MATCHWATCH : Bradford City (h)

[Sutekh]

Any idea why we played "the wrong way around"? Our choice or theirs?

Direction of sunlight?

[Crowbar6753]

I really hate Richardson's style of play it's just so negative and even the Bradford commentary team were slating us for being so negative and playing like an away side! Saying that, we are not conceding many and the defense is looking better so credit to Richardson for this.
We are getting down to the business end of the season, and now its all about results and getting enough points to reach the play-offs!
Somehow with Marriot out we need to find someone to get us enough goals to win matches!!
Today proved that Big Kelvin really isn't the answer! we all want him to do well, he's one of our own and a likeable guy but let's face it, when are we finally going to say enough is enough lets move on!!
I also think the biggest problem is just behind the striker, Doyle isn't a wide player and Savage isn't an attacking midfielder! Paddy Lane showed today a glimpse of what he can do and he is a natural LW, so lets start playing players in their natural positions please. I would go with Lane out left, Doyle more central and either Williams or Big Kelvin our right and i would give Patton a go up top until Keane can get himself fit.
Finally, another concern is the recent form of Pereira, we are very fortunate to have a keeper of his quality in this league and the guy has been outstanding for us however, he's currently having a shaky spell and hopefully he can get some sort of form back as we really are going to need him at his very best if we're to reach the play-offs!

Come on Urrrzzzzzz

[windermereROYAL]

Just home, my tuppence worth, a pretty miserable afternoon, we weren`t very good but neither were they, hardly touched us until JP let a harmless shot go through his hands, he`s a good keeper but he`s made a few mistakes recently as well as giving us heart palpitations with the ball at his feet.
Is Kelvin actually a professional footballer?, I make more effort having a shit than he does on a football pitch, Patton did more in his short cameo appearance than he did in the previous 80 or whatever it was.
Paddy is obviously well aware of the stick he gets on various sites given his reaction to his equaliser, can`t say I blame him, but that part and parcel of the job he`s employed to do.
Lastly, the Bradford fans, they`ve always been a very well supported team, after all what else is there to do up there?, "how shit must you be we`re winning away"
Just a little bit less shit than you guys.
delighted with the win, virtually safe for another season, if we creep into the play-offs off the back of these performances I`ll be bloody ecstatic.
Sorry to the stranger I hugged when the winner went in.

[tidus_mi2]

Just home, my tuppence worth, a pretty miserable afternoon, we weren`t very good but neither were they, hardly touched us until JP let a harmless shot go through his hands, he`s a good keeper but he`s made a few mistakes recently as well as giving us heart palpitations with the ball at his feet.
Is Kelvin actually a professional footballer?, I make more effort having a shit than he does on a football pitch, Patton did more in his short cameo appearance than he did in the previous 80 or whatever it was.
Paddy is obviously well aware of the stick he gets on various sites given his reaction to his equaliser, can`t say I blame him, but that part and parcel of the job he`s employed to do.
Lastly, the Bradford fans, they`ve always been a very well supported team, after all what else is there to do up there, "how shit must you be we`re winning away"
Just a little bit less shit than you guys.
delighted with the win, virtually safe for another season, if we creep into the play-offs off the back of these performances I`ll be bloody ecstatic.
Sorry to the stranger I hugged when the winner went in.

Gotta love a rando hug, only ever got one when we equalised against Arsenal in the semi final.

[MR. CYNICAL]

Hate the way we play our home games like an away side, minimal touches in the opposition box, barely no shots on target, constantly passing back to the keeper, defending so deep. Another fine margins game where we looked dead and buried on 90 mins, don't think anyone expected us to come back at that stage. Even after we got the second we still managed to back off and almost concede an equaliser but for a last ditch clearance. We just don't do comfortable.

[leon]

You never learn, do you.

Worked though, didn’t it

In making you look clueless and negative.

What is the matter with you, Ian? Why can't you interact with people without being a bitchy little cnut?

[Orion1871]

I'm surprised Pereira is getting so much blame for the Bradford goal, and not Randell Williams whose "clearance" was against his standing leg.

[Snowflake Royal]

Worked though, didn’t it

In making you look clueless and negative.

What is the matter with you, Ian? Why can't you interact with people without being a bitchy little cnut?

Just the whiny negative 'little cnuts' who delight in being negative about everything.

[Snowflake Royal]

I'm surprised Pereira is getting so much blame for the Bradford goal, and not Randell Williams whose "clearance" was against his standing leg.

Hit that fierce and that high, it's going to be hard for any keeper to get his hands up and firm to stop. It was hit fairly early too.

I'm less concerned by Perreira not getting firm hands on it or the imperfect clearance from Randell that did enough to stop his man scoring, and more concerned about how our entire team had got sucked near post so the LW was in the LB position and no one was screening the edge of the box.

[South Coast Royal]

I have watched a few Southern League South games recently and I have to say that the quality of passing was better than we saw in that first half yesterday.
At half-time I was imagining this team with these tactics playing West Ham, Wolves and Burnley next season if somehow we fluked promotion and decided it wasn't worth thinking about.

Just before the 90th minute the feeling in the ground had started to get toxic with some booing as once again the ball went from the keeper to O'Connor to Yiadom, back to O'Connor then hoof.
We even did it at times like a rugby ploy of kicking long to try and find touch when we had nobody in the opposition half.

So, 2 shots on target in 99 minutes of play and somewhere between 2 and 5 shots per game on target is about average for us so our conversion rate is incredible.

At the end my brother suggested that it is better to have a lucky manager than a a good one (or even a bad one).

Dreadful stuff to watch, great result although against a team that never wins away and probably didn't know what to do when they went in front (player having a clear shot at goal despite us having a good 6 or 7 players in defence).

