Football League Two - KO 15:00
Barnet 0 (0) - 2 (0) Bradford
Osborne 65
Adeyemi 69
At Underhill Stadium on 09-10-2010
Next fixture
L2 (h) v Cheltenham, Sat Oct 16th 2010 K.O. 3pm
===========================
Fixtures
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/Fixtures/0,,10266,00.html
Pictures
"Last Match" Highlights on Bantams Player
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/player/LastMatch/0,,10266~1612005~36,00.html
===========================
Match stats
Barnet: Cole, Parkes, Basey (Uddin, 47 ) , Kamdjo, Francomb, Jarvis, Marshall, Vilhete, Hughes, Holmes, Walsh
Subs not used: Devera,Carpenter,Cox,Yorke,Simpson,
Bradford: McLaughlan, Rehman, O'Brien, Williams, Gill, Hendrie ( Speight, 66 ) , Daley ( Syers, 73 ) , Doherty, Osborne, Adeyemi, Oliver ( Hanson, 88 )
Subs not used: Chilaka, Bullock, Saxton, Moult,
Bookings: Marshall (Barnet) Daley , O'Brien (Bradford)
Attendance: 2435
Referee: K Hill (Hertfordshire)
STAT ATTACK
Bees Bees Knees
3 Shots On Target 5
4 Shots Off Target 4
11 Fouls (Conceded) 14
4 Corners 3
1 Yellow Cards 2
0 Red Cards 0
===========================
Saturday evening match report
TAYLOR SURVIVES ANOTHER DAY
Under-fire manager Peter Taylor was relieved to see his Bradford City side
see off fellow strugglers Barnet 2-0.
The Bantams boss has been under pressure following a disappointing start to
the League Two season and it was even suggested he could lose his job if
City failed to win at Underhill on Saturday.
But goals from Leon Osborne and Tom Adeyemi gave Bradford their first away
win of the season - and their first victory in five games in all
competitions - to lift the West Yorkshire club out of the bottom two places.
"I know there has been a few little things in the press - that it could have
been the last game for me and all that type of thing, which I didn't
believe," said Taylor. "But I think there were a lot of players that were
really up for it and it was good to see. Of course you think about the
rumours about my job but I know this squad is a good squad.
"I do know that if that had have happened and I would've gone, whoever came
in would have got a very good squad."
Taylor added: "You know, we haven't made too much of it or tried to make
excuses but we have had a lot of injuries and I would say there are five or
six players that could have played but didn't."
---
Follow up article
Bantams boss Taylor unhappy at national press speculation regarding his future
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/8445025./
===========================
Monday morning report
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/8443470./
Date and opposition were portents of doom but Taylor is made of sterner stuff
7:00am Monday 11th October 2010
By Simon Parker
Barnet 0 Bradford City 2
He charged on to the pitch with fists pumping furiously.
The frustration that had been boiling up inside was blown away in the instant City finally found the net.
Nobody needed to ask Peter Taylor what that first goal – and ultimately much-needed victory – really meant.
His wild reaction to Leon Osborne's opener was clear for everyone to see.
Around him, loyal lieutenants Wayne Jacobs and Junior Lewis joined in a bear-hug embrace. The substitutes, in their
green bibs, could not be restrained either as they joined this spontaneous outpouring of Bantams emotion.
All right, dismiss it as "only" Barnet. And there are still plenty of questions to be answered.
One win, however welcome, does not suddenly put everything right after a wretched first couple of months. But it
was a step in the right direction, which is all Taylor had asked for at the end of a tough week.
His credentials have come under the spotlight, not just locally but nationally with the absence of top-division
matches and gossip ensuring that his current plight suddenly became news everywhere.
Barnet, hit with injuries just like City, may not have sounded the worst assignment for somewhere to stop the rot.
But they have a scary tendency to turn Grim Reaper for opposing managers under pressure.
The thought process with twitchy chairmen seems to be that if you can't beat Barnet, you won't beat anyone.
Last season, defeats to the Bees did for Stuart Gray at Northampton and Darlington's Steve Staunton.
And eight days before City's visit, a 2-0 defeat for Hereford spelt the end of the road for Simon Davey.
I'm sure the significance of the date wouldn't have passed Taylor by either.
The corresponding weekend in 2007 saw him relieved of the managerial post at Crystal Palace and the same time 12
months ago brought an end to his Wycombe reign.
In what was seen as a "must-win" match for his prospects, the omens seemed stacked up against him.
