| Bradford City 0 |
| Exeter City 1 |
| Phillips 44 |
By Jason McKeown
Derek Adams isn’t working. After this dismal loss to Exeter – a third defeat in five games – Valley Parade turned on the Bradford City manager, deriding his style of football and angrily demanding his sacking.
It is unusual for Bradford City supporters to openly chant that a manager should leave, especially at a home game. It cannot be dismissed as faceless social media fury. Dissatisfaction was expressed very publicly, and very loudly. It’s reached a level where it’s difficult to imagine how the situation can be salvaged – and where any kind of happy ending for Adams and Bradford City could be possible.
It was the manner of the defeat that will send shockwaves around the club. This was a 1-0 mauling, with an impressive Exeter City dominating the match and looking a cut above their opponents. You couldn’t really look at any Bradford City player and accuse them of not trying, they just couldn’t get near their counterparts who combined a regimented backline with an attack full of purpose and creativity.
Over the 90 minutes Exeter would out-pass their hosts and comfortably win the shot and corner count. They struck the decisive blow just before half time, when Kieran Phillips nipped in behind the Bantams’ defence and lifted the ball past the onrushing Alex Bass. The visitors’ biggest regret is they wasted several good opportunities to make the outcome more certain. Still, the final score of 1-0 flattered only Bradford City.
Adams just cannot find any momentum. In City’s position of chasing a play off spot they desperately need to go on a run, and Tuesday night’s victory at Stevenage offered a springboard for a belated charge up the table. But after this body blow, they still haven’t won back to back games since August. And the positives gleaned from the midweek win are in tatters.
Adams had gone with a 4-3-3 then and it worked – so understandably kept with the same approach here. When Bradford City put their opponents under heavy pressure in the first five minutes, it briefly looked like they really did have a way forward. Kicking to the Kop and with strong wind seemingly swirling in their favour, the Bantams were direct and it helped them press Exeter back.
It didn’t last. Minute by minute, Exeter got a foothold. They slowed the tempo to the point they began to control it, and they never looked back. They were quick on the counter attack and their forward players linked up well. City were chasing shadows at times.
Levi Sutton did have one good first half opening when Nathan Delfuenso sent a low pass into his path and he struck a powerful shot that flew just wide. But the chances and final third action were largely coming at the other end. Phillips eventually scored, and Bass made a big save to deny them a second just before the half time whistle sounded.
Any hope for a strong City second half response quickly faded. Another decent Sutton shot from distance aside, they couldn’t lay a glove on their opponents. Yann Songo’o made a brilliant last ditch block after the excellent Jevani Brown had gone through on goal and rounded Bass. The City stopper made another superb save from a corner. And late on Brown missed a sitter after good build up play saw a low cross directed into his path.
“Exeter, especially in the second half were better on the ball,” admitted Adams. “They were more composed, they made better choices than we did and that was throughout the afternoon.”
From City there was little beyond a Tom Elliott header cleared off the line. Elliott and Theo Robinson had been introduced from the bench on 64 minutes – the withdrawal of Jamie Walker sparking the first vocal anger from the crowd towards Adams – but rather than giving City the initiative, the double change seemed to make them weaker. Callum Cooke – unjustly left out again – came onto the field far too late.
Adams later revealed Walker was taken off due to fitness issues, and added about the crowd’s reaction, “It’s difficult when you make a substitution. Supporters then slaughter you for making that substitution but don’t understand why that substitution was made.”
There was just no rhythm or cohesion to City’s attack. They couldn’t get the ball to Cook in areas where he could hurt Exeter. Everything was too narrow. The full backs Luke Hendrie and Matty Foulds let no one down but needed more support when they went forward. There just isn’t enough width in the team – and given City were getting no joy in the central attacking areas, it left them looking toothless. At no stage in the second half was there any sustained home pressure that suggested a goal might be on the way.
When they have failed to win in the past, Adams has so often argued that his team dominated games and deserved greater rewards. That the only thing holding them back was missed opportunities. There was no chance he could make any such claim here. The simple fact is his team was completely outplayed and he had no answer.
All of which removed any lingering illusions that City are somehow unlucky to not be in the top seven. The difference in quality between the two sides showed just how far off the Bantams really are. And it means they now find themselves eight points behind the play off pack, with all but three of the 10 sides above them having at least one game in hand. And this for a club and manager who had embraced the pre-season crown of League Two favourites.
If Adams harboured any hopes of keeping supporters on his side, he didn’t show it in a frankly embarrassing post match interview with BBC Radio Leeds. “If they’re going to get a new manager in, they’re not going to get as successful a manager as myself through the door,” he told the excellent Jamie Raynor. “If they want to do that, that’s up to the football club to do that.
“I came to Bradford City from a League One club to a League Two club to try and get them in League One. I’ve taken a risk coming to this football club. You’ve got to understand when a football club has been down on its luck for years, it’s a difficult thing to turn quickly.”
Adams was then critical of the reaction of fans, “When supporters, some of them, act the way they do, they’ve got to be careful that they don’t be [long pause]. The word is [pause], I don’t know what the word is but some supporters are not extremely nice and they’ve got to be very careful.
“You’ve got to understand that feelings and being disruptive and using language the way they [did], they’ve got to be careful and I think that from my point of view, we’re here to try and make Bradford City successful.”
The uncomfortable truth is that Derek Adams is not the right person to manage Bradford City. For all the talk of stability, of the three year deal suggesting City were prepared to let him build something, everything was set up in the short termism that the Bantams had to get promoted this season, and anything short of a top seven finish is failure. Adams embraced that expectation and so can have few complaints when he is criticised for not delivering what he vowed to achieve.
But this is not just another sad story of a Bradford City manager struggling to live up to lofty expectations. Adams is a guy who has made no attempt to form a bond with supporters. He plays a style of football that is grim to watch even in victory, and therefore offers no positive qualities for fans to take consolation from in defeat. It is absolutely boring and joyless to watch.
Derek Adams has a great track record in football, but has offered us supporters nothing that would enable us to warm towards him. He is aloof, arrogant and difficult to like. And it now feels like a matter of when, not if, he puts the club in a position where it has no option other than to sack him.
In fact, we may have already reached that moment. A big week of soul searching is surely facing the powers that be at Bradford City.
Categories: Match Reviews
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Absolutely spot on. I favour giving managers time as a rule, but Adams has proved to be a complete misfit as a manager for Bradford City.
I agree with your analysis Jason. I didn’t want Adams to be our manager. My other half said straight away his style of playing is awful. However, we gritted our teeth and said we would put up with it if there was promotion.
It is even worse than we imagined, I have thought for weeks that he has lost the dressing room. AK was in my view brought in to improve the atmosphere in the dressing room. It is hard to say he has lost the fans as he never had them. We don’t take kindly to being chastised on a weekly basis. The interview yesterday was just embarrassing.
Steady progress is what we wanted, yes this season if we could but at least challenging for the automatics or if not at least the play offs.
I do not like switching managers, and we know consistency is the key, but fans are deserting, it was very obvious yesterday. We haven’t been since before Christmas, I just can’t be bothered. The last time this happened was in the JD era.
