Wednesday 15th April, 2009last year, mid-April
Moans, groans and negativity
It was a warm Tuesday evening in late September 2009 and as the City supporters trudged away from Valley Parade, there was much talk about whether the appointment of Dave Penney in the summer had been the right move by Julian Rhodes and Mark Lawn following Stuart McCall’s exit at the end of the 2008/2009 season. City had narrowly missed out of the final play off position after failing to win their final game at Chesterfield and thus as McCall had stated in April he quit the club that he loves as he felt that he had failed owing to the fact that Bradford City were still a Division 4 side. Now that Penney and City had suffered their third consecutive home defeat, this time to league newcomers Burton Albion which left them in the bottom half of Division 4, many City supporters were questioning Penney’s appointment.
Obviously, the above paragraph is made up but a similar scenario could occur later on this calendar year. City fail to make the play-offs, McCall is true to his word and departs from the Valley Parade hot-seat, another manager is appointed and City begin the 2009/2010 season in a poor fashion. What will the so-called City supporters be moaning and groaning about then?
The negativity inside Valley Parade on Easter Monday was disgusting. I’m sure that Joe Colbeck, last season’s Player of the Year, would be the first to admit that he had a shocker and when McCall went to a 4-3-3 formation bringing on Mullen for Boulding, many people near me were shouting “You don’t know what you’re doing” at McCall. Now whilst I’m not the greatest supporter of Mullen (I believe that he looks and plays like Conlon) and I would have kept Boulding on the pitch, I didn’t start hurling abuse at a person who has experienced promotion as a player, scored two goals in an FA Cup final, won numerous trophies with Rangers and scored in the World Cup Finals. I’m not saying that a great player makes a great manager as shown by Bryan Robson (in my eyes a superb player but a poor manager) but McCall is still learning the managerial role.
Calls for Mark Bower to return from his loan spell at Luton could be also heard on a day. This is the same player who has been abused in previous seasons. The negativity inside Valley Parade spreads like a cancer and it makes me sick! I for one kept shouting encouragement at our players and I still believe that we can make the play offs. And if we don’t I’ll be back at Valley Parade next season supporting the men in claret an amber. That’s what the difference is between a supporter and a fan. A supporters offers words of support during the difficult times which is what our team is experiencing at the moment as our winless run continues.
So to all you moaners and groaners out there, if you want to follow a successful club, go to Old Trafford and join the thousands of others who have no connection with Manchester but who want to follow a successful team. Or go to Stamford Bridge and watch loads of foreign players where local home grown talent has very very little chance of making it into the first team.
For me, it’s the delights of Division 4 at the moment, watching the likes of Colbeck and O’Brien, special home grown players. And who knows, it could be Colbeck scoring the winning goal at Chesterfield on 02 May. Now where’s that ticket for Saltergate…
This is exactly the point i was making the guys i sit next to thankfully we are all supporters. This is something that should be printed in the T&A but never will be because they don’t print words from supporters only words from the fans.
Well said! – I’ve made a bit of a crusade on the claret and banter site about the level of abuse this season – it’s like babies throwing toys out of the pram at some home games
Sure we can show our annoyance if someone is not giving 100% but it went beyond this again – Lee and Colbeck being the main targets I heard.
For some reason Bradford have always had this negativity – I remember fans hurling abuse at players when we were in the Premier league just because we were only ‘drawing’ with several of the Premier league clubs at the time!
Not sure why we breed such negative fans??
That’s right, blame the fans again.
It’s never the player’s fault is it?
Maybe if they for once, starting taking some responsibility for their own “performances” we might get somewhere.
Instead, shirking and excuses are ingrained in to the fabric of this once proud club.
If they are not big enough to rise above criticism, they should find another profession.
I don’t personally boo – but i can totally understand why some fans do.
I have only ever booed once – that shameful afternoon at Saltergate when we went down without so much as a whimper.
My view is, we need big characters at the club, who can inspire – characters who relish playing in front of big crowds, can handle the occasion and be a man when they get any criticism, and make sure it’s water off a ducks back.
Players that have courage and the hunger to do well – not go in to their shells and hide. We have players that get very well paid for what most fans would do for nothing, and I think at the moment, fans are at the end of their tether after years and years of poor displays and more importantly, lack of effort.
I appreciate that booing achieves nothing – but players should be big enough and professional enough to rise above it.
One point to make is, I am sure Colbeck would not have got anything like that reaction if we were firmly in the top 7 – I personally believe the booing had far more to do with the general team performance in that particular game, and the previous poor 8 games – than the poor game Joe Colbeck had.
Cheers
Gavin
A point of moderation
There are two issues which should not be mixed up here.
Player performances that are poor – I am sure – are not defended on BfB and frequently the responsibility for those performances have been put squarely at the players door. When they – it being poor performances leading to poor results – are the player’s fault, then they are the player’s fault and are said as such. That is one point.
The second point is how we as supporters should respond to issues like poor performances and poor results.
Your contention is that there is excuse making and that the players should be big enough to rise about being booed which that is a valid opinion and one that gets more than a fair share of the debate with the chairman and manager both addressing it directly however it is not the only contention. There are others who believe that the criticism – when vocalised in the wholly negative form of booing – is counter productive and by being counter productive is more damaging than the performance that is criticised.
These are not the only two points of view on this – Nicky Law famously said that our supporters were worth a goal for the opposition placing responsibility for performances squarely with the fans – but I would suggest they are the two main thrusts of the debate.
It is an important distinction to make and one that I feel I must underline in this situation when the waters are already clouded enough. To say that Joe Colbeck should not be booed (as I did) is not to say that you believe he has played well or played badly nor is it to say that he is an able footballer or not it is simply to comment on the reaction and, probably, the effect that that reaction has.
The issue is not who should take the responsibility for the performances – although I note that when things are going well fans and players are happy to share the glory – but rather how best to react to those performances in a way that will best aid the whole of the club.