Sunday 19th December, 20102 years ago, mid-December
A disengaging time
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Is it simply because of the stop-start schedule of games over the past month, or is it something deeper?
Should Bradford City’s boxing day clash with Chesterfield beat the weather, it will only be the second time in 33 days the players will be in action. The season has been frozen by the late 2010 big freeze, not much is happening and it all feels a bit tedious.
But even when City were able to get on some green grass and beat Hereford a week last Saturday, enjoyment was in short supply. Far from it satisfying an itch, it seemed an occasion to get over and done with. In general the mood among supporters – as measured in many different ways, not least the number of message board postings, next year’s season tickets sold so far (according to the guy serving me when I renewed mine yesterday), and even hits to this site – appears flat. The news coming out of the club in recent weeks generally dull.
It’s all very quiet, it’s all a bit disengaging.
Supporting the Bantams usually comes with a feeling of frustration rather than constant happiness, and there’s no doubt things could certainly be a lot worse than they are right now. Yet still this is the most ordinary season I can remember in a long while. The football has been enthralling on occasions, but mundane more often. We’re not on the edge of our seats as often as we’d like, nor are we on our feet cheering uplifting goals as regularly as we’d expect.
It’s difficult to look forward to the second half of the season and feel the buzz of anticipation that a narrow gap to the play off positions should offer. It’s not that City aren’t capable of going onto finish in the top seven come May and thus fulfill our hopes, but more the probable manner in which any success will be achieved.
This is an efficient Bradford City side which is conservative and guarded. Wins are laboured. Flair is constrained by structure. Defence is the best form of attack.
We knew it was going to be like this, really. The February exit of Stuart McCall left a managerial opening that placed winning football matches as the top quality when choosing from a lengthy shortlist of applicants. Peter Taylor was the outstanding candidate, but behind his unquestionable achievements were loud warnings that style would give way to organisation. Years of failure left us wanting this winning-above-all approach; hard luck stories of good performances going unrewarded were tedious. Winning is all that matters; so Peter, do whatever it takes to get us out of this league.
We knew what we were getting with Taylor, and those expectations have been realised. McCall’s teams had heart and commitment, but naivety and disorganisation undermined their high levels of effort. City appear much more prepared under Taylor; they go onto the pitch with a more impassioned outlook which is about following a carefully laid out strategy.
If City were laying in the top three places, or even in the top seven, Taylor’s ways would be more enthusiastically backed. But even if the promotion places are still well within touching distance, the 14th-place position City currently occupy and fact the highest league placing of the season, so far, is only 10th leaves Taylor’s ways open to question and doubt. The sacrificing of as high of a level of entertainment could be more accepted if the league table made better reading. It seems were not quite getting the best of either world.
Which leaves afternoons like the recent one against Hereford endorsed but not enjoyed. City’s first half display had merited more than the one goal, but the second half defensive retreat in holding the narrow lead against a team at the bottom of the league was uninspiring and difficult to watch. It would be wrong to say that it was the performance Taylor had wanted to see from his players too – he admitted it was a poor second half display after the game – but such afternoons are becoming a regular occurrence.
And that’s where it’s becoming a bit disengaging to many supporters. If more regular defensive-minded wins like we saw against Hereford and at Bury will take City into League One next season we’ll all be delighted, but that doesn’t mean we’ll fully-enjoy the journey. And if we can’t enjoy winning games of football, what is the point of it all?
When Taylor’s City have been good they’ve been great to watch. The Cheltenham home win was the season’s high-water mark in quality of performance, the Oxford thrashing that followed two weeks later was more memorable and left us all feeling rather giddy with excitement. But with more games like Hereford and even the frustrating defeats to Wycombe and Macclesfield, it suggests the Cheltenham and Oxford wins were Taylor’s City on very top form rather than playing a level they can achieve on a regular basis.