It is nearly ST time, atm I am seriously thinking of not buying one.
On the money as always Jason. DA is not the right manager for our club. It just will not work.
The sooner we part ways the better, however who on earth do we call? HMS Bantam has runaground and I can’t see us ever improving the situation.
I’m bored to the back teeth of League 2 and our constant summer clear outs. How do tin pot clubs, from small towns, work so much more efficiently than us????
The ” tin pot clubs” are there because our great pyramid system enables lower successful teams to get as far as possible. It’s not their fault that a once Premiership side now languish in the fourth tier of that Pyramid. Only one league from ‘Tin Pot’
As a long standing City fan, I want promotion but it’s not the be all and end all for me. I want to be in the mix. I’d settle for being entertained. I’m getting nothing and I’m starting to question why I am even going. I only ever felt like this during the long ball John Docherty era.
It’s gonna cost the club but we cannot afford not to make the change. It may cost us more in the long run.
I’ve watched 9 games live this season home and away. I’ve actually now have a 3-3-3 record. Today is the first time I’d say I’ve seen us play a good side.
They outplayed us man for man. We had good spells, played some decent stuff at times but they were simply better.
I’d imagine a lot of that is down to the stability of their club. Tisdale managed them from 12 years and Taylor is in his 4th year. How many managers have City had in that time?
We will sack Adams and we’ll round on the new manager soon enough. People wanted Parkinson out throughout his reign.
We are a dead loss until we create some sort of stable base to move forward from.
There will be long list of wannabees and has beens looking for the “privilege” (😂)of managing City where you get six months to try to build something worthwhile and if not it is the door. Lets dig our hand deep in the lucky dip again it has really worked a treat in the last few seasons FFS.
This constant chop and change coupled with some strange belief/ insistence that we belong in the upper echelons is producing a sort of mismanaged decline.
It’s awful to watch.
That is the issue isn’t it. Who the hell would want this job and who the hell at the club knows a good fit for the club when they see it? I must be one of the few who still don’t think getting rid of another manager doesn’t significantly increase our chances of non league football. But Adams really is trying to talk himself out the job – his obvious single-mindedness can’t allow his mouth to do himself a favour.
Jason, sadly, as always, you hit the nail on the head.
I wish I could defend Derek Adams because he has not been given enough time.
But, as you say, he makes no attempt to be empathetic to the supporters and without that empathy he will never be a satisfactory or successful city manager.
I don’t really blame sparks for getting it wrong. But Adams’ comments cross the line for me.
It’s a pity because Bradford City are becoming a football laughing stock and I find that hard to bear.
I am very sad tonight and feel for all city supporters.
Please keep the faith because it’s all we have.
“Who on earth do we call” indeed. Like it or not DA has a three year contract and we need stability. Would any half decent manager want to be the tenth boss in less than six years at VP? We knew DA was hard to like and played basic football when we gave him the job. He has a proven record at this level and we should give him until Christmas to prove his worth.
Maybe we should ask Matt Taylor if he wants to come. Surely he’d want to leave a tinpot club, from a small town, a club that is loyal to its players and managers and come to a club who will sack him if he’s not immediately successful.
I’ve been saying it for a long time. He’s the wrong manager for our club; his attitude towards the players and supporters was terrible .
His tactics, especially not being able to change a game with his substitutions, are poor, and his team selection at times is baffling .I would like to know when interviewing a candidate for the manager’s job that what they ask him what type of football do you believe in ,what formation ,check-out his history ,what did they ask Adam’s or just look at his c.v. . it makes you wonder.
Little I can add than what the majority of City fans are loudly voicing. No, Derek Adams is not the right man to manage Bradford City, & yes, he needs to go as soon as possible in my view. However as a Club we need to use this last 12 months to learn important lessons. We need to stop promising our long suffering fans the earth. Promotion this year or bust mentally etc etc. Yes let’s be ambitious but let us also be honest as a Club. The Club has far too many incompetent people in high places, which I believe makes any new manager’s job an even bigger challenge to be successful. Given a free hand and in an ideal world my preferred choice as an ideal manager of Bradford City would be Chris Wilder. Talented, knowledgeable, passionate, likeable. Basically, everything Adams isn’t. I can still vividly remember what an amazingly transformational job he did at our neighbors Halifax Town before being head hunted by the big bigger boys. Wilder has already rejuvenated a Middlesbrough side who where previously going backwards to a degree that the Premiership is now almost within Boro’s grasp, & I would love to be able to see what he could do at VP. Unfortunately we live in the real world, and Mr Wilder is for now completely out of our reach.
I actually hope we do lose our upcoming match against a desperate Oldham Athletic, allowing the Club to finally face the inevitable, and help Adams pack his cases. His replacement should now be priority thinking if the Board are in anyway competent. Quite simply, Bradford City fans deserve far, far better!
You make the assumption that some in high places dont know what they are doing. how many in high places do you know and what they do, as a i suspect it just another i know best remark
Hi Malcom,
Just to say some of us on here do know people in high places, and can make comments on things they do know. I have a close relative who is on the EFL Board as a director, and has been for a number of years. He was a Head of a department at a Premier league club for 16 years also. He’s acted as a consultant for a number of football clubs abroad such as Inter Milan between posts as well. I know what some people at the EFL think of certain individuals at our club, and it’s funny how some of our support have broadly similar views. I attended a fixture before Xmas with my relative, who wanted to attend ,not in the exec suite, but with ordinary fans to get a feel of what’s happening at our club. He also was unwilling to make himself known to the club’s executives, for reasons unknown to me, but I suspected he wanted to avoid hassle. I hope you can appreciate that I cannot give you full details etc, but all I’ll say is some folk do know stuff, and do know people in the know, occasionally.
Being on the EFL board, doesnt mean he knows what is happening at City.
We don’t need to know the highers ups to be able to see how wrong they keep getting it…
3 year contract for Adams?
Abysmal scouting,
Poor staff efficiency…
The proof is in the pudding., and the city staff have ruined the cake mix.
Well done James lets go all in and trash the clubs hierarchy on the basis some unsubstantiated hearsay from your relative. If you are going to post damaging information about the club then back it up otherwise keep it to yourself.
NO. A Bradford City fan could never want City to lose. Never
Just to reply to Malcolms comment on my relative in the above post, The EFL aren’t as daft as people think they are. The EFL are very aware what’s going on at all the clubs that are going through rough times, and have developing situations, his hands are currently full of Derby County etc at the moment. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone, I keep things vague for very obvious reasons, needless to say he’s had good relations with previous club employees, and had introduced him to James Mason as my son used to play football with James’ son. Some folk will know who I am on here from matchdays going back decades and are aware of who I know and who i’m contact with, for example a relative of Gary Jones’, hence my previous posts on his situation re management. All I’m trying to do is what’s best for our club, with hope for a better future, and I know what I know, and tried to share a couple of facts with folk that may be interested.
