|
Post by Hobhead on Aug 23, 2017 19:03:03 GMT
Assuming promotion is the aim it seems a little obvious to point out that what a side really needs is a good number of players who are at the higher end of the quality scale for this division. With this in mind I was thinking to myself the other day about which of our players could be described as 'top end League One' players.
I couldn't come up with any. Not one.
We have a fair few who could potentially go on to be, and a bigger number again who could be described as definitely not being top end quality. I accept that on occasion a team can go on to be more than the sum of its parts but on this measure alone it dawned on me how fucked we could actually be here.
Anybody else think any of our squad could be described as being of the higher end as far as League One is concerned?
|
|
|
Post by billycasper on Aug 23, 2017 19:31:04 GMT
Assuming promotion is the aim it seems a little obvious to point out that what a side really needs is a good number of players who are at the higher end of the quality scale for this division. With this in mind I was thinking to myself the other day about which of our players could be described as 'top end League One' players. I couldn't come up with any. Not one. We have a fair few who could potentially go on to be, and a bigger number again who could be described as definitely not being top end quality. I accept that on occasion a team can go on to be more than the sum of its parts but on this measure alone it dawned on me how fucked we could actually be here. Anybody else think any of our squad could be described as being of the higher end as far as League One is concerned? We've sold any we had.
|
|
|
Post by Train (F-2547) on Aug 23, 2017 19:33:07 GMT
Dunno I've only seen 50% of our team like twice.
Im100% confident neither law or McMahon are!
|
|
|
Post by Neshead on Aug 23, 2017 20:16:06 GMT
Assuming promotion is the aim it seems a little obvious to point out that what a side really needs is a good number of players who are at the higher end of the quality scale for this division. With this in mind I was thinking to myself the other day about which of our players could be described as 'top end League One' players. I couldn't come up with any. Not one. We have a fair few who could potentially go on to be, and a bigger number again who could be described as definitely not being top end quality. I accept that on occasion a team can go on to be more than the sum of its parts but on this measure alone it dawned on me how fucked we could actually be here. Anybody else think any of our squad could be described as being of the higher end as far as League One is concerned? The standout players that got us to Wembley last season have all gone, Cullen, Marshall and Meredith. Two are in the division above and i would say Marshall has a way better chance of promotion with Charlton than Bradford. McArdle, Vincelot, Wyke, NKP and were steady away, the rest were average league 1 players. Now if you have three players as good as the first three mentioned and decent supporting roles from 2 or 3 others you can get away with the average players. Now this season we still have pretty much all the average players from last season, they ain't gonna get any better, they are bog standard league 1 players. The likes of Vince and NKP are no world beaters, will hopefully match last seasons form but are not top end league 1 players. Which leaves us with the new recruits. None would you say are proven top end league 1 players so you are looking at potential. Reeves has shown promise if played in the right position ( central, McCall you tit) the others from what i've seen are just standard league 1 or young lads who've only played a handful of league games. If 2 or 3 of those new signings or Wyke don't have fantastic seasons we are up shit creek. I'll give it a good dozen or so games before making a proper judgement but at this moment i would say the only potential top end league players are Reeves and Wyke and that's pushing it.
|
|
|
Post by Dick on Aug 23, 2017 23:34:42 GMT
We played Bolton and Sheff Utd in the first couple of months last season - we should have beaten Bolton and the Sheff Utd game was exhilarating to watch; 2 teams playing intense, energetic positive football. In the reverse fixtures, we looked shit hot in the first half against Bolton then almost collapsed completely, and at Bramall Lane we were just embarrassing and looked nothing like the team from 6 months before. In fact, we didn't do very well against any of the teams in or around the top 6. And that was the problem last season - we didn't have enough to beat those teams. And I don't think we've got enough big hitters throughout. I do think some of our 'bog standard' players, as Neshead rightly calls it, would benefit from having that Championship quality signing next to them to lift their game and partnership potential. I worry about McCall not knowing what his best 11 is - like for most of last season - and playing obscure unbalanced line ups and formations to accommodate certain people. Also the fact we make VP - the narrowest pitch in the league I think - look even narrower by not using wingers.
