Vale 0 -- Rochdale 1 - Post Match Comments

[Howjy04]

While i dont disagree with the comment on the whole and would like to think that we play football in the correct way or at least try too with our limited players, please re read your comment. ".Lump/Pulis/Adams ball will only get you so far"- premier league her we come then!?!

 

And for those of you who argue that we need to play football and then put griff in your side, have you been watching the games. He is a slow as a snail, couldnt pass water and has the les movement off the ball than most in the local church yard. He didn't know where we was on saturday when he came up against technical players. Sorry but he aint the answer. love his attitude but just so limited it's untrue.

 

dantheman,my comments on Griff's Saturday showing are documented.

[Heatwave]

I don't think people want us to play flowing football like Arsenal/Barcelona, we just want the players to be able to pass a ball to another white shirt. Have an enthusiasm to want to win the ball back. Last night was evident that our players could not a) pass the ball over 4yards and b) Have the desire to win it back. I was one of Griff's biggest critics in pre-season, but he has proven me wrong on the whole. He is a committed lad that a lot of the others could learn a lot from. Even Lines is starting to work a bit harder and actually having a bit of confidence to drive forwards. One problem is that when he gets within 30 yards of the goal, he doesn't have any runs on, and the players in front of him appear inept at making a probing run. That's something that worries me the most.

 

I have this horrible feeling that he will bring Duffy in for Yates on Saturday, when in reality, we need to play with 2 attack minded full-backs. We've got to try and pen their wingers back a bit, to have any chance. The problem then, is that we lack pace in the middle of the park to track back and support when they counter-attack. Which is another damning piece of evidence as to why losing Burge and Morsy was detrimental to us moving forward.

 

I was with you until the last sentence. Burge and Morsy were disruptive influences we're better off without.

[berniesevil]

I don't think the summer signings have improved us.

Out Morsy, Burge and James. In Birchall, Griffith and Lines.

Out McCombe. In Robertson and Dickinson.

Out Vincent. In Mohamed.

QUOTE]

 

Not sure I really agree with that : Dont you think Robertson and Dickinson have improved us over McCombe and Purse : Can you honestly see us picking up a single point with McCombe and Purse defending against Coventry's forwards the other day instead of Dickinson and Robertson??

 

The Vincent one you have a point but he was offered a contract and if you paid him over the odds money against what he was worth then it would impact on our ability to sign players in other area's so i dont think we had much choice really : in fairness Vincent after xmas and his injury was hardly a regular and his form was probably somehwhere around where Mohamed's is now ; also, only team Vincent could sign for was in the league below us.

 

Burge is a complete wastrel who played a couple of good games against weaker oppostion and couldnt even get himself to a vital promotion game on time and Morsy was offered a two year deal but chose to play for a team again in a league lower. i think Lines is currently better than both of them but I grant you Morsy may improve and become a half decent lower league midfeilder : or he may not and end up like Burge in non league due to his ill discipline letting people down in tight matches. : time will tell I guess.

 

i think as supporters we are very short termist, not just vale fans but in general : if we consider our current position and playing staff against a point in time 1 or 3 or 5 years ago we have definately improved : I dont think we are going to make a step change in the 5 or 6 months since we got promotion but perhaps a steady progression is the way to go and hopefully in a years time we will have improved again. Our target this year must surely be to stay up and then move on from there.

[old sage]

I didn't go to either of the last two games but I did listen to the second half commentary while driving back from Belgium. What I do notice though and read the criticism on OVF of certain players whilst others seem to be immune to any abuse. Lets start with Popey he has 3 in 10 league games but how many has 'boy wonder' Ben Williamson got? Zero!! I am amazed that Hughesy is sitting on the bench while Williamson does his 'sheep dog act' of running round but never getting in there. Sorry folks but Ben isn't a natural finisher both Hughes and Pope are. Put them one on one and the ball is usually found in the net sadly with Ben it's normally in the stands.

I'm a big Dodds fan and see the grief he is getting but was he played in his best position on Tuesday because he is normally stuck out on the wing when his best position is just behind the front men.

The biggest problem this season is lack of service from the wing and this is where JMW has been a major let down. For some reason he seems to fear taking his man on why? I think it is because better defenders simply can read that he is a 'one footed wonder' and expose him. He was released by Stevenage because they knew he wouldn't 'cut the mustard' in L1. If he was played out on the left he would hopefully provide a better service for the front two. As the song goes 'feed the Pope and he will score' can all his new found critics really and truly say that this has been the case this season?

[Howjy04]

Old Sage,JMW played on the left wing on Tuesday night.Fish out of water springs to mind.

[fairportnick]

Too many kept saying give Dodds/Shuker/JMW/Birchall etc more games but having had their chances they have proved beyond doubt that they are not division 1 players. It's blatantly obvious to nearly all Valiants.

 

 

Since when has Shuker been given a chance?

 

Pope and Hughes will score given the service. Williamson couldnt hit a barn door. The only decent sevice comes from Lines and Jones. JMW is a nightmare , whichever wing he's on, Birchall is too slow to beat his man as is Dodds, Mohammed isnt a league 1 player, Griff can only go backwards. I just hope Loft isnt having his usual early season flash in the pan , because he has to be one of the wide players. Wide in the loosest sense.