I seem to remember everyone calling for Parkinson to be sacked in 2011/12 throughout the season. Instead of sacking him, City stuck with him and the rest is history. We cannot carry on the cycle of sacking managers within one season,, it doesn’t work. Yes, Adams’ isn’t getting a tune out of the players currently, but instead of sacking him, maybe its the players that need to go come summer.
I watched the latest series of Class of 92 and it clearly highlights that sacking managers does not work. I would have to disagree with one line of yours Jason, which is that VP rarely chants for a manager to be sacked. We were in the playoffs when the toxic chants of Bowyer get out of our club rang round both VP, Mansfield and Oldham eventually. Its quite hard for fans to chants for a manager to be sacked in the last 5 years because they haven’t been there long enough for it to be chanted.
City fans currently are dreadful, it’s just one extreme to the next. Reading twitter after a game is pointless, if we’ve won you’d be led to believe we had played well and any other result comes with comments of “shocking”. It doesn’t surprise me that Adams doesn’t warm to the fans when they’ve slagged him off all season because he isn’t on course to break the league record for points.
If he gets the sack, then we can wish another season in League Two the year after when the new manager has to rebuild once again and finishes mid-table
On Bowyer it is true that fans chanted for him to be sacked at away games such as Mansfield and Oldham but not at Valley Parade (partly because City were largely unbeaten at home that season).
The last City manager I can remember receiving ‘xxx out’ chants at Valley Parade was Colin Todd
That was Todd who was doing OK in difficult circumstances until Windass and Johnson were sold by the club. The crowd turned on him and the he got the sack and guess what, we got relegated.
Yep, to this day I still argue with people it was the wrong decision to sack Todd. Especially when you give the job to your captain and best defender.
Behind everything you say here. Totally myopic action to get rid of another manager.
It was another hard watch. Frustration at another inept performance. Exeter were taking advantage of our narrow set up. Cook wished he was somewhere else. He barely got any service. Had to feed off scraps from long hoof balls, no close forwards to pass to. The list goes on. The combination of manager and coach is not working. He appointed a ex manager as coach and ignoring their short comings during their tenure.
The Morecombe and Wise joke is appropriate “we have the right players but not necessary playing in the right order”. We have some quality players but they not being played to their strengths. He talks up Staunton but he does not get anywhere near the first team. I would love to be a fly on the wall during team talks before and after a game. I bet it’s a blame culture! Adams blaming the team and the players sat in total silence. These one way conversations do not bring about change just fear. Exeter looked relaxed, whereas, City looked tense and afraid to risk making a mistake.
These performances cannot continue. We need to the team spirit to return but under Adams tenure it will not happen. There needs to be a change in attitude from the top. We need transparency and a manager who can admit his role in the poor performances. The atmosphere is getting toxic and that will hurt the club financially. It’s clear that supporters will not put up with performances like these and they will demonstrate their frustration with not investing in this club.
Cook was rubbish today. Let’s please call his performance for what it was. He got plenty of ball to him and simply lost it – to a far more streetwise team and set of defenders.
I agree he needs the ball faster to him, but our three pure wingers are injured and so he has to do better than he did today.
He’s been great for us, but today he was poor
Cook was embarrassing fitness wise today. he was out of breath after only 5 mins and had his hands on his hips blowing throughout. He looked like a sunday league player after a late saturday night. Unprofessional to be in that state of fitness imo and if i was manger i would be looking at his stats closely. He should have been subbed before half time imo
Again I do wonder if some of the squad have some kind of long covid. Lots of fans think this excuse making but it is real and has given some sports people big problems, i.e. it took the tennis player Grigor Dimitrov months to get back to normal.
We simply haven’t looked as fit post covid as we did pre.
Agree with your comment Keith, however I don’t believe we have a “Board” competent or not, which is one of the many issues impacting on the club.
Many thanks John, I’ve had a bit of stick for speaking my mind but that’s ok. I’ve loved Bradford City since I first walked through the turnstiles at 11 years old, & George Mullhall was our manager in those days. I’ve seen some fantastic managers over the years at Valley Parade… Roy McFarland, Trevor Cherry, Terry Dolan, Paul Jewell, Chris Kamara, Phil Parkinson, but to name afew, there are more. I’m sorry, but whichever way I look at it, I can honestly say Derek Adams does not & will never join that illustrious band of managers that have made me so proud to tell people I support Bradford City. It’s just the way I see it…
You know that I’m a big fan of yours, Jason. But with respect, I’m going to say that your report is a visceral, emotional reaction to a frustrating further defeat. But I’m going to challenge back with the question “if we sack a further manager mid season again, what next?” For the last 5 years, BCFC haven’t kept a manager for a single season. So, who do we manage to get, with the ability to get us promoted, who wants to take the role?
So, as I’ve already said here, with gritted teeth, I think we need to have the discipline to stick right now. That said, if Ryan Sparks read these articles & comments, I’d urge him to think about:
-In a discrete way to coach him on his PR skill. His interviews have for a long time had a Cantona, surreal “seagulls follow the trawler” feel… they’re becoming a train wreck.
-Also, discreetly get a motivation coach to explore what gets said in the half time team talk. Other teams, if they have a poor first half, seem to come out energised as if they’ve had an electronic cattle prod applied. I can’t recollect a match when City came out stronger in the second half.
Explore, say with Andy Kiwomya, the fitness story. I recollect that Adams stated early in the season that his teams strived to be fitter than their opponents. Today, Morais commented in his post match observations that this season’s team don’t seem to press, and that they seemed fatigued “and, in February, i find that strange”. Match after match, other teams seem to have more energy and commitment.
100% agree
With regards to the energy issue, I seriously think that Covid had a far bigger effect on some at the club, than either they realise.
Before anyone scoffs at that, each week new evidence is been found about the bad effect it has on some sportsman.
Banbroview – covid? You’re seriously giving that as a potential excuse for our horrendous performances? Have a day off!!
Yep of course DA will take advice from RS about PR and a motivation coach will just hover around without anyone realising he’s there! His interview was moronic (they all are to be fair) and his attitude to players, fans and RS (see last weeks dig at him regarding immaturity where he to be sacked!) is an insult to our club. Anyone thinking this will suddenly turn around and be happy ever after needs a head shake. You know how the script goes from here at VP. The moment our fans chat against the manager and players about not fit to wear the shirt etc is the beginning of the end. Get him gone in the morning and start again. This squad of players are the best we’ve had in this division and should be in top 7 with some common sense management, a dressing room led by a decent man manager who had them well drilled. It’s ironic that DA rattles on this ‘players should only have 1 year contracts at this level’ and he is sat there on a 3yrs knowing he can’t lose either way. Mind you like he said he is the best manger in the history of lower league football and all that!! Get a grip man. Your insulting your fellow managers and coaches with it all . He’s nailed the players the staff the problems behind the scenes, the fans etc ! anyone left? What a guy!! Ryan do the honourable thing for the sake of our club and send him packing please- Enough is enough. Next…
Other than his belief that we started the match well, nothing else was ‘moronic’ about his interview.
Having the nerve to stick two fingers up to the moronic boo boys, is showing he has the players interests at heart – as opposed to those who think the chanting was going to somehow motivate the team to a better performance.
