Let's talk about the Bradford City game

[Campsall rover]

We didn’t batter them 2nd half but overall it was a much improved performance.
We look much better at the back with Wood in the team.
We just need to be much more clinical in front of goal.
Defensively we were much more solid.

Good games from Wood, McGrath, Bailey, Close and Hurst when he came on. Taylor worked hard but little end product again.

If the team works as hard for 90 + mins in the last 18 league games then we will be ok.
Close’s injury looked bad and he will be a huge miss.
I hope GM is able to bring in a midfield player tomorrow who can pass a ball. We don’t have anyone in our midfield who is creative without him.
Broadbent Biggins and Rowe are all not good enough. Bailey’s qualities lie in his defensive ability rather than his offensive.
Craig is inexperienced and we haven’t seen enough of him yet to make a judgment on how influential he can be for us for the rest of the season.

[Chris Black come back]

We cannot look a gift horse in the mouth and by any stretch, that was an improved defensive performance, especially against Andy Cook. If he can stay fit, Wood I think has to start.

But zoom out. We were playing a fairly terrible side and bar the Taylor cross / shot we didn’t have a proper, worked attempt all game. We had no pattern of play and no noticeable style, with no transition other than heaving massive and aimless balls forward to Ironside, who for once had very little luck with them.

Defensively better, everywhere else, as poor as it has been.

Finishing 22nd and crawling over that line by one point. Would snap your hand off for that now.

[ncRover]

Broadbent was no less involved than Bailey, so that’s a bit unfair because less popular.

Bailey still hasn’t looked like anything special in midfield. They played through it at ease in the first half.

4-3-3 just isn’t getting enough support to the striker either.

Wood, McGrath and Taylor the only positives for me.

Maxwell still got run ragged by Halliday.

[Chris Black come back]

Hopefully this is just a brief aberration but I did see McCann himself falling into the trap of accepting defeat, with yet another loss to throw into the pile of the last three seasons that does I think make us the biggest losers in the 92. He used words to effect of ‘nobody likes to lose but’.
He should have stopped after the fourth word there.

The sooner we turn around this ingrained and established mindset at every level within the club that losing is an unfortunate but passive act in which we have no role, the better. Few shoulder shrugs last night, walk off the pitch, “we go again”.

Losing should not be acceptable. Everyone should have been raging during and after the game, not trying to qualify yet another defeat.

[DonnyOsmond]

Broadbent was no less involved than Bailey, so that’s a bit unfair because less popular.

Bailey still hasn’t looked like anything special in midfield. They played through it at ease in the first half.

4-3-3 just isn’t getting enough support to the striker either.

Wood, McGrath and Taylor the only positives for me.

Maxwell still got run ragged by Halliday.

Baileys been a great defender for us but I'd assume he was brought in as a midfielder, which is odd as he doesn't fit into a McCann midfield, so potentially a Coppinger signing? No positional profiling just scattergun approach of signing alright players.

McCann tends to prefer a playmaker at the base, picking up balls and playing them into the opposition half, then an aggressive box-to-box midfielder who can press the opposition, and finally the player who can add a bit of progression and creativity by linking up the midfield with the forward line, putting balls into the final third/oppositions box... Yesterday we had Close at the base which made sense, then two box-to-box midfielders (I wouldn't describe Broadbent as aggressive enough for that midfield role either) who neither of which are great at the link up play... So If we can't create using the full backs then we've not left much alternative in the midfield.

Unless we look at the market today to add a 300th player to our squad we lack that link up until Westbrooke is back. We brought in two new midfielders yet our best midfield 3 is a 46 year old Rowe-Close-Westbrooke.

[drfcsteve]

Regardless of the performance, we still played one of the worst teams in league 2 and lost again (in a game where the pressure was off). We’ve got much harder opponents to play yet this season.

Wood needs to start every game until the end of the season, but whether he has the legs for that is another question.