Oh, and the poster saying that Nyambe was good in that first half-really?
One decent run forward IIRC but otherwise leaving acres of room for Bradford to attack down their left, tucking in when we already had 3 centre-backs.

[Royals and Racers]

Attendance 13,106

[Linden Jones' Tash]

Why do people get hung up on what "may" or "may not" happen should we fluke promotion via the play offs....

It doesn't matter....
live in the here and now....
It's a lot less stressful...

[Royalwaster]

If we do go up we'd need to buy lots of players like virtually every team has done recently to even stand a chance of staying up - the only team that didn't (Rotherham) came back down straight away. So I'd not be too bothered how we play this season.

[Clyde1998]

Attendance 13,106

1,590 away fans.

The home crowd of 11,516 is basically average for non-midweek games this season once deducting the Rotherham 'Schools and Grassroots' day (11,532).

[Clyde1998]

If we do go up we'd need to buy lots of players like virtually every team has done recently to even stand a chance of staying up - the only team that didn't (Rotherham) came back down straight away. So I'd not be too bothered how we play this season.

Probably the best way to think of it. Promotion would require us to basically bring in an entirely new squad if we want to stay up, so how we or individuals play this season doesn't impact on that too much.

[WestYorksRoyal]

If we do go up we'd need to buy lots of players like virtually every team has done recently to even stand a chance of staying up - the only team that didn't (Rotherham) came back down straight away. So I'd not be too bothered how we play this season.

Probably the best way to think of it. Promotion would require us to basically bring in an entirely new squad if we want to stay up, so how we or individuals play this season doesn't impact on that too much.

Not sure I agree. Imagine we'd gone up with Bindon, Mbengue, Knibbs, Azeez and Smith. We'd have had 6 or 7 capable starters with Wing and JP.

So the question is, can we recruit of that calibre and use our academy again? As then you're promoted with stability and hit the ground running. I can see Ward as one destined for a higher level, Kyerewaa as raw potential who could kick on, Roberts has Championship exposure. Let these guys develop, add a few more in the summer and then you get promoted with a core capable of competing.

I would take a flukey promotion now and major squad surgery after it happens, as when you get an opportunity you take it. But the idea that every promoted side will always need a major overhaul is simply not true.

[RoyalBlue]

I'm surprised Pereira is getting so much blame for the Bradford goal, and not Randell Williams whose "clearance" was against his standing leg.

Hit that fierce and that high, it's going to be hard for any keeper to get his hands up and firm to stop. It was hit fairly early too.

I'm less concerned by Perreira not getting firm hands on it or the imperfect clearance from Randell that did enough to stop his man scoring, and more concerned about how our entire team had got sucked near post so the LW was in the LB position and no one was screening the edge of the box.

Agreed. For whatever reason (slight deflection?) the shot took a higher trajectory than Pereira was anticipating. His stance suggested he was set to gather at a comfortable height and the power of the shot meant he then had insufficient time to adjust and get strong hands on the ball. I suspect he will be thinking he could've done better but then I think the mentality of most keepers is that they usually think that every time they concede!

[Clyde1998]

If we do go up we'd need to buy lots of players like virtually every team has done recently to even stand a chance of staying up - the only team that didn't (Rotherham) came back down straight away. So I'd not be too bothered how we play this season.

Probably the best way to think of it. Promotion would require us to basically bring in an entirely new squad if we want to stay up, so how we or individuals play this season doesn't impact on that too much.

Not sure I agree. Imagine we'd gone up with Bindon, Mbengue, Knibbs, Azeez and Smith. We'd have had 6 or 7 capable starters with Wing and JP.

So the question is, can we recruit of that calibre and use our academy again? As then you're promoted with stability and hit the ground running. I can see Ward as one destined for a higher level, Kyerewaa as raw potential who could kick on, Roberts has Championship exposure. Let these guys develop, add a few more in the summer and then you get promoted with a core capable of competing.

I would take a flukey promotion now and major squad surgery after it happens, as when you get an opportunity you take it. But the idea that every promoted side will always need a major overhaul is simply not true.

I was referring to this season and the current squad specifically.

If next season we’ve brought in a lot of younger/academy players (like the type we had in the previous League One seasons) who get us promoted, we wouldn’t need an entirety new squad. Younger players would generally keep improving after promotion. We don’t have enough of those players in the squad atm.

[The Cap]

Just home, my tuppence worth, a pretty miserable afternoon, we weren`t very good but neither were they, hardly touched us until JP let a harmless shot go through his hands, he`s a good keeper but he`s made a few mistakes recently as well as giving us heart palpitations with the ball at his feet.
Is Kelvin actually a professional footballer?, I make more effort having a shit than he does on a football pitch, Patton did more in his short cameo appearance than he did in the previous 80 or whatever it was.
Paddy is obviously well aware of the stick he gets on various sites given his reaction to his equaliser, can`t say I blame him, but that part and parcel of the job he`s employed to do.
Lastly, the Bradford fans, they`ve always been a very well supported team, after all what else is there to do up there?, "how shit must you be we`re winning away"
Just a little bit less shit than you guys.
delighted with the win, virtually safe for another season, if we creep into the play-offs off the back of these performances I`ll be bloody ecstatic.
Sorry to the stranger I hugged when the winner went in.

Make more effort having a shit Totally agree. What is the actual point of him being on the pitch? Comes across as being so lethargic alot of the time.

[RoyalBlue]

Maybe Kelvin has warranted a fair amount of criticism in the past but personally I think criticism of how he played during the Bradford game is unfair and largely unfounded.

I thought he worked quite hard closing down at the front and tracking back when required, despite not being suited to the sole striker role, and could be seen repeatedly urging teammates to join him in the press.