What's the point in having wingers, we never pass to them. We don't support in attack and our defence was shocking.

Chev Walker offers nothing, Langley had a nightmare apart from his try.

We've changed most of te starting players from McNamara's time, so what's the excuse?

So it's come to this, aiming to not finish bottom of the league.

Jeez, if all we get is one line hyperbole all season, then it ain't gonna be much of a discussion forum. I blame Twitter.

A one line post is not as valid as a longer or rambling message because?

We seemed to start this season off exactly as we left off last season. Groundhog day.

Pretty disappointing, even if we were up against a combination of a likely top-4 side and Child and with some key players missing. Slower and seemingly less enthusiastic in all departments. Camped on their line and we couldn't score. Trying to barge down the middle when up against a huge pack like theirs...smart tactics. And Beaver showed us once again how you play the game. Mind you, he's only 47 or thereabouts.

Sammut and Kear gave hope on the enthusiasm front, sand you could see the team was gutted every score they conceded. Looked worrying for Bateman, just hope not as bad as it looked.

But I really saw nothing today that was very much different to last season. Maybe more enthusiasm, but the execution remained the same.

That said, Pies are not happy chappies tonight and Wire not too chuffed either - so maybe its a fair call not to read too much into one match against a strong opposition.

If anyone cares what I've got to say about todays game.. you can read it .[url=http://bradfordbulls.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/the-case-for-the-defence-mlord-bulls-12-34-dragons/here[/url

WTF was that? New season, new players, same old sh11t. Dire.

Disappointing after yet another promise of a new dawn

Yeah OK, we had a few players missing - but then so did Catalans, and they still dominated us from the start. The problem, it seems to me, is that our pack just doesn't look dominant enough. Kopczak seemed to be only one that had a bit of 'go forward' about him. Hargreaves: what does he do? Scruton: nowhere near the player he was a couple of years back Burgess: 15 minute cameo then disappears never to return Donaldson: nothing in attack Sibbit : Why is he even playing for us?

I though Gale and Sammut showed nice touches, and there was promise from Kear, but who could really judge any of the back line when the forwards were battered from start to finish.

I don't see what we can do to address this until we get Elima - and to a lesser extent Whitehead - back. And hopefully Manu will have a bit of devil about him....

Looks like another long season of struggle from where I'm sitting. Sorry to sound negative....

Why can't we defend - our one on one tackling was embarassing - how is it not possible to have improved in the off season?
Why do we bother having a backline if we never use it?
What exactly is our game plan - give it to Burgess?
Two exciting half backs - played off the pitch by Catalans pair.
All that early season optimism gone in one home game once again.

Thats what you get with him

A big blow out suggests your pack was out-muscled, which is something lots of pundits have been pointing out throughout the pre-season. Most of your new & improved signings are in the backs, but unless the forwards can match other teams then you won't see the best from these players, and Angela Powers will probably end up being proved right.

Elima is definitely the sort of player that would have been missed, but who else is there? How did Scruton and Langley go?

Sounds a bit cruel to say this but I am kinda glad the missus is unwell at the moment and the weather your way is shi-ite because I was due to come down for this. Obviously did not see it but by the looks of it it was more of the same. Not a great surprise when you saw the 19 name squad, Without some of the new signings we still look extremely ordinary.

Catalans too were depleted and I am sure the conditions were hardly to their liking whatsoever, so why were they so much better than Bradford were? Surely our English players should be better suited to the conditions than the French?

Langley has now been for some time a busted flush. I have no idea how he continues to get a game all the time? He was half decent about four years ago but now is merely a has-been. Hargreaves is a "never was" and Scruton "won't ever be a contender again." With all due respect to the lad, when your best prop is Craig Kopczak then it is no wonder we will get bullied in the forwards.

People will point to injuries - Catalans were the same but they also had to deal with completely alien weather conditions and playing away, in another country, in front of an expectant and hopefully partizan home crowd and that is what makes it worse IMO. We still had the advantages over them and failed once again.

I can only hope when we get Lulia, Pryce, Elima, Whitehead, Ainscough and the prop with 600 letters in his name back then we will be a far better outfit and we will not have to see the likes of plodders like Sibbit, Walker and Crookes in the 19 for quite some time. Because they are just dire.

Nine games and counting Mr Potter.

I didn't expect a victory today, Catalans are a quality side who will take apart many teams this year with that team. I did however hope that we would be competitive and make a bit of a game of it. I'm not suggesting the players aren't trying but I don't think the attitude is right at the moment. Perhaps it's still a lack of confidence or a 'losing mentality' but we just didn't show the never say die attitude that I was looking for.

The lack of creativity is a worry, I'm hoping the new halfback partnership is the main reason for us looking like we don't have a clue once we're attacking the line. Unfortunately it all seems a little too much like last season though. Surely the team must have practice drills in training where players run lines and give Gale options and cause confusion for the defence? The only players looking confused were our own, our attack is so slow and predictable it really isn't funny.

The pack was once again taken apart, we must have one of the softest packs in SL nowadays. Lopini Paea was running through our 'defenders' like they were our u'15's. I lost count of the times Hargreaves was pushed back after driving the ball forwards.

It's looking like another long season, especially against the teams with big tough packs, our pack just doesn't look up to it. I know it's early days but not much looks to have changed from last year based on the performances at Hull and today. Very disappointing.