If our only offensive tactic is lumping to Ironside, he needs someone to play alongside to support him, not two wide players who can’t link up with him.

[i_ateallthepies]

We didn’t batter them 2nd half but overall it was a much improved performance.
We look much better at the back with Wood in the team.
We just need to be much more clinical in front of goal.
Defensively we were much more solid.

Good games from Wood, McGrath, Bailey, Close and Hurst when he came on. Taylor worked hard but little end product again.

If the team works as hard for 90 + mins in the last 18 league games then we will be ok.
Close’s injury looked bad and he will be a huge miss.
I hope GM is able to bring in a midfield player tomorrow who can pass a ball. We don’t have anyone in our midfield who is creative without him.
Broadbent Biggins and Rowe are all not good enough. Bailey’s qualities lie in his defensive ability rather than his offensive.
Craig is inexperienced and we haven’t seen enough of him yet to make a judgment on how influential he can be for us for the rest of the season.

We would have been nil-nil at full time if Close had done his job.  He was 60-40 favourite for the ball in midfield but the Bradford player wanted it more, Close just let him go leading to McGrath having to stop him with the foul that led to the goal.
Losing Close could be the opportunity to get a more competent midfielder in.

[Reg of the Rovers]

I thought Close was poor as well Pies, like all the team he blows hot and cold far too much.

Otherwise I enjoyed the game and felt there were positives, we did dominate in spells - Wood and McGrath looked pretty solid, Hurst sharp when he came on. I also thought the get it forward quick was a tactic, rather than hopeless hoofing - we grumble when we 'fanny about' and also grumble when we try and get on the front foot quickly.

Thought the officials were poor. Last ten we were building some pressure but ref gave four or five fouls against us when Wood and Joe were just competing so we kept losing momentum.

[ForsolongaRover]

I think we need rather more courageous passing and drive from the midfield and whilst Close may bring some virtues to the table (which are not really visible to me) his absence need not be much of a loss.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that with their budget, Bradford can afford to employ a squad who have better ball control skills, but tactically they were poor in attacking ideas.

Our current campaign is versus our fellow basement dwellers and endeavour (which we did show last night) needs to be a permanent feature.

It says a lot about our inability to create chances that we can only focus on the one really obvious chance missed - the Taylor cross. We have benefitted from a good few of those missed by our opponents over the season - and you see it from teams at all levels - and you would just accept it if we were generally more productive in that respect.

[selby]

  The first thing we need to do is get enough points to survive, as well as that I wouldn't mind us going there for the rearranged league fixture and actually  intending to kicking the S**t out of them myself.

[pib]

Broadbent was no less involved than Bailey, so that’s a bit unfair because less popular.

Bailey still hasn’t looked like anything special in midfield. They played through it at ease in the first half.

4-3-3 just isn’t getting enough support to the striker either.

Wood, McGrath and Taylor the only positives for me.

Maxwell still got run ragged by Halliday.

Baileys been a great defender for us but I'd assume he was brought in as a midfielder, which is odd as he doesn't fit into a McCann midfield, so potentially a Coppinger signing? No positional profiling just scattergun approach of signing alright players.

McCann tends to prefer a playmaker at the base, picking up balls and playing them into the opposition half, then an aggressive box-to-box midfielder who can press the opposition, and finally the player who can add a bit of progression and creativity by linking up the midfield with the forward line, putting balls into the final third/oppositions box... Yesterday we had Close at the base which made sense, then two box-to-box midfielders (I wouldn't describe Broadbent as aggressive enough for that midfield role either) who neither of which are great at the link up play... So If we can't create using the full backs then we've not left much alternative in the midfield.

Unless we look at the market today to add a 300th player to our squad we lack that link up until Westbrooke is back. We brought in two new midfielders yet our best midfield 3 is a 46 year old Rowe-Close-Westbrooke.

What's the deal with Broadbent do you think?

We paid a fee for him in the summer and McCann has talked him up a lot, but to me he looks like he's struggling. Only seems to have one pace and makes very little impact on games.

