Re: Squad vs Salford : Fri Apr 11, 2014 10:00 pm  

Slightly embarrassed by some of the barracking of the ref tonight. All the line balls that happened in front of me were fine. There were some decisions I didn't understand but that's true of most games I'm fifty metres away from and don't have the befit of a replay for. Not that it stopped me from joining in, but still...

Can we all make a pact to give the next person who shouts "linesman" at the touch judge a bloody good shake by the lapels? It's only a small thing but there's not much that irritates me more than someone getting the frigging sport wrong whilst confidently telling one of its officials that they don't know what they're doing.

Anyway, I called it in the first ten minutes. Too many props, and nobody knew how to deal with having options. We didn't lack for them but the decision making was awful. The best thing Gale did was somehow contrive to fall backwards over himself whilst running forward.

Not disappointed exactly, I came away with the feeling that the issues can be ironed out quite quickly. Ferguson, Purtell and Kear were very good. Fakir's lacking fitness nut not far off it in spells.

Re: Squad vs Salford : Fri Apr 11, 2014 10:04 pm  

Hard not to be disappointed with the result given the importance of this match. Salford are no mugs but I felt beforehand that we had a chance of a win if we played to our potential. Unfortunately too many silly mistakes once again gifted them field position. Tough few weeks ahead now and difficult to see where a win will come from between now and June. Sadly unless some of the 6 points are reinstated, I just don't see where we will catch up.

Re: Squad vs Salford : Fri Apr 11, 2014 10:04 pm  

I agree that the constant ref blaming is getting tiresome, and distracts from what is actually the reality i.e we just aren't good enough at the moment to win games.

Yes, Bentham made a few dubious calls. But that wasn't the reason we lost. We lost because we gave away a string of soft tries and lack creativity on attack.

It's pretty depressing, because we've played all of the so-called 'winnable' games, and we're still on minus points. We've now got a run of games against teams that we're going to do exceptionally well to get anything from.

It's looking like we could hit the mid point of the season on -2, and that means relegation is staring us in the face frankly

Re: Squad vs Salford : Fri Apr 11, 2014 10:06 pm  

Bull Mania wrote:

Modern day Viking wrote:

Bulls were a bit slow off mark again but with ball in hand looked good

Come on you bulls !

I disagree I thought we looked disorganised in attack. No dummy runners, no one seems to know their role. We just pass down the line (usually in accurately) slide towards touch when run back on inside.
Time and again gale took the ball at first receiver, we have 5 plays bunched next to him. Gale then randomly picked one of them.

Every single play, each player should know their role, either dummy runner, or you're receiving the ball. NO ONE should be stood still next to the half back.

Gale & Gaskell need to start organising, get players out of the line if their not going to be receiving it. They should know exactly what they are doing a tackle before they do it. When Gale got the ball it was like he was making it up as he wet a long and deciding there and then what to do.

Awful.

Kear and purtell were good going forward with the ball in hand . I agree attack was a bit all over , that's gale and Gaskell not playing together much. Defence we were too slow and let them play too much and find the holes and the play. We still lack an enforcer to put the big hits in and a leader to sort the line out

Come on you bulls !

Re: Squad vs Salford : Fri Apr 11, 2014 10:12 pm  

We gifted them 12 easy points tonight , the kick off that bounced out and the bomb we failed to clean up . Were on the back foot from then on really

Come on you bulls !

[Bulliac]

Re: Squad vs Salford : Sat Apr 12, 2014 9:38 am  

pulsator2k7 wrote:

Be funny if just before the game tonight they announced that Nobby was the new director of football at Bradford LOL hence giving Koukash his answer, the look on Koukashs' face surely would be priceless

Would have been funny, I guess, but it isn't a 'director of football' but an/some extra coaches to help out on the training paddock that we really need.

As for the game, I thought we looked really lethargic and lacking the ability to put anyone into a gap, which allied to our defence being as leaky [well, almost] as I've seen it, we never gave ourselves a chance. I think Chase's performance shows how much we miss Sammut.

Don't think Bentham was the author of our defeat, though he didn't have a good game, imo; he pulled us, quite correctly, for two forwards but let us get away with a few more and failed to spot any at all from the opposition. I thought he also kept a poor ten - which we failed to exploit, though we moved up so slowly at times it was pointless taking the two to three yards he was allowing...

Think Ferguson, Fakir and Gaskell are [understandably] just a bit short of match fitness, but that will come. All in all a bad day at the office.

Re: Squad vs Salford : Sat Apr 12, 2014 1:52 pm  

TBF I haven't heard anybody blame Bentham for the defeat. If they did, that would be nuts. Salford were clearly always going to win the game.

But I also agree that we don't look a million miles off, Fakir reaching fitness will be a big bonus as will a settled side for a spell. I always tip the Bulls to win on principle but to be honest the result and the game was closer than I had feared it would be, and we do have a clear lot of potential improvement in us.

Whether we can translate it into enough league points to avoid the bottom two, I fear not.

Re: Squad vs Salford : Sat Apr 12, 2014 2:52 pm  

There are bits of what the team does on the field that looks good. But those bright spots are greatly obscured by the consistently poor choices made by the players on the field. Ironically, that's the only real consistency we've had this year.

Last night we gifted at least 4 tries off the back off poor decisions and we can't afford that level of profligacy if the club, it's owners, staff and players are serious about staying in SL.

Unless there's some serious booty kicking going on between now and Thursday, I really can't see anything but 6 humiliating losses from the next 6 games.

Re: Squad vs Salford : Sat Apr 12, 2014 2:53 pm  

From the 50th minute salford's pack looked out of it but we weren't smart enough to get some of our stronger runners or backs one on one with them. (Other than the kear try) There were also times when hock and particularly chase lost their discipline. Gale and Gaskell should have had Fakir or Mullaly running straight at chase on the next play to rile him further, instead we went the opposite way. As a team we pick the wrong play far too often and don't capitalise on situations.

Re: Squad vs Salford : Mon Apr 14, 2014 6:48 am  

Even though he scored Adam Henry could do with a game or two in the stands. He may be the new Paul Sykes for flak but the lad made 27 tackles, and missed 7, making him our new front runner for falling off tackles. Matty Blythe, by comparison, made 30 and missed 0... a big fat zero. Yes, I think they were on different sides of the field and each had a brainfart offload which gifted possession but we've cover in the second row, albeit pretty average cover. Bridge in to second row, Blythe to centre, Henry to hoover.