Match Report 2001-2002

Saturday 29 December, 2001, Division One

Crystal Palace At Valley Parade

Early Epiphany

Football is a pretty simple game. Simple things done well lead to success. Always have, always will do. However football is not simplistic, certainly not as simplistic as some on the City Kop would like to think it is.

"Where's the money gone?", "Richmond what's the score?" and "Richmond, Richmond give us your cash". These were the calls from a smallish section of the City crowd.

"I don't care who gets the job, he will not get more out of them than I did". This was Steve Smith's reaction to City's 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace.

After watching City slip to a second undeserved defeat of the week, taking the total of those that would have been victories save errors into the teens at least, one can see Smith's point. Today City fell victim to Referee misfortune and the familiar lack of confidence. Once again Jim Jefferies was there in all but physical presence.

Jefferies had pinpointed the problems with City. We cannot defend set plays said Jim, and we give away silly goals through individual errors. Today a half decent worked free kick routine and a noodle legged tackle gave the visitors the two goals and three points.

That City went a goal behind was partly through the profligacy of Eoin Jess who seemed to have taken to the field with square boots on so wayward was his shooting and partly because of a curious decision to award a free kick on the edge of the box against debutant and decent keeper Carl Muggleton. Muggleton had come to the edge of his box to gather a ball and seemed to release it by the time he got to the edge of his box. The outstretched waist high challenge by the onrushing Palace man should have been enough to give City the free kick but as usual the "Goalkeeper's get too much protection" concept was absent from Valley Parade. Gregg Berhalter hit the ball in sweetly to give them a one goal lead.

City, with an inspired Lee Sharpe providing the much needed link between midfield and attack, had played well enough to merit a goal and ended up with one after good work by Juanjo gave Robbie Blake the chance to turn and score just before half time.

Trevor Benjamin, the man who had an on field scrap with Stan Collymore that started the chain of events that brought Stan to Bradford, was fed the ball in the opening second of the second half. A player must worry when the giant form of Robert Molenaar looms in for a tackle, Benjamin need not as the Dutch defender performed an ineffectual tackle. Molenaar on floor, Benjamin has free to blast past Muggleton.

Being 2-1 down did not seem to affect the City players. The recriminations that used to follow concessions were no longer in evidence. In short, it did not hurt them enough, and it should because as far as concessions go letting a lead slip in the first minutes of the second half top a soft goal is as bad as amateurish mistakes get.

Once again City battered away at the visitors with a cunning range of attacks, Matthew Etherington not being missed after going back to Spurs. Robbie Blake and Lee Sharpe provided flex between midfield and attack. Stuart McCall and Blake carved out the best chance which McCall hit at the visitors keeper. Ashley Ward made an enemy out of the Referee after his legal chest and scissor kick hit the post only for a free kick to be awarded to Palace. From the moment of his blast at the Ref for that incident on Ward did not get given a single decision. Juanjo copied Ward, he took a dive and was ignored, then was pulled down on the edge of the box and booked.

Juanjo played the full ninety minutes for City and showed signs of being an excellent player despite Jim Jefferies exit, indeed this 90 minutes was one of few the Spaniard has every completed with his time at Hearts being mostly based on bench assaults or 70 minute matches.

The front six for City showed the nub of the issue currently facing the Bantams. Juanjo, McCall, Jess, Sharpe, Blake and Ward. If Richmond was to throw the team £2.5m then one would be hard pressed to be able to sign players to significantly improve these players. Glenn Little of Burnley would eat up at least that full amount, Gillingham's Marlon King was quoted at £5m.

Should Mr Richmond ever feel like becoming Bradford's Jack Walker and funding the club to the £100m mark then one would bite his hand off for his money, but at present the levels of investment are not worth the club being in debut to the Richmond family for. At present the club, more or less, could be sold as a balanced business without a new man having to come in and bail the Bantams out. This is the same way that Geoffrey Richmond sold Scarborough to City's Dave Simpson, with no outstanding debuts to creditors or to the Chairman.

Should the Richmond family ever want to pull out the club would be a much better proposition without having money pumped in now than it would if it came £5m in debt to the former Chairman. Geoffrey Richmond has stated his desire to have City operating as a balanced business, something City fans should support him in.

City are not being propped up by its backers. Yes there is no money, but there are also few debts, not even to the Richmonds. Those who think that club should be splashing transfer funds around need only look at the Crystal Palace number six David Hopkin whom City paid a record £2.5m 18 months ago. We lost £1m on his sale, now he looks no better than anyone in the Bantams midfield that cost £200,000 the lot. Gary Locke cost the club a signing on fee of £55,000 and is a better player. Money is not the answer here.

The answer is to get the squad playing better. Jim Jefferies isolated the problems, pity he could do nothing about them. The next time City play at Valley Parade a new manager will be in place. He need to work on the organisation on the field to cut out the lack of responsibility taking on set plays and get the players working back in support of the back four more.

He needs to work on the confidence of the side. Errors are not caused by poor players but by poor attitude. Sloppy workmanship and a lack of self-belief.

He needs to look at the central midfield. Stuart McCall is worth his place, but we need another midfielder capable of going from box to box alongside him as Gareth Whalley did in the promotion season. Eoin Jess may be too attack minded for the position as Dean Windass was when he partnered McCall there.

He needs to get the squad fit. Jim Jefferies was known for his rigorous training regime. However City's lengthy injury list suggests that it may be doing more harm than good. Players are coming back to fitness only to get injured rapidly. Perhaps it is the case that they are not healing the injuries in-between games?

But what he does not need to do is tear this team up. The team needs tweaks, not overhauls. A more solid backline, a consistency in keepers and a build up of understanding in the attacking play. When we get those elements back the new manager might find hidden riches at City. We could be the team that pasted Barnsley so effectly once more.

Jim Jefferies left on Christmas Eve. This team could be a present for the new manager.

Man of the Match

Lee Sharpe

Just shading out Robbie Blake Sharpe was in excellent form and prompted much of what was best for City. Gareth Grant's introduction for Sharpe after 80 minutes was a big mistake.

City Team:

Muggleton
Caldwell Molenaar Tod Jacobs
Juanjo McCall Jess Sharpe
Ward Blake

Subs: Grant for Sharpe, Myers for Molenaar