• Nigel Adkins has been given the Tranmere job on a permanent basis signing until the end of the 25/26 season. Continue the discussion here.

League Two Bantams v Rovers

Match result

  • Bradford

    Votes: 3 37.5%
  • Draw

    Votes: 3 37.5%
  • Tranmere

    Votes: 2 25.0%

  • Total voters
    8
  • Poll closed .
Bantams v Rovers
Posted by Ian
Valley Parade
Tuesday, April 20, 2021 - 07:00 PM
Until: Tuesday, April 20, 2021 - 09:00 PM
(Adjusted for timezone: Europe/London)
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Joined
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It's hard to know what to think about that game. A stroke of good fortune to put us in front although much credit to Danny Lloyd with making it happen, then a fairly comfortable second half with a lot of solid defending as mentioned. One great challenge in particular from Jay Spearing in the box, slightly either way and they get a penalty. A difficult chance for Woolery to clinch it at the end, he was under a lot of pressure. I still had reservations about some of our changes; Khan didn't look comfy on the left when brought on, maybe better switching with Morris or pushing Macdonald up and bringing Rides on earlier than KH did. Set pieces weren't the best again. Whether this is a turning point remains to be seen, although the confidence of a few players was well up as the game progressed.

Bradford went for the Dawes/Parky approach to replace Bowyer, sticking with the caretakers who'd turned things around. While they were going well initially, have lost the last 3 games and probably won't break into the play-offs after this result. Wonder how their fans are thinking now. Never easy being in charge of a football club, whether you try the experienced boss approach like Mark or stick with the rookies like the Bantams.
Most of their supporters want the caretakers gone now, and they have eighteen month deals.

Murphy also deserves credit for the quick distribution in the build up to the goal, something Scott is not so good at.
 

Boz

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Most of their supporters want the caretakers gone now, and they have eighteen month deals.

Murphy also deserves credit for the quick distribution in the build up to the goal, something Scott is not so good at.
Interesting re Bantams fans.

Agree Murphy's distribution is one of his strengths. He was mixing it up better tonight, v Salford he wasn't allowed to bowl it out much, but his long balls were all straight down the middle and being gobbled up.
 

Sparky

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Bradford 12 shots, 0 on target. NO shots from either team on target. Wow, anyway, very important 3 points. Hope that pushes us on for the last 3 games.
Amazing really. 19 shots combined from both sides and not a single one on target. It really was a game with 0-0 written all over it apart from one stroke of luck. But Lloyd made our bit of luck so credit to him
 
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At last my double or quits policy paid off! ;)

Seriously, I felt today is when the season really started. After the recent string of crazy results from all the teams in L2, tonight’s scores were almost predictable. The top five (including us) won. None of the top half lost unless they were playing a higher placed club.

There’s still more work to be done. This was the last midweek fixture of the regular season so we have time to recover and prepare for the last three fixtures. We need a maximum of six points to be absolutely sure of a playoff spot. Hopefully, Vaughan can still play a part and will be fully fit for the climax.
 
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A few worrying comments from Hill regarding Vaughan in his post match interview. Apparently his other knee was injured in the incident on Saturday - perhaps a compensatory problem because he can't put full weight on the injured knee - and Hill said he could not discuss the situation due to 'confidentiality issues'.

All a bit cryptic but does not sound great.
 
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I think the problem with the notion that the season started today, is that it is not objectively true. As much of a relief as it was to win tonight, a hell of a lot of points have been thrown away in the last two months which could have earned us automatic promotion.

Morecambe have a fraction of our resources but have maintained consistency in the last six weeks, and now deservedly go into the final three matches in a stronger position than we do. There has been inconsistency in recent weeks, but several teams have been considerably more consistent than we have.
 

drwhoman

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A few worrying comments from Hill regarding Vaughan in his post match interview. Apparently his other knee was injured in the incident on Saturday - perhaps a compensatory problem because he can't put full weight on the injured knee - and Hill said he could not discuss the situation due to 'confidentiality issues'.

All a bit cryptic but does not sound great.
A shame but I think we have to be practical and assume that Vaughan will not be available in the immediate future. What do i know (!) but I have a sense that he has been telling Hill that he can play and has played. A different situation at the likes of Liverpool where the medical staff just tell Jurgen he cannot play and he does not play! Anyway, lets hope the boys get over the line one way or another in the next few weeks! There has simply been no successful alternative to Vaughan which is a huge negative for Hill's continuing after the season ends.
 

Boz

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The player power issue raised by drwhoman is an interesting one. If we’d had Liverpool’s medical resources, expect we’d also have had their strength in attacking players and there have been situations where top teams have brought back a recovering player too early. Vaughan like most players will have wanted to play and the desperate state of affairs in front of goal meant Keith Hill was prepared to gamble. While I hope that he may be available for the play-offs, it sounds unlikely. Given he’s apparently got another operation scheduled over the break, we might not see him again until after the start of next season. An issue for whoever is in charge then to address. If Rovers hadn’t scored when we did, would Charlie Jolley have been slung on for the last 20 minutes or so? I was a bit surprised to see him on the bench ahead of Burton tbh.