But Taylor has been through it all in his many years on the managerial merry-go-round. His bullish attitude in the
pre-match build-up revealed a deep-rooted confidence in his own methods that refused to be shaken, despite some
dire results.
That still didn't stop him responding like an excited schoolboy when that first goal went in.
"I looked up and saw the green bibs on the pitch and the gaffer going mad," said Osborne. "There was a real buzz
about the place.
"You could tell that it was massive throughout the club. The whole team lifted as soon as the goal went in – it was
like everyone had scored.
"We've stuck together in the last couple of weeks on the training ground and in the changing room. It's been so
frustrating because we know it's been coming for us and you could see what it meant."
How ironic that a goal drought that had just ticked past seven hours should be put to bed by a guy who had never
scored before.
Taylor has championed Osborne's cause since throwing him into the three-man frontline which finished last season so
strongly.
But after a stuttery couple of months hampered by injury and illness, the winger's contribution this term had been
minimal.
Handed his first start on Saturday, Osborne had hardly shone in the first hour.
Then he touched a ball to Tommy Doherty – who had taken Lee Bullock's place in midfield – and charged off
anticipating the return. It came straight into his path as he cut past flat-footed centre half Anwar Uddin and
dispatched it with a clean strike across the keeper.
Suddenly the shackles were thrown off. City were re-energised – and scored again four minutes later.
This time it was Omar Daley, playing in a free role alongside Luke Oliver up top, who was the provider with the
pass of the match to send Tom Adeyemi streaking clear. The youngster took a confident chest, a couple more strides
and then stroked it past the helpless Jake Cole.
Goal-scoring had suddenly never seemed so easy...
Taylor's reaction was more muted second time around, restricting himself to a vigorous round of applause from the
touchline. Jacobs and Lewis, though, couldn't resist one more dance.
The result was the right one. City won with far more conviction than they had shown in the previous victories over
Stevenage and Gillingham.
They were right at it from the kick-off, beginning with purpose and a welcome spring in their step.
Defensively, even minus late calf victim Shane Duff, they were watertight. Centre half Oliver Gill gave an
indication of why he is so highly thought of at Old Trafford.
Dad David, Man United's chief executive, was among an all-star cast in the main stand. Other notable faces included
John Motson, in his Barnet club tie, Dave Bassett, David Pleat and Martin Allen, who was narrowly pipped by Taylor
for the Valley Parade post in February.
The sight of a few out-of-work managers suddenly taking an interest in City won't have passed Taylor by. That's the
nature of the beast.
But they witnessed a side who looked firmly behind their manager. You wonder where this team have been hiding on so
many other weekends.
Oliver, the much-maligned targetman, missed two decent opportunities before the deadlock was broken.
James Hanson's arrival for the final knockings was the cherry on the cake for the 400 plus away fans but his
stand-in had given Barnet's rickety backline a torrid afternoon.
"We know he's not the finished article as a centre forward but he really puts himself about," said Taylor. "I'm
hopeful the fans appreciated him because he really put a shift on.
"I wasn't going to make a change but he was absolutely 'cream crackered' because he'd put in so much work in both
boxes."
Barnet boss Mark Stimson maintained afterwards that City would still be in the play-off mix. There's a long way to
go to see if the scalp that got away can prove him right.
===========================
City boss Taylor insists he has not suddenly become a bad manager
7:40am Friday 8th October 2010
By Simon Parker »
Peter Taylor today fronted up to his City critics by insisting: I do know what I'm doing.
The under-fire Bantams boss heads for Barnet tomorrow with the pressure building from the awful start.
Taylor has come in for flak during the past two games as patience wears thin in the stands.
But the vastly-experienced City chief refuses to be shaken from his belief that he can still turn things round.
He said: "It doesn't change my decisions. I think I was a decent manager before I came to this football club and I
think I still am. It hasn't changed me just because of certain situations.
"I made the decision to stay here for the reasons that it's a really good football club and I could see what it
would be like if we're successful. I'm still totally blinkered on that."
Taylor is just as frustrated as the fans with City's slide to second-bottom in League Two. They have also not
scored for four games.
Injuries remain a major problem and Michael Flynn is unlikely to feature after feeling a reaction in his groin
during his comeback in the JPT.
But James Hanson is poised for a return to the bench after training without reaction yesterday and skipper Shane
Duff is also back in contention for tomorrow's crucial encounter.
