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At what point have we looked any better on the rare occasions we've played two up top because I'm struggling to remember Creativity in midfield and out wide is our problem no one is getting to the byline and putting balls in between the keeper and defender apart from Amoo who even if he's not injured only really plays well half the time theo,Cullen and pope have all consistently scored goals at this level so they have either all forgotten how to score or they aren't getting any service

Great photo of Joycey

I'd just like to point out that vale put something out yesterday about worrall creating the most chances 17 and providing the most assists 6 in league 2 so you can also say we arnt taking chances when we do create them. One thing I will say about worrall is he needs to score a few more 2 or 3 goals a season isn't enough need more like 7 a season from him.

This man deserves his own thread I feel. Like fine wine he just gets better and better. There can't be a better centre-back in the league, although Nathan Smith pushes him close! To be fair I've seen glaciers move quicker, but his intelligence and reading of the game means he's rarely beaten for pace by quick strikers. He comes up against some big, ugly units, such as the two sloths up front for Harrogate yesterday, but he wins header after after., game after game Also seems a top bloke too and someone that genuinely enjoys pulling on the shirt which is a bonus. But in Brown, the two centre-backs and a fit Oyeleke we 100% have a promotion winning spine to the team.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/18916120.meet-bolton-wanderers-fan-looking-beat-team-port-vale-colours/

Because there are 11 players in a side

I think we are still a couple of players short especially ones with some steel of fire or whatever you want to call it. When Joyce was sent off against Tranmere I knew instantly we would lose. We really lack some mental strength,the problem here is that type of player can be a bit difficult for a manager to handle.

The lad is a credit to the game. As you say we need to be very careful with him too,as he has underlying health issues that he ,luckily,manages very well.Leon and Smith,on there day,are one of the best partnerships in the division.We should build on the vast experience of the seasoned players and add few around them,as Adams did,to enabke us to progress further. A decent left back is glaring us in the face.

Fred has been unfairly maligned to be honest but that is a different conversation. The point about substitutions is an important one - particularly this season, it's more important than ever. There is a weird situation where a shortened season puts more pressure on squads, and requires more rotation to maintain freshness, but at the same time you lose that coherency if you chop and change all the time. And yet during a game, you need to make more changes, which is even more counterintuitive. Subs are game changers, they need to be impactful, to change the game to play on your terms and to make the opposition have to react. That means they need to offer something different to what you already have, not just be like for like swaps. They are also incredibly important given their timing, as evidenced by the late goals we have given away recently. I actually think that the root cause of our issues is that Askey doesn't quite have the central forward that he wants. If you could mix all of them together, you'd have quite some player, but all of them would probably work better with someone alongside them to complement, which is not the way he likes to play.

We need to manage him better. Unwise to expect him to maintain those early season levels for 50+ games at 35 years old. Needs to rotate with Brisley.

Probably still end up with 16 minutes injury time knowing the Vale

Totally confusing! For the record, I thought we'd finish 5th with the squad we have. I still think the team is capable of challenging for the playoff spots. However the two spots that concerned me over the summer and still do are the centre-back and striker roles. I don't really get the strategy with those two, given that our best options for both are 35 years old, and the player that holds it all together in goal and central midfield are also in their mid-thirties. I get that Askey thought Cullen or Robinson would step up, but in hindsight neither of them seem suited to the way we play. Would it have been better to find a new Pope than try something different? We should be able to change style or play, but we haven't really so far. All a bit worrying. As for Askey, I think making a move in January will be too late to make an impact on this season. I don't think it's too late to turn it around at this point, but it would require acting quickly. You're probably talking about making a move after the Colchester game (at the latest) in order to try and save this season if Carol doesn't think Askey can turn it around, and you need to have a name in mind to bring in. It has to be said, that whilst Carol obviously seems to like John Askey, she didn't hire him. There's something to be said for that, she has no ties to him. I remember her saying she got pretty frustrated with the football and results under Aspin. So in many aspects, she feels like us (Hopefully more rationally than some!). I just don't see him having much longer, he's not achieving what he was expected to.

I think it's only right that in the interests of player safety the football league should reduce games to 80 minutes play, starting on Saturday.