|
|
|
Post by bantam147 on Aug 24, 2017 7:28:31 GMT
Last season, the only players we had that could reasonably be considered top League One players were Meredith, Cullen and Marshall. Don’t laugh – but Billy Clarke made us competitive last season too. Not in terms of goal scoring obviously, but he helped us to control games. If we’d had a shit hot forward like Billy Sharp or Lee Gregory, we’d probably have gone up. McArdle wasn’t really what you’d instinctively call a top League One player, but there aren’t many better centre backs at this level. I reckon he’s as good as what Sheff United had at the back. That group of players really made the difference last season. The rest of what we have is mid table guff really. And we’ve added to it with more mid-table guff.
Those that are espousing the likes of Reeves being the next McCall…..fuck off. He’s a decent midfielder by the looks of it. That’s it. Not a patch on Cullen.
For me, the two games against Sheff United away and Bolton at home showed up McCall’s limitations as a manager. He was naïve in both – At half time against Bolton we should’ve shut up shut. Killed the game. I think he failed to really grasp how big an opportunity that game was to make on run on the top 2 spots. Sheff United away was an embarrassment. Far too open and predictable.
My ‘dream’ is to see a City side win a league title. I don’t really care if it’s ‘only’ League One. I want to see a City side being the best in the division, at the level of a Sheff United or a Bristol City from a couple of years ago. And I don’t buy this bullshit about having to create a model/side that can sustain itself in the Championship. Honestly, with the fan base we have, the commercial revenue that we take and the opportunity for footfall revenue on matchdays – not to mention the various add ons we’ve benefitted from – it’d probably take somewhere in the region of 1.5m to 2m of investment, per season, to take our budget to the level of building a ‘Sheff United’ type side. Now, it’s easy to spend someone else’s money, but quite honestly if the owners don’t have the sort of cash to throw, say £5m over the next 3 years to buy our way into the championship then what’s the fucking point? And if you do it right, with the right balance of players in terms of quality and age, it shouldn’t be dead money – it should be money you make back and maybe more besides. And it doesn’t mean moving heaven and earth or being unsustainable in the Championship.
Let’s take last season’s side and pretend for a moment we’d actually beaten Millwall. What would have been needed?
A new keeper, absolutely. But you can get some quality premiership keepers on loan. Someone like Sam Johnstone. A right back, definitely. No need to break the bank there – all of a sudden you start talking about being able to take a young prospect like a Joe Riley, permanently. Not much, if any, real transfer fee involved. Or Connor McLaughlin A centre back and Midfielder – but it’s nailed on that we’d have taken Burke and Cullen. Maybe on loan, maybe on permies, maybe one of each. Left back would’ve been fine. Probably add another on a free, like Enda Stevens or Amari Bell. Marshall would’ve been fine. We’d have needed another winger – Josh Harrop went to Preston for free and maybe we wouldn’t have got him, but there are bound to have been others in a similar bracket. Lloyd Isgrove for example. Probably another midfielder – maybe we sign Lee Evans for a few hundred K. Having Wyke, Jones and Clarke as 3 forwards isn’t bad but would need more. So that’s probably an area where you’re talking about having to spend a bit of money. Say £1m on someone like Joe Garner. Maybe we take Wells back on loan for a season.
Another couple of free’s stepping up from League One. Maybe the likes of Mendez-Laing. Maybe throw in an experienced forward like Ricky Lambert or Matty Fryatt, also on a free.
With a combination of frees, loans and signings, we could’ve added 8 or 9 to what we had for maybe £3m in fees and loan fees. It was eminently do-able with the strategy we had. And there’s a lot of the above I reckon could have been temped into League One, or stayed in League One if we’d been prepared to pony up the dough this summer. Then all of a sudden when you’re promoted, it’s only a case of adding 4-5 players. Sign an Isgrove instead of a Poleon, sign an Evans instead of a Reeves etc. That's how you fucking do it - yes it costs more but guess what? They're better fucking players!!
I’m still fucked off we didn’t beat Millwall. They were beatable and it was our big chance. I think the main reason I was so fucked off at the time is because I knew we’d blown our big chance and that our subsequent approach would be about penny pinching.