I’m puzzled why the fans need the manager to be their best friend. We had McCall doing that and it got us nowhere. Parky, in his first season was just as cold towards the fans.
Adams isn’t someone you warm to. But that shouldn’t be part of the reason he should go.
bowyer had a much better squad than any since and had the 2 best strikers in the division and failed to use them
It amazes me that everybody knows how competent the board are, when i bet those people dont even know who the board are. Because Adams is failing, it doesn’t mean the board are not competent. Most people were happy with the board and Ryan when we signed Derek and the season ticket sales proved that.
For goodness sake we dont have a board.
We have an owner and a CEO.
Therein lies the problem. I suspect the cv of Adams and his ability to produce results from a cheaply assembled squad were important factors in his recruitment by messrs Rupp and Sparks. Unfortunately Rupp has little interest in football and Sparks has little experience. I can inderdtand why two people in influentail roles would appoint a manager such as Adams bu without any understanding of the culture and expectations of our club.
Get rid of Adams, give Rupp and Sparks another opportunity to appoint another manager and I wouldn’t expect anything better.
Jason. Your article is as mind-numbingly short terminist as the disgusting fans moaning about the footie.
Have the nerve to admit, you never liked the appointment and that ever since your mission has been to prove that you are right.
It’s interesting that when Parky arrived 10 years prior to Adams, you welcomed him with open arms and produced balanced articles about that first seasons progress.
To read them now and the compare to the ones about Adams, you’d think we just failed to get into the play-offs. The reality is he took us over when we were 18th and we ended up 18th.
Thus I’m fascinated why you now think managers can turn a club around in barely half a season. It took Jewell that long and it’s actually took Warne at Rotherham and Ainsworth even longer. These three are arguably the most fondly remembered managers at their club – but apparently for the Bradford City of the 2020’s, success must be achieved in half a season!!
Incidentally, I fully agree with your stance on Parkinson and defended him against the idiots around that time, who wanted him out.
Anyway, what’s your solution? Another 30 games for a new manager?
Thankfully, despite your clear wish for him gone Adams will still be here next season. Yes. The footie is woeful and I at least agree with your description of the match – but sacking him isn’t the answer.
Banbroview, you seem so convinced he’s the right man. What evidence is there of improving performances? What evidence of him improving any player? Most of this squad are now HIS signings. If you believe Adams is the right man, you’re as deluded as Adams himself!
I’m convinced it’s wrong to sack a manager after 30 games.
Every manager we get results in a certain section of fans, significantly most of which post on social media, demanding the manager to be sacked.
Exeter, have had the same manager for nearly four seasons and have failed in their promotion objective every time – but you don’t see their fans demanding his sacking.
You’re deluded for thinking that Adams definitely isn’t “the right man” when he’s barely had a half a season and some kind of winger injury curse. As shown by the overall shots at goal, it’s just one of those seasons.
Yes the footie is rubbish. But 9/10 games always are at L2 level or did you think Forest Green were a mini Man City?!!
Get your head out of the sand!
Calling Jason out for having an agenda on this is embarrassing, Adams is alienating and failing in so many areas at our club – he is by no means the only issue we are facing but he has no humility and frankly his ability to manage the team has been embarrassing. The players (who are far from blameless as Levi yesterday alluded to with more honesty than Adams will ever show) look lost for direction and his tactics are dreadful.
If we do ask him to leave the biggest problem wlll be getting his head through the door!
The aim has to be to have a long term manager but Adams is not the man for so many reasons
There I feel better now 😄
What’s “embarrassing” is the selective amnesia of some Bantams (including Jason) who seem to have conveniently forgotten about Parky’s first season plus other clubs who kept faith with managers that has a moderate start.
What’s embarrassing are your comments attacking everyone who doesn’t agree with you. I had to stop publishing your constant stream of angry comments last night as they were getting out of hand. At one point you were accusing me of encouraging hooliganism.
You’ve more that had your say on this debate and I don’t see why I should continue to publish comments from yourself attacking me, other readers and any fan you disagree with. You don’t win debates by calling people you disagree with moronic. Please show some respect for other views.
I admire your passion for Derek Adams and I want to make sure WOAP is a platform for all reader views. But attacking people and being so dismissive of other people’s views is unacceptable.
For the record, the situation was Parkinson’s first season was totally different. The budget had been reduced in the summer of 2011, Peter Jackson didn’t use it well and left after five games. Parkinson came in with Mark Lawn declaring the squad he inherited the worst in the league, and the objective was to avoid relegation. This Parkinson did, even with some difficulty, and hence fans largely stayed with him.
Adams came in last summer in a totally different situation. He and the club talked openly about getting promoted and they embraced the tag of title favourites. Fans rightly judge his performance this season against those expectations. yes it takes time and i admire your point that Parkinson’s first season shows the value of patience, but the circumstances are different and no one has selective amnesia.
I find going back several years now you only post on WOAP when you are upset about something and you’re always aggressive. No problem with you disagreeing with me, but your lack of respect to everyone else is wearisome. I am under no obligation to publish your comments. Please think about your attitude if you plan to post any more comments. Otherwise they won’t be published.
Jason
So the win over Stevenage papered over the cracks. Only 2 players arrived in January on loan that looked to have any quality (Bass and Walker) Perhaps a 3rd in Hendrie, being an upgrade on Threlkeld. The rest being absolute dog toffee. Derek Adams has wasted wages on some shocking players since arriving at the club, and that’s on him, it’s his team by and large. It’s his tactics, and style of play we are having to stomach, along with his delusional post match rambles. I do wonder weather he believes the words that come out of his mouth, he has totally alienated himself from the fans, and I suspect the players. This all leaves Ryan Sparkes with a very difficult decision, can he let this go on much longer, I’m not sure, this being the man he installed and put on a 3 year contract. It’s looking increasingly like they’ll be a large drop in support and ticket sales for next season as a large section of the fan base is completely disenfranchised with the club at the moment. It looks like Ryan himself may well be out of his depth on some aspects of his role at the club as well, but I do think he is overloaded, good at some things, not so good on others. The club needs a leader, not just on the pitch but off it as well, and it’s certainly not in Bavaria or BD8 at the present time. I really fear for our future next season, if the ownership of the club hasn’t changed. Because until it does, this whole situation with how the club is run and financed, will see us struggle at the bottom half of the table or worse for years, and that doesn’t bear thinking about.
I agree with every word written in this comment.
I’ve read all the comments on here (to-date) and am really surprised by how split the fanbase is on Adams. Those advocating more time fall into four categories:
1) Those who are backing him because of his track record
2) Those who want stability (and not another managerial change)
3) Those who don’t think we could get a better manager, or see that things could be better under a different manager
4) Those who think anyone who doesn’t think Bradford City should be bottom half of League 2 forever are getting above their station
Can anyone say they think Adams should stay because they think he’s the right man for the job?