SLOW START COSTS BULLS is the club's headline. And I think part of the problem. There is a disconnect between the club and the support, also shown by the insistence in the stupid music when we kick off despite the scoreboard racking up against us. It was tone deaf and it loses goodwill.

I though Sammut, Kear, Purtell, Koppy and Burgess all went well. I have yet to see Hargreaves do anything in his Bulls career, is this unfair? We have too many Honest Joes like him, there to be rolled over in just the manner FA describes with his wrestling analogy.

I'd like to think that getting Elima and Whitehead back in the pack will give us some bite and aggression. I'd also like to think Langley will be one of the league's better players again, rather than the liability he was today, try aside.

Won't give up on the season just yet. But won't be too surprised if we once again fail to click and today ends up looking like a foreshadowing rather than an aberration.

We give up. Tell us.

Oh well it's ok we lost because Catalans are going to finish in the top 5. If only Huddersfield & Hull had the same attitude.

This. Whoever thought that we need musical accompaniment at any point throughout the 80 minutes needs to think again. Wooly Bully after every score when we woz gud was just about tolerable, but this is just gimmicky, and disrespectful to the game. Can it.


I didn't mention Burgess as I was adjusting my hat straps when he came on, but by the time I'd done it he was off again.


Agreed. The pass he put down when on for a try was especially woeful. If your most experienced player can't take a good pass in a planned move, what can you say?


My forecast is that come April/May time we may have become a tolerably decent team. I hope the learning curve is steep, but fear some more embarrassments before then.

And I still cry every time I see Menzies and think we were jammy enough to sign him, then let him go. What a huge difference he would have made in our pack.

Would never wish injury on any player but I don't see Langley on the pitch as a positive.

Very few positives today, Sammut's defense being the only one I can think of.

Based on what?

On what I said in my earlier post.

My thoughts on the game today are that while it is disappointing in terms of the overall performance from Bradford, it's not the end of the world.

We were playing a settled side that is physical, strong and cohesive as a unit, a side that finished five places higher in the table than us last year and a side that is certainly past the intergrating stage with new players (just Louis Anderson the new face in the 17 today).

This was Sammut's and Gale's first game starting together and we need to accept that this new partnership won't just suddenly become effective over night. Let's see how the partnership is working in three games time after they have settled in at 6&7 together.

Plus we played 70 minutes of the game with only three players on the Interchange bench after young John Bateman went off with a suspected arm injury.

I won't lie in that it's going to be a tough road ahead but we must aim to be in the top eight and a win at Castleford on Sunday could just provide the tonic and confidence lift we need.

New season and nothing has changed! What are we doing in training? I can't say I was disappointed as I didn't really expect that much! Set the bar low and you won't be disappointed!

Anyway does anybody know what the problem is with Bateman? It looked bad from where we were sat!

I thought we were dreadful today, but take nothing away from Catalan - they moved the ball much quicker than we did, had lots more urgency and looked a team that had prepared to a higher level.

I'll be VERY annoyed to see Potters comments if he comes out with any of the following:

"I thought we were a little undercooked and really needed an extra friendly"- you should have bloody organised one then and surely expected the odd one to be called off due to the weather.

"We need a little more time to gel" - How long do you want Mick - August ok for the lads?

"We've had a lot of lads coming back from injuries who need more game time" - see my comment above re organising another bleeding friendly....

"Injuries disrupted the side" - We lost a second rower and brought on another one....

"Our fringe defence needs to be better" - it was garbage last season, what the hell have we worked on in training since we went out of the comp early last year?

It's pretty clear to see that our last two games - the Hull friendly and Catalan at home that our defence still needs a lot of work - hopefully Lulia, Elima, Manu and Whitehead will help when they are back, but highly doubt it as it's regularly one on one tackles we seem to miss at key times and hardly ever the same individual. Langers (and Diskin) I think missed Scott Durea for the second Catalan try somehow - and generally they two of our better defenders.

Another weekend ruined - same garbage different year so far.....hope we improve. Can't see it for a while yet personally...long way off where we need to be.

I actually think the Bulls played well today. They had nice movement off the ball and attacked from deep. Their sliding defence looks to have improved out of sight compared to last year and the goal line D was solid. Catalan though would have beaten any team in Super League today and beaten them well. Their defence was as good as any I have seen in a round 1 game. Added to that the way they managed to move the ball around with pretty much a whole back line missing and you know they are going to be a force to reckon with this year. Lopini Paea was brilliant taking the ball forward and really got them on the front foot every time he had ball in hand. Scott Dureau controlled everything and his cut back inside and kick off the outside of the boot on the 5th tackle for Millard's try was the moment of the game.

As for the Bulls, Kopczak was immense for them and Gale ran every thing. There were a few lapses in concentration that cost the Bulls and that needs to be worked on, especially around marker defence, but I thought it was a positive loss today for the Bulls against a team who will definitely be pushing for the top 4 if not higher this season.

More movement off the ball today, and a couple of early passes to the wings at least suggest we will have a little more attack to cheer.

The biggest problem was up the middle, where they simply strolled through at times. it think cats will have one of the strongest packs in the competition this year but we still need improvement quickly. Elima and whitehead should help up the middle, but to blame injuries is a joke when you look at who catalan were missing.

Hopefully this gives a kick up the for cas, or we are going to be getting a score shoved up it instread.