Player power was allegedly involved in the Pizza Cup final selection. Can’t help wondering that if we’d rested some of the senior pros in that game and put out the Sunderland line-up at Grimsby instead, whether one point might become three and then the fight for the automatics would became a lot more interesting.
 
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I think the problem with the notion that the season started today, is that it is not objectively true. As much of a relief as it was to win tonight, a hell of a lot of points have been thrown away in the last two months which could have earned us automatic promotion.

Morecambe have a fraction of our resources but have maintained consistency in the last six weeks, and now deservedly go into the final three matches in a stronger position than we do. There has been inconsistency in recent weeks, but several teams have been considerably more consistent than we have.
I think you missed my point. What I was meaning was that for the first time in a while, all the “silly” results stopped. It was a bit like those cycle races which start slowly and they eventually start sprinting. At last, the sprint has started and at least we are still in the peloton.
 
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I think you missed my point. What I was meaning was that for the first time in a while, all the “silly” results stopped. It was a bit like those cycle races which start slowly and they eventually start sprinting. At last, the sprint has started and at least we are still in the peloton.
But I think you missed my point. The results of Cambridge, Cheltenham, Bolton and Morecambe have been far less 'silly' than ours in the last two months, which is why three of those four teams will probably go up automatically. Those four sides have been far more consistent than us in the most crucial phase of the season, despite the general inconsistency of the division. Last night's result can't gloss over that.

To use your analogy, we have probably started sprinting too late. The four clubs above us started sprinting a couple of months ago.
 
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we are Limping, the way the other teams are scoring bags full of goals and we have not had a player bag 1 in 5 games if not for some Luck last night nothing has changed we have square pegs in round holes it is really frustrating and just don't see how its going to change
 
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Hopefully some confidence will return after last night AM. We did look sharper and better organised than recent matches.
 
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The player power issue raised by drwhoman is an interesting one. If we’d had Liverpool’s medical resources, expect we’d also have had their strength in attacking players and there have been situations where top teams have brought back a recovering player too early. Vaughan like most players will have wanted to play and the desperate state of affairs in front of goal meant Keith Hill was prepared to gamble. While I hope that he may be available for the play-offs, it sounds unlikely. Given he’s apparently got another operation scheduled over the break, we might not see him again until after the start of next season. An issue for whoever is in charge then to address. If Rovers hadn’t scored when we did, would Charlie Jolley have been slung on for the last 20 minutes or so? I was a bit surprised to see him on the bench ahead of Burton tbh.

Player power was allegedly involved in the Pizza Cup final selection. Can’t help wondering that if we’d rested some of the senior pros in that game and put out the Sunderland line-up at Grimsby instead, whether one point might become three and then the fight for the automatics would became a lot more interesting.
In fairness, if there had been problems in the dressing room because senior players were prevented from playing at Wembley, it is unlikely we would have played any better at Grimsby anyway.
 

Boz

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In fairness, if there had been problems in the dressing room because senior players were prevented from playing at Wembley, it is unlikely we would have played any better at Grimsby anyway.
But if true, still a question of the senior players acting inappropriately if they can pick and choose the games they want to play in and the manager goes along with it?
 
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Too many of them after over 50 years!
in 2016/17 the team did really well in the last 12 games only to lose to FGR badly in the POF. Following year, lost the last two home games and struggled agains Ebsfleet in semi final but won the POF. 2018/19 W1D2L4 of last 7 games prior to beating FGR (just) over 2 legs and scraping past Newport in the POF.

So, anything can happen in the remaining games this season. take each game as it comes.
 
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But if true, still a question of the senior players acting inappropriately if they can pick and choose the games they want to play in and the manager goes along with it?
I am not suggesting that they would be acting inappropriately, more that there would be natural disappointment at missing out on Wembley. The relationship between the manager and the senior players is key at any club.

In any case, I do not think the impact of one extra game at Wembley was that significant. There have been plenty of missed opportunities to pick up points since the Grimsby game.
 

Ian

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Let's not kid ourselves. We won last night with a bit of much overdue luck but we still had zero shots on target. If we do not find a formula to score goals, we will struggle for the last three and subsequently in the playoffs. I agree, we were better in some areas, but no better when it came to finding the back of the net which has been the cause of all these problems recently. The only hope is Vaughan returning and that is a very faint hope.
 
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We actually finished all three of the recent play off seasons in strong form in the closing months of the season. Finishing the season strongly was one of Mellon's real strengths as a manager.

In 2017-18 and 2018-19 we rested players in the final few regular games, hence poor results; in 2016-17 it was a host of injuries that did for us in the play off final.

However, our poor recent form does not mean we can't be promoted via the play offs this time around.
 

Sparky

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