Cheltenham Town v Bradford City - Premier analysis proving key for Bantams

SPEAK to any Bradford City player about what has made Mark Trueman and Conor Sellars so successful as interim managers and almost everyone mentions their analysis.
Great run of form: Connor Sellars and Mark Trueman. Picture: Bruce RollinsonGreat run of form: Connor Sellars and Mark Trueman. Picture: Bruce Rollinson
Great run of form: Connor Sellars and Mark Trueman. Picture: Bruce Rollinson

Connor Wood came through a Premier League academy at Leicester City, but still says the analysis he is being given now is the best of his career.

The result has been nine wins in 10 matches, a sequence which will see the Bantams travel to in-form promotion hopefuls Cheltenham Town without fear.

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“We’ve got two analysts, Robbie (Bloodworth) and Scott (Dyer),” explains Trueman.

“Scott worked with myself and Conor in the (under-)18s and moved up with us, and Robbie we’d worked with before. They do a lot of collating the information for myself and Conor and we’ll shift through it and make sure we prepare the team as well as we can.

“They do a lot on the opposition, a lot in the transfer window on potential players, so we’ve got a good relationship with them and they work hard.

“There’s a lot of travel in the leagues and if it’s a local game you can go and watch them but for a modern coach it’s important to watch the footage and see the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition.

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“The players have got to buy into it. Some players will want more, some just want enough, so it’s about seeing what works for that group of players. We’ll do unit meetings, so you can be clever about how much information you give to what players.”

ANALYSIS: Bradford City's Connor Wood is impressed with the methods used by the management team. Picture: George Wood/Getty ImagesANALYSIS: Bradford City's Connor Wood is impressed with the methods used by the management team. Picture: George Wood/Getty Images
ANALYSIS: Bradford City's Connor Wood is impressed with the methods used by the management team. Picture: George Wood/Getty Images

According to left-back Wood: “I’d say it’s even better than what I had at Leicester. I don’t think you’ll find the detail they go into at many other places and it just speaks volumes for what we’re doing out on the pitch.

“The information they provide has helped us so much in the run we’re on. They’ve told us their game-plan and how they want to play and it’s been working for us.”

For a League Two outfit to outperform one of the Premier League’s most forward-thinking clubs – or at least its academy a couple of years ago – is a massive compliment. How is it possible?

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“We utilise what we’ve got,” says Trueman. “We’ve got some tools the club supplies but the key is the information you’re giving – it’s not just slides and pictures.

“We’ve got a scouting system Lee (Turnbull, the head of recruitment) has brought in and the footage we can access so as soon as we finish a Saturday game we’ll be in on the Sunday looking at the opposition. You can’t look too far ahead, just at the next game.”

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