Bradford City - Reflections On a Stagnant Season.

Positivity -  Measured or moving forward or in a direction of increase or progress.

Positivity is a term not often closely associated with following Bradford City, as we sit in our fifth and a half year in the basement division of the football league and as the cold winds of change blow through the stands of Valley Parade. I decided to have a look at some of the issues and events of the past six months and why maybe there are signs of light flickering at the end of a dark, dismal tunnel full of nothing but misery and crap Referees.

The transfer window has slammed firmly shut and it seems like a perfect opportunity to assess and reflect on a turbulent six months for the Bantams. Since Phil Parkinson replaced Peter Jackson in a cloud of mystery and rumour, a lot has changed at Valley Parade in the time that has lapsed since. Firstly whilst looking at on the pitch matters, the dynamics of the playing squad has changed dramatically. The squad that Parkinson inherited before the Johnstones Paint Trophy game against Sheffield Wednesday is almost unrecognisable to the eleven that now 'grace' the weather stricken pitches of League Two. The impact of Phil Parkinson's signings have had varying appraisals on the pitch depending which fans you may talk too; with some voicing the opinion that the summer signings by both Archie Christie via Peter Jackson and Jackson alone have looked better than Parkinson's. The validity of this argument is one that’s hard to conclude with a definitive answer; football is a game where people can watch the same game and draw conclusions that are wildly different to the person sat behind or to the side of you. One person that definitely didn't believe in the signings made in the summer is Chairman Mark Lawn who it is said dismissed Jackson's assemble as the worst squad in the league. The much heralded development squad, the masterpiece creation brought to the club with Christie's arrival in the summer seems to have disbanded with Parkinson citing that the DS in its current form was not a model that could work successfully, due to the amount of time the small band of coaches and medical staff could spend between members of the first team squad compared to the development squad. This has again split opinions between fans and even players, Michael Flynn went on record earlier in the season, raising the point that he thought the costs involved with the development squad could be put to better use by making them available to the first team manager to put towards an extra player, who could help to improve the first team squad instantly and not potentially in a few years after they have received sufficient work experience elsewhere as part of Christie's University of learning philosophy. Obvious points and concerns raised by fans tends to point towards the lack of long term planning by the club, with many putting forward the often debated issue of short term loan players as a reason as to why the idea of a successfully working squad of youngsters that are ready to step into the team in the absence of recognised first team players, would be more beneficial than simply improving other teams players by giving them opportunities to either flourish or make mistakes in Bradford's first team. An immediate concern to the hierarchy at the club presently is the lowly position the Bantams currently occupy in the League Two table; whilst performances and the organisation of the team has certainly improved under Parkinson, the points tally acquired is one that needs to be improved rapidly. The return to both form and fitness of Mclaughlin after the poor performances of Matt Duke and the signings of Seip and in particular the superb Andrew Davies have helped to plug a defence leakier than the proverbial kitchen sink in the early weeks of August. Davies after an abysmal start to his VP career has lived up to his higher league pedigree and flourished as the leader at the heart of the Bantams defence; surely it would be unrealistic for fans to dream of him staying with club beyond the end of his loan spell. Unwanted and unloved at Stoke he is unlikely to be short of offers from championship clubs offering far greater wages than the Bantams could ever offer at this present time. It is rumoured the club pay about a tenth of his current wages. The additions of Ravenhill and Reid are two that have caught the eye, Reid on his day and particularly away from home is a match winner, with his pace alone giving the team an outlet which no other winger at the club possesses. Up front it is nice to see one of Jackson's signings, Nahki Wells develop and push his way from fifth choice striker in pre-season to James Hanson's most effective strike partner and if he can continue to replicate the form of December and January then there is hope that the remaining months of this season and next can be a much more positive and ultimately, prosperous one for the Bantams.