Yesterday we lost to a much better team, and it could have been five. We’re repeating the same mistakes from January, from December, from November etc. It was clear to everyone that we had no width, no pace, no one getting beyond or even near Cook, the midfield was too deep etc etc. It’s boring now. Adams made his subs (again too late for my liking) and made like for like changes. But when it’s the system that is wrong, like for like achieves nothing. The players look like they’ve heard the criticism of their (former) colleagues, and so are just doing what Adams tells them to do even though it’s silly. They have no agency. But at least they won’t get singled out by Adams that way.
He’s signed (and my maths may be wrong) 15 players for us, and gave contract extensions to another four. This is his team. If I could see something trying to be achieved on the pitch, then I’d be supportive. But they played yesterday like they’d never met each other before. What is Adams trying to achieve with this ‘eclectic’ mix of short term players?
The club needs leadership and it doesn’t have it. Sparks must be pulling his hair out at how unprofessional Adams is being. He probably imagined that Adams would a figure head. He’d take to the club and run it like the big project he says he wants. But his approach – he’s clearly under pressure and rattled – is now harmful and destructive. He was fine with the promotion talk at the start of the season, he was even fine talking about the playoffs last week (for it was only last week) but now he thinks he should be given more time and that fans’ expectations are unreasonable. He dismisses any criticism of his own actions, while dishing it out in spades to others. He can give it but not take it.
And the fans, this is the bit that really gets me angry. He is now insinuating that the fans are one of the problems (everyone but him). We’ve had five years of constant rubbish and he needs to understand that context. We were promotion favourites with the bookies and were told anything other than promotion would be a failure. He has won 2 games at home in the last six months , he earned fewer points than Trueman/Sellars over the same number of games. He’s failing and we have a right to tell him that. Any manager, whether managing Bradford City or Barrow, would be struggling to survive those stats. But to use an uncouth metaphor, he’s now pissing on us and telling us to be grateful. I thought the fans yesterday were very reserved. For all Adams’ talk about how great he is, there’s a reason why he had to go to Morecambe after Plymouth and it’s because his ‘schtik’ won’t be tolerated by more professional clubs higher up the pyramid.
He’s baiting us to sack him. No manager comes back from the comments he made in his post-match interview yesterday. Can anyone find an example of a manager who criticises his own fans like that and then comes back to have success at that club? (Anywhere in world football, ever?). He doesn’t know what to do, so probably wants that nice big payoff, he can blame this season on a ‘Bradford City’ curse and then can rock up at another League 2 club where there is less pressure.
Damned if we do, damned if we don’t now.
Brilliant! The Board needs to do what is good for City.
I hadn’t realised that we had only won 2 games in 6 months. The misery has been stretched out for nearly the whole season. I literally have seen nothing that would make me think this man has the required wherewithal to take a club like Bradford City to the next level.
I would put him on gardening leave, so we don’t have to pay a lump sum out.
This reflects my feelings exactly. Brilliant Thomas. 2 games in 6 months, that really shocked me.
I don’t agree that it’s time for DA to go. Not only is he a proven manager at this level, the squad assembled in summer and Jan has been moulded to suit his style. Adding him to the ever-growing list of failed BCAFC managers will do nothing to halt our decline. The club needs time to stabilise and find its feet. Sparks was naive to openly target automatic promotion last summer with a squad that was ill equipped for the task – it shouldn’t be DA who takes the fall in my opinion.
Duncan, is ‘his style dreadful long ball crap with characterless players with zero finishing ability?
No evidence he’s improved us one iota. Not one. Why is the squad ill equipped? He assembled the vast majority of it!!
Performance data shows we’ve improved massively on last season, even if results haven’t. As for the ability of the squad, the majority are players inherited from last season, many of which take up a large chunk of the budget. Let DA build his own team this summer when their contracts expire, rather than repeating the same cycle rinse and repeat.
Your dreaming if you think this has a happy ending pal. Absolutely dreaming!
I bet you were saying the same about Parky at this time in 2012!!
Another depressing, but spot-on, match report… One looks forward to better times and reports!
Adams has been a big disappointment. The warning signs were certainly there — see for example the comments of Plymouth supporters here and elsewhere — but one still hoped for better. The season is a write-off, but still, he needs to go, sooner rather than later. Neither he nor his style of football suit us. Sacking him might not be the full answer, but it is at the least part of the answer.
Re: comments above about the board — we do not really have a ‘board’ in the usual sense of the term, do we? Indeed I would argue that the whole structure of the organisation is something that needs to be examined, and altered. That is the rest of the answer. We need a sound structure underneath the owner, for example:
Owner – (CEO if not owner) – VP Non-football Operations / VP Football Operations / Company secretary and treasurer. Call the VPs by whatever title you like; it’s the position that matters. Sparks has been good on the commercial aspects; install him as that VP and let him continue to build up that side of the organisation. But someone else, someone experienced, should be hired for the footballing side. On both sides, the staffs should be permanent employees, with only the manager plus his coach(es) and the players being changeable. Decide on a style of play / footballing philosophy, and then hire suitable staff and players.
We have all these bits and pieces, but the whole seems formless, rudderless. Sparks/the club seemed to be starting off down this path with the Turnbull appointment, but then all that got discarded. Inevitably, therefore, it will be a great disruption when Adams is relieved of his duties. Still, a necessary evil, to my mind.
Utterly dreadful. Night and day between City and Exeter. Adams needs to go.
Are you sure it was 433? There was a huge gap to a totally unfit and blowing after 5 mins Andy Cook. IMO this typified the lack of positivism from Adams attacking the kop after a morale boosting win. It seemed to be back to his beloved 4231 with no one yet again near the central striker. I feel mostly for some like paudie who clearly puts everything into each game and also walker who must be wondering what his agent has signed him into. Absolutely BORING football and with nothing to lose and a must win really he plays this, cannot even be described as pragmatic football, but just drab fear filled approach to games. Everyone is just sick of it. we can lose as long as we know that every player has given their all and that we set out with the intention to win the game. Whatever Adams comes out with this cannot be said of todays tactics
Who should be the manager then?
A lot of talk about who should not be. But I haven’t heard anyone come up with a credible suggestion of who should be our manager.
Ryan Sparks and Stefan Rupp have a difficult decision to make but it’s not made easier by the fact that they know they will be pilloried whatever they decide. At the very least they deserve support to get through this situation and it’s worth remembering that they certainly didn’t face criticism when DA was appointed.
Comments about Adams being the “wrong fit” for City and that Sparks should have taken note of what the Plymouth fans said about him are regularly being made on various Web sites. But why would Sparks want to give the comments of the Plymouth fans more credence than the comments of the person who hired and eventually fired Adams at Plymouth? After he had sacked Adam’s he had nothing but good things to say about him. And I am pretty sure that neither the fans nor the head chef at Morecambe were happy to see Adams leave their club.
