In a slight twist to the regular feature ‘The Opposite Corner’, we have decided that we shall from now on give opinions from both sides…..giving the name The Balanced View.
Colin Todd – Bradford
Bradford City manager talks to BBC Radio Leeds.
“First of all, you come here and they`re a side that are playing well but you look at when you concede two goals; you look for a second half performance. Can we try and get back into the game? We couldn`t and we`ve lost that desire. For the first time I`ve not seen commitment.”
Worrying times are ahead it seems for Todd, who hasn`t seen such a lacklustre display for a long time. He states the side has lost its desire and commitment. They`ll need to re find that, otherwise a slip down the league is staring them in the face.
The interviewer stated that the manager himself was shaking with rage, in which Todd replied “That`s the first time we`ve lost a game like that. Not only did we get outplayed, we got outfought. The two goals in the second half were down to us not doing our jobs properly.”
This is exactly how we have been playing up until this month. We`ve had it for a number of years, and it`s nice to see we`re outfighting teams that have bullied us in the past.
“When things are going well in football, you see everyone wanting the ball. The same thing should apply when you`re losing. You have to roll your sleeves up and stick together.”
When asked about the injury situation, Todd said “No excuses. We showed bottle at 0-0. It was never seen after that. There are two things in football. When you have the ball, you want to dictate. Even when you don`t have the ball, you can put pressure on. Stopping the fullbacks, closing down, stopping crosses coming into the box. We were found wanting there today.”
Colin Todd seems to be blaming the players` lack of enthusiasm for the game, and that they weren`t up for a fight. This is nice to hear someone else say this for a change, instead of it coming from Blackpool.
Commenting on Browns sending off, the Bantams manager said “I think the referee got it wrong. I don`t think it was a sending off. Discipline does come into it. You have to havce self discipline – and we didn`t have that today.”
“The two goals in the second half were bad goals.”
“I`ve got to have a look at myself.”
Simon Grayson – Blackpool
Simon Grayson talks to all the local media, including The Gazette, BBC Radio Lancashire and the BFC official site.
Speaking to Ian Chisnall, Larry stated that “Obviously it was an excellent result. I was a bit disappointed first half. The score line didn`t really reflect the game. I thought they were well in it.”
“Goals change games. It changed the game in our favour today. Some good individual performances and to round it off with four goals was fantastic.”
“The defenders are disappointed they`ve failed to keep a clean sheet.”
“We`ve played better than that – but to score four, and look solid is very encouraging. We`re moving in the right direction.”
When asked about his squad, and the faith shown in them, Grayson said “I said it last week, and the week before that I`ve had the belief in the players. I knew I could develop the players into a good team. We`re now getting the rewards.” Grayson has now answered his critics (including myself) well.
Commenting on Wes Hoolahan, Simon said “Well he`s some talent isn`t he? He can do certain things with the ball that most others can`t do. He`s like a magician at times. Players around him compliment him. He works hard as well.”
Talking about the red card, Larry said “Jacko`s just said that the lad accidentally caught him, and it was a bit harsh.” Nice to see a positive comment from a manager like that!
Talking of the FA Cup draw, the manager said “It`s obviously disappointing because we`d like a home game. We`re more than capable of beating them.” Confidence is breathing through BFC at the moment it seems.
