Thoughts on Grimsby away (Pre-season)

Grimsby, land of some fishy people and one of the nations favourite dishes of course!

Pre-season games are always, well, a bit weird. Played in good spirits with the focus on fitness and sharpness as opposed to the will to win, which will be more in evidence in 10 days time.

So when  it was announced that City would be visiting Grimsby when the pre-season plans were announced, I was in two minds about making the trip over the Humber bridge but my need for a Football fix teamed with the fact that Blundell Park is one of my favourite away days, mainly because we always seem to pick up 3 points, led me to making the trip from Bridlington. Who could forget the incredibly forgettable Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu, a player who seemed to have been born offside, convert a penalty in front of the city fans in the last minute in Stuart's early tenure. Or Omar Daley's jinking run and blast into the top corner in the first few minutes a couple of years later, only to then be taken off as Matt Clarke was sent off as he continued to do his best impressions of the Chuckle brothers at the heart of City's defence. Oh and the temperature in Grimsby always seemed to be about minus 10.

 So on a surprisingly warm Tuesday night in Cleethorpes (I always thought it was Grimsby? Ah well) City started with a strong looking line up and one might expect that line up to be the one that takes the field against Bristol City, with the exception of Connell missing out in favour of Nahki Wells.
The game started off quite evenly with both teams spraying the ball around quite nicely, one time rumoured Phil Parkinson target Paddy Mclaughlin classy on the ball for Grimsby and Nathan Doyle pinging trademark passes to the opposite flank with ease.
Although in true Pre-season style, not a lot really happened of any interest.
Kyel Reid demonstrated his amazing ability to be able to place a ball directly on Hanson's head, then with his his next 6 attempted crosses nearly committ mass murder in the Grimsby end with the sparse home fans  having to run and duck out the way as another Reidy missile launched into Rows Z, E and F.

Beforehand I was looking forward to seeing City's biggest signing of the summer Mark Yeates, a player I have always rated from his Colchester and Middlesbrough days. Yeates started on the right and it has to be said was anonymous, and still recieved some rather strong treatment from Grimsby's left back. It has to be said that Yeates looked like he was playing in the wrong position, not a natural winger by any means he spent a lot of time looking to come inside and didn't seem to have the pace or trickery to beat his man in a one on one. However don't get down hearted yet, all this changed with a sparkling second half performance, this time on the left flank where his infuence grew and grew and was at the heart of everything City created. James Hanson was again excellent in his all round play although missed arguably City's best chance of the half when he narrowly failed to connect to Reid's ball into the middle..

The second half started with City in control and their superior fitness really started to show over the course of the 90 as Grimsby tired noticeably. Nick Allamby deserves a lot of credit for what his efforts have achieved and just how much he has helped to transform the team into a strong unit. One player looking noticeably leaner already is Nathan Doyle who after coming to the club unfit was largely excellent until his form dropped off probably due to fatigue from missing the fitness work in the off season. I noticed at Guiesley that he looked to have shed the proverbial timber and I do think he will be pivotal as City look to progress again this season, as he is so classy in possession and has the vision to start City's attacks from deep.

The introduction of Wells for Connell brought a fresh impetus to the frontline, as once again Hanson and Connell proved that they simply can't play together. Both players have different strengths and one of Connell's is to drop slightly deeper and this is totally ineffective when placed next to Hanson. A highlighting point is when the big man wins a flick on and Connell is nowhere to be seen or else that he lacks the pace to be a threat in behind like Wells. There lies the problem as Alan Connell is an excellent player both technically and in his attitude, how we can fit him into the side is a different matter completely.
It was pleasing to see Garry Thompson carry on his outstanding form from the second half of the season, his turn of pace and strength brought upon the first goal of the night as he recieved a glorious pass from Yeates, skinned his fullback who dived in far too easily before his cross eventually fell to Hanson who with his weaker foot, prodded the ball beyond the despairing dive of Grimsby's keeper.

More changes happened as Kennedy and Nelson came on and I was convinced that Doyle had gone off till late on in the game when he suddenly appeared at left back. A great moment just before this substitution occurred as Meredith bombed down the line with great intent, before lofting the ball over the roof of the stand to his great annoyance and the City fans amusement, as they immediately sang.

