Bradford v Charlton - Post Match Views

There are usually several throw ins during a game which seem to be given wrongly. They're nothing to get upset about - unless they lead to a goal against you, I suppose. From where I was sitting the ref got it right but I haven't seen any TV replays.

I enjoyed watching the young Bradford girl's vlog of the game - I almost felt guilty that we'd spoilt her day by winning. On a general note, Valley Parade is one of my favourite grounds to visit. It's a friendly place and the Bradford supporters seem a good bunch - never any animosity from them and they turn out in numbers for their club. We even found a pub (The Sparrow in North Parade) which gives out free pies and mushy peas with your drinks on match days. I could have done without the rain yesterday, though. I got back home at 10:30 and still hadn't dried out.

The_President said:

who cares about the throw-in , it wasnt given , move on.

This is the post match discussions thread and seems to me whether or not the winning goal should have stood is a reasonably significant talking point from the match.

It also shows the fine margins by which games are won and lost and is a reminder of how almost every game has pivotal moments that might have produced a different final result had those key events played out differently. Something it's always important to bear in mind before getting too carried away with any win or too critical of any loss.

Even vs Wigan, when most people would say we never looked like we could win, we hit the bar just before they scored and it might have been a different game if we'd taken the lead.

I can't believe some of the negative posts regarding Pearce. If it wasn't for his contribution towards the end of last season we could have gone down.
I am as delighted as the next fan regarding Naby Sarr this season but when fit I still think Pearce will play an important roll just as he did last season.

Bill_Stumps said:

There are usually several throw ins during a game which seem to be given wrongly. They're nothing to get upset about - unless they lead to a goal against you, I suppose. From where I was sitting the ref got it right but I haven't seen any TV replays.

I enjoyed watching the young Bradford girl's vlog of the game - I almost felt guilty that we'd spoilt her day by winning. On a general note, Valley Parade is one of my favourite grounds to visit. It's a friendly place and the Bradford supporters seem a good bunch - never any animosity from them and they turn out in numbers for their club. We even found a pub (The Sparrow in North Parade) which gives out free pies and mushy peas with your drinks on match days. I could have done without the rain yesterday, though. I got back home at 10:30 and still hadn't dried out.

It was karma for the long overdue one from that Fulham / Styles moment in the Premier League.

As for Valley Parade I was really impressed, didnt realise they got THAT many fans (unless it was because we came to town) - Does help they're one of the few clubs who charge proper prices for their season tickets

The_President said:

blackpool72 said:

I can't believe some of the negative posts regarding Pearce. If it wasn't for his contribution towards the end of last season we could have gone down.
I am as delighted as the next fan regarding Naby Sarr this season but when fit I still think Pearce will play an important roll just as he did last season.

He may play an important role B72, but things have moved on a bit, and the feeling is that Naby might offer a bit more, even his throw-in is a bit special - and something new !

I went to Fleetwood a couple of weeks ago and praised Naby Sarr on here.
I have no problem with Sarr whatsoever I think he will develop into a very good player.
My point is I don't understand the criticism of Pearce.
This is not aimed at you btw.

wmcf123 said:

Leuth said:

Sarr is better than Pearce in every physical and technical aspect - experience is all Pearce has over him. A potential Premiership player versus a good League One pro. I'd play Sarr every time, unless he starts showing signs of mental weakness

Completely unproven bar a few games in league one. Given that we are in league one, I'd pick the seasoned pro with the proven track record of promotion

He's played at a much higher level than Pearce ever could

Leaving Sarr aside for a moment, when Pearce was injured last year it coincided with a really terrible run in the second half of the season. For me, Pearce is an organiser as well as a stopper.

blackpool72 said:

I can't believe some of the negative posts regarding Pearce. If it wasn't for his contribution towards the end of last season we could have gone down.
I am as delighted as the next fan regarding Naby Sarr this season but when fit I still think Pearce will play an important roll just as he did last season.

Totally agree. We seem to have forgotten that we were singing Pearce's praises before he was injured. Wasn't he MotM two or three times this season?

It'd be tempting to play Bauer, Pearce and Sarr in a back three next time we play a big physical side.

If you had to pick two of those three to play centre back, I'd probably go with Pearce and Sarr, although any combination is good. However, I think the Solly, Bauer, Pearce and Dasilva back four can be vulnerable to aerial bombardment.

