The Bantams are now the heavy favourites to be relegated from League One this season after slumping to a seventh consecutive defeat on Saturday. Bradford had Adam Chicksen sent off as they lost 1-0 to table topping Portsmouth on a frustrating afternoon at Northern Commercials Stadium. They played reasonably well against one of the favourites to be promoted from League One this season, but ultimately they were not clinical enough in front of goal. The Bantams are now in desperate need of a positive result to arrest an alarming slide that has seen them drop to the very bottom of the table.
‘‘LLLLL’’
The leading bookmakers listed on OddsMarket now make David Hopkin’s men 1/4 favourites for the drop. Struggling Plymouth are out at 8/15, while AFC Wimbeldon are 8/11 and Gillingham are 7/4, which makes pretty grim reading for Bantams fans. Hopkin has now lost nine of his 11 games in charge since taking over from Michael Collins on a two-year deal on September 4. The former Scotland international has been unable to galvanise the squad and they look desperately short of confidence right now.
The board gave Hopkin the dreaded vote of confidence after the 4-2 home defeat to Coventry on October 23, declaring a belief in his ability to reverse the slump, but they have since lost 4-0 to Gillingham and 1-0 to Portsmouth. They have managed just 12 goals in 17 games and conceded 31, leaving them with a -19 goal difference, the worst in the league. Doom and gloom abounds. There might now be a temptation to axe Hopkin, but the Bantams are going through managers like Kleenex during flu season. Stuart McCall was sacked in February after losing six on the bounce, and Simon Grayson left at the end of the season, while Collins lasted just six matches.
Starting afresh would be a gamble in itself, but the board may have no choice if Bradford lose the next league game at Peterborough. Anyone with gallows humour among the Bradford faithful might be tempted to take the even money on offer for them to finish bottom of the table this season. Betting on football is growing increasingly popular, and fans do not simply wager on which teams will emerge successful. Relegation markets are big business for bookmakers and punters, while match betting on League One games is huge.
If you need some help and advice about what to bet on, OddsMarket is a great tool. It shows you all the odds on the latest games featuring Bradford and their rivals, allowing you to choose the bookmakers with the most attractive odds. You can also see if they are getting longer or shorter, which allows you to see how confident the market is in them getting a result. There is a live score function and a forum with bettors discussing strategies. You can customise the site to make it appropriate for you and you can learn a lot by reading the articles and watching the videos in which leading analysts give out tips on the weekend’s games and on futures markets.
There is a bet calculator and a bet tracker, and both tools help you stay ahead of the game when betting on the Bantams and other teams. The best thing about the site is that it is totally free to use, with no catch whatsoever. OddsMarket is developed as a comparison site and a helpful guide to punters, giving you the best possible chance of beating the bookmakers as you speculate on matches and long-term markets such as League One relegation, so there is no reason not to give it a whirl.
The other latest news is that old Chairman and Bantams fan Julian Rhodes is back at the helm on a consultancy basis. This might affect the odds slightly but I woulnd’t expect massive market shifts as his jobs is to re connect with fans rather than re connect with 3 points!!