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Langley will not dwell on playing pace-setters in early matches

7:00am Monday 22nd March 2010 in


Jamie Langley is confident the Bulls’ tough start will set them up well for the rest of the season.

The fixture computer has been harsh on Bradford, handing them clashes against each of the top five in their opening seven Super League games.

Friday’s 18-6 defeat against Hull FC proved particularly hard to take, although Langley is not about to make excuses for failure.

The form back-rower believes the Bulls will emerge stronger from their early test but knows the pressure is on to quickly produce results.

“The start was going to be tough but you’ve got to play the cards in front of you and start to put more points on the board,” said Langley.

“We’ve had a couple of close games and we feel that’s going to be good for us down the line.

“There’s a lot more in us and a lot of improvement still to make. We’ve yet to hit our straps and that’s got to be good for us. We’ve competed with some good teams and we’ll only get better.”

The Bulls were laid low by illness at Hull, sorely missing key playmaker Matt Orford, while a number of other players featured despite a lack of action in the build-up.

Langley himself had missed the previous week’s defeat at Warrington after falling sick and admits poor health had disrupted preparation.

“I managed to get back in training but I still wasn’t quite right because I wasn’t eating proper meals until the day before the game,” he said.

“We trained with no half backs, so you are going to find it difficult. Ox (Orford) tried to train the day before but he took a turn for the worse. It knocked him back a little bit and it was more serious than we thought.

“At one point Steve was going to put himself forward to play half back for us! "But we’re not going to use it as an excuse.

“Some games you lose, you’ve been beaten by the better side and you’ve under-performed, but some games, when you assess it after, it’s the fact you’ve not made that final pass or not taken your chances.”

Comments(25)

Steampig says...
7:25am Mon 22 Mar 10

Some games you lose, you’ve been beaten by the better side and you’ve under-performed, but some games, when you assess it after, it’s the fact you’ve not made that final pass or not taken your chances.”
YES and the better teams do make that final pass and take their chances, I have said it before but competing well and losing is still losing ! all the close games in the world are meaningless unless you are on the right side of the score line. OK We had a sickness bug this week, so what happens if we have injuries? the squad should be up to covering for absences but as shown this week it isn't up to it, probably because the squad is forward heavy with too few backs.

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Prycey says...
8:30am Mon 22 Mar 10

We looked to be really desperate for half backs. Is it me or isn't the second team there to give back-up when needed. They clearly aren't - so let's dismantle it and save money as they clearly are not good enough. How must the second team halfbacks be feeling reading comments about Steve putting himself forward. They have no chance of getting a game if that was the case when we were so short of fit players. It looks like we have about 20 players and that it your lot!

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Steampig says...
8:45am Mon 22 Mar 10

Prycey wrote:
We looked to be really desperate for half backs. Is it me or isn't the second team there to give back-up when needed. They clearly aren't - so let's dismantle it and save money as they clearly are not good enough. How must the second team halfbacks be feeling reading comments about Steve putting himself forward. They have no chance of getting a game if that was the case when we were so short of fit players. It looks like we have about 20 players and that it your lot!
I wish macca had put himself in so that fitzgibbon could have smashed him, maybe knock some sense in to him!!
it must be really demoralising for any player in the 2nd team if that is macca's attitude towards them and their ability!

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haitch says...
8:48am Mon 22 Mar 10

Langley is saying the same as most of us really. The Bulls are short of being good enough but did actually compete against all but Saints.
Maccas obsession with developing home grown forwards at the expense of backs has left the team lop sided. Yes he has had lots of plaudits for his youth development but why are they all props and back rowers?

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kennyr13 says...
8:55am Mon 22 Mar 10

By my watch Hull scored on 45mins,
where did all the extra time come from!! there 2nd try was fortunate as the ball popped out inthe tackle which caught us out on the right edge
I thought Thaler had a good first half,
He started the 2nd blowing for every Bulls indisgretion which at times felt unbalanced. Langers our best player this year was at times showing the after effects of his illness but kept goin (should have been made captain) We should have been at least two scores up before half time but once again we lacked the imagination to break through, losing the Ox was crucial, Kearney did his best. disapointing to lose but at least we kept hold of the ball this week in slippy conditions. We have to sort our kicking game out as this is a real area of concern! I have to say Hull were not as good as they think they are. On the way back i listened to radio humberside. they are so up them selves calling the Bulls slow and poor, even i would'nt go that far

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spanglishbull.uk says...
10:21am Mon 22 Mar 10

Langley,Yawn,yawn,ya
wn.How many more times do we have to listen to the same old rubbish.Easiest thing in the world to talk the talk,now let us see you keep quiet and walk the walk.