Winning is important, but another key aspect of football supporting is the bond you have with your team. This season there are certainly plenty of players I admire – Tommy Doherty is a joy to watch, while Lee Hendrie and Omar Daley have put in some superb displays. I also have strong affection for the former non-league players – James Hanson, David Syers, Steve Williams and Jon McLaughlin – plus our homegrown talent Luke O’Brien. But in general, the relationship between supporter and other players is more distant and cool.
I write this having only missed two league games this season (plus I didn’t see two of City’s four cup games) and I am used to feeling ‘close’ to the players, through travelling up and down the country to cheer them on. But that affection between players and supporters which was so evident in recent seasons seems less to me this season. It doesn’t help that there are so many loan players who form part of the starting eleven each week, but sometimes in away games you’d like to see the players look a bit happier to see us before kick off and be a bit more prepared to applaud us at full time; rather than a half-heartededly clap from the half way line, like we received at Wycombe in our last away game. Michael Flynn is missed in so many ways.
The four wins out of five undoubtedly recaptured that missing enthusiasm and showed what this team is capable of, and it’s not just for the health of City’s league position that we all hope such heights can be realised on a more regular basis. For now, it’s hoped that the eventual resuming of City’s season will thaw out current levels of cynicism and restore that joy of following the Bantams, which is felt even in difficult times.
Because personally I want to care more about City’s season than I do right now. I want the highs to feel better, even if it means the lows have to be greater too. I want to load up the Telegraph & Argus website on a Monday morning and feel connected by what’s going on at the club, rather than experiencing bordom at reading another interview from an underachieving loan player unsure about his long-term future.
I want this mission of getting promoted out of League Two to be enjoyable and engaging, rather than feeling like a task that has to be completed before the fun can resume again.
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I have to say Jason your comments reflect my own current malaise. The loan player situation really doesn’t help – I’ve gotten to the stage now where I’m making less and less effort to try and commit to memory players names and backgrounds – why coz actually I don’t really care because I’m guessing that the players don’t either.
Personally as well I’m suffering from a McCall hangover – I hate myself for it and its not about the fact that I feel that McCall particularly knew where he was taking us – for me it didn’t matter because it was Stuart – the complete antithesis of the current situation – a man who played in sides for Bradford City that you knew – and you knew that they cared.
I have renewed my season ticket for next year but a big part of it is more of a financial contribution to my team than genuine excitement about the future. It’s hard to see what will change things around, but as you say continuity of victory is probably the only thing that will
Your article also sums up my mood perfectly. Unlike you Jason I’ve missed at least 2 home games this season and haven’t been to a single away or cup game, this is partly down to the birth of my daughter in April as well as a holiday and a family wedding, but as well as that I honestly haven’t been interested in making any extra effort to follow City this season.
I’ve criticised Taylor on this website in that past, not because I think he’s a bad manager but because I don’t think he’s the right manager for City (or for maybe just for me). I found it amusing that he criticised the second half performance against Hereford when as far as I could see it was all his doing. Nobody forward when defending a corner, nobody forward when defending at all; how many clearances came straight back because nobody was in an advanced position holding the ball up? That’s not the players fault, they’re just doing what they’ve been told to do.
I’ve renewed my season ticket and I still don’t think Taylor should be sacked, then again I didn’t think he should have been given a 1 year contract and I didn’t think McCall should have been sacked either. And I’m really not sure what I think should happen now!
Jason you have summed things up perfectly. This is exactly how I feel. I renewed my season tickets for the family this last week , doing so, not because I wanted to at the moment but because I know that at some point in the future I will be glad I did. Its been a fairly dire season so far for so many reasons, lets hope the second part of it more than makes up for the first.Merry Xmas to all at BFB
Well put Jason. After my moments of doubt that I put in my last piece, I too have renewed my season ticket – not out of enthusiasm but out of hope.
This time last year my renewal was unquestioned. We had a manager I believed in, a team that, for all its failings, played with heart and a club with which I felt I had a genuine affinity.Sadly what I bought into disappeared almost as quickly as the cash from my account and what I ended up with was a ticket for a season that so far,I have struggled to understand let alone enjoy.
So, with the perversity that comes from such a situation,
I renew in the hope that what I have bought into for next season will be nothing like what we have now.