If the owners think that this lot having the makings of a Top League One side, let alone the basis of a championship side, then fuck me….
|
|
|
Post by Lethal Jizzle on Aug 24, 2017 8:35:09 GMT
Last season, the only players we had that could reasonably be considered top League One players were Meredith, Cullen and Marshall. Don’t laugh – but Billy Clarke made us competitive last season too. Not in terms of goal scoring obviously, but he helped us to control games. If we’d had a shit hot forward like Billy Sharp or Lee Gregory, we’d probably have gone up. McArdle wasn’t really what you’d instinctively call a top League One player, but there aren’t many better centre backs at this level. I reckon he’s as good as what Sheff United had at the back. That group of players really made the difference last season. The rest of what we have is mid table guff really. And we’ve added to it with more mid-table guff. Those that are espousing the likes of Reeves being the next McCall…..fuck off. He’s a decent midfielder by the looks of it. That’s it. Not a patch on Cullen. For me, the two games against Sheff United away and Bolton at home showed up McCall’s limitations as a manager. He was naïve in both – At half time against Bolton we should’ve shut up shut. Killed the game. I think he failed to really grasp how big an opportunity that game was to make on run on the top 2 spots. Sheff United away was an embarrassment. Far too open and predictable. My ‘dream’ is to see a City side win a league title. I don’t really care if it’s ‘only’ League One. I want to see a City side being the best in the division, at the level of a Sheff United or a Bristol City from a couple of years ago. And I don’t buy this bullshit about having to create a model/side that can sustain itself in the Championship. Honestly, with the fan base we have, the commercial revenue that we take and the opportunity for footfall revenue on matchdays – not to mention the various add ons we’ve benefitted from – it’d probably take somewhere in the region of 1.5m to 2m of investment, per season, to take our budget to the level of building a ‘Sheff United’ type side. Now, it’s easy to spend someone else’s money, but quite honestly if the owners don’t have the sort of cash to throw, say £5m over the next 3 years to buy our way into the championship then what’s the fucking point? And if you do it right, with the right balance of players in terms of quality and age, it shouldn’t be dead money – it should be money you make back and maybe more besides. And it doesn’t mean moving heaven and earth or being unsustainable in the Championship. Let’s take last season’s side and pretend for a moment we’d actually beaten Millwall. What would have been needed? A new keeper, absolutely. But you can get some quality premiership keepers on loan. Someone like Sam Johnstone. A right back, definitely. No need to break the bank there – all of a sudden you start talking about being able to take a young prospect like a Joe Riley, permanently. Not much, if any, real transfer fee involved. Or Connor McLaughlin A centre back and Midfielder – but it’s nailed on that we’d have taken Burke and Cullen. Maybe on loan, maybe on permies, maybe one of each. Left back would’ve been fine. Probably add another on a free, like Enda Stevens or Amari Bell. Marshall would’ve been fine. We’d have needed another winger – Josh Harrop went to Preston for free and maybe we wouldn’t have got him, but there are bound to have been others in a similar bracket. Lloyd Isgrove for example. Probably another midfielder – maybe we sign Lee Evans for a few hundred K. Having Wyke, Jones and Clarke as 3 forwards isn’t bad but would need more. So that’s probably an area where you’re talking about having to spend a bit of money. Say £1m on someone like Joe Garner. Maybe we take Wells back on loan for a season. Another couple of free’s stepping up from League One. Maybe the likes of Mendez-Laing. Maybe throw in an experienced forward like Ricky Lambert or Matty Fryatt, also on a free. With a combination of frees, loans and signings, we could’ve added 8 or 9 to what we had for maybe £3m in fees and loan fees. It was eminently do-able with the strategy we had. And there’s a lot of the above I reckon could have been temped into League One, or stayed in League One if we’d been prepared to pony up the dough this summer. Then all of a sudden when you’re promoted, it’s only a case of adding 4-5 players. Sign an Isgrove instead of a Poleon, sign an Evans instead of a Reeves etc. That's how you fucking do it - yes it costs more but guess what? They're better fucking players!! I’m still fucked off we didn’t beat Millwall. They were beatable and it was our big chance. I think the main reason I was so fucked off at the time is because I knew we’d blown our big chance and that our subsequent approach would be about penny pinching. If the owners think that this lot having the makings of a Top League One side, let alone the basis of a championship side, then fuck me…. "Winner"
|
|
|
Post by Ricc on Aug 24, 2017 9:08:25 GMT
mental tight fisted kraut bastards.