"Are you Reidy in disguise? Are you Reidy? Are you Reidy in Disguise?"

 In-between John Mclaughlin pulling off several important saves and blocks as City lost their way slightly, a free kick on the edge of the box allowed Youtube specialist Yeates to step up and bend the ball clinically to the keepers left hand side and end the contest.

What can be taken from a pre-season game? Not a lot really, but the team look strong and with the step up to League one being either extremely small or the size of the Atlantic ocean depending on who you listen too. I personally can't see City having any problems making the step up, and hopefully making a good fist of their attempts for a second consecutive promotion.

My most anticipated album of 2013

I love buying music. There's something deeply rewarding about hearing and studying about a band or artist you've heard about and watching them progress and progress until they reveal details about their debut album and the sense of longing and anticipation you have to hear the product you've waited for, for what seems an eternity. Of course you don't just download the music but go to HMV and buy a physical copy, it's so much better! For example i had this with Noah and the Whale after hearing a track on a compilation cd borrowed from a friend and have continued this, purchasing all their album releases to date (My favourite is 'The first days of spring') and seeing them live three times and getting the same buzz every time. Another example released still fairly recently is the debut album from the considered 'next big thing' Jake Bugg who's storming album rocketed straight to the top of the charts and shows a lot of potential for what is yet to come. The classic example remains the 'Arctic Monkeys' and their rise to the top started from a  storm growing on the internet over just how mind blowing their early work was with tales of inner city Sheffield striking a chord with the masses in some form or another.
However the album I'm most looking forward to in 2013 is without doubt 'Bad Blood' by Bastille. I have to admit to being some-what of a late comer to their brilliance but after first seeing them on the extended highlights of the Leeds and Reading festival 2012 i was hooked. There is something fresh and interesting about these guys, their music is so much more than the blandness seen in new bands like Lawson but is still approachable and unique and from the clips and singles I've heard so far a sure fire winner.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzRBoZb3GKw

It's only a cup...What about the league?

It was with mixed thoughts that I sat and listened to the throngs of home fans chanting “Wembley….Wembley” in the 90th minute of the home game against Gillingham and felt strangely disappointed that our league form has just fizzled out as the bantams succumbed to the league leader.

Trust me I am so looking forward to a visit to the capital, when you walk into my house a giant city ‘giant killers’ flag greets you! But the crest of a wave of euphoria that had been riding round the club had all but disappeared for me as I watched us fail to snatch a deserved draw, in a match which on a whole I felt that we were the better side. The game was like the Port Vale home game in parts without the quantity of chances that were spurned that day but with the same costly individual errors. This time however it was not a suicidal back pass from the skipper but a nothing ball over the top which Naylor and Matt Duke both comprehensively failed to deal with allowing the Gills striker the chance to gleefully accept the gift and take it round Duke and dispatch the ball home.

How a team that had started to develop the winning habit Pre-Christmas so evidently in place with Saturday’s visitors is a mystery because without doubt, this group of players and management team have shown they can match it with the big boys in both the cup and in the league. If a neutral was watching on Saturday could they have told you who was top and who was twelfth? I don’t believe so, particularly after the first half in which Gillingham barely raised a canter and sat deep allowing City possession and to create the best of the chances which both Hanson and Wells spurned. That clinical streak seen at places like Oxford, at home to Barnet and Wimbledon is missing on leave.

Can the club be accused of not trying in the league and just concerning their priorities onto the league cup? Well, again the answer would have to be no. Phil Parkinson is far too professional to do that, he has already dangled the carrot and the stick approach to the players about earning their places for Wembley and on Saturday it was through no lack of effort that the Bantams lost but a lack of quality in the final third. After briefly scanning through reading the various tweets and sometimes listening to the shouts of the guy sat behind me at the match (Why isn’t he a manager at a football league club, he seems to know it all?) that filter through after a game it seemed that people are far too quick to pin the blame at the multi-coloured feet of Nahki Wells, saying he doesn’t work hard enough and is not interested. Again this is staggering to me and something I just don’t agree with, the last thing we need is to get on the backs of the players and destroy the brittle confidence that seems to affect so many lower league footballers. Onto the subject of Nahki was he poor on Saturday? Yes, there’s no denying that his touch was off and nothing he tried came off on that day. Does that mean he deserves to be criticised and condemned of having a bad attitude, no. Will Nahki be the first striker we’ve had to break the 20 goals a season barrier in the modern league 2 era. Undoubtedly.