[fairportnick]

I didn't go to either of the last two games but I did listen to the second half commentary while driving back from Belgium. What I do notice though and read the criticism on OVF of certain players whilst others seem to be immune to any abuse. Lets start with Popey he has 3 in 10 league games but how many has 'boy wonder' Ben Williamson got? Zero!! I am amazed that Hughesy is sitting on the bench while Williamson does his 'sheep dog act' of running round but never getting in there. Sorry folks but Ben isn't a natural finisher both Hughes and Pope are. Put them one on one and the ball is usually found in the net sadly with Ben it's normally in the stands.

I'm a big Dodds fan and see the grief he is getting but was he played in his best position on Tuesday because he is normally stuck out on the wing when his best position is just behind the front men.

The biggest problem this season is lack of service from the wing and this is where JMW has been a major let down. For some reason he seems to fear taking his man on why? I think it is because better defenders simply can read that he is a 'one footed wonder' and expose him. He was released by Stevenage because they knew he wouldn't 'cut the mustard' in L1. If he was played out on the left he would hopefully provide a better service for the front two. As the song goes 'feed the Pope and he will score' can all his new found critics really and truly say that this has been the case this season?

 

OS can you remember when all wingers had pace. It didnt matter whether they could beat a man or if the full back could tackle. They just put it past the man and legged it. The defence were left with the choices clatter 'em, double up or defend the cross .

Some of them could shoot too. How many did Harry Burrows get for Stoke?

[old sage]

Old Sage,JMW played on the left wing on Tuesday night.Fish out of water springs to mind.

Ok as I stated I wasn't there on Tuesday (un)fortunately. In that case MA needs a new winger and get JMW out of the side. I did say last year when he was everyones 'pin up' that I feared that he wouldn't be good enough and I got slaughtered. I do wish that he had proved me wrong!

[old sage]

OS can you remember when all wingers had pace. It didnt matter whether they could beat a man or if the full back could tackle. They just put it past the man and legged it. The defence were left with the choices clatter 'em, double up or defend the cross .

Some of them could shoot too. How many did Harry Burrows get for Stoke?

Ahh those were the days. I can still see Mark Chamberlain in my mind's eyes zipping down the wing. I'd rather not recall Harry 'rabbit' Burrows thanks.

[old sage]

not normal that.

 

[Howjy04]

Ahh those were the days. I can still see Mark Chamberlain in my mind's eyes zipping down the wing. I'd rather not recall Harry 'rabbit' Burrows thanks.

 

Don ' open the gates I'm coming through' Ratcliffe used to zip down the wing,run up the Boothen end,jump the Trent and still didn't cross the ball.:D I'm afraid the 'old fashioned' wingers are becoming extinct but I would love a Guppyesque type of winger if only for excitement purposes.;)

[JOHNNYAITCH]

Used to love it when McCarthy did the thing where he hit the ball one side of the full back and then sprinted round the other side of him...thought you only really saw that in schhoolboy football/comics

 

One of the things that makes Barceolna so boring to watch and Bayern so exciting is that the latter has players who will go past defenders with the ball..Ribery, Robben. Such players are missed in soo much of the 'modern game'.

[Andyregs]

I didn't go to either of the last two games but I did listen to the second half commentary while driving back from Belgium. What I do notice though and read the criticism on OVF of certain players whilst others seem to be immune to any abuse. Lets start with Popey he has 3 in 10 league games but how many has 'boy wonder' Ben Williamson got? Zero!! I am amazed that Hughesy is sitting on the bench while Williamson does his 'sheep dog act' of running round but never getting in there. Sorry folks but Ben isn't a natural finisher both Hughes and Pope are. Put them one on one and the ball is usually found in the net sadly with Ben it's normally in the stands.

I'm a big Dodds fan and see the grief he is getting but was he played in his best position on Tuesday because he is normally stuck out on the wing when his best position is just behind the front men.

The biggest problem this season is lack of service from the wing and this is where JMW has been a major let down. For some reason he seems to fear taking his man on why? I think it is because better defenders simply can read that he is a 'one footed wonder' and expose him. He was released by Stevenage because they knew he wouldn't 'cut the mustard' in L1. If he was played out on the left he would hopefully provide a better service for the front two. As the song goes 'feed the Pope and he will score' can all his new found critics really and truly say that this has been the case this season?

 

I'm totally gobsmacked that people would chose Williamson over Hughes. Totally different class of player.

[fairportnick]

I'm totally gobsmacked that people would chose Williamson over Hughes. Totally different class of player.

 

With the chance Hughes had last Saturday , we'd have been lucky if Williamson kept it in the ground.

[Jinkin John Jeffers]

With the chance Hughes had last Saturday , we'd have been lucky if Williamson kept it in the ground.

 

First thoughts when the chance came and Hughesy rounded the keeper was for god sake don't pass it across to Williamson, I honestly think he would have scuffed it...

 

Williamson for me is not good enough, I would loan him out to a conference side.

 

Hughes and Pope together is the way forward. Hughes will adapt to Popes game because he has something not alot of our squad have in abundance, a great footballing brain.