Bradford City (A) Tue May 1st, 7.45pm

[Welsh_Saddler]

"It was a grand upstanding Bantam cock
So brisk and stiff and spry,
With a springy step and a jaunty plume
And a purposeful look in his eye"

(Jake Thackray)

Rather than grind out a new preview, I've updated the one from the original scheduled date of April 2nd. City are still in 11th place, but have missed out on the play-off places for this season - will they be relaxing on the beach, I wonder?

Here's the kind of fixture you don't get all that often - a meeting of two teams both apparently in freefall. Way back in August when the Bantams came to Bescot they raced to a 0-3 lead only for us to memorably fight back for a 3-3 final score, and they maintained their play-off position with increasing comfort until the turn of the year when it all seemed to go pear-shaped. Calls for the Manager's head were answered in February with the sacking of Stuart McCall and the appointment of Simon Grayson, but turning their form around brings an oil tanker to mind - just consider .... after 26 games Bradford City had 48 points and now after 38 games they have 53 points. For 12 games to yield 5 points is something of an achievement!! City currently occupy 11th place in the League One table, 7 points shy of the play-offs - and surprisingly for a team in the top half, they've lost more games than they've won and they have a negative (-7) goal difference. Grayson's first game in charge was at Charlton, which co-incidentally is the first in our usual "recent form" listing:

13 Feb Charlton Athletic (A) Drew 1-1
24 Feb Plymouth Argyle (A) Lost 1-0
14 Mar Wigan Athletic (H) Lost 0-1
19 Mar Doncaster Rovers (A) Lost 2-0
24 Mar Gillingham (H) Won 1-0
29 Mar Blackburn Rovers (A) Lost 2-0

Updated form:

7 Apr Blackpool (A) Lost 5-0
12 Apr Shrewsbury Town (H) Drew 0-0
17 Apr Portsmouth (H) Won 3-1
21 Apr Rochdale (A) Drew 1-1
24 Apr M K Dons (H) Won 2-0
28 Apr Southend United (H) Lost 0-2

Dean Keates will have seen the extent of the Walsall malaise from his position in the dugout against Portsmouth, but it's hard to see where any significant improvement could come from given the limitations of the squad at his disposal. Our defence can't be relied upon to keep a clean sheet, and at the same time we don't have the ability to score (not in the last four games at any rate). Florent Cuvelier's injury may be a blessing in disguise if it allows George Dobson 90 minutes, but Keates simply has to find a formula (or person) to put the ball in the opposition's net. Mitch Candlin, anyone?

Prediction? Wearing my permanent rose-coloured spectacles (essential if you're a Walsall supporter) I'll try for a 1-1 draw - Ngoy to oblige.

Updated prediction ...... No change, I'll still go for the 1-1 draw that we need to guarantee safety. :D

[Mazza01]

2-0 loss for me , defence is terrible.

[PT]

Bench Ozzy, stick Morris into number 10 and play Dobson as the linker.

Undecided on whether to go. Might well be a last minute decision.

1-1.

[Cowshed]

Need to watch the weather could be snowed off

[SoccerHQ]

Bench Ozzy, stick Morris into number 10 and play Dobson as the linker.

Undecided on whether to go. Might well be a last minute decision.

1-1.

I assume that is 4-3-1-2? One problem is I doubt Flo will make Monday so Dobson will be neede alongside Chambers unless that's what you mean PT.

One thing DK needs to do, play Ngoy upfront.

The rest does feel like shuffling chairs on the Titanic at this stage though. We know by now what pretty much every player in the squad can or more accurately can't do at this stage.

[Ancient Moaner]

0-3 defeat at best, forget all this nonsense about Bradford being in freefall, remember, it's our lot coming to town, they always enjoy routing us, it's the law.
Sorry PT don't think I'll bother this year, getting fed up of being embarrassed at that ground.

[Walsallone]

I doubt Leahy will play as he could hardly walk off on Saturday and I know he isn't the greatest defender but it is a place that needs filling. I suppose Kinsella in at RB and Devlin to LB might be one possibility. Cockerill-Mollet is another I suppose but Bradford is a bit of a rough place to make a debut. Anyway it is all immaterial since I can only see one result....a defeat. Lets hope it is not too damaging to the goal difference!!!

[funk_hits_the_fan]

0-3 defeat at best, forget all this nonsense about Bradford being in freefall, remember, it's our lot coming to town, they always enjoy routing us, it's the law.
Sorry PT don't think I'll bother this year, getting fed up of being embarrassed at that ground.

If following Walsall brought as much misery to me as it evidently does to you, I would have given up years ago :shock:

I've given up on women for less :lol:

1-1 or 0-0.

[EvenFlow]

At least we don't have to worry about James Hanson.




Until Saturday.

[PT]

Bench Ozzy, stick Morris into number 10 and play Dobson as the linker.

Undecided on whether to go. Might well be a last minute decision.

1-1.

I assume that is 4-3-1-2? One problem is I doubt Flo will make Monday so Dobson will be neede alongside Chambers unless that's what you mean PT.

One thing DK needs to do, play Ngoy upfront.

The rest does feel like shuffling chairs on the Titanic at this stage though. We know by now what pretty much every player in the squad can or more accurately can't do at this stage.

My main point was that I think Morris has earned the right to play in that free role behind the forward(s). Ozzy has lost that right in my opinion.

We’re so short of personnel it hurts. Given what we’ve got, I’d go with that 4312 even without Flo. Kinsella getting a nod over Flanagan in midfield. It’s narrow but effectively eight people protecting our goal with three at the top end who, if they busy themselves, should mean Bradford need five defenders to mind over their back door. All three of our offensive players can also do a decent job defending set-pieces.