Taylor said: "There are reasons why we're in the position we are. It doesn't necessarily mean the manager's gone
bad all of a sudden.
"The manager was a good one two months ago and now he's suddenly a bad one? I can't work that out.
"You hear chants that I don't know what I'm doing and I don't think that's very respectful. I think I do know what
I'm doing. In fact, I know I know what I'm doing.
"But it's a tough business that we're in and I can understand anyone connected with Bradford City being incredibly
frustrated. I've got no problem with that.
"None of us were expecting this. I can hold my hands up to that because I'm the manager and I'll take full
responsibility."
Hanson's inclusion in the squad after seven games out with a torn hamstring could not be better timed, considering
the chronic lack of goals.
Taylor's on-going chase for a loan striker has also drawn a blank for the weekend.
He believes Hanson's stint on the sidelines has given the big striker the chance to take stock after recently
questioning his professionalism.
Taylor said: "He's trained very well and looks as though he's got himself fitter. Hopefully the penny's dropped and
he's raring to go.
"We've had a few little sort-outs with James to put him on the right road and he's taken everything on board very
well. He's desperate to play but it's just us thinking he needs a little bit of training before that because we've
got to be sure."
Barnet jumped a point above City after beating rock-bottom Hereford last week but while the Bantams are the
division's equal-lowest scorers with four, Barnet have the worst defensive record after leaking 22 goals.
Taylor feels it will not take a lot to reverse his side's slumping fortunes.
He said: "There are teams out there who were having the same season as us. Then all of a sudden they've won a
couple of games in a week and it's changed everything.
"I think we're only a touch away. We're trying to get there inch by inch. The attitude's good and the players are
working hard to try and get a result.
"It's a new situation for some of the younger ones but the type of thing you've got to handle in your career. It's
not an easy task but they've got to stay determined and honest."
===========================
Taylor remains the right man to halt Bantams' sorry decline
Published Date: 07 October 2010
By Richard Sutcliffe
TEN years ago today, Peter Taylor was sitting on top of the Premier League.
By the end of the month, he would be handed temporary charge of the England national team as the search for a new
manager that ended with the appointment of Sven Goran Eriksson got underway.
The Leicester City chief could, it seemed, do no wrong. This apparent Midas touch continued for the next few years
as Taylor led Brighton to the Second Division championship before moving to Hull where, together with Adam Pearson,
he led the Tigers to back-to-back promotions and laid the foundations for what would prove to a successful tilt at
bringing top-flight football to the East Riding for the first time.
Later, Taylor would have two successful stints in charge of England Under-21s and he also enjoyed another promotion
success when in charge of Wycombe Wanderers.
No wonder, therefore, that Bradford City's decision to hand the reins to the 57-year-old last February was so
warmly welcomed by the supporters.
Here, at last, was a manager who could end the 10-year decline that had seen seven of his predecessors try – and
fail – to halt the club's slide.
Eight months on, however, and the reality is rather different with Taylor taking his Bradford side to Barnet's
Underhill tomorrow knowing that a heavy defeat could see City propping up the entire Football League.
It is a puzzling state of affairs, not least for the man who moved north earlier this year confident of sparking a
long-overdue revival.
"The situation we are in is not acceptable," admitted the Bradford manager yesterday. "Second bottom is not where
we expected to be. We are under-achieving massively and I am probably more frustrated here than I have ever been in
my career.
"But I am still not looking at relegation, instead promotion remains the target. We have been going through a
difficult time but I have the determination to turn things round and so do the players."
City's woeful start – they have lost more games than they have scored goals – has come as a major disappointment.
As the bookmakers' pre-season favourites for promotion, the Bantams were expected to be the team to beat in League
Two.
Instead, they are in danger of becoming the team everyone wants to play with a record of just four goals and eight
points from 10 games speaking volumes.
Supporters are, understandably, just as frustrated as Taylor with the boos having rung out at the end of all five
home league games this season.
As ever in these instances, the manager has found himself in the firing line – even though the vast majority of
those now advocating change welcomed his appointment in February.
Others, though, see the club's struggles as merely an extension of a decade that has seen Bradford go from beating
Chelsea in the top flight to being kept off the foot of the League by Hereford United.
The Bantams have seemed so locked into a cycle of decline that a change of fortune has, to many, become an
increasingly forlorn hope.
This inability to stop the rot has not, it has to be said, been for the want of trying on the part of the Bradford
board.