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kennyr13 says...
10:33am Mon 22 Mar 10

What sort of post is that you IDIOT.

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cj says...
11:20am Mon 22 Mar 10

i'm sure the majority of us that were there on friday will appreciate the effort that the lads put in. yes a loss is still a loss but it was a much fitter looking team than last year despite the obvious illness issue. they kept at it for the full 90 mins! and i know our game is only normally 80. the score flattered hull who were only marginally better than us in their finishing. i've been very critical of langley in the past but this season he has been superb.
so those who critisise when they haven't seen the game and comment soley on radio/hear say, really do need to think about what they say before they say it. i know not every one can get to the game but if you haven't seen it with your own eyes then can you really critisice the team?
platt was a good addition and it was good to see worrincy dropped. how many are saying now that macca doesn't have the guts to drop players that aren't performing?? i've not seen any comments about it this week!

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Prycey says...
11:40am Mon 22 Mar 10

Well said CJ. My only comment about Warrincy is how long will he be out for. He did drop him once before and then brought him back after one week and look what happened. I would stick with the two youngsters from now on and leave him out.

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haitch says...
12:25pm Mon 22 Mar 10

You guys will hide behind anything.Why call Spanglish an idiot? As far as I'm aware we have heard it all before from the players to no avail. Why knock us who havent been able to go to a game? are you saying the matches on TV have all been totally different to the ones that haven't? I think the TV gives a far better insight into what actually goes on Having stood on the terraces much longer than most have lived I can say TV with it's replays and comments provides views which you can never see from the terrace. That's why coaches review the games on video afterwards to see what actually went on. Stop hiding behind effort and refs. Yes the effort is far better and the ref's are poor but it doesn't seem to stop the opposition coping.
"They scored on 45 mins"? If the Bulls had been attacking their line perhaps it wouldn't have happened.

I'm sorry guys, us not being there, the improved effort and the players telling us how they see it will not hide the fact the Bulls have their limitations with a very poor points 'for and against'. I know it's not what we all want to hear but that's life. Finally, I think to be fair Craig and Prycey you should acknowledge neither Spanglish or I have commented on games we havent attended.

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haitch says...
12:28pm Mon 22 Mar 10

haitch wrote:
You guys will hide behind anything.Why call Spanglish an idiot? As far as I'm aware we have heard it all before from the players to no avail. Why knock us who havent been able to go to a game? are you saying the matches on TV have all been totally different to the ones that haven't? I think the TV gives a far better insight into what actually goes on Having stood on the terraces much longer than most have lived I can say TV with it's replays and comments provides views which you can never see from the terrace. That's why coaches review the games on video afterwards to see what actually went on. Stop hiding behind effort and refs. Yes the effort is far better and the ref's are poor but it doesn't seem to stop the opposition coping. "They scored on 45 mins"? If the Bulls had been attacking their line perhaps it wouldn't have happened. I'm sorry guys, us not being there, the improved effort and the players telling us how they see it will not hide the fact the Bulls have their limitations with a very poor points 'for and against'. I know it's not what we all want to hear but that's life. Finally, I think to be fair Craig and Prycey you should acknowledge neither Spanglish or I have commented on games we havent attended.
WHOOPS!! SORRY GRAIG I MEANT CJ!! WHO COMMENTED.

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Adey says...
12:41pm Mon 22 Mar 10

ok, so if there was a bug going around the camp then fair call, we all get sick. But you can also look at it saying there were players out there who weren't 100% fit and yet still managed a very respectable scoreline against Hull's star studded signings. I'm not overly worried. I've said before, I'd rather we hit out straps for the last 10 games of the season instead of the first 10. We look fitter and more committed than we did last season when, if we'd gone in with a 10-12 point defecit at Half time, we would have let them rack up a cricket score in the second.
I have a feeling that Orford's return will mean Sykes drops to Full back and Halley might miss out. The sooner Danny Sculthorpe is fit the better. We need some impact off the bench.

