“Lacked anything you should need to win a game of football” – Crosby apologises to fans after loss to Fleetwood
Port Vale manager Andy Crosby has apologised to supporters and accused his players of a lack of pride, being outfought and outbattled.
You have to do a hell of a lot of things before you come to the technical side of the game. And when you don’t… that’s what happens…
It was a chastening day for the Valiants as they were comfortably beaten 3-0 by bottom team Fleetwood and a clearly angry Crosby told the media after the game: “I need to apologise to the eleven hundred people who came to watch us (and) to the Port Vale fans who were listening at home.
“Our performance lacked anything you should need to win a game of football. There was no pride in our performance, individually and collectively, we got outfought, we got outbattled and we got outplayed. When all those things happen you don’t give yourself a chance to win.
“What I’ve said to the players in private will remain that way but when you don’t do the basic things required you end up on the end of a scoreline like that.
“You have to win duels, you have to win headers, you have to win tackles, you have to outrun your opponent when you’re making a recovery run. You have to show desire to land on second balls and anticipate where the game is going to go. You have to use your body, you have to do a hell of a lot of things before you come to the technical side of the game. And when you don’t… that’s what happens.
“It’s what every professional footballer has to do as a very basic requirement if they want to play in a successful team. They have to do the basics of the game and we didn’t do any of them today.”
Harry
3rd February 2024 @ 10:08 pm
Port Vale has changed dramatically in the last two years. The day that we won promotion seems a long time ago now, especially with the way things are being done at the club. The heart has been ripped out of it in the sense that there is little to no communication from the club to the fans, many of whom won’t attend anymore because of that. Some very good people , who have given their hearts and souls to Port Vale , have been sacked , some at short notice. New staff ( lots of them) were brought in to do the job . So many that you’d think it was a major corporation in London. All of them shiny and new , knowing nothing about the roots of Vale . Flitcroft tells Crosby , who tells the analysts what to do etc etc . Five or six men on the touchline on Saturdays / Tuesdays , all clasping their hands in frustration , whilst Flitcroft sits at home rubbing his hands with glee at the naivety of Carol Shanahan . That’s the way it is these days on Hamil Road. Smoke and mirrors . A nice shiny scoreboard . New toilets coming soon, waheey!. I’ve said it before on here . This lot will take us all the way to the Conference North, telling us all that loan players are our future , and to trust the process . We are , after all , Championship bound . Don’t be surprised when it happens, because it may be sooner than you think.
Barry
4th February 2024 @ 7:36 am
This result was not a surprise..we play a system that the majority of the players dont like and are not good enough to carry it off..this leads to the lack of effort referred to. As regards the future this loan based squad will just bring the club down.The good ones will just move on and the poorer ones (who we will have to keep playing) wont care less when the chips are down..and then to top it all we have the inability to bring strikers in over a period if more than 12 months is a disgrace. I dont know where we go from here other than down and no one at the club seems to care
Les Bailey
4th February 2024 @ 8:31 am
Another apology,how many more times are we going to hear them??
Gutless ,spineless bunch of no hopers taking us back to league 2
Everyone at the club should take a good hard look at themselves.
PATHETIC
David Gater
4th February 2024 @ 8:52 am
I have to agree with all of the above comments, it started with the appointment of a director of football whatever that is who seems to sign young players who are finding their feet in senior football to improve themselves so as to go back to their own club and progress, it seems to me that the manager knows what is required to win games but he gets given what someone else thinks we should have and when it goes wrong it’s the manager takes the flack. I see only relegation staring us in the face so if that happens then you know who to blame.
Michael Amison
4th February 2024 @ 9:04 am
Not good enough Crosby I don’t think your up to it to soft mate
Chris
5th February 2024 @ 3:14 pm
Agree with all the comments made above. The hope and expectations which the Shannon’s brought when they brought the club seems a distant memory now. The frightening plunge of the club towards the relegation places in L1 and the manager’s comments that the players don’t have the basic qualities required of a successful team is alarming and seems like he has already thrown in the towel.
I fear that this is turning out to be yet another false dawn for the club and the fans. First and foremost the focus of the club should be on the football team but poor recruitment mainly over the last two seasons and the failure to bring in at least 2 strikers with a decent record of goal scoring despite promise after promise has prompted me to make my first comments on the football club.
Dithering by the club over the future of the DOF and the manager over the last few months and stubborn refusal to change tactics has not helped the club. For the sake of the club and the fans both men must be replaced now and a strong manager brought in to take over both jobs.
The owners need to quickly regain the confidence and support of the fans by being more open about all aspects of the club
– the administration seems to be grossly over staffed
– bringing in another club president was surprising is John Rudge being replaced?-
-the fans realise that something is not right at the club be open and honest
-bite the bullet and be willing to change tactics we must stop leaking goals a draw is better than a defeat