Bradford after game thoughts.

[Andy1968]

You are right, ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, we haven't got a wide right player but we cannot and clearly Matt will not just plonk someone in that spot for the sake of it. McGuckin and Holmes are not good enough to say the very least.Genuine wingers with pace and ability to go outside are not coming to a league one club. Wide right doesn't have to mean winger going on the outside. Two attacking mids wide right and left is what's needed. Martha and Nombe either side of Sheriff/ Etete will make us fluid and mobile. Martha last night showed us that he cannot be wasted in this silly wingback role he's been asked to play at times. 3 centre mids from the plethora of decent players we have there and a back 4 martialled by Thomas Holmes will see us challenging the top 10. That will produce a titter from the usual suspects of course but can YOU really not see how much potential this team has?

[RU66]

You are right, ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, we haven't got a wide right player but we cannot and clearly Matt will not just plonk someone in that spot for the sake of it. McGuckin and Holmes are not good enough to say the very least.Genuine wingers with pace and ability to go outside are not coming to a league one club. Wide right doesn't have to mean winger going on the outside. Two attacking mids wide right and left is what's needed. Martha and Nombe either side of Sheriff/ Etete will make us fluid and mobile. Martha last night showed us that he cannot be wasted in this silly wingback role he's been asked to play at times. 3 centre mids from the plethora of decent players we have there and a back 4 martialled by Thomas Holmes will see us challenging the top 10. That will produce a titter from the usual suspects of course but can YOU really not see how much potential this team has?

Don't rate Etete either. Martha yes impressed last night but how we fit him in & 2 wide midfield players in leaving just one playing central I don't know when Hamshaw favours the signings he's made this season.

[sawmiller]

Great to see the emerging potential of Martha and Hall - young lads make mistakes - it?s how they learn. Lenny will prove to be a good signing for us

[Ronners]

On the negative side we can't win games at any level defending like that, and I don't really understand why Zac Jules wasn't in the starting 11 when MH wants to play with that formation. Both their goals were very preventable, with 2 young players, Agbaire and Baptiste still learning their trade, looking very uncomfortable at the back, and Bradford had 2 ,1 v 1's in the first 7 mins that could have given them an easy night, but put one wide and Dawson saved the other one, big chances and whatever is being said on here now after the game would have most likely been very different, or for me it would anyway. Martha had a great game, and both Rafferty and James played well too, Gore was always driving forward and Dawson had a great game also which should help his confidence. All in all, even though we let go a 2 goal lead, the performance was encouraging, and it's nice to get a couple of players back that I personally wasn't expecting, Etete and Sherif, and hopefully we can kick on from here. UTM

[mygiddypant]

We played some lovely stuff and both our goals were absolute class. We got a point against a very well organised, strong direct L1 team that will be a top 8 team come May. It is clear that MH has a vision and he will push for that every game, unfortunately he is like other managers that won?t change their mind and stick to a so called better type of football (ange, potter and that clown at Rangers) they fail more than succeed and end up getting the push. We could have been down 3-1 at HT if it wasn?t for Dawson and their poor finishing, and that was because they hit it over the defence and our two young centre backs didn?t put it out to touch, instead they tried to play football. I saw clearly from where I sat that our defensive coach was fuming at them, and told them at least 3 times to get rid, they ignored him. Now both me and my son said to each other, one of the kids has to come off at half-time and put jules on with an instruction to keep it simple and not get caught so high. MH got his in game management wrong again, and for both goals our CBs caught caught out with the initial ball over the top and they hesitated or failed to clear first time. I think MH again cost us the win, his inexperience as a manager has shown this season in team selection, formation bigotry and in-game management. I think that is 4 games out of 10 now where we have failed to make a lead into 3 points, dropping 8 points in those games. He needs to learn faster or the results will not improve and he won?t be in the job long enough. We have some lovely young players that are exciting but football is a results business not a theoretical training ground and tactic board business.
I agree about Martha by the way, lovely footballer, great to watch. Rafferty is a true captain as well, play him and James in a 4 for godsake, two very good fullbacks being played out of position.