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BBARL6 says...
1:23pm Mon 22 Mar 10

wont be seeing sculthorpe for a while if at all, he currently in hospital with infection from operation on his back. waste of a space on the player rota if you ask me. we let 2 injury prone players leave morrison and sol and have signed another. both themplayers would have been better staying than going for me.
For me beta the devil you know.

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spanglishbull.uk says...
2:09pm Mon 22 Mar 10

kennyr13, Why am I an idiot,as I have said,it is easy to say what you are going to do.The world is full of them,my point is not aimed at Langley in particular but at the team,player after player keeps churning out what they are going to do but rarely do it.By the way if you read most of my posts I very rarely single out individual players for criticism as it is not their fault if they are not the required standard for Super League but the people who gave them the contract and I am not including Langley amongst them.As haitch as said I have been both playing and watching the Bulls,Northern since 1950 so I happen to know what I am talking about.No doubt from your ridiculous answers you are one that has jumped on the bandwagon since Super League and think you know your Rugby League.

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Pratfinder-General says...
3:40pm Mon 22 Mar 10

BBARL6 wrote:
wont be seeing sculthorpe for a while if at all, he currently in hospital with infection from operation on his back. waste of a space on the player rota if you ask me. we let 2 injury prone players leave morrison and sol and have signed another. both themplayers would have been better staying than going for me.
For me beta the devil you know.
Which of Orford, Kearney, L'estrange and Hall would you not have signed to accommodate Morro and Sol on the quota?

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graham smith says...
4:32pm Mon 22 Mar 10

Just a line about Lesley Vainikolo, he has signed a 2 year contract with Gloucester, I thought I’d post it to stop the rumours about him.
COM’ON YOU BULLS.

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Steampig says...
4:41pm Mon 22 Mar 10

graham smith wrote:
Just a line about Lesley Vainikolo, he has signed a 2 year contract with Gloucester, I thought I’d post it to stop the rumours about him. COM’ON YOU BULLS.
Thats a shame, i would have liked to see him come HOME, but realistically it is probably better we remember him in his try scoring prime and wish him luck with the rest of his career in union.

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Tricky Dicky says...
4:58pm Mon 22 Mar 10

High expectation followed by low outcome usually produces venom in one form or another. Yet again, we see the posting that I was there so I can comment and you weren't so shut up. This would mean there would be precious few comments after the Harlequins game. Keep posting Haitch and Spanglish, psychophancy is just plain boring.

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Craig says...
5:27pm Mon 22 Mar 10

I have been to every game this season, much as i have been to 98/99% of all the games we have played for about the last 22 years and i would back Spanglish and Haitch 100% on their points.

That is not because i am an apologist for the 2 of them, myself and Haitch in particular have done a little verbal sparring from time to time but i think it's fair to say that both his and Spanglish's credentials as fans of this club are more impressive than many of us who profess to know more on here.

To back up some of the points made and to raise an issue i have posted elsewhere, in seven games played so far this year, the Bulls have failed to score in 5 halves of rugby league. It simply isn't good enough to say, oh well at least we're fitter this year or we seem to be trying hard, while i accept that totally and i can't argue with the teams' effort this season, it is skill that will win us games and that has been all too infrequently shown this season.

When we come up against the top teams, we are often out-coached, out-styled (sic) and certainly out-skilled and it comes down to one man, the one who has brought together one of the most inept three-quarter lines i've ever seen at Odsal - Mr McNamara.

I'm sorry the knives are out so early and i'm bored of saying the same things every year but it is clear to me that we are not and will not ever be good enough to compete at the top of SL with this guy coaching us (in my opinion of course).

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monobrow man says...
5:43pm Mon 22 Mar 10

Just been looking at the fixture list and between the game at wigan on the 5th of march and the game against leeds on the 6th of june we will only have 3 home games and 2 of those games will be against crusaders and quins. How are the bulls supposed to build support with a fixture list like that the euphoria of the wigan game has already died and 2 blockbusters against crusaders and quins will only dampen that feeling,

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spanglishbull.uk says...
6:57pm Mon 22 Mar 10

Thanks for your points Craig.Actually I do not think I know more than anybody else,i just know I have been around Odsal a long,long time just like Haitch,however I also believe everybody is entitled to their opinion and would not criticise anybody who states their opinion.I certainly would not call anybody an idiot just because he differs from my opinion.I still stick with my point though about players telling us what they are going to do,just do it,actions speak louder than words.Anyway as regards not being there,I will be at the beginning of July as I am back in England for three months to escape from the sun,so Odsal here I come.