We have been here too many times before with some very capable managers being given far too short a time to build and ingraine their process for delivering success into their Team. Any “new manager novelty soon wears off after a few weeks of less than a sustained run of victories and two-thirds of a season in charge. Even Stuart, with all his attack minded approach, was not backed by any large or noisy group of supporters as the results failed to improve. Supporters didn’t use their voices or “customer” power to protect and promote Stuart’s philosophy on how he believed football should try to be played. We all need to face the truth. It doesn’t matter “entertaining” the type of approach a manager has, if he’s not winning lots of games for Bradford City he’s likely going to get sacked before ever being able to complete a full season and a half in charge. “Borring” Bowyer was sacked with the team in 8th place. Stuart came in with fans thinking that the football would now not only be entertaining but the team would get back into the play-offs. What happened?
For goodness sake let’s, for once, stop this ineffective, regular, turnover of managers. Have more belief in the ability of what Adams has recently achieved, along with listening to what his previous bosses have said about him.
We need to stop pandering to a noisy minority of abusive fans who believe that the abuse of past and present owners, CEOs, managers and players. They are deluded if they really belive that abuse and yob behaviour is an acceptable and successful approach for improving the performances and league position of the team. Well, it hasn’t been in the past and it won’t be in the future.
The “quick fix” approach has eluded us as a Club (in the same way it has eluded Nottingham Forest who have had 20 managers in the last 10 years). I hope that Sparks will see sense, be stay strong, and not act on the calls for Adams to be sacked.
It was a big dissapointment to read that, for all the talk of the need for stability over the years on Width of a Post, Adams is yet another manager who is now failing to get the backing that I would have expected from such a terrifically tallented, sensible, knowledgeable and balanced writer as Jason. I fear that if Adams has lost the support of Jason that his position is that much more nearer coming to an end. I wish the case had been made for letting Adams get on with sorting out what is required. To correct what hasn’t gone to plan, to see where we end the season and then work on improving those issues for next season. And that he should be allowed to do this without the threat of being sacked hanging over his head.
I think if Adams is sacked within the next few weeks, without a big outcry in opposition to that possibility, then any future articles calling for stabililty from the Club owner and CEO might well deserve to be viewed with contempt. What is the point of arguing for stability then agreeing with the potential or actual sacking of a manager everytime things start going a little pear shaped with a third or more of the season still to go (Bowyer, McCall, Adams).
What does it matter whether or not Adams is popular with the fans! Nobody could have been more popular with the fans than Stuart. However, most fans and article writers on this website were more than content to see him sacked half-way through the season. A manager will be liked by the fans if the team is winning and disliked if the team is not winning.
There is not much risk of us getting relegated. And if people think we don’t have any great chance of getting into the play-offs then what is there to be gained by replacing Adams? Sparks needs to see if he improves on last season’s final placing and then assess the strengths and weaknesses of his approach from that point. Making decisions based on how much abuse is being generated by supporters is not a good enough reason for abandoning a strategy.
Brilliant post.
Yes. It’s this narrative that WOAP and now even the T&A are joining in with that’s bemusing. As though sacking Adams at this stage is sensible.
Fact is, if we end up above 15th then he’s made more progress than Parky did when he took over.
And note, I was a big fan of PP when at this time in 2012 loads (significantly not WOAP) wanted him gone.
I expect the board to be patient and ignore this urge for bloodletting – otherwise, those who say they don’t know what they’re doing will be correct.
Well – it’s all been said…..
I’ve taken the decision to step away for a while.
Sacking Derek is the wrong thing to do for so many reasons – but equally watching the club I have so much invested in flounder is distressing, and I can’t see it imoroving. I can no longer stomache Derek’s disrespect of the players, club and it’s supporters.
He’s quick to point the finger at the behaviour of some fans but fails to take any responsibility for tatics and performances. If he’d bothered to engage positively with the supporters from day one he might have some goodwill in the bank.
It’s not about not needing to be liked, it’s about getting what is City’s biggest asset – the fanbase – onside and buying into what you want to do. I’m sorry, it’s part and parcel of being a manager, especially at City. The crowd can be the twelfth man but it can also go the other way. I can’t believe he’s not bright enough to recognise this. Managing the supporters is as important as managing the players and if he wants to manage further up the prymid he needs to up his game big time. Get this wrong and you’re in trouble, doesn’t matter whether your Klopp, Pep, or Clough. He won’t admit this but the supporter reaction is, in part, a result of his failure to lead, communicate and engage with the fans.
Anyway I hope that by stepping away I can gain some perspective and will feel positive about my season ticket renewal when the time comes.
Call me a plastic fan if you want – and in many ways you’d be right. I started watching City in the early eighties under McFarland and Cherry but think I’ve earned the right to call myself a supporter. I hope to see you all next year with a renewed sense of optimism.
How’s he disrespecting the players? This is the problem, like Mourinho at Man U, the minute the fans and the media decide that they don’t like a manager, things get exaggerated.
His acceptable pop at the moronic fans chanting about the poor footie (moronic as it has zero motivation for the players) was protecting the players.
The footie is terrible. But let him at least have longer 40 matches for ones!! Christ!! We’re worse than Watford, Sunderland and Ipswich combined!!
I think calling out players for individual mistakes or performances ( Canavan, FCD, Crankshaw et Al) shows disrespect. What is he trying to achieveby doing this? If it’s an uptick in performances it’s not worked.
Also – if you read my post I don’t actually want Derek to be sacked….
…and to continue – calling the club hirarchy ‘immature’ is disrespectful of the club and through some of his post match comments he’s disrespecting the supporters,14,000 of whom backed him through season ticket renewals.
To reiterate. I don’t want him sacked, he can choose whatever tatics and team he wants, but I do want him to change his behaviours.
@AndyC
It’s a bit rich asking someone who has made a career out of confrontation and zero bond with the fans, to change his behaviour.
Didn’t fans do their research? He’s largely unlikeable but gets results. As opposed to Stuart who’s the exact opposite.
I’d argue he’s actually calmed down, compared to some of his hilarious highlights. Back in September 2015, he memorably moaned about Gareth Ainsworth and Wycombe wearing GPS equipment before a league game and subsequently got the game delayed by six minutes. Of course Wycombe had started the season well and of course this nonsense resulted in their first defeat.
Hence, it’s naive of anyone to not realise what kind of character we’ve got at the helm. He make Steve Evans look cuddly!!
Great question Karl !
Who’s available?
The club should have someone lined up if there going to sack DA
Suspect it would be Trueman until the end of the season
I’m fed up of all this sack the manager talk.lve stated before that mr Adam’s has been given a 3 year contract and he must be left to carry it our good or bad.for all you clowns that thought Rome was built in a day think again.
Exeter have been knocking on the door of promotion for 3 or 4 years now but not been successful playing what people call nice football.The time to ask Mr Adams to leave is after his contract is up,if we hav’nt got promoted.At the end of the day were a bum club who have to pay a landlord for the privilege to play on our own ground.We have an owner who was conned into buying us.The only thing we have going for us is a great fan base.Half of who think they know best.I suggest to them, …. …
That’s way too much reality for some on these boards. If Jason doesn’t get this, what chance have we got with those fans doing the moronic chanting??