You'd have thought we'd have done a fair bit of due diligence on a player we've paid for. What's he supposed to be good at? And is he showing any signs at all of improvement?

I know he's been hampered by injuries but that can only be a mitigating factor for performances for so long. He must have something about him surely?

[steve@dcfd]

Broadbent needs to improve in his passing his workrate is good but he’s not playing regularly.
Without Close and Westbrooke we have Biggins Rowe Craig and Broadbent plus young players. If we could bring another player in it doesn’t want to be a young player. Could we do it I doubt it.
Let’s not forget we’ve got a mid table budget even though TB put in extra funds in the summer.
Could we send Carty back to Bolton if his injury keeps him out for weeks I know it’s Harsh but if he can’t play then we could get another player.

[selby]

  Steve, what has being young got to do with not getting a player or where they have come from, there are some very good players who would improve us playing in non league football who are young hungry and will improve,
  The secret is getting the right ones, I would swop all or midfield players for such as Brabin and most of the defenders for Swailes.
 

[dickos1]

I was watching a different game to most I think, last half an hour we battered them.
Anyone who looked at that pitch and thought it would be a good idea to pray about at the back with it needs sectioning

Battered them?????

You really are clutching at straws dickos.

After their goal yes we battered them, they resorted to time wasting, we were on the front foot winning all the second balls and playing really well.
Question that needs to be asked is why do we not play like that more often.
We do it in spells in most games, Mansfield, mk dons, Wigan,

Lol, no the question that needs to be asked, or one of them, is why we can't string more than 2 passes together, show a distinct lack

I was watching a different game to most I think, last half an hour we battered them.
Anyone who looked at that pitch and thought it would be a good idea to pray about at the back with it needs sectioning

Well I've read some stuff from you, but the 'We battered them second half' , is up there with the most deluded comments ever.

The players were clapped off the pitch, there are plenty of other folk who’ve commented on here stating the same view as myself. So not sure why you’ve taken to picking me out and making yourself look daft

Lol, point me towards anyone who said we battered them, who looks daft now.

Last 30 mins we did,
That’s what I said and others have agreed.

[idler]

I think we need rather more courageous passing and drive from the midfield and whilst Close may bring some virtues to the table (which are not really visible to me) his absence need not be much of a loss.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that with their budget, Bradford can afford to employ a squad who have better ball control skills, but tactically they were poor in attacking ideas.

Our current campaign is versus our fellow basement dwellers and endeavour (which we did show last night) needs to be a permanent feature.

It says a lot about our inability to create chances that we can only focus on the one really obvious chance missed - the Taylor cross. We have benefitted from a good few of those missed by our opponents over the season - and you see it from teams at all levels - and you would just accept it if we were generally more productive in that respect.

I thought that Kyle Hurst also had a chance but elected to take a touch rather than hit it first time when in their area. Little things like that could have changed it. They looked almost as bad as us in that last 30 minutes dealing with crosses. The ref helped them with decisions once or twice as well.

[ForsolongaRover]

Broadbent needs to improve in his passing his workrate is good but he’s not playing regularly.
Without Close and Westbrooke we have Biggins Rowe Craig and Broadbent plus young players. If we could bring another player in it doesn’t want to be a young player. Could we do it I doubt it.
Let’s not forget we’ve got a mid table budget even though TB put in extra funds in the summer.
Could we send Carty back to Bolton if his injury keeps him out for weeks I know it’s Harsh but if he can’t play then we could get another player.

I think a temporary return to the parent club usually happens with young players from PL clubs at least. Whether this affects our loan quota I don't know, but the window closes today doesn't it?

[steve@dcfd]

Thursday the window closes

[DonnyOsmond]

Broadbent needs to improve in his passing his workrate is good but he’s not playing regularly.
Without Close and Westbrooke we have Biggins Rowe Craig and Broadbent plus young players. If we could bring another player in it doesn’t want to be a young player. Could we do it I doubt it.
Let’s not forget we’ve got a mid table budget even though TB put in extra funds in the summer.
Could we send Carty back to Bolton if his injury keeps him out for weeks I know it’s Harsh but if he can’t play then we could get another player.