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haitch says...
8:07pm Mon 22 Mar 10

Wouldn't it be a crime, or more to the point a sentence if once a person is too old or moves away they no longer have the right to enter into the conversation covering the very passion which has been part of their lives for so long?

We all talk about politics or soccer or the test cricket team and have an opinion even though the game may have been played hundreds of miles away or we were never sat in the house of commons but try to do it on here whilst at the same time not having attended and its as though you are off your head!!

Get a grip guys. We are a new breed of "Digital attenders". We use high tech TV, Radio and computers. We even have telephones whereby we speak to friends and family who were there, or, as I often do actually converse with my Grandson whilst he's on the terraces.

Its a poor substitute but it's better than nothing and to tell a true Bull/Northern fan wh does not live in the area that he's lost the right to comment these days is like trying to plait sawdust. It's NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!!.
Thanks Craig, Tricky Dicky and Co who appreciate the situation. We are not going away. Lets face it Bulls need every kind of support they can get and we continue to champion their cause wherever we may be. It's in the blood, maybe younger supporters haven't quite got it in theirs yet but believe me you will!!

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graham smith says...
10:10pm Mon 22 Mar 10

haitch wrote:
Wouldn't it be a crime, or more to the point a sentence if once a person is too old or moves away they no longer have the right to enter into the conversation covering the very passion which has been part of their lives for so long? We all talk about politics or soccer or the test cricket team and have an opinion even though the game may have been played hundreds of miles away or we were never sat in the house of commons but try to do it on here whilst at the same time not having attended and its as though you are off your head!! Get a grip guys. We are a new breed of "Digital attenders". We use high tech TV, Radio and computers. We even have telephones whereby we speak to friends and family who were there, or, as I often do actually converse with my Grandson whilst he's on the terraces. Its a poor substitute but it's better than nothing and to tell a true Bull/Northern fan wh does not live in the area that he's lost the right to comment these days is like trying to plait sawdust. It's NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!!. Thanks Craig, Tricky Dicky and Co who appreciate the situation. We are not going away. Lets face it Bulls need every kind of support they can get and we continue to champion their cause wherever we may be. It's in the blood, maybe younger supporters haven't quite got it in theirs yet but believe me you will!!
Last year when at the magic weekend in Edinburgh whilst I was queuing for beer at the interval between games , a bloke standing in front of me had the shirt, hat, and all the gear that made him stand out as a BULLS supporter.
When ordered his beer he had a thick Scottish accent so I asked him what part of Bradford he came from. He said “GLASGOW!!”
We got talking and his passion and knowledge of the BULLS was very impressive, but one thing he said, which struck me, was that you don’t have to come from Manchester to support united.
May be we can learn from his wisdom.
COM’ON YOU BULLS.

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kennyr13 says...
1:02pm Tue 23 Mar 10

Oh dear, (Spanglish) my comments on the game are what i saw on the evening, they are not deep negative comments on the issues at Odsal. I enjoy reading the opinions of others and some people moan or Rant, and were all are guilty of that at some time or other. Ive been watching Bradford 39 years and am not part of the "bandwagon" your post had nothing to do with the game on Friday, just a moan at me. the flavour of your posts shows you have an over inflated ego! your last post says you don't criticise other peoples opinion. yet you told me to be quiet. then you say my answers are ridiculous!!

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cj says...
4:32pm Tue 23 Mar 10

i for one appreciate the fact that not everyone can get to a game haitch. however, i have on numerous occassions listened to the radio broadcast at the same time as watching the game and on more than one occassion wondered if i was watching the same game. my points being, don't always go on what you hear on the radio or read on the web, different people have different views of the same thing.
that is my argument, not that people who can't get to a game don't have a view!

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Image from PictureGalleryModule_ID:3131201 Jamie Langley, left, makes a tackle on Tom Briscoe during Friday night’s 18-6 defeat at Hull

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