: Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:38 am  

Longun wrote:

Would Leeds or Saints opt to kick for goal with 3 penalties?
No, especially not at home!!!

It's negative, boring and shows the opposition far too much respect, rather than being positive and intimidating by nearly always running penalties and going for the try.

The game has moved on. Leeds & Saints have raised the bar, and Bradford, Wigan, Warrington are too slow to change.

The 'Bradford' connection really shows, and if I were a fan, I'd be worried my team have been left behind.

Bradford need a new coach, and new direction on the field to have any chance of challenging for trophies again.

You've hit the nail. Quality post.

: Sat Feb 28, 2009 10:23 am  

i always said ,when the bulls were in their prime, that once all the power has gone bradford will have nothing and will be left behind because they were a club who gained success by steamrolling teams out of their way, my team were on the end of it plenty of times.
but now the powerful guys aint there anymore and bradford are having to learn to play a skillful,fast paced game like everyone else,unfortunately its going to take time for the club to adjust to this new style of play, until they do you fans who have been brought up on success will have to suffer too.
you gotta take the rough with the smooth and remember your glory days ( at least you lot still can)

[Bulliac]

: Sat Feb 28, 2009 11:08 am  

Longun wrote:

Would Leeds or Saints opt to kick for goal with 3 penalties?
No, especially not at home!!!

It's negative, boring and shows the opposition far too much respect, rather than being positive and intimidating by nearly always running penalties and going for the try.

The game has moved on. Leeds & Saints have raised the bar, and Bradford, Wigan, Warrington are too slow to change.

The 'Bradford' connection really shows, and if I were a fan, I'd be worried my team have been left behind.

Bradford need a new coach, and new direction on the field to have any chance of challenging for trophies again.

Not sure I agree fully about showing "too much respect", looking at the final score I`d say the respect was warranted. Bulls` fans might actually wonder why, later in the game, they ran two equally kickable penalties instead of taking the two.

I do think though, given the fragmented start to the season (thanks RFL) they possibly should have taken the opportunity to get some much lacking fluency and rhythm into their play. It`s very much a two edged sword; what`s best for the actual game you`re playing and looking forward to the improvements needed for next matches.

We do get this "the game has moved on" and "the bar has been raised" (very Eddie and Stevo!) every season, but it`s no more than empty rhetoric, meaningless time filling garbage, trotted out like a tired old mantra by our men at Sky on a season by season basis. "This years grand final will be the best ever" anyone? I don`t blame them for talking the game up, to be honest. To be quite fair, in a way, I applaud their efforts because it`s rare in the media to hear anything positive about RL, but I do take it all with a large pinch of salt.

As a Bradford fan I should be worried about being left behind? Oh do come on. Due to circumstances beyond the club`s control we`ve played just two games over the opening month of the season and looked decidedly disjointed; hardly surprising really when both teams we`ve played have been a week or so in front in terms of match fitness.

In any case whether we support Bulls Saints Leeds or whoever we have no god given right to be top of the league. The competition is getting harder and there are no `easy` games anymore; that`s one bit of the rhetoric that is true.

: Sat Feb 28, 2009 11:23 am  

People reckoned on that Bradford's 'biff and barge, no plan B' was useless and would never get us anywhere all the way through four Super League titles, four league leaderships, two Challenge Cups and three WCCs.

: Sat Feb 28, 2009 1:02 pm  

Bradford have traditionally been a team that had a big, powerful pack that did the damage for them though, they just went through a period of buying power that no one else could match, then they lost that buying power.

: Sat Feb 28, 2009 1:21 pm  

Code13 wrote:

they just went through a period of buying power that no one else could match

Eh? When? Who?

: Sat Feb 28, 2009 1:22 pm  

af wrote:

Eh? When? Who?

[Bulliac]

: Sat Feb 28, 2009 3:26 pm  

Code13 wrote:

Bradford have traditionally been a team that had a big, powerful pack that did the damage for them though, they just went through a period of buying power that no one else could match, then they lost that buying power.

Mmm, how long has the salary cap been in then?

: Sat Feb 28, 2009 10:50 pm  

Code13 wrote:

Bradford have traditionally been a team that had a big, powerful pack that did the damage for them though, they just went through a period of buying power that no one else could match, then they lost that buying power.

So which world class players did we sign in that period.

[Bulliac]

: Sun Mar 01, 2009 2:41 pm  

redeverready wrote:

So which world class players did we sign in that period.

I`d also bicker about the word `traditionally`. Since the Smith/Elliott period maybe, but that`s ten years tops. Suppose it might count as `traditional` if you`re about fifteen or younger.