|
|
|
Post by The Granby Mullet on Aug 24, 2017 19:50:41 GMT
Last season, the only players we had that could reasonably be considered top League One players were Meredith, Cullen and Marshall. Don’t laugh – but Billy Clarke made us competitive last season too. Not in terms of goal scoring obviously, but he helped us to control games. If we’d had a shit hot forward like Billy Sharp or Lee Gregory, we’d probably have gone up. McArdle wasn’t really what you’d instinctively call a top League One player, but there aren’t many better centre backs at this level. I reckon he’s as good as what Sheff United had at the back. That group of players really made the difference last season. The rest of what we have is mid table guff really. And we’ve added to it with more mid-table guff. Those that are espousing the likes of Reeves being the next McCall…..fuck off. He’s a decent midfielder by the looks of it. That’s it. Not a patch on Cullen. For me, the two games against Sheff United away and Bolton at home showed up McCall’s limitations as a manager. He was naïve in both – At half time against Bolton we should’ve shut up shut. Killed the game. I think he failed to really grasp how big an opportunity that game was to make on run on the top 2 spots. Sheff United away was an embarrassment. Far too open and predictable. My ‘dream’ is to see a City side win a league title. I don’t really care if it’s ‘only’ League One. I want to see a City side being the best in the division, at the level of a Sheff United or a Bristol City from a couple of years ago. And I don’t buy this bullshit about having to create a model/side that can sustain itself in the Championship. Honestly, with the fan base we have, the commercial revenue that we take and the opportunity for footfall revenue on matchdays – not to mention the various add ons we’ve benefitted from – it’d probably take somewhere in the region of 1.5m to 2m of investment, per season, to take our budget to the level of building a ‘Sheff United’ type side. Now, it’s easy to spend someone else’s money, but quite honestly if the owners don’t have the sort of cash to throw, say £5m over the next 3 years to buy our way into the championship then what’s the fucking point? And if you do it right, with the right balance of players in terms of quality and age, it shouldn’t be dead money – it should be money you make back and maybe more besides. And it doesn’t mean moving heaven and earth or being unsustainable in the Championship. Let’s take last season’s side and pretend for a moment we’d actually beaten Millwall. What would have been needed? A new keeper, absolutely. But you can get some quality premiership keepers on loan. Someone like Sam Johnstone. A right back, definitely. No need to break the bank there – all of a sudden you start talking about being able to take a young prospect like a Joe Riley, permanently. Not much, if any, real transfer fee involved. Or Connor McLaughlin A centre back and Midfielder – but it’s nailed on that we’d have taken Burke and Cullen. Maybe on loan, maybe on permies, maybe one of each. Left back would’ve been fine. Probably add another on a free, like Enda Stevens or Amari Bell. Marshall would’ve been fine. We’d have needed another winger – Josh Harrop went to Preston for free and maybe we wouldn’t have got him, but there are bound to have been others in a similar bracket. Lloyd Isgrove for example. Probably another midfielder – maybe we sign Lee Evans for a few hundred K. Having Wyke, Jones and Clarke as 3 forwards isn’t bad but would need more. So that’s probably an area where you’re talking about having to spend a bit of money. Say £1m on someone like Joe Garner. Maybe we take Wells back on loan for a season. Another couple of free’s stepping up from League One. Maybe the likes of Mendez-Laing. Maybe throw in an experienced forward like Ricky Lambert or Matty Fryatt, also on a free. With a combination of frees, loans and signings, we could’ve added 8 or 9 to what we had for maybe £3m in fees and loan fees. It was eminently do-able with the strategy we had. And there’s a lot of the above I reckon could have been temped into League One, or stayed in League One if we’d been prepared to pony up the dough this summer. Then all of a sudden when you’re promoted, it’s only a case of adding 4-5 players. Sign an Isgrove instead of a Poleon, sign an Evans instead of a Reeves etc. That's how you fucking do it - yes it costs more but guess what? They're better fucking players!! I’m still fucked off we didn’t beat Millwall. They were beatable and it was our big chance. I think the main reason I was so fucked off at the time is because I knew we’d blown our big chance and that our subsequent approach would be about penny pinching. If the owners think that this lot having the makings of a Top League One side, let alone the basis of a championship side, then fuck me…. Never thought I'd read war and peace on the cows arse. Well done that man 👌🏻
|
|
|
Post by Hobhead on Aug 24, 2017 19:54:30 GMT
Never thought I'd read war and peace on the cows arse. Well done that man 👌🏻 Despite its reputation The Cow's Arse is home to a higher level of discourse than all other Bradford City forums on the internet. With a few 'fucks' and 'cunts' thrown in.