As usual, Jason, you have summed up the situation down at Valley Parade brilliantly. For the last few weeks Gary Jones and Filipe Morais have assessed the problems astutely, and come up with solutions. Adams seems no longer capable of seeing these. He has alienated the fans, and fails to get the best out of players for 90 minutes. He is deflecting blame to others, a classic case of failure, and it seems even he has lost heart and interest in the job. (Is there a comparison with Captain Smugwash, the Prime Minister?) I’m sure the Board and Sparks believe they have made a mistake, and must be thinking of cutting their losses. Season ticket sales and sponsorship will be down next season anyway, if this predictable, and boring football continues.
Pretty easy to assess the situation from the commentator’s booth! Let’s get them in as a management duo and see how they fare then shall we. Comical how I keep seeing pundit’s comments as a definitive analysis of what’s wrong at City.
I think the point being made is that Jones and Morais, ex professional footballers, are pointing out the same flaws as us armchair pundits are.
It’s easy to dismiss the views of a person who has never played the game at any level, far harder to dismiss opinions from people like Gary and Fillipe.
I don’t think many people are seriously suggesting we install them as managers.
@AndyC
Morais keeps making the same tiresome. ‘not running around enough’ comments, which actually are not astute – it’s what the language of lazy punditry
In fairness there was little wrong with the effort closing down.
Two of many examples were Songo block for what looked a certain goal and one of the front men charging at the keeper who had to make a hasty clearance. Sutton was has his usual aggression etc.
It was chronic bad decision making that was the issue, yesterday. I only wish it was as simple that they ‘need to show a bit more passion’.
If they were in charge, they’d find the same issues. A number of players who can’t hack playing in front of 13K of fans and always expected to win.
Firstly, I feel like a little bit of decorum is required here. Some comments are alarming, as they are painting this as a simple dichotomy; that is, if you want Adams sacked then you’re a ‘clown’, ‘moronic’, or ‘disgusting’, and the grown-up, intelligent view is to give the man time. We are allowed to have separate opinions of course, which in itself enrichens the experience of watching football, but lets not tear ourselves apart over this. Nothing is straightforward in life, as Sparks will no-doubt have found out from his time at the helm.
My question is this: should we persist with a loveless marriage on the grounds that divorce would be too messy, or that we can’t do any better? This usually leads to a tainted relationship where the love is never rekindled and, ultimately, resentment from both parties.
I do find it slightly unsettling that a few are buying into the argument that he is the best we can do, and that we may be a ‘bum club’. Lets have some self-respect – we are a proud club with a long history of overcoming adversity and some unbelievable achievements especially in recent years. Keep the faith, and let’s not buy into self-defeatism
Love your comment Andy.
I do hope your observations of a loveless marriage is not born through personal experience – especially not on Valentine’s weekend!
If following City is a love affair I guess I’m on a break at the moment….
I personally would love to.be sat here with egg on my face after withdrawing my support after the Crawley fiasco.
The one consistency of the Adam’s regime has been inconsistently not only in back to back matches but even within halves of games.
On Tuesday with the win at Stevenage I hoped that was the precursor to a late romp.up.the table but yesterdays game showed that this is not going to happen. At least it brought an end to any lingering hope’s of claiming that final.play off place.
My worry is as follows. I have a son, grandson, cousin who sit with me and lots of friends who are long term.supporters. Like me they have lost interest and are not going to games but threatening not to buy a season ticket for next term. If this is repeated throughout the stadium then the whole future of the club is at risk.
These are not ‘Johnny come lately’ fans who jumped on the bandwagon in the PL days or the PP days of double Wembley visits or the recent Play off final.of 2017. These are long term.ardent supporters who have been going since the 1960s or second, third or even in my Grandsons case fourth generation Supporters. Its important that these young fans are nurtured as they become the adult supporters of the future.
In my grandsons case his mum.is a devout Red (she comes from Liverpool) a d it would be the easiest thing for him to be seduced by the temptations of the PL and the Champions League. Up to now he has stuck with City but I do worry that the present dross will drive him away from being CTID.
This must be repeated throughout the stadium.
So although I hoped I would be wrong in my opinion.of DA it seems I am not and not only are the playoffs out of the equation, the style of play is also amongst the worst I have ever seen. We were told by RS that the additional players were ‘the final piece of the jigsaw’ two weeks ago. Clearly they are not, and all loans which means a ‘start again’ in the summer with the number of existing players out of contract.
It’s short termism or fire fighting and does not bode well for next season.
Now we have DA slagging the fans off and threatening us (be careful) which is the final insult to the 14k who invested in.this season and indeed on.him.
My belief is he reached an all time low yesterday with his post match interview..He looked and sounded like a rabbit caught in the headlights. For the good of City his time should be up.at Valley Parade. Maybe the job despite his arrogance is too.big for him.
If he goes then.maybe myself and others can return to VP to.continue our support and put our efforts into.encouraging a new regime which has a short, medium and long term.plan directed from the very top.
The chanting was morinic. For it to be seen as fans venting their frustration, i.e. fair game is nonsensical, in these sensitive times.
I’ve no issue with fans wanting Adams sacked. Problem none of them answer my questions. Even Jason has ducked why we kept faith with Phil Parkinson and why the likes of Rotherham and Wycombe kept faith with Paul Warne and Gareth Ainsworth respectively – if managers should be sacked after a 30-odd moderate game run, which for those two actually didn’t improve.
Why are we so special that we can make a success of the ‘hire and fire em’ merry go round that’s kept Watford, Ipswich and Sunderland in the same or worse position than when the ‘policy’ started?
Usually I’d agree with you 100pc. I think the way football has changed over the last 20 years (as a business) we’ve seemingly been left way behind. I’m not sure we have anyone on board who has enough modern day experience of running a medium sized football club. Please don’t take this as a veiled criticism of our CEO, it’s not. I have a lot of respect for what sparks has done and how he’s done it. But he alone cannot run this club and move us forward. He needs support.
I’ve said in the past that these “smaller” clubs are surpassing clubs like ours because they are more nimble, have less history and therefore baggage, and can outperform their long term plans without weighing under unreasonable expectation.
Mr Adams will be relieved of his duties today.
Football is all about entertainment. We all want success but that is secondary. The club is all about the fans. Adams has lost the fans over style, results, entertainment, arrogance and interview lies. Sparks and Rupp must recognise this and take the necessary action.
Thanks Jason and everyone else. An interesting week ahead to say the least.
As I was leaving yesterday muttering loudly “what a load of rubbish” someone behind me said “it’s not the players fault”. I thought about this on the way home and last night and reached the following conclusion. If my fellow supporter meant that the there is nothing wrong with the players – all good quality – and that it is simply the manager’s organisation and tactics etc then I disagree strongly. If, on the other hand, he meant that is not a players fault that he is of poor quality, then I am inclined to agree. Can I be blamed because I am left handed or sneeze a lot in the summer ?