How this might come about is anybody’s guess. There is uncertainty about the future of the manager, many of the players(not least because of this reliance on loan players and short contracts)and our status within the leagues.
But maybe, now that I and many others have made the commitment, there may be a reciprocal response from those in a position to steer the club back to the one we believe in, one we can all support with enthusiasm AND enjoyment, one that will attract new support rather than alienate existing supporters.
Here’s to a happy new year.
Fair assessment, Jason. You tell it exactly like it is.
To those who renewed their Season Tickets, it is highly commendable and they are to be applauded. It shows Julian Rhodes there is still loyalty and a solid following despite the on-field disappointments over the past ten years.
On a slightly different note, it’s sad to see Rehman go to Thailand what with his foundation work and invitation to Downing Street. He was never the best but certainly not the worst to play at this level for City. But Peter Taylor allegedly wanted him out as Taylor himself tried to fend off the slightest whiff of criticism. But who is he kidding? I suggest it hardly matters. I can’t see Taylor’s tenure being extended going by the dismal mood surrounding VP.
His style didn’t go over well at Wycombe a year ago. It’s apparently no better now.
The ones buying ST’s are laying the groundwork of hope. I just wish their actions are not interpreted as a wholehearted endorsement of Peter Taylor’s rather dour methods.
Excellent piece Jason,i was a massive fan of Stuart McCall both as a player and as Bradford City FC manager,i loved his teams up and at them attitude .. who ever they played …obviously they came unstuck too many times but even some of the losses were a joy to watch.I knew like every BCFC fan that when the club appointed Peter Taylor the style would change and although like you i haven’t enjoy some of the games as much i still believe that Taylor given time.. will lead this club back up the football leagues.Some of the stuff written on some of the BCFC web sites .. in regards to Taylor and his coaching style doesn’t make much sense to me,for the club to appoint Taylor and then for some of the BCFC fans after 19 games to somehow expect him to change his coaching tactics,when those tactics have been so successful at this level ,how does that work.So i’ll be renewing my season tickets in the hope that BCFC are playing hard nosed football in the 1st division next season with Peter Taylor in charge.
I believe Taylor acted correctly in sacking Rehman,i don’t believe for one minute that it was based entirely on the Radio Leeds interview ,that simply brought matters to a head.
Rehman did a lot of good work for the club in regards to trying to form a link between the Bradford Asian community and Bradford City Football Club and when called into playing action always gave 100% for the club but you fall out with the manager and your days are usually numbered at any football club.I’m sure Rehmans work ethic will stand him in good stead in Thailand.
I agree entirely. Work commitments have stopped me attending all but a couple of games this season and to be honest it has not been the gut wrenching nightmare i thought it would be, which is sad. I just stumbled across an interesting (well i thought so) graph depicting city’s rise and (mainly) fall over our history:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bradford_City_League_Record.PNG
I think this goes a long way to explaining the general negative attitude around the ground on match days. The stadium is generally populated by young idiots who spew and chant ignorant and obscene tirades at both sets of players while the slightly older and middle aged supporters have seen a rapid rise up table to an ultimate pinnacle of despair in the late 80′s (myself included) and the fast track rise to the premiership and subsequent demise ever since.
But more notably and interesting from my point of view is seeing the almost consistent drop down the leagues from the 1st tier at the time of our F.A Cup win through to the mid 60′s which makes astonishing reading. I obviously knew we were never over achievers during this period but to see it in the stark depressing layout of a chart is depressing, and even more so for the folks who turned out every week over this lengthy spell. I know there are a few promotions in the midst but the general decline is astounding which brings me onto the bitter and disgruntled older fans who refuse to give praise and support regardless.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not pointing fingers of blame at anyone, I just think it is hard to create a winning mentality and atmosphere at any arena which is frequented by so many who have experience so much disappointment and got into the losing mentality which is easily done and is simply a polar opposite to the Man U fans who expect to win every week regardless.
I suppose the million dollar questions are where would you like the line to be, where should it be and where could it be in reality?