how we do in this tournament as Team GB women haven't been in the women's football since 2012 so this competition is long overdue. Keep your eyes on the blog and our social media as there will be plenty more Olympics content coming up. Let's hope we can bring home a medal preferably a gold one. 

What do you think to the Team GB squad selection? 

Well the Euros finally kick off this Friday and I am definitely ready for a month of football. It might be year late but I think this years tournament is going to be a good one and honestly due to the delay, injuries and just how the groups have been drawn I think we are in for an interesting month where who knows who is going to walk away the winners. By now I normally have a few teams lined up who could make the final however, this time around I really aren't too sure. So here is a look at the groups for the competition and how I personally think they could play out...

Group A 

Italy 

Switzerland

Turkey 

Wales

I honestly think this group could be an interesting one, I think Italy could top it but honestly I think the second place is all to play for. For me though it could be down to Switzerland or Turkey for the 2nd spot and unless Wales can provide some fantastic performances I think that they are unfortunately going to end up bottom of this group although I really do hope I am wrong. 

Group B 

Belgium 

Russia 

Denmark 

Finland

For me I really do believe that Belgium are going to come away the winners of this group but with Denmark very close behind them in second place. I can imagine Russia coming in 3rd place and unfortunately Finland being the bottom of the group. I really do see this being a very close group between Belgium and Denmark and I am looking forward to seeing how it plays out. 

Group C 

Austria 

Netherlands 

North Macedonia 

Ukraine 

The Netherlands could very easily top this group even with Virgil Van Dijk missing through injury as they have a pretty good team with some quality players who are more than capable of stepping up to the plate to advance through the group stage. I think the rest of the group could be pretty hard to predict though but for some reason I think that the Ukraine might just end up in 2nd place but North Macedonia could very easily be pushing for that spot too. After seeing Austria against England the other day I really do think they could end up last but honestly this time around who really knows the 2nd to 4th place of this group could go either way. 

Group D

England 

Croatia

Czech Republic

Scotland 

Ah England's group, are Croatia going to be our bogey team again this tournament? Or can we get our own back for 2018? To be honest I would prefer for England to come second in this group due to the progression path throughout the rest of the tournament, I just think it is going to give us our best shot. I can see Croatia coming out on top of this group however, I think Scotland could really put up a fight too, I just wonder if their lack of tournament experience could end up biting them. I don't think they will come last though as I think Czech Republic will end up taking that spot, I aren't sure why but as soon as I saw the groups I thought this. 

Group E

Spain

Poland

Sweden 

Slovakia

I think Group E is going to be a pretty good group and I think the top spot is going to be contested by Spain and Sweden. I can see Spain just about creeping into the top spot with Sweden not that far behind them. I think Slovakia could just about beat Poland to the third spot but I really do think Poland are going to come in last spot of this group. 

Group F 

Germany

France

Portugal 

Hungary 

Group F is bound to be the hardest group with probably some of the best quality players exiting the competition at the early stages just due to the difficulty of the group. Honestly it is the hardest group to try predict too. I think France could end up topping this group and if Portugal can keep a fit squad and play the players correctly I think they could easily end up second. Germany just haven't looked like the team they used to be over the years so I think they may end up in third but only just missing out on second. Unfortunately though I think Hungary are going to end up struggling against the other 3 teams and will finish bottom of the group. 

So here is how I think each group could look by the end of the group stages...

Group A 

Italy

Switzerland 

Turkey 

Wales

Group B 

Belgium 

Denmark 

Russia 

Finland 

Group C

Netherlands

Ukraine

North Macedonia 

Austria 

Group D

Croatia 

England 

Scotland 

Czech Republic

Group E

Spain 

Sweden

Slovakia

Poland

Group F 

France 

Portugal 

Germany

Hungary

So that is how I think each group could end up looking at the end of the group stages but I guess only time will tell and we will find out if we guessed any of the teams correctly. I think we are in for a great competition and I am really looking forward to creating more Euro 2020 content throughout the month. Who do you think is going to top each group? 

Well that is week 4 of the NWSL over and done with and once again it has been a week of mixed results. Teams you would have had money on winning easily last season have once again struggled and lost to teams they would have previously beat with a big margin. It is nice seeing a different set of teams winning for a change too as a lot of them have struggled to hit the ground running in the past but now they seem to have found what they are more than capable of and are picking up the points they should have always had. So here is how the results are looking for week 4...

Chicago Red Stars 1 -0 North Carolina Courage 

Gotham 1 -0 OL Reign 

Portland Thorns 3 - 0 Racing Louisville

Kansas City 0 -1 Houston Dash

Washington Spirit 1- 1 Orlando Pride 

Chicago Red Stars managed to defeat North Carolina Courage 1-0 which has kept the Courage down in the bottom half of the table. Gotham also managed to pick up all 3 points against OL Reign which was brilliant to see. Portland Thorns had another high scoring game to take them into 2nd place against Racing Louisville whilst Houston Dash managed to pick up all 3 points again Kansas City. The only draw of the week was between the Washington Spirit and Orlando Pride where the Pride managed to hold onto their current unbeaten run. 

It is great seeing other teams rising up the table for a change instead of it being between the same few teams. So here is how the table is looking at the end of week 4...

1) Orlando Pride 11

2) Portland Thorns 9 

3) Washington Spirit 8

4) Gotham 7

5) Houston Dash 7

6) Chicago Red Stars 7

7) North Carolina Courage 4

8) OL Reign 4

9) Racing Louisville 4

10) Kansas City 2

I am loving seeing Orlando Pride right up there at the top of the table a few points ahead and it is really nice not to see Gotham at the bottom of the table either their progress is long overdue. It just feels so strange seeing North Carolina Courage and OL Reign right down at the opposite end of the table for a change. It is still early on in the season though so I guess anything could happen and in a few weeks the table could end up looking a whole lot different. But for now I think the table is looking great.