The Coaching System-Chapter 64: The Collapse

April 2024 Matches – A Nightmare Run Begins

Jake Wilson had never felt this kind of helplessness before.

For months, he had been the architect of Bradford's rise, crafting a team that played fast, ruthless, intelligent football. A team that out-thought and outworked its opponents. A team that had turned doubters into believers.

But now?

Now, his squad was broken, both physically and mentally.

With key players missing, Jake had tried everything—tactical adjustments, rotations, even simplifying their approach. But it didn't matter. The reality was harsh: no system in the world could replace the quality they had lost.

And now, that truth was playing out in front of him in the worst way possible.

Match 1: The First Punch

The match against third-place Exeter City was supposed to be a battle for automatic promotion. Instead, it turned into a lesson in survival.

Bradford couldn't create chances. Without Novak's movement up front, their attacks were slow and predictable. Without Ortega pulling the strings in midfield, possession felt meaningless.

But to their credit, they defended like warriors for 85 minutes. Kang Min-jae and Barnes threw themselves into every tackle, Okafor made save after save, and for a brief moment, it looked like they might hold on for a hard-earned draw.

Then, in the 88th minute, disaster.

A simple clearance should have been routine, but Carter miscontrolled the ball in midfield. Exeter pounced, launching a quick counter-attack. A cross into the box, a scramble, and then—

GOAL.

The stadium erupted.

Jake stood motionless on the sideline, jaw clenched, fists in his pockets. He could already hear the headlines writing themselves.

Final Score: Exeter City 1-0 Bradford City.

They were no longer in second place.

Match 2:

The home crowd at Valley Parade was nervous. They had seen the injury crisis unfold, but they still believed—still hoped that Jake's tactics could pull them through.

By halftime, that belief was crumbling.

Bradford were 1-0 down to mid-table Colchester United.

They had barely created a single meaningful chance, and every attack fell apart before reaching the final third. Carter was double-marked, Silva's replacements offered nothing on the wings, and Thompson—starting in place of Novak—was completely isolated up front.

Jake tried everything. Switched to a counter-attacking approach. Made substitutions. Pushed more players forward.

Nothing worked.

Colchester scored again in the 70th minute.

Ryan Carter pulled one back late in the game, a long-range shot that gave the fans a flicker of hope, but it was too little, too late.

The full-time whistle blew.

Bradford had lost two in a row.

Final Score: Bradford City 1-2 Colchester United.

And just like that, they were out of the automatic promotion spots.

The Aftermath – A Brutal Reality Check

The next morning, Jake sat in his office, staring at the league table.

📌 Bradford City – 3rd Place.

📌 Automatic Promotion: Impossible.

📌 Only Three Games Left.

His jaw tensed as he exhaled slowly. They had blown it.

Not entirely, not yet—but they had let the chance slip away.

He reached for his phone, scrolling through the media coverage.

🔹 "Bradford City's Promotion Dream Fading Fast."

🔹 "Jake Wilson's Tactical Genius or Just Luck?"

🔹 "After All the Talk, Can He Deliver When It Matters?"

He tossed the phone aside, running a hand through his hair.

The worst part? He didn't even disagree with them.

Match 3: A Desperate Response

The next match against Carlisle United wasn't about playing well. It was about survival.

Jake made drastic changes—switching formations, playing a deep defensive block, and focusing solely on not conceding first.

It was ugly football.

But it worked.

Bradford ground out a hard-fought 2-1 win, barely scraping by.

The players celebrated at full-time, but Jake wasn't smiling. He knew the truth—this wasn't a return to form. This was a bandage on a bullet wound.

Final Score: Bradford City 2-1 Carlisle United.

They were still 3rd.

Match 4:

Next up: Tranmere Rovers, a team fighting to avoid relegation.

On paper, Bradford should have won comfortably. But nothing was comfortable anymore.

Tranmere attacked with nothing to lose, and only Emeka Okafor's heroics in goal kept them in the game. He made three world-class saves in the first half alone.

Then, in the 67th minute, Carter produced a moment of brilliance—a perfect through ball to Collins, who slotted it home.

1-0.

For the next 30 minutes, Bradford defended for their lives.

The final whistle felt like a relief, not a victory.

Final Score: Bradford City 1-0 Tranmere Rovers.

