Port Vale manager Jon Brady said that it was “a bit of a gut punch” to concede seven times during their FA Cup quarter-final loss to Chelsea.
Brady’s team were thoroughly outclassed on the day as the world champions rattled in seven goals, but the Vale manager did at least manage to highlight some positives from the day.
I’m proud of the players overall. It shows how ruthless the players are at this level and it’s something we can strive to…
Speaking to BBC Sport he commented: “We put ourselves under extreme pressure conceding in the first minute.
“Three set-pieces, we didn’t defend well enough. Very frustrating. It shows in the end. To keep it at four or five would have been respectable, but to concede the last two was a bit of a gut punch.
“I’m proud of the players overall. It shows how ruthless the players are at this level and it’s something we can strive to.
“It’s a fantastic achievement what we did, the best FA Cup run since 1954. We beat a Premier League team and a Championship team in one week. We know our fate has probably been sealed to League Two and we have to come back fighting next year.”
Massive clear out needed from the back to the front if we are to be competitive in L2.
Unless we can get in a couple of forwards who can score on a regular basis then I fear the worst.
3 or 4 goals a season from a forward just won’t cut it
We’re a very poor team in a very average division one, and it’s not going to be easy in division two next season, a big overhaul of players is needed for the season ahead
I know when a team is playing poorly everyone looks poor, but in all fairness you could count on one hand who you would want to keep. It’s up to a manager to sign players to fit into his system of playing. Brady hasn’t had this opportunity yet, but good managers are able to do it the other way around and find a system to get the best out of what he’s got. Brady hasn’t managed to do this!
This is Easter and a resurrection of Port Vale next season is something to look forward to in League 2 . We are all life long supporters of Port Vale and yesterday was an event and not a football match. We have all known good and bad seasons at our club and you have only to look at a team like Sheffield Wednesday through bad owners and managers and then the EFL for destroying a fans season but they support in truly fantastic numbers even though their season is gone . You still have a new season to plan and support your team . We want our owners to concentrate on the Port Vale FOOTBALL side of the club and make the obvious lack of scoring a priority .You let 3 goalscorers go without signing equally good or better replacements in and expect us to survive .When you sell the floorboards beneath your feet you end up in the cellar . More attention to the playing staff is an absolute iron rule that runs a good footballing side . Yesterday was a day out but also a lesson .
All the previous posts are spot on.It has been a season of torture and I can’t wait for the pain to stop. We do need a complete clear out as league 2 will be a battle and as our results have shown we have very few players who are up for a battle. As regards the manager he needs to change things swiftly..he did inherit a poor squad but has done nothing to impress yet. I would also like to know why we find it almost impossible to find updates on our injured players Croasdale, Byers, Hennegan…etc etc…and just what has happened to Shorrock?..UTV
The end of this season can’t come fast enough, yesterday’s game against Chelsea was always going to be difficult, to say the least. The rest of the season has been interrupted by poor decision making and poor performances on the pitch which have all contributed to our downfall, you can’t be unlucky every Saturday at 3 o’clock, so what I thought was a squad that would survive and finish anywhere between 14th to 18th in league one simply haven’t performed and I would say certain individuals will be fortunate to continue as professional footballers. The only way is to look forward where hopefully there will be some better decisions made and some players will arrive who have some bollocks and some ability, that will be nice. Keep the faith Up the Vale
The reality is the team that played against Chelsea was no better than last Saturdays team against Wycombe. What I did expect yesterday were players who raised their game with fire in their bellys who fought and scraped for every ball and had nothing left to give at the final whistle. Jon Brady was clearly not happy with the performance put in by the players pity he couldn’t leave the majority of them at Chelsea telling them to make their own way back to Vale Park.
Prior to the match the BBC featured a piece about Robbie Williams the Vale fan!!! During the match I was expecting the BBC to say he was at the match but no they informed viewers that he was in Barbados. As a Club President he should have been sitting alongside John Rudge to witness Vale playing for only the second time in their 150 year history in a FA cup quarter final.
Please can anyone tell me what’s happened to the best player on the books Jack Shorrock? No one at the club seems to want to address this mystery have you any idea Rob ? UTV
Still stunned, two days later!
The first 30 mins were disappointing, the middle 30 was embarrassing, the final 30 was humiliating.
My wife, a football alien, watched the match. Below are some of her perceptive comments.
1. The goalkeeper is not very good. Why doesn’t he catch the ball? Every time he drops it, the ball ends up in the goal.
2. Why don’t the defenders stand next to the Chelsea players to stop them scoring?
3. Why are the players at the side of the pitch neither defending or attacking?
4. Why do they not kick it up the pitch, instead of across and back?
5. Why do the forwards stand next to the Chelsea players? Why does the ball bounce off them?
6. When they have a throw in, why do they throw it so far, It just comes back?
7. When they have it at their feet, why don’t they kick it towards the goal instead of back to the goalkeeper?
8. John Rudge doesn’t look very happy. Don’t they ask him what’s wrong?
9. Why do they have loan players? They can’t be very good if they can’t get in their own team!
10. On Liam Gordon. Why don’t they swap him, all the goals come from that side?
11. On swapping Liam Gordon. Now I know why they didn’t, the other guy is worse!
12. On the offside goal, I don’t understand what offside is!
13. On the penalty. But the Chelsea player kicked the Vale player and then fell over.
14. What does the VAR man see?
15. Now I know why you shout at the telly and are so grumpy after the game.
Brilliant Paul, please thank your wife!!!
And on Shorrock, it would be good to know…..anyone???
It seems that Shorrock has disappeared from the face of the earth. No mention about him from Brady, and not even seen on the bench.