|
|
|
Post by Hoochy on Aug 24, 2017 21:02:45 GMT
Definitely a few cunts on here. 😐
|
|
|
Post by The Granby Mullet on Aug 24, 2017 21:35:54 GMT
Now Marshall has left we don't have a player that will really put the fear of God in teams. Wyke will get goals no doubt but without decent service he doesn't have an influence every game. Think we are still quite predictable and that needs to change especially without someone who can create something out of nothing.
|
|
|
Post by Neshead on Aug 24, 2017 21:42:27 GMT
Definitely a few cunts on here. 😐 U WOT M8?
|
|
|
Post by Hoochy on Aug 24, 2017 21:53:11 GMT
Fucking Granby's avi! 😆
|
|
|
Post by bantam147 on Aug 25, 2017 9:53:00 GMT
Never thought I'd read war and peace on the cows arse. Well done that man 👌🏻 Despite its reputation The Cow's Arse is home to a higher level of discourse than all other Bradford City forums on the internet. With a few 'fucks' and 'cunts' thrown in. Exactly. It is incumbent upon we fine folk to maintain a level of intellectual superiority in how we debate, that just can't be found on other sites. And I was bored.
|
|
|
Post by Ricc on Aug 25, 2017 13:12:02 GMT
Here's an unpopular opinion - I'd get lynched on c&b for saying this - Omari Patrick is a dud. Not ready, never will be. Not upto standard. 3 year deal is a knee jerk reaction based off 1 goal in a game he otherwise didn't do much, and now we're stuck with him.
|
|
|
Post by bantam147 on Aug 25, 2017 13:32:54 GMT
Here's an unpopular opinion - I'd get lynched on The Early Learning Centre for saying this - Omari Patrick is a dud. Not ready, never will be. Not upto standard. 3 year deal is a knee jerk reaction based off 1 goal in a game he otherwise didn't do much, and now we're stuck with him. I concur. Luke Medley all over again.
|
|
|
Post by Attentive Onlooker on Aug 25, 2017 14:01:23 GMT
Here's an unpopular opinion - I'd get lynched on The Early Learning Centre for saying this - Omari Patrick is a dud. Not ready, never will be. Not upto standard. 3 year deal is a knee jerk reaction based off 1 goal in a game he otherwise didn't do much, and now we're stuck with him. That's how we judge players - based on one game. James Hanson and the world's luckiest hat trick vs Walsall anyone?
|
|
|
Post by Lofty on Aug 25, 2017 16:27:16 GMT
Here's an unpopular opinion - I'd get lynched on The Early Learning Centre for saying this - Omari Patrick is a dud. Not ready, never will be. Not upto standard. 3 year deal is a knee jerk reaction based off 1 goal in a game he otherwise didn't do much, and now we're stuck with him. He may or may not make it but he shouldn't be anywhere near the team at present. What must Gillied, Taylor and Jones think whilst they're sat on the bench??
|
|
|
Post by billycasper on Aug 25, 2017 16:49:19 GMT
Here's an unpopular opinion - I'd get lynched on The Early Learning Centre for saying this - Omari Patrick is a dud. Not ready, never will be. Not upto standard. 3 year deal is a knee jerk reaction based off 1 goal in a game he otherwise didn't do much, and now we're stuck with him. A shit Gareth Grant.
|
|