The announcement of Bradford City’s first “January” signing might have come as a bit of a surprise when fans consider the areas on the pitch that need new recruits most, but as you will see, there’s probably a very good reason for it, and those fans who believe Mark Hughes should change the Bradford City style of play for something a bit more suited for League Two might be disappointed after reading this because the signing of Ciarán Kelly might be more of a statement of intent that Mark Hughes is true to his word when he says he is sticking with this style. Those who think Romoney Crichlow is the player he is set to replace might just be wrong (unless there are any long term injury issues that are going to prevent him playing for us for the majority of the season).
Described as one of Irelands most promising youngsters just three years ago, Kelly is described as a player who is quick, good in the air and reads the game well. He is also a danger from set pieces which is always useful for any centre-back at this level. He had managed to score a few goals as a result of his danger in and around the box from set pieces and it is likely this is something we will be looking to exploit in our system as whilst at Bohemians he only scored the 1 goal in his 61 league appearances in the League of Ireland Premier Division for them. But it is his haul of 7 goals in 39 appearances for Drogheda United in the League of Ireland First Division campaign (all but one goal in the league) that might be part of the attraction.
Mark Hughes has said that Ciarán suits Bradford City’s style of play and this is something fans should perhaps pay attention to when trying to figure out where he fits into things. Some rumours have popped up with an assumption that Romoney Crichlow could be returning to Huddersfield Town, but he was signed on a season long loan and is the one centre back most suited to our “style of play”. Mark Hughes made it clear at the end of October that he is not for turning and his style of play, which has frustrated many City supporters is playing out from the back, and that’s what he plans to stick with. So understandably there are thoughts that he could have been brought in to replace Crichlow, however, the most realistic reason is that Kelly has been brought in to replace him when he returns to his parent club in the summer. As things stand, it would make very little sense to send him back to Huddersfield Town now as he is the one player most suited to the Mark Hughes style of play.
Matty Platt Could Lose His Starting Place
One player that could be a victim of the arrival of Kelly is Matty Platt. Although this will probably involve playing (most likely Crichlow) out of position for left-sided centre-back, Platt, although a very good defender in most departments, just lacks the one thing that most of us don’t care about but Mark Hughes does. This is a lack of confidence (or ability) playing out from the back. At times he has looked reluctant to follow the way of the manager, especially when under pressure from the fans to move the ball forward. Although he is doing what the manager wants, it is hard to do it to any degree of satisfaction when you’re just not that style of player. This is something that won’t have gone unnoticed by Mark Hughes, regardless of how good Platt is at everything else. Maybe he needs more time to get used to it?
Mark Hughes is asking of him may be too far out of his comfort zone to achieve to any level of expectation the manager has of a centre-back. This is neither the fault of Mark Hughes or Matty Platt. It is what it is. Managing the team is a balancing act as few players are equally as good at everything, especially at this level. Maybe he sees an out of position Romoney Crichlow who is confident playing out from the back as having more positives than keeping Matty Platt as the right sided centre-back in his natural position? The fact is Mark Hughes believes in the way he wants Bradford City to play and regardless of how good Matty Platt is in other areas of being a central-defender, the key element of being good and comfortable playing out from the back just isn’t there.
Could Timi Odusina Go Out On Loan?
Looking at potential players who could be moved on, one name that springs to mind is Yann Songo’o. Firstly, he’s not a Mark Hughes signing. He was brought in by Derek Adams for a totally different style of play, and probably different position. However, Yann Songo’o can play out from the back and is a good defender in general, but not good enough to be a starter. If he can get a deal for him that frees up 100% of a wage and maybe brings in a small fee, this will free up some of his budget and give him more wriggle room in the January Transfer Window. The other option is to move Timi Odusina out on loan, the logic here is that it will give him much needed game time to improve his game and return to Valley Parade next season with much needed minutes under his belt, and free up some of his wage for another arrival on loan., but this might have a knock on effect of having to return another loanee to a parent club. It is unlikely we will see either Matty Platt or Timi Odusina leave on a permanent deal, because having only signed them in the summer this is as good as an admission that Hughes made a mistake signing a player in the first place, and nobody really likes admitting that.
The next question comes down to cover. If Kelly is going to be a regular starter who is going to be cover? Romoney Crichlow as cover would be of benefit to nobody. Romoney Crichlow for a start, Huddersfield Town next and Bradford City as a whole. The choice really is whether it is Matty Platt and Timi Odusina or Matty Platt and Yann Songo’o surely? No doubt Mark Hughes will want to persevere with Odusina but the big question is whether he is ready right now, or whether loaning him out would be an better option.
Central Defender Pairing Considerations
Like left-footed Romoney Crichlow, Ciarán Kelly is a left sided central-defender so there’s a strong argument to say that Kelly would be needed in the position he currently occupies. I suspect that Hughes has one eye on the 2023/24 season when Romoney Crichlow returns to Huddersfield Town rather than replace him now. As mentioned, Crichlow is the one central-defender that Mark Hughes can rely on to play the Mark Hughes way and has been consistent, so it wouldn’t make sense to change that. It would also lend weight to the idea that Timi Odusina would go out on loan, with Yann Songo’o being available to cover any other injuries in and around central-defence and central-midfield should we find ourselves in an injury crisis. Just because a player is a left footer doesn’t mean they’re forced to play on that side, and neither does it make them suddenly incompetent, it depends on skill level, and in Romoney Crichlow there is enough about him to be as good playing slightly out of position, and from a development point of view, it is probably something both Crichlow and Huddersfield Town would be in favour of.
If you are thinking Hughes has brought in Kelly as a replacement for Crichlow next season, it would make sense to get him starting as many matches as possible in his most natural position. The question is how much of a risk would it be to move Crichlow across to the right to accommodate this long term plan? You have to put yourself in the shoes of Mark Hughes and put aside your own thoughts about how you think our system should be. And to Mark Hughes the idea of Romoney Crichlow playing slightly out of position would still be more suitable for his style of play than Matty Platt starting in his natural position. So the choices are to leave Kelly on the bench as back-up for Crichlow, which won’t give Kelly a head start for when Crichlow returns to Huddersfield Town. (This would see a centre-back pairing of Platt & Crichlow). Play Crichlow slightly out of position on the right and have a pairing of Crichlow & Kelly, or replace Crichlow and have a pairing of Platt & Kelly. The last option is the the hardest to get my head around because as many people like to say “if it isn’t broken don’t fix it”. Either way it will be interesting to see what materialises in January and where Ciarán Kelly will slot in.
What are your thoughts on what should happen and what will happen? Has Mark Hughes got an eye on next season with this signing or do you think he will replace Romoney Crichlow? Who do you think will be most likely to leave? Leave your thoughts in the comments.