The next two games have rightly being labelled as cup finals by PP and give us a great chance to stay in touch with the chasing and pack as they are winnable games. How great would it be to go to Wembley which on a side note was my first ever Bradford City game I attended (Jumping on the bandwagon aged 5!) With a rejuvenated sense of optimism and belief that we can compete with anyone in league 2 because we have shown we can.

 The trip to Wembley serves as a momentous joyful occasion for the fans and players to celebrate the unbelievable cup run we have had and we will compete with a great footballing side like Swansea in a one off game as major underdogs. But sometimes the underdogs bite back, just ask those leading lights Martinez, Wenger and Lambert. Ok maybe not Lambert as he seems like a very bitter man.

Brid Bash Gig Review 2012

Me and Ryan O'Shaughnessy in Town after the Gig.


Brid Bash Review 2012

Ok so it’s been a while since I’ve done any gig reviews and that’s mainly down to the fact that I’ve not been to any gigs recently, but less of that and more of the present.

Brid Bash has become a staple event in the Bridlington calendar over the last few years and I’ve attended every single one. Don’t get me wrong, at best from the list of acts that feature, I will like one or maybe two of them on a good year but it seems a shame not to go see these artists when their virtually on your doorstep. The basic format is quite popular at the moment with several radio stations adopting the idea of having their name branded around a venue whilst selecting a few acts to perform that are either usually on the decline or plain just not ‘big’ enough to sell out a show on their own yet. Ok maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement and a cliché but hey, for most of the acts it seems to fit quite well.

I arrived at the venue (The Spa) just after the doors had been opened, hoping that the crowds of people many of whom who had been queuing for several hours by this point may have dispersed. Alas they hadn’t so I had a quick walk round the block and to my surprise found none other than Lemar at the back of the building signing autographs and pleasing the crowd of about four people and I’m sure at least two of them knew who he was. I didn’t stop to chat as to be honest I can’t recall any of his songs or how he became famous but to be fair to the guy he’s got a cool afro. Walking back now towards the main doors, I was happy to see the crowds had now gone inside and I could walk straight in ( I hate queuing) noticing along the way the stricken empty bottles of both vodka and cider decorating the streets alongside numerous crisp packets and other confectionaries.

I had decided to try and get near the front this time as for the last few times I’ve been to a gig at the spa, I have tried sitting up on the balcony and the atmosphere is just plain lacking, even if the seats are rather comfy. After a quick trip to the bar (£3.75!) it was time for the first act which were called Lawson who I’d heard on TV a few times and seem to be making a name for themselves with their brand of radio friendly pop/rock. I’ve always got time for bands that play their own instruments and they went down well with their catchy songs and impressive vocals. After this I’m struggling to recall the order in which the acts came on stage, but I’ll go over my favourite acts from the night instead. Firstly I was pleasantly surprised by Marcus Collins who to his credit was actually quite good and fitted the night quite well with appealing songs, backing dancers and decent vocals. I recall his latest single only selling a few thousand copies which was quite unforeseen as it wasn’t that bad in all fairness. His fellow X factor contestant Misha B also made an appearance, which was different again and relied heavily on a loud backing track whilst Misha would occasionally add a few lines or laugh or even sing the chorus. Again it wasn’t bad and she certainly has some stage presence and is clearly a natural performer. Probably my favourite act of the night alongside headliners Rizzle Kicks was the duo of Ryan O’Shaughnessy and Newton Faulkner who both sang acoustically to great effect and as a big fan of acoustic performers, I was mightily impressed.

It wasn’t all so good however and I have to give credit to last year’s X Factor contestants ‘2 Shoes’ for giving the best impression of middle aged drunken karaoke I’ve probably ever seen, maybe even better than the real thing! There was also a young band called ‘Juice’ or something similar. They appeared to have forgotten to plug their guitars in; it was slightly surreal as they seemed to be enjoying the occasion, whilst the crowd stood motionless until a few started to shout their disapproval after a few minutes.