No pretty, certainly not “sexy football”, but to my mind gives us a chance of a clean sheet and maybe a snatched win. Which would be bloody lovely.

[hullsaddler]

I know AM always goes on and on about our record at Valley Parade but I think his views are coloured by that abject 4-0 defeat. Our record there since 2003 is W D D L W D L L which isn't that awful.
Don Penn scored our winner on my first visit there, if only we had someone like him now. I'll go for 1-1 with og for us.

[PT]

I know AM always goes on and on about our record at Valley Parade but I think his views are coloured by that abject 4-0 defeat. Our record there since 2003 is W D D L W D L L which isn't that awful.
Don Penn scored our winner on my first visit there, if only we had someone like him now. I'll go for 1-1 with og for us.

I’ve been there three times and have won one, drawn one and lost one. But it is THAT loss that dominates my Bradford mood. Optimism up to about 2:30, then someone told me the team and it was then that “believe” began to turn into disbelief and by 5 o’clock despair.

[SoccerHQ]

I know AM always goes on and on about our record at Valley Parade but I think his views are coloured by that abject 4-0 defeat. Our record there since 2003 is W D D L W D L L which isn't that awful.
Don Penn scored our winner on my first visit there, if only we had someone like him now. I'll go for 1-1 with og for us.

I’ve been there three times and have won one, drawn one and lost one. But it is THAT loss that dominates my Bradford mood. Optimism up to about 2:30, then someone told me the team and it was then that “believe” began to turn into disbelief and by 5 o’clock despair.

Ha bit like that game at Sheffield United a few weeks before. Scanning through the team on my phone at half 2 going...." Rico yep, Taylor yep, J O'C yep, Chambers yep...........FLANAGAN????!!!!! :shock: :lol:

[PT]

I know AM always goes on and on about our record at Valley Parade but I think his views are coloured by that abject 4-0 defeat. Our record there since 2003 is W D D L W D L L which isn't that awful.
Don Penn scored our winner on my first visit there, if only we had someone like him now. I'll go for 1-1 with og for us.

I’ve been there three times and have won one, drawn one and lost one. But it is THAT loss that dominates my Bradford mood. Optimism up to about 2:30, then someone told me the team and it was then that “believe” began to turn into disbelief and by 5 o’clock despair.

Ha bit like that game at Sheffield United a few weeks before. Scanning through the team on my phone at half 2 going...." Rico yep, Taylor yep, J O'C yep, Chambers yep...........FLANAGAN????!!!!! :shock: :lol:

The Whitney doubts started that very day.

That was the moment he moved from picking Smith’s team in an “as you were” style to beginning to introduce his own thinking. Bit by bit over two years that thinking led us to the starting XI that Keates now has.

[Enniskillen]

Kinsella on the right of midfield, Morris on the left. Dobson and Chambers in the centre and then choose one of Bakayoko or Oztumer plus Ngoy.

[hullsaddler]

Need to watch the weather could be snowed off

Looking at the weather here this morning then I think that the game might be more in danger from being called off because of a waterlogged pitch. Bradford's game against Franchise FC was called off 2 hours before kick off on March 10th for that reason.

[mel58]

Pitch inspection at 10 apparently

[sadsmiffy]

Inspection delayed because ref stuck in traffic ! Bradford reckon match very likely to be off though .

[hullsaddler]

Inspection delayed because ref stuck in traffic ! Bradford reckon match very likely to be off though .

Ref is from Hull ... I could have had a lift!

[saddlersjse]

It's officially been called off.

[Exile]

Bonus.

[Enniskillen]

Best result we could have hoped for. Gives Keates another week to with the players

[Walsallone]

I agree that this is helpful in our current position.

[hullsaddler]

Bradford have rearranged home games on Tues 17th & 24th April so think this will now be in last week of season on Tues 1st May.
Will it be crucial ... or will we be already down?

[Guest]

I don't think I'll bother coming back at Easter again...

[Mike Vale]

My son and I set off for the game but didn’t get far. I am grateful that an early decision to postpone was made. I agree with the view that this might be a small blessing in disguise ie will give DK more time with the players and hopefully allow the injuries picked up on Saturday to repair.

[chunkster]

I don't think I'll bother coming back at Easter again...

I know, I think that easter eggs are a rip off :mrgreen: sorry mate just my stupid sense of humour :wink: It must be a right pisser to spend all that time and money to get here for it to be called off :(

[Guest]

I don't think I'll bother coming back at Easter again...

I know, I think that easter eggs are a rip off :mrgreen: sorry mate just my stupid sense of humour :wink: It must be a right pisser to spend all that time and money to get here for it to be called off :(

Well, I got to one of the three games I had hoped to attend. And I was sure I would see us score today!

Back to HK for the Bury game. I'll have to see if iFollow works.

At least the Easter eggs are cheaper here than in Hong Kong - and not totally melted.

[chunkster]

I don't think I'll bother coming back at Easter again...

I know, I think that easter eggs are a rip off :mrgreen: sorry mate just my stupid sense of humour :wink: It must be a right pisser to spend all that time and money to get here for it to be called off :(

Well, I got to one of the three games I had hoped to attend. And I was sure I would see us score today!

Back to HK for the Bury game. I'll have to see if iFollow works.

At least the Easter eggs are cheaper here than in Hong Kong - and not totally melted.

Good luck with getting ifollow to work on live matches :( i can get commentary while in tenerife or lanzarote, and i have ipvanish on my laptop but i have never got it to work :(

[hullsaddler]

I wonder how far the Plymouth fans had got before their game was called off at Scunthorpe?