The Bradford pack : Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:35 pm  

I've been reading a lot on here about how the Bulls pack is one of the best in SL, but I've seen little evidence of this this season (or last season for that matter).

On paper what Bradford have certainly looks good (if not great), but as a long suffering Leeds fan of the 1990s I am well aware that games aren't won on paper (something which many Bulls fans at the time were keen to point out).

Surely if the Bradford pack was only just shaded by Hull's on Sunday (as FA suggests on another thread), then the scoreline would have been much closer? If the pack were so good, then are the backs THAT bad??? I'm not so sure they are.

If the forwards are getting on top then results must be simply a matter of time and patience? Or is this not the case?

: Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:38 pm  

You can't fault the efforts of Burgess, Scruton, Lynch & Morrison when they've played. All 4 have been playing well despite the poor team efforts. Menzies has also had a decent game or two without ever really looking spectacular.

As far as the backs go, with the exception of Nero who seems to have improved quite a bit, they've been all round very poor. The likes of Sykes, Sheriffe, Platt, Tadulala, Jeffries & Deacon have all failed to impress in almost every way this year.

So I would say the assessment of our forwards still doing quite well but the backs being awful, isn't actually that far off.

: Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:41 pm  

DILLIGAF wrote:

You can't fault the efforts of Burgess, Scruton, Lynch & Morrison when they've played. All 4 have been playing well despite the poor team efforts. Menzies has also had a decent game or two without ever really looking spectacular.

As far as the backs go, with the exception of Nero who seems to have improved quite a bit, they've been all round very poor. The likes of Sykes, Sheriffe, Platt, Tadulala, Jeffries & Deacon have all failed to impress in almost every way this year.

So I would say the assessment of our forwards still doing quite well but the backs being awful, isn't actually that far off.

Spot on assessment. Skill level in the backs seems non existent

: Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:45 pm  

TBF the Bradford pack held their own on Sunday, they set a decent platform that the halves and backs were unable to utilise. When the ball was shifted out wide it all fell apart time and again.

: Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:46 pm  

scarrie wrote:

TBF the Bradford pack held their own on Sunday, it was when the ball was shifted out wide that it all fell apart time and again.

We hardly shifted it anywhere to be fair. Our game plan these days is five drives and then a kick to the opposition full back.

: Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:53 pm  

We were woeful yesterday, and I'm not having a go at Hull (no really I'm not) but the scoreline does not show just how bad we were. Hull deserved to win, but to only beat us by 12 points may flatter to deceive the Hull side. Bradford have been on a steady decline since their over-acheiving 2005 season. All the fans know it, the coaching staff know it and you would like to think that the management know it by now. We have 3 stand out figures who are flogging their guts out in both attack and defence - Menzies, Morrison & Burgess. They cannot win on their own. They are all class players in a "team". Until we have a full team playing, without dropping the ball, giving away silly penalties and being out of position, these guys will not be in a winning side. Burgess will get injured long term if he's played most game time as is happening now. Menzies and Morrison are both fit for their ages, but not carrying the rest of the team for the full 80 mins. McNamara made a statement at the fans forum that unfit or non achieving players would be dropped from the team and replaced with players hungry for a chance. Thats not happening is it? Give the youth a chance. If the first team players are crap-drop them for a match. If they're injured, let them recover (Newton a case in point). Also can we please bring in an under 16 coach to show the team, ball handling skills and how to pass a ball into the bread basket.

Rant over

: Mon Mar 16, 2009 1:02 pm  

Mrs. Slocombe wrote:

We were woeful yesterday, and I'm not having a go at Hull (no really I'm not) but the scoreline does not show just how bad we were. Hull deserved to win, but to only beat us by 12 points may flatter to deceive the Hull side. Bradford have been on a steady decline since their over-acheiving 2005 season. All the fans know it, the coaching staff know it and you would like to think that the management know it by now. We have 3 stand out figures who are flogging their guts out in both attack and defence - Menzies, Morrison & Burgess. They cannot win on their own. They are all class players in a "team". Until we have a full team playing, without dropping the ball, giving away silly penalties and being out of position, these guys will not be in a winning side. Burgess will get injured long term if he's played most game time as is happening now. Menzies and Morrison are both fit for their ages, but not carrying the rest of the team for the full 80 mins. McNamara made a statement at the fans forum that unfit or non achieving players would be dropped from the team and replaced with players hungry for a chance. Thats not happening is it? Give the youth a chance. If the first team players are crap-drop them for a match. If they're injured, let them recover (Newton a case in point). Also can we please bring in an under 16 coach to show the team, ball handling skills and how to pass a ball into the bread basket.

Rant over

Something that has been said on our board, we have dominated every single game this season and have taken our foot off the gas, yet i trust the players, once partnerships and fitness get to optimum levels to cut this "gear change" out, and close games out properly

: Mon Mar 16, 2009 1:09 pm  

Irregs #16 wrote:

Something that has been said on our board, we have dominated every single game this season and have taken our foot off the gas, yet i trust the players, once partnerships and fitness get to optimum levels to cut this "gear change" out, and close games out properly

I didn't think we were in the game yesterday. We were clueless and have been for every game this season. We cannot kill off a team at the moment when in a position to do so. Nothing will change without a change in tactics (management) and better player skills, not dropping the ball, crap passing and stupid penalties (players).

: Mon Mar 16, 2009 1:15 pm  

DILLIGAF wrote:

You can't fault the efforts of Burgess, Scruton, Lynch & Morrison when they've played. All 4 have been playing well despite the poor team efforts. Menzies has also had a decent game or two without ever really looking spectacular.

As far as the backs go, with the exception of Nero who seems to have improved quite a bit, they've been all round very poor. The likes of Sykes, Sheriffe, Platt, Tadulala, Jeffries & Deacon have all failed to impress in almost every way this year.

So I would say the assessment of our forwards still doing quite well but the backs being awful, isn't actually that far off.

Everyone in our pack is holding their except Terry Newton.

He has been abysmal this year so far and has offered nothing whatsoever. He's out of contract at the end of the year I believe. Shouldn't he be busting a gut to earn a new one, if he wants to stay.............

: Mon Mar 16, 2009 1:58 pm  

I thought the Bradford pack did well for about 20 minutes after Hull went 12-0 up. At that point it looked like they may have taken the ascendancy and Newton had his best spell but Hull fought back. One thing that I noticed was that the Bulls seemed totally knackered after about 30 minutes and in the last quarter. Is fitness an issue ? Over the whole game Hull's pack was the better in my opinion.