Hello again, and welcome to another installment of my FM 2012 with Bradford City. Last time I posted the Bantams were in playoff position, but failing to find their form in the back. Let’s see how we’ve fared during the next two months.
League Two:
October and November have certainly been kind to us in the League. I said in my last post that I hoped we would take a minimum of 15 points from these games, and I optimistically hoped we could reach 20. I’m very pleased that we managed to take an incredible 21 of 24 possible points! I was annoyed that we let the match against a poor Cheltenham team slip by us (AT HOME), and I made sure the players knew it. I was having a lot of success telling my side that I had faith in them before games, and it eventually wore off and they came out terribly unmotivated. In the future I’m going to be a little bit more assertive, especially with my strikers.
My top goal scorer, Mark Stewart, started off the month very strong, with four goals in two games, but disappeared after that. There are a few reasons for this:
- Match congestion has made me rest him once every three games
- I probably praised him too much
- His teammates aren’t supplying him the ball
The third of these problems is what worries me. I’ve had a ton of success playing one forward, with DeVitt playing behind him in either a 4-4-1-1 or an attacking 4-2-3-1. However Devitt has seen his confidence drop for some reason, and his form suffered throughout October. Match congestion, again, was another cause.
Luckily Omar Koroma and Fagan have picked up the slack, slotting home three goals each. One thing is for sure, with all of my talented wingers set to return to their parent clubs, finding a loanee who can dictate the middle of the pitch is a must.
Standings:
Our good run of form has moved us up to 1st place, and we’re currently nine points clear of missing the playoffs. I have to give a lot of credit to my defense for giving up just seven goals in the last two months of matches. Our attack continues to be a force, and I’m feeling very confident that we will gain promotion.
Domestic Cups:
Our Johnstone’s Paint run came to an unfortunate end. We managed to get sweet revenge on Huddersfield, who knocked us out of the League Cup, but fell to Sheffield United in a terrible game. Here’s a closer look.
Sheffield fielded a team of pretty much all reserve players, which then shifted my expectations for the match. Anything less than a win was a bad result. Having just lost in the league, my players again came out unmotivated, (“playing okay”) yet we still dominated. In the second half I was sure we’d break through, and United even picked up a red card. Unfortunately, despite dominating possession, and having a ton of half-chances, we failed to find the net. My midfield was quickly losing energy, and I was out of options. My managing ability when playing against 10 men isn’t very good, and I watched helplessly as Sheffield started inching closer to a goal. Even though we were better, I played counter-attacking football because of my team speed, but I decided late in the game that we had to take a chance. If I could play this match over I’d put another midfielder on my match day roster, and played a balanced 4-5-1 for the final 20 minutes. Instead, I played a 4-3-3, which my team has never run before, hoping we’d get a goal in the final 15 minutes. I knew we’d lose possession, but Syers (midfielder) was at 58% stamina, and he was losing his grip on the midfield anyway. Unfortunately United hit us immediately after the change, and I knew my nervous team would never get close again. It was an embarrassing loss, and probably a dumb move by me to throw in another striker, but my only options were to put in an attacker or a defender, and I didn’t want to go to extra time with my tired squad. Oh well…
The FA-Cup is underway, and we’ve already knocked off a League One team in Yeovil Town. I’m hoping the players will bounce back and keep us alive in the tournament, since we’re already out of the other competitions.
Players:
You can see that my attackers are still leading the team, however Stewart’s last 5 games have been average. DeVitt has regained his form after a shaky October, and Miquel and Marques are solidifying their spots in the back. Keep in mind that DeVitt, Compton, and Bryan are leaving the club in January. If possible, I’d like to extend Devitt’s loan, but it doesn’t look likely.
I’ve highlighted the play of my central midfielders to show the weakness of my squad. Devitt is playing well, but plays AMC. That means I need two other players to rely on in games (and a decent backup). Ritchie Jones was injured at the beginning of the year, but came in and made a huge impact (You can see that he’s also picked up a slight knock). Syers fails to make an impact passing, and his defensive skills don’t fit into a holding role. His attitude is also poor, as he doesn’t think we can achieve anything this year (spoke up in a team meeting). Lee Bullock is garbage, he filled in when Jones was hurt, but he’ll be leaving in December. Flynn has played okay, but he is another attacking midfielder, and fails to control the pace of the match. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next two months.
Upcoming Matches:
We have a very favorable schedule for the next two months, with six homes matches, and only four away from Valley Parade. Rotherham, Southend, and Rovers are the only fixtures that worry me, and out of the nine games I’d expect to take 22 points.
Conclusion:
- We’re right where I want us to be, but having lost our last two fixtures, I’m hesitant over the future
- Finding a winger and a midfielder are definite January priorities
- We will be losing two central defenders (Williams, and maybe Oliver) in the window who aren’t breaking into the team, so finding one replacement is a must
Happy New Year!
.T