Headliners Rizzle Kicks came on to a great ovation and rightly so, it’s not often an act so current and one enjoying huge success and popularity comes to Bridlington. Remember this is a town that turns out in force to see Gareth Gates sing in a shopping centre or that has heated debates on the threat of ‘aggressive’ Seagulls. Rizzle Kicks ran through their three song set list with consummate ease with the crowd lapping up every minute. However next time maybe it’s not wise to ask the crowd to throw their glow sticks on stage as this went on continuously for a good five minutes, whilst the duo ducked and dived out of the way and some members of the crowd would be smacked on the back of the head with the objects in question if the people behind were particularly crap at throwing (I found this out first hand!) but hey it was all good fun and capped off an event that continues to be massive hit with the public of Bridlington and not forgetting the others that travelled far and wide to be there. This I found out later in Utopia as I stood and watched a massive fight between some people from ‘Uddersfield’ whilst I also noticed a few people from Essex stood back and slicked back their hair before returning to the dance floor once the commotion was over and the brawlers had been kicked out onto the streets.

As the new season draws ever closer.

Pre-Season

Predicaments, Preparation and Promotion?

 

Historically speaking the return to pre-season training tends to result in a few of the following scenarios. The majority of fans will speak in quick, excitable witters to any other fan willing to listen about the latest signing to their sides’ armoury, safe in the knowledge that this is the missing piece to the puzzle. With the arrival of pretty much any signing there usually comes the odd negative remark taken from the deepest depths of an internet forum about ‘so and so’ having a ‘shocker’ away at Barnet in 2008. As a result then he obviously cannot be as good as the club are making him out to be. Clubs in order to presumably shift season tickets and at the same time to create a positive buzz will spout their lofty ambitions, publically and fans will eagerly lap it up in equal measures. Alongside this the club’s respective website will be regularly updated with exciting developments such as how long the grass has grown and that the toilets have been deep cleaned. Well maybe the second one was unrealistic.

The days of the players returning to be met by running trainers and little else, seem to be disappearing. The former Wolves manager Mick McCarthy once revealed a flaw to the plan of sending players running for huge distances at a time.

 “We were doing a road run and we ran so far in Barnsley that a few of us got lost. As we had fallen such a long way behind the others, a small group of us decided to hitch a lift back to the ground. By the time everyone else got back, me and three others were already in the bath."

Clubs nowadays seem to pride themselves in the apparent uptake in the pre-season revolution. The days of running till you drop have been replaced by the much heralded ‘scientific approach’ which places more emphasis on replicating match conditions. This is done through the use of a football and short, sharp exercises designed to create levels of fatigue similar to the end of a ninety minute match.

Certainly this is representative of the noise coming out of Valley Parade at the moment as Phil Parkinson looks to turn around a sinking ship and put it firmly back on course. The summer signings have arrived to much hype and positivity. Well maybe not one signing, but we won’t go into that. The signing of Andrew Davies remains and is likely to remain the standout signing in the division so far with only possibly Jon Parkin at Fleetwood matching Davies for both quality and pedigree. Trialists continue to come and go at all clubs and many without the fans even knowing of their existence at the club. The Bantams have their fair share but on the whole seem much less reliant on the importance to find a select few to improve the first team than in previous years. This is a welcome change as even early on the first eleven seems pretty much set in stone. Any trialists that are awarded deals will be likely back up to the eleven and not shoehorned in.

At the same time though, no news is good news. Everything seems quiet down at Valley Parade with Phil Parkinson not one to spout his mouth off with outlandish statements (Steve Evans take note) With Parkinson’s plans starting to take shape and pre-season well underway, less than two weeks remain until the cup game at Meadow lane. The pre-season matches that have occurred so far are going well with all the strikers, barring not yet up to speed Alan Connell scoring regularly and only 2 goals conceded so far. Although if you subscribe to Bantams player and were hoping to see Nahki Wells’s goal from the other night, the cameraman missed it so in honesty it could have an arthritic Grandma sneaking onto the pitch and rounding the keeper for all we know. Maybe that would have made pre-season more interesting?

Nothing to grumble about, not yet.

Learning from The 2008/2009 Season, Which Promised So Much But Delivered So Little.