Which, of course leads to the big question being debated here as regards Adams’s future at the club. I am firmly of the view that no manager in the land could do very much with this bunch of misfits and injury prone journeymen. You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Of course, it is wrong of me to tar them all with the same brush. But, too many are at the ‘non league’ end of the ability spectrum, demonstrating difficulty to control the ball, pass the ball, position themselves on the field and work with others alongside them. . And so where does this leave us as regards Adams? It does indeed surprise me that so many of the players he has brought in are disappointing at best and simply rank bad at worst. A manager of his supposed capability at this level bringing in this bunch of no-hopers draws me to the, highly unpalatable, conclusion he should go. I don’t know the finances that would be involved in sacking Adams but clearly a big financial hit would be involved. But turn the coin and ask can the club afford to lose its heart and soul which may in the longer term hurt financially even more ?
Rick H
My suspicion is he’s been hugely constrained re recruitment by budget and those already taking up wages on the books. Take Robinson as a case in point. Plainly not regarded by Adams from his comments at the time but now in most (critical) quarters he is Adam’s signing. All loans in Jan I think with the obvious intention not to squander limited resources on over inflated January window prices ahead of a major rebuild of squad in the summer. That feels like a much more plausible assessment of ‘Adam’s’ squad than others I’ve read.
Yet we’re not giving to give a proven manager chance to go at it after 30 games?
Madness IMO. See you at some Jon league grounds soon?
A correct summation. Add the two perfect storms of constant injuries to wingers and Covid the later of which seems to have had more of an effect than anticipated (motor skill / energy levels seem totally different now to before the outbreak affected 17 of the squad)
My angst with the ‘manager out’ shouts, is that they have no better alternative. He’d be owed a fortune and yet another manger is then asked to ‘get’ the club and hit the ground running.
Patience is needed. We’ve done it before with both Jewell and Parky and eventually it got it’s rewards.
Jason. I can’t reply to your attack on me. But I find it worrying that a fan can’t disagree with you about an article of yours without suffering a character assassination.
On the “hooligan” point, I find it amazing in this age that you think that chanting is justified, when it’s coming from a section of the crowd who often quick to go, er, ‘negative’.
Those who sat nearby me, who are equally frustrated with Adams (yes, as I’ve alluded to, I am too – just like Parky in February 2012) were disgusted with those fans as it simply didn’t help the players.
You are correct though. There is an ‘half glass empty’ narrative from you over the past few years, which I find simply depressing. However, I wasn’t aware that I had to agree with you or could only disagree in a certain way.
Even worse, is that someone who is simply asking people to look at the big picture, i.e. managers everywhere need time, is now an outlier for daring to question fans wanting yet another manager out.
You know perfectly well I never said you have to agree with me. I asked you to show respect to other people’s opinions
I’ll concede that the ‘hooligan’ comment, in the cold light of day could seen to be harsh.
I’m puzzled as to what other ‘lack of respect’ I’ve shown.
I stated a found the chanting ‘moronic’ assuming that was a reasonable phrase to use to describe a group who you think say the first things that come into their heads at footie matches. I’m not calling anyone on here that name.
It’s amusing that a fan that’s asking for patience and hence is frustrated with those who think sacking Adams is the answer is seen as disruptive.
Anyway time to move on. Hopefully Adam’s turns this around, because we’ll just get a repeat of ‘new manager wanting his own players’ and of course the small matter of ~30 months wages to pay Adams.
I suppose my fear is that we then start to really slide, i.e. like Oldham and Scunthorpe.
Agreed the football is terrible to watch.We have lost 9 games this season all of which we have deserved to lose but of the 13 we have drawn, at least 4 of those we should have won. Another 8 points on our total which would place us just in the play off zone. This is where we would be if our finishing could be improved and probably a fair reflection on the squad we have. Sadly this won’t be this season as our strikers are poor. Not a DA fan but I feel we should give him more time to fully assemble a squad capable of achieving the target he was hired to achieve.
Hi guys at WOAP. Is there any particular reason my comment from early this morning has not been accepted?
Regards LJ
Apologies John, the comment went to our spam folder for some bizarre reason so I didn’t see it. I’ve found it now and added it. Jason
Just watched Paul Warne of Rotherham admit that not only was he disappointed with their teams performance in the 2-0 win at Sheff Wednesday – but also reveal that one of his coaches had to have some harsh words some players during training.
This is after his team have just gone nine points clear at the top of L1, so it proves it’s not all happy clappy with the players – as some on here seem to think Adams must be.
Let’s also remember that Warne towards his first 30 game tenure, had a two league win in twelve sequence with seven defeats. Fans were calling for his head as well.
That was in December 2017. Now look at them – constantly punching above their weight, because the Chairman made it plain from the beginning that he wasn’t going to listen to fans complaints.
Giving the manager at least three transfer windows, preferably four, is the only way forward.
If you think that a few hundred fans chanting at the manager I’d ‘hooligans’ then my guess is you are relatively new to football. It was not even ‘moronic” as it is the feeling of many City supporters at present and driven.by several actions by a manager who seems to have a job that is too.big for him. One who keeps making strange decisions and is unable to explain his reasons without diverting the blame away from himself. Now he has attacked the fans who supported him with 14k.sesson ticket sales which funded his budget and his wages he has put himself into a no win situation..He was wise enough to realise that Morecambe would not survive in L1 and came to City expecting to work miracles. Such arrogance. Now he is struggling and it’s time to go.
What an absolute exaggeration of the actual situation.
He didn’t attack the fans – he called out some fans who had obviously been giving him abuse with expletives etc. Is that reasonable behaviour from the fans – no IMO. Nobody should get abuse like that. Someone proudly announced on twitter how they were shouting at Trueman to stop stealing a wage. Is that ok? Make your point by all means but not via abuse. Yet somehow it’s turned into him attacking 14,000 season ticket holders. Get a grip.
If your response is that he should have a thick skin, then maybe so should those ‘fans’?
You’d be guessing wrong. I’ve been watching City since 1979.
They weren’t chanting about the manager, they were slating the football which actually meant they were slating the footballers. It’s certainly a questionable motivation tactic in my managerial playbook!!!
Half a season per manager is no answer. Some fans are now in the same impatient mindset that befalls other ‘big’ clubs, underachieving in their respective divisions and it gets them nowhere as well.
Yes. It’s not great. But sacking Adams after two windows, with still a large amount of the budget on players he never bought, would be totally the wrong thing to do.
There are two ways of looking at the Adams situation for me. Yes we’re undoubtedly poor under his management and nowhere near to what we were promised, even (mis)sold before the start of the season. But, he hasn’t had that long in the job so I get that argument too.
What I simply cannot come to terms with is his refusal to change his rigid tactics that demonstrably don’t work. The formation may have gone from 4-2-3-1 to 4-4-3 but there’s actually little difference in how it operates on the pitch.
Can anybody actually tell me what our style is or what plans we have for getting the ball to and into the opposition goal? To me it looks like the players are thrown on the pitch with little or no direction other than hope for a bit of luck. I don’t know much of Adams’ tactics at his previous clubs but I suspect they were similar. If so he’s been worked out but he’s too stubborn/arrogant/stupid to change.
Rounding on the fans will only end one way. The sooner the better I hope but either way the club have lost my custom until drastic changes are made. I might go to the odd game but I’m not being conned into buying a season ticket again.