Port Vale Fans Panel on the Shrewsbury game – “two woeful sides” and “a bit of belief”

The questions

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What Vale team would you pick for the Shrewsbury game?

Dave: Not being able to attend much, I have to base my views on opinions from people I respect and match reports I’ve read, plus highlights when I dare watch them! I think experience will be vital in what will prove to be a tense match, assuming the Vale turn up. I’d plump for a back four of Smith, Lopata, Jones and the Yak. Why Jones? Because I think he’s at his best in the middle of a back four, alongside a big unit, and he can actually pass a ball. In midfield, I’d go four again, with Sang, Ojo, Chislett and Grant, with Willo up front (if fit) with Garrity, hopefully playing off each other.

Jean: It goes without saying that Ripley is the first name on the teamsheet, quickly followed by Ben Garrity. These two are currently the heartbeat of the team. As for the rest of the team, I don’t think there are any automatic selections. At the beginning of the season I would have had Funso Ojo in every line-up but he has gone off the boil recently, especially since Crosby departed. Chislett should start but will he only last an hour again? Wilson is one of the most talented players in the league but if it’s true that he said he wasn’t fit enough to play at Derby for fear of making a slight injury worse then you have to wonder if he is up for the fight? I’ll go along with any team Darren Moore selects and spend the 90 minutes praying it’s the right one.

Pete: It’s difficult to pick a side with any real threat, however, we look particularly weak in wide positions and regularly get overrun down the flanks. To me if Mitch Clark is fit he plays left wing back and I’d definitely go back to Nathan Smith, if need be in a right wing-back role or in the centre of a five with Lopata and Debrah. Smithy needs to be played on his merit of aggression and raw defending, not playing out from the back a-la Premier League 2 football! I’d be tempted to play Ojo and Walters in the middle with Chislett and Plant either side behind Garrity. Weir plays if Clark doesn’t. Sang makes the side if we go five at the back. We’ve got to get grafters in the side who can last more than an hour – if we have any apart from Smith!

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What will be the final score?

Dave: I’m not expecting a glut of goals from two woeful sides, both desperately short on confidence. We’re probably looking at a 1-1 draw, which is not what we need.

Jean: I don’t really want to say this out loud but I have a sneaking suspicion we will win 2-1. We played very well for much of the game at Shrewsbury so I’m hoping we can replicate that performance without giving daft goals away.

Pete: The heart says we will win this 2-1, but I’d rather not say what my head says! What is it they say “A clock is right twice a day”? Surely we’ll win one game with Moore in charge – he’s had a week to “get some work” into the players! (his words).

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If Vale don’t win can they escape relegation?

Dave: I don’t see the Vale escaping relegation.  They desperately need LEADERSHIP from the very top of the Club, which is sorely lacking. It seems to me that Moore has been cut adrift to take all the flack, which is unfair.  He may not be the right appointment, but he doesn’t deserve this.

Jean: So many games recently have been “must win” and we haven’t it makes you wonder if we’ll ever beat anyone ever again. Things are looking bleak but Cheltenham’s loss in midweek and our games in hand over Shrewsbury still give us hope. Vale actually has the fifth worst maximum points so if we could just put a couple of decent results together it might give the team and fans a bit of belief.

Pete: No chance, not beating Fleetwood, losing to Cheltenham and Reading have drastically reduced the odds of an escape. Unless there is a sudden upturn in effort, fight and performance I can’t see us winning another game. I do hope I’m proved wrong.

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Any other business?

Jean: It was good that a group of supporters met the club this week. It seems that now fans have found out about the meeting they were disappointed that our Director of Football is still in a job. Quite frankly, that is a ridiculous expectation but it seems that what the meeting did was to open a proper dialogue between fans and club in an attempt to close the divide that seems to have opened between them. It’s the first step so don’t expect miracles – Burslem wasn’t built in a day!

Pete: I’ve just seen details of the meeting between the supporters groups and the football club. I’d like to ask as to why there is no detailed version of events? Who said what and when and what was the response from the club? Did they acknowledge errors made and what are they prepared to do in response to righting the wrongs? Many supporters are in despair at events, with many ready to walk away. To me all the various statements, meetings, podcasts and so on are very disjointed and miss the point about what Port Vale should be about.

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