The Mental Toll – The Squad Is Cracking

The two wins had kept Bradford alive, but they hadn't healed the wounds. The scars from those back-to-back losses still lingered. The belief that had once driven them forward was starting to crack under the weight of pressure.

And Jake could feel it.

The atmosphere in the dressing room was different—tense, heavy, suffocating. It wasn't just disappointment anymore. It was frustration. Doubt. Exhaustion.

Training sessions that used to be sharp and intense were now erratic and filled with mistakes. Every misplaced pass felt like an argument waiting to happen. Every failed drill turned into a war of blame.

It started with little things.

📌 Benson cursed under his breath when Carter misplaced a simple pass.

📌 Collins threw his hands up in frustration when a cross sailed over everyone's head.

📌 Fletcher muttered to himself after being beaten in a one-on-one drill.

Then it escalated.

It happened on a cold morning at training. A simple passing drill—a routine exercise that should have been second nature.

Min-jae took a pass under pressure, looked up, and misread Carter's run. Instead of playing it to his feet, the ball rolled harmlessly into open space. Drill ruined. Momentum gone.

Carter stopped dead in his tracks, frustration boiling over.

"Are you even watching?!" he snapped, spinning toward Min-jae.

The South Korean stiffened, eyes narrowing.

"Maybe if you moved faster, I wouldn't have to guess where you are." His voice was calm, but the edge was unmistakable.

Carter stepped forward, shoulders squared. "Excuse me?"

Min-jae didn't back down. "You heard me. Maybe stop acting like everything has to run through you, and we wouldn't be in fourth place right now."

Silence.

Even the other players froze, sensing that things were about to spiral out of control.

Paul Roberts immediately stepped between them before it could escalate.

"That's enough!" His voice cut through the tension, sharp and authoritative. "Save it for the damn match."

Carter clenched his fists. Min-jae shook his head and walked off.

But the damage was done.

The Breaking Point

Jake had been watching from a distance, arms crossed, jaw tight.

He'd seen enough.

The tension was infecting the squad. If they didn't fix it now, the playoffs would be over before they even started.

And then, Paul Roberts pulled him aside.

His assistant coach rarely looked concerned, but today, his expression was dead serious.

"We're losing them, Jake."

Jake didn't respond.

Paul continued, voice low. "They're barely holding it together. If you don't pull them back in, we won't even survive the playoffs."

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Jake exhaled slowly, staring at the squad as they finished training in complete silence.

He already knew.

This wasn't about tactics anymore. This wasn't about injuries or formations.

This was about belief.

And if they didn't find it soon…

They were finished.

The Team Meeting – A Brutal Reality Check

Jake gathered the squad in the locker room, closing the door behind him.

No tactics. No analysis. No system.

Just honesty.

"I won't sugarcoat this," he said. "We blew it."

No one spoke.

"We had automatic promotion in our hands, and we let it go." His voice was steady, but sharp with frustration. "Blame whoever you want. Blame me if it helps. But the fact is, we have three games left. Three games to put this right."

He paused, scanning their faces.

"We either fight like hell to win the playoffs... or we collapse completely. But I promise you this—if we go down, we go down fighting."

Silence.

Then Novak, still injured but sitting at the back, gritted his teeth and spoke.

"Then let's f*cking fight."

A shift. A flicker of belief.

Jake nodded once.

"Good. Because we're not finished yet."

Final Standings & The Last Hope

📌 Bradford City – 3rd Place.

📌 Automatic Promotion: Gone.

📌 Only the Playoffs Remain.

The dream wasn't over. But the war was about to begin.

Final League Two Standings (After 46 Matches)

📌 Bradford finishes 3rd, missing automatic promotion but securing a playoff spot.

📌 Wrexham takes 2nd place, earning direct promotion.

📌 Stockport County wins the league.

Top 6 Final Standings – League Two (After 46 Games)

Position Team P W D L Pts

1️⃣ Stockport County 46 28 10 8 94

2️⃣ Wrexham 46 26 12 8 90

3️⃣ Bradford City 46 24 14 8 86

4️⃣ MK Dons 46 22 13 11 79

5️⃣ Gillingham 46 21 11 14 74

6️⃣ Notts County 46 20 12 14 72

📌 Bradford must now fight through the playoffs to secure promotion to League One.