It's the second round of the FA Cup tomorrow. And, as usual, it has thrown up a few interesting fixtures. Bradford play a home tie against Leyton Orient tomorrow for the first time since April 2007. That game was a real relegation six-pointer; one side above the dashed line that indicates the drop and one below it. While not decisive, the 2-0 defeat to the east Londoners made it pretty much impossible for Bradford to stay in League One and resulted in a first trip into the bottom division in 25 years, and from the Premiership to the basement in just six years. That defeat was part of a run of one win in 17 home games; it should have been a win but for some terrible finishing, appalling decision making, and when push came to shove, two calamitous lapses at the back to result in Orient's only two shots on target.
Tomorrow is therefore a chance to exact a small amount of sporting revenge. But it's also important from a financial point of view; the Premiership and Championship sides enter in the next round and a lucrative draw (either away from home in a big stadium, or at home and on national TV) against a Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal or (spit) Chelsea could make all the difference to the finances of lower division sides. Take Bradford as an example. Two flirtations with bankruptcy in 2002 and 2004 caused a never-ending procession of better players leaving to be replaced with far inferior ones, causing the headlong slide down the divisions.
Last season finally saw the club running in the black again, but performances on the pitch were patchy through no longer being able to sign players of a good standard, though they were improving by the New Year. In recognition of this, the club decided to slightly increase the wage bill and sign better players in the summer. This has worked to some degree, Bradford lie 2nd in League Two with just over a third of the season gone. But they are now beset by injury problems; the whole first choice midfield is now injured in addition to summer signing Chris Brandon not even kicking a ball yet. Top scorer Peter Thorne's back is giving him trouble and even though he has 11 goals in 16 games he is struggling to produce the form of the early season. Replacements have come in on loan to become injured to the degree that now more loan players are replacing other crocked loanees. Some, including son of former manager Nicky Law, called Nicky Law (!) have come in and done really well. A good cup run could give City the financial leverage to bring in Law and a couple of the other loan players.
And it would also be nice, that while I'm home at Christmas and the New Year for a nice day out to Old Trafford or somewhere similar....since the win at Everton in the 4th round in 1997 the draw for nearly every cup match since has been terrible. Just once, could we have an exciting draw?
Tomorrow is therefore a chance to exact a small amount of sporting revenge. But it's also important from a financial point of view; the Premiership and Championship sides enter in the next round and a lucrative draw (either away from home in a big stadium, or at home and on national TV) against a Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal or (spit) Chelsea could make all the difference to the finances of lower division sides. Take Bradford as an example. Two flirtations with bankruptcy in 2002 and 2004 caused a never-ending procession of better players leaving to be replaced with far inferior ones, causing the headlong slide down the divisions.
Last season finally saw the club running in the black again, but performances on the pitch were patchy through no longer being able to sign players of a good standard, though they were improving by the New Year. In recognition of this, the club decided to slightly increase the wage bill and sign better players in the summer. This has worked to some degree, Bradford lie 2nd in League Two with just over a third of the season gone. But they are now beset by injury problems; the whole first choice midfield is now injured in addition to summer signing Chris Brandon not even kicking a ball yet. Top scorer Peter Thorne's back is giving him trouble and even though he has 11 goals in 16 games he is struggling to produce the form of the early season. Replacements have come in on loan to become injured to the degree that now more loan players are replacing other crocked loanees. Some, including son of former manager Nicky Law, called Nicky Law (!) have come in and done really well. A good cup run could give City the financial leverage to bring in Law and a couple of the other loan players.
And it would also be nice, that while I'm home at Christmas and the New Year for a nice day out to Old Trafford or somewhere similar....since the win at Everton in the 4th round in 1997 the draw for nearly every cup match since has been terrible. Just once, could we have an exciting draw?
No comments:
Post a Comment