Joint chairman Julian Rhodes this morning has revealed that the upcoming season will see the Bantams budget be extended to what can be seen as certainly one of the top in the division and also the highest since Stuart McCall’s second season. Which unhappily, saw the Bantams compete at the top of the table for the majority of the season; but ultimately fall away from the chasing pack at the last hurdle.

The increase in the budget can seemingly be placed on two recent events. One is in the sale of the outer buildings to co-founder Wayne Jacob’s ‘one in a million’ charity that plan to turn the space into a free school for the community. This as a direct result is said to be saving the club a huge amount in overheads that can be placed straight into Phil Parkinson’s playing budget. The second key reason to the increased budget is the loyalty of the supporters, in the uptake of season tickets for the Bantams sixth season playing in the Football League’s bottom accredited division. The club are likely to be again the best supported club in the division; which in itself is no mean feat for a club that has had little to boast about for over a decade.  

There are both similarities and differences occurring between Phil Parkinson’s side and the side that was assembled by McCall. It’s fair to conclude that after Stuart’s first season when the club tried to bounce back up the league on a whim of momentum and little else. Stuart grasped what type of players, League Two requires and as a result packed out his newly built side full of experience and no little quality. In came top marksman Michael Boulding after a very fruitful season at Mansfield at the end of a very long chase between City and the Boulding brothers’ agent. Eventually both Michael and his little brother Rory arrived at Valley Parade (Rory tagged along for the ride anyway) and they accompanied the previous ‘stellar’ signings of Graeme Lee, Chris Brandon and Paul Mclaren to much delight by the Bradford faithful these were seen as players who would have no problem dealing with the expectations placed upon them.

 However it needs no explaining to state that they ultimately failed both individually and collectively in the challenge they faced. The injury to Omar Daley and failure to replace the threat he carried during his best spell at the club was one of several reasons that I personally and many others cite as one of the key factors in the clubs fall and the ultimate financial consequences that arose from the slump that occurred and the reported loss of around £750,000 that followed.

As a result of this overspend and boom or bust approach. The players that were much heralded a year ago; were now a burden on the club that they just couldn’t afford. They were publically encouraged to take a pay cut and if they didn’t they were either forced to leave or slammed by the club and fans for not acting in the best interests of their employers. The signing of Andrew Davies by Parkinson four years on, whilst fitting seamlessly into the boom or bust approach, differs in the sense that at least if the club fails in its promotion push. The player is only contracted for one year and can be moved on easily.

This leaves Phil Parkinson with several dilemmas in his approach to recruitment for this season’s squad. Does he go down the same route of experience? Or does he go for younger players that may have a re-sale value or a mixture of the two elements even. Whilst Parkinson divulges little to the media about his potential transfer targets, the comparison of the two names that have been leaked of Kelvin Etuhu and Andy Gray gave a contrasting example of both potential and experience.  However alongside a bigger budget comes a greater sense of competition in vying with other clubs for the signature of the better players and particularly the younger ones. If you compare the two players C.V’s ignoring positions, then Andy Gray stands out for both his goal scoring record and experience of playing at a higher level. Etuhu differs in the sense that he has had little playing experience but throughout his career he has always been touted as ‘one to watch’ and a player that can excite the fans with his athleticism and dynamic approach. Etuhu and Gray are however only speculative in the sense that they are the most talked about names in the rumour mill so far. It may even be plausible to suggest that they may be acting as smoke screens for other players that the club are trying to keep under the radar; in order not to alert other clubs of our interest. The signing of Andy Gray or similar, will hopefully give the club the type of striker they have struggled to find since the departure of Peter Thorne who’s class and guile led him to outwit most defenders, most weeks. The club definitely need to find an experienced striker to compliment the talented but ultimately inexperienced trio of Hanson, Wells and Hannah.

The club will be keen to add more goals to the team after relying heavily on the duo of Hanson and Wells as the main source of goals. The better teams in the league tend to spread the goals around the whole team and the midfield in particular will be expected to contribute to this. However the duo of Hanson and Wells have proven that given time their ever improving relationship is a source of genuine optimism from which the management team can focus on. One bit of contractual Business that the club will be desperate to secure is the long term future of Nahki Wells, who from starting last season as fifth choice came to become one of the pivotal figures of the starting eleven who carries such threat through sheer pace and clever feet. If Nahki continues to improve and doesn’t suffer from the much discussed second season syndrome then it looks like his star shines far above the rough and tumble of League Two football. There is no real reason to fear this however, as unlike Hanson (effective as he is) it is harder to stop a player who has such unpredictability in his play. Add to this blistering pace and a cool head in front of goal. It is a recipe to concoct something most league two defenders can’t deal with and consequently fear. There is little reason to doubt that Nahki should be aiming to be one of the top scorers in the division.