PS Happy times. Team doing well, new ownership in the offing....

robroy said:

I thought naming PC Palmer as our club legend in the Bradford programme was fantastic. Very nice gesture

Decent club Bradford and do a lot locally. Fantastic support too. Hopefully we go up automatically and they join us via the playoffs.

https://mega.nz/#!IQh1wSqK!m1aQzzXGGs6EO5OAA71hgi6Hj9YSMV7Yfif9OwEWmZs

Fella on the Bradford forum reckons this is the full game. Have to download it but may be of interest.

Edit: Just downloaded it, bit of a faff but excellent quality and the whole game. Would recommend if you didn't catch the match.

Bill_Stumps said:

There are usually several throw ins during a game which seem to be given wrongly. They're nothing to get upset about - unless they lead to a goal against you, I suppose. From where I was sitting the ref got it right but I haven't seen any TV replays.

I enjoyed watching the young Bradford girl's vlog of the game - I almost felt guilty that we'd spoilt her day by winning. On a general note, Valley Parade is one of my favourite grounds to visit. It's a friendly place and the Bradford supporters seem a good bunch - never any animosity from them and they turn out in numbers for their club. We even found a pub (The Sparrow in North Parade) which gives out free pies and mushy peas with your drinks on match days. I could have done without the rain yesterday, though. I got back home at 10:30 and still hadn't dried out.

The whole ball, not 99.9% has to be over the line for it to be out of play. I thought it was out, it looked out but given you need a plumb line to measure it exactly, it's always going to be a fine line between a right and wrong call. But the linesman only has his eye ball and he was looking directly up the line, the only angle you could make an accurate call, and was 5 feet away, so I'll give the linesman the benefit of the doubt.

As you say, it could just as easily have been one of those throw in decisions the ref is only guessing because he hasn't got a scooby doo who touched it last. If the goal had come directly from Holmes keeping it in play, then perhaps some sympathy IF it was actually out of play. But the goal came from a subsequent throw in, a cross, and a shot before the goal was scored.

The_President said:

Leuth said:

Sarr is better than Pearce in every physical and technical aspect - experience is all Pearce has over him. A potential Premiership player versus a good League One pro. I'd play Sarr every time, unless he starts showing signs of mental weakness

This.
Sarr adds so much more to the equation than Pearce.

Really happy to see people on the Sarr... Bandwagon. Sat here for five minutes trying to think of an alliteration. Best I could come up with is the Sarr Scooter and that's poor.

We still have probably a couple months before we have to get into the him versus Pearce thing. But as pointed out, Sarr's technique is far superior and he's a better athlete. It's the experience and the reading of the game which he lacks, but which I think he's showing he's not too bad at.

I've said this before, but Pearce's lack of pace means that with him we end up dropping much, much deeper than we should. Even when we've been pinned back, like at times against Bradford and Doncaster in particular, we don't drop to defend in our own box now, we look to keep a higher line and condense the play, allowing the midfield to pressure the ball better. Sarr or Konsa in central defense give us that ability, whereas I think years of playing in the lower leagues combined with that lack of pace means Pearce prefers to drop all the way back and defend backs against the wall.

Lastly, when Pearce is on, teams will give him the freedom of the park because they know he can't hurt then with his passing or bringing the ball out. It means we're almost a man down when trying to build from the back, and it allows teams to pressure JFC and Kashi. Wigan did this the best, giving Pearce 10 yards of space whenever he touched it, and as a result we desperately struggled to build through our midfield. Because of Sarr's range of passing and Konsa's pace and ability on the ball, teams can't do that to us anymore and I don't think it's a coincidence that Kashi in particular has improved since Pearce came out of the side. Defending a little higher up means he had less ground to cover, and having two center backs who are good with the ball means teams can't man mark him as easily.

RedRyan said:

SDAddick said:

The_President said:

Leuth said:

Sarr is better than Pearce in every physical and technical aspect - experience is all Pearce has over him. A potential Premiership player versus a good League One pro. I'd play Sarr every time, unless he starts showing signs of mental weakness

This.
Sarr adds so much more to the equation than Pearce.

Really happy to see people on the Sarr... Bandwagon. Sat here for five minutes trying to think of an alliteration. Best I could come up with is the Sarr Scooter and that's poor.

Nabbandwagon?

A for effort if nothing else. I like it.