I think a temporary return to the parent club usually happens with young players from PL clubs at least. Whether this affects our loan quota I don't know, but the window closes today doesn't it?

The loan quota is just for the number in a first team squad.

[ForsolongaRover]

Broadbent needs to improve in his passing his workrate is good but he’s not playing regularly.
Without Close and Westbrooke we have Biggins Rowe Craig and Broadbent plus young players. If we could bring another player in it doesn’t want to be a young player. Could we do it I doubt it.
Let’s not forget we’ve got a mid table budget even though TB put in extra funds in the summer.
Could we send Carty back to Bolton if his injury keeps him out for weeks I know it’s Harsh but if he can’t play then we could get another player.

I think a temporary return to the parent club usually happens with young players from PL clubs at least. Whether this affects our loan quota I don't know, but the window closes today doesn't it?

The loan quota is just for the number in a first team squad.

Yes, thanks - of course, I’d forgotten that.

[donnievic]

We didn’t batter them 2nd half but overall it was a much improved performance.
We look much better at the back with Wood in the team.
We just need to be much more clinical in front of goal.
Defensively we were much more solid.

Good games from Wood, McGrath, Bailey, Close and Hurst when he came on. Taylor worked hard but little end product again.

If the team works as hard for 90 + mins in the last 18 league games then we will be ok.
Close’s injury looked bad and he will be a huge miss.
I hope GM is able to bring in a midfield player tomorrow who can pass a ball. We don’t have anyone in our midfield who is creative without him.
Broadbent Biggins and Rowe are all not good enough. Bailey’s qualities lie in his defensive ability rather than his offensive.
Craig is inexperienced and we haven’t seen enough of him yet to make a judgment on how influential he can be for us for the rest of the season.

We would have been nil-nil at full time if Close had done his job.  He was 60-40 favourite for the ball in midfield but the Bradford player wanted it more, Close just let him go leading to McGrath having to stop him with the foul that led to the goal.
Losing Close could be the opportunity to get a more competent midfielder in.

mcgrath had a good 10 yard to bring him down before he did

[swintonrover]

There were times last night where we'd up the pace for half a dozen passes, look decent, make progress, then grind to halt for no reason.
We play at such a slow pace, which is not what I'd expect of a McCann team. It was a massive improvement on Saturday though. I'd be happy for the same back 4 to start next game, it seemed well balanced.

[adamtherover]

We didn’t batter them 2nd half but overall it was a much improved performance.
We look much better at the back with Wood in the team.
We just need to be much more clinical in front of goal.
Defensively we were much more solid.

Good games from Wood, McGrath, Bailey, Close and Hurst when he came on. Taylor worked hard but little end product again.

If the team works as hard for 90 + mins in the last 18 league games then we will be ok.
Close’s injury looked bad and he will be a huge miss.
I hope GM is able to bring in a midfield player tomorrow who can pass a ball. We don’t have anyone in our midfield who is creative without him.
Broadbent Biggins and Rowe are all not good enough. Bailey’s qualities lie in his defensive ability rather than his offensive.
Craig is inexperienced and we haven’t seen enough of him yet to make a judgment on how influential he can be for us for the rest of the season.

We would have been nil-nil at full time if Close had done his job.  He was 60-40 favourite for the ball in midfield but the Bradford player wanted it more, Close just let him go leading to McGrath having to stop him with the foul that led to the goal.
Losing Close could be the opportunity to get a more competent midfielder in.

mcgrath had a good 10 yard to bring him down before he did

exactly this!!! , if you are gonna foul, do it 50 yds from the box, not just outside..  near the end, woody almost rugby tackled one of their lads to stop a breakaway,  that's the difference in experience...