Quite a change in your outlook from last week Derby.

Agree with most of what you say, but don't think you can blame MH for the mistakes by the back line leading to the two goals. Shame to end with one point after scoring two really good goals.

A positive step in the right direction.

[mygiddypant]

A much more positive vibe on here following last night's performance. Not dissing the need for points, but surely the performance is more important at this stage.

The two goals were terrific, particularly the first. There were also some signs in individual performances that suggest better times are ahead. Even the crowd started to get involved towards the end.

Watching on iF I think I heard some booing when Dawson was announced as mom. I thought that was very disappointing as he made some good saves. Please correct me if I'm wrong about the negativity from some supporters.

I've read on another post that we played too high. I thought so too, and would have liked to see someone dropping into a sweeper role when required. Bradford were very one-dimensional in knocking it long, but we didn't seem to learn from the occasions when it caused us a problem.

Benson had some subtle touches, and it was great to see Martha running at pace and beating players. He strike me as possessing both good instincts and an ability to learn.

Even NWC managed some positive thoughts, so must have been good.

[Ronners]

What keeper errors?. Centre half didn't jump for first cross. Striker had open goal for second.
He was my man of the match.

I agree jocks, Dawson has had his critics this season, rightfully at times, but he had a good game last night. UTM

[Jocksgloves1]

Goalkeeping has changed since our days on Ferham Park mate. They are giant athletes. Great shot stoppers with terrific reflexes, and also expected to play with a degree of skill with their feet.
The days of Ray Mount ford charging through a crowd of players to gather on the penalty spot have long gone. Who was the last one had who did that?
Would you have trusted me with a ball at my feet Ronners?

[NorthWestCorner]

A much more positive vibe on here following last night's performance. Not dissing the need for points, but surely the performance is more important at this stage.

The two goals were terrific, particularly the first. There were also some signs in individual performances that suggest better times are ahead. Even the crowd started to get involved towards the end.

Watching on iF I think I heard some booing when Dawson was announced as mom. I thought that was very disappointing as he made some good saves. Please correct me if I'm wrong about the negativity from some supporters.

I've read on another post that we played too high. I thought so too, and would have liked to see someone dropping into a sweeper role when required. Bradford were very one-dimensional in knocking it long, but we didn't seem to learn from the occasions when it caused us a problem.

Benson had some subtle touches, and it was great to see Martha running at pace and beating players. He strike me as possessing both good instincts and an ability to learn.

Even NWC managed some positive thoughts, so must have been good.

I don’t have high standards but I do expect us to compete at this level. Both of our goals were actually very well crafted and you can see the patterns of play MH is try to install. But, as I have said, there are still some fundamental issues with his signings and team selection that greatly concern me. Yes, we are in transition but no, I cannot accept that we should be in the bottoms four given the level we are playing at.

MH has a chance now to build from that point but he remains under significant pressure.

[Ronners]

Goalkeeping has changed since our days on Ferham Park mate. They are giant athletes. Great shot stoppers with terrific reflexes, and also expected to play with a degree of skill with their feet.
The days of Ray Mount ford charging through a crowd of players to gather on the penalty spot have long gone. Who was the last one had who did that?
Would you have trusted me with a ball at my feet Ronners?

The thought of you with the ball at your feet as a goalkeeper in our playing days is probably still the reason I don't sleep too well jocks 😉. Yes the goalkeeping role has progressed to the point of him being asked to play the ball out more, although that is more championship/premier league teams i would say, as most teams in league 1, like us and Bradford on Thursday, tend to hit it long from the keeper. The goalkeeper struggles to come for the ball now at set pieces because the opposing team block him in, but I do think Dawson should be looking to roll the ball out to our full backs more rather than kick long, unless those are his instructions. UTM