Joint chairmen Mark Lawn and Julian Rhodes have tried everything in the past three years, from appointing a fans'
favourite as manager (Stuart McCall) and providing him with substantial funds, to bringing in a successor with a
proven track record.
Likewise, off the field they have slashed season ticket prices to boost attendances and create a genuine buzz
around the city. They also agreed to open up the Bradford End to home fans in an attempt to generate an atmosphere
inside a stadium that was built with housing bumper Premier League crowds in mind.
The failure of these initiatives – City have lost more home games in the league (86) than they have won (80) since
the start of the 2000-01 season – has led to some fans, most notably on internet messageboards, turning on Lawn and
Rhodes.
What these critics tend to forget is that without the two men – and, in particular, Rhodes, whose family have
ploughed millions into keeping City afloat since the turn of the Millennium – there would not be a Bradford City to
moan about.
I will admit to an interest here – the three years I spent charting the club's story between 1997 and 2000 for
Bradford's local evening paper were happy times.
Not only were Bradford successful – they won promotion to the Premier League during my tenure and then stayed up
against all the odds by beating Liverpool in what turned out to be my last game.
But they were also a friendly and welcoming club, so much so that friendships forged during that time are still
cherished.
It is why I hate to see Bradford occupying their lowest position since the 1965-66 Fourth Division season that
culminated in a 23rd place finish.
A repeat this season will mean Bradford joining Accrington in the unwanted distinction of having had two clubs fall
out of the Football League.
It is an unthinkable prospect and why the unstinting support of every City fan has never been more important than
it is now, as is the need for cool heads both on the field and in the stands.
Taylor was given the job in February because his credentials were by far the most impressive. They still are.
===========================
From the Official BCFC website...
BRADFORD TO LINCOLN - THE HARD WAY!
Posted on: Mon 11 Oct 2010
On New Year's Day, Assistant Kit Manager Graham Duckworth will arrive at
Lincoln City's Sincil Bank Stadium to complete his usual matchday duties
with the Bantams first team.
Rather than travelling with the squad as usual though, Graham will be going
to Lincoln the hard way!
To help raise funds for the Bradford Burns Unit, the City staff member will
be walking the 73 miles between the Coral Windows Stadium and Sincil Bank on
New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
Graham says he hopes to complete the charity walk in less than 24 hours.
The life-long City supporter told the official website: " Working at the
football club and supporting Bradford as well, the Burns Unit is something
that is close to my heart".
"Any true City fan realises what a worthy cause the Burn Unit appeal is and
I am happy to play my part in helping to raise funds.
"I'm planning to set off from Valley Parade at two in the afternoon on New
Year's Eve and hopefully arrive at Lincoln at 2:00pm the following day (New
Year's Day).
"If any supporters can help support me in anyway, it would be greatly
appreciated".
Any supporters interested in donating to Graham can visit his fundraising
page - www.justgiving.com/lincolnwalk for further details.
As well as donations, Graham is on the lookout for any supporters who can
kindly help him with the event itself.
"I'd be delighted if any other City supporters could tag along with me
during some part of the walk" Graham said.
"It can be the whole 73 miles or just a small segment of the journey, any
company would be appreciated!"
Graham is also interested in any local businesses or companies that would be
able to help him promote the event further in anyway.
Any interested parties can contact him on (01274) 773355.
===========================
ZOLA WANTS MORE MONEY
By Vital - Crewe Alexandra
Crewe manager Dario Gradi has shed light on Calvin Zola's indecision of
late. After being told he can leave on loan over a week ago, Zola has turned
down what seemed to be pretty decent offers at Southend, Bradford City,
Burton and, yesterday, promotion chasing Shrewsbury Town.
Today, Dario was slightly miffed after Zola confirmed he wouldn't be signing
for the Shrews despite talks yesterday. The 25 year old is now looking
increasingly likely to stay at Gresty Road after deciding he'd have no-one
to take his child to school if he moved too far away!
On top of that, Dario says that Zola is looking for a permanent move away
from the Alex - with an increase in wages along the way;
<snip>
===========================
Tuesday ...Jason price from Carlise on loan?
http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=9299
...
Carlisle United boss Greg Abbott has made a loan swoop for Leeds United hitman Mike Grella - as Blues ace Jason
Price looks set to join Bradford City.
Manager Greg Abbott said: "With Jason going to Bradford and Mike coming to us we think that this will be a big
benefit to all three clubs and to the players involved.
...
===========================
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