This is not to ignore matters closer to the club however, and it will be of equal importance to Parkinson to try and sign up the trio of Syers, Oliver and Ramsden who have been all offered new terms. Their decisions will impact on the managers shopping list also and with the three widely regarded as some of the clubs more important players, the potential loss of any of them will impact on Parkinson’s wish of having 22 quality first team players and the headache of trying to replace them.

It leaves the club in an interesting position during the long summer months, as they have in a way laid their respective cards on the table and they read that the clubs expects promotion. It is now up to the manager to decide if he will copy the blueprint McCall tried so nearly worked, or try a different route. This is only for the fans to speculate on however and it will be interesting to gage exactly the route Parkinson decides to take in the forthcoming months.

Seeing The Wood From The Trees.

As Luke Oliver is voted the Bradford City Player of the Year 2011-2012.

It doesn’t need a post mortem from Sky’s Geoff Shreeves to inform just how much of an anti-climax this season has turned out to be for the Bantams.

Whilst the higher authority figures of the club never promised anything other than a season to consolidate from. One feels that they too, will be hugely disappointed with the events that have untangled ever since Peter Jackson’s impassioned cries of bringing team spirit back to the club, at the back end of last season. Out went Jackson after only a few games; in came Phil Parkinson and seemingly the budget expanded miraculously, from one capable of bringing youthful unknowns to the club. To one that could entice former Premier League footballers such as runaway loan signing success Andrew Davies and utility man Craig Fagan.

However, despite these ‘known’ names arriving at the club it has been one of the more maligned  players of recent years that has taken the proverbial leap from the dark, to become not only a firm fixture in the team but a firm fans favourite also. Often as a player of his general physical stature does with football fans, he has received mixed reviews during his time at the club, frequently perceived by his past reputations at former clubs; his reputation seemed almost tarnished before his Bradford career had begun. This combined with the fact that he was seen as one of former manager Peter Taylor’s ‘men’. A reoccurring accusation that happens at most clubs, which appoint a new manager who the inevitably bring in players that they have worked with previously. This is a complaint that is currently levelled at many of Phil Parkinson’s signings, despite been a common happening within the world of football.

Tall, gangly and often awkward in possession, Oliver was not adhered to the hearts of many fans particularly when deployed as the pinnacle of Taylor’s lone striker formation. When returned to his natural position as the fulcrum of the Bantams defence he continued to flourish and become a dependable component of the team and largely went unfairly unrecognised as a result. He continued professionally after the departure of mentor Peter Taylor and was recognised by Jackson for his performances in helping the club to avoid relegation during the remaining part of the season with a few towering performances marred by a few poor ones also.  There were calls for his dismissal after allegations of an altercation with fans after the heavy defeat away at Southend during Jackson’s tenure.

The key word that Oliver has taken on board is ‘consistency’. Throughout the season he has performed solidly, alongside an ever changing backline and this is despite starting the season from the substitute’s bench after claims that he was on the shortlist to be moved on from the club during the summer.

It has not just been his defensive prowess however, that has led to his scooping of multiple awards at the annual ceremony. His usefulness in the opposite penalty area also has played a key part in his recognition, one remembers that thumping header at the Galpharm Stadium in the JPT that sent thousands of fans into wild ecstasy but also the telling contributions for instance away at Southend which led to a crucial away victory and the clubs first of the campaign. The only blot to his copybook came during the now infamous defeat at home to Crawley where he was one of three city players to be red carded after wading in to support partner Andrew Davies.

In a season that has lacked excitement on the pitch if not off it. It seems a fitting end that the award of player of the year goes to a defender; who has performed admirably during another wretched season for the club. Here’s hoping for a more fruitful campaign from several of his colleagues during the 2012-2013 season.

Congratulations Luke Oliver