1st April 2014, Port Vale 2 Crawley Town 1 Pre-match, Match, post match comments

[bar1]

Vale are going to appeal the red card apparently:

 

http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Port-Vale-set-appeal-Chris-Robertson-s-red-card/story-20893886-detail/story.html

 

I'm a little concerned at the bit which says: "Vale will study the video again before deciding whether to appeal against what is likely to be a three-game ban for Robertson." If the ref has said he was sent off for the foul and he didn't commit the foul then they have to appeal it or they could get in trouble. The FA Rule says "A Club failing to lodge a claim for mistaken identity may be charged with Misconduct by

The Association if there is evidence that the Club sought to gain an advantage by remaining silent on the matter." If the red card is transferred to Lines and not rescinded he will get a four game ban.

has anyone got lodeys number?

[bycars rob]

Terrible tackle from Lines, poor game but positives in Johnson looking comfortable, Jones playing well, Knott ok and 3 points. Abysmal crowd, perhaps our"fans" don`t deserve a good side or sane chairman.

Lines will be banned and for such a player as him who doesn`t really do much defending, his disciplinary record is appalling -please get rid, along with Tomlin.

[Santa]

For a large part of tonight's game we were outplayed. Crawley are one of the better sides I've seen this season, bright, tidy, just needing more of a cutting edge.

 

We got a couple of breaks at the right times with the goals from long range. We didn't create too many clearcut chances inside the penalty area.

[valiant_593]

firstly 15 from 13 is not relegation form. Secondly a season is based over 46 games, not selective to an average run of form over 13 games. Since we have been in the top half of the table we haven't dropped out of it. Your reply to this is that it's a poor league. It isn't at all, there are some very good teams in this league and we are above many that should be above us. We have moved on from the team we had last season and we are reaping the rewards for it. That isn't a reflection on the league, just how far we have come as a team.

 

For some it is any excuse to talk down our achievements this season.

 

But we have played so poor recently and are somehow 10th. And yes it is relegation form. We have certainly moved up a step from last year no doubt about that. My point is that I'm surprised we are still 10th and so close to the play offs even with how bad we have been this calendar year.

[Regal Beagle]

And yes it is relegation form.

 

 

No it isn't.

[Spunk Trumpet]

If Peterborough lose tomorrow night, our season is still very much alive.

 

Reading on here most weeks we are the worst team in the land.

Facts are, the league table never lies and we have been roughly in that top 10 all season which is a magnificent achievement in itself.

[Santa]

I'm glad that it was Lines who made that tackle for no other reason than I genuinely thought I was going mad.

[davidatpreston]

A close-fought win, probably 2-1 and maybe after going behind. A crowd of 4,000 would be a good acheievement as they will bring about 50 or so, and Tuesdays don't seem to be popular for footie, and I suspect a Champions League match will be on TV. Same team as at Stevenage probably.

 

Glad I had a couple quid on my own prediction - but if I'd added in the 'come from behind to win' bit it woud have been a much bigger payout. Nice result though, 4 points off the play offs and six really easy games to go (possibly Notts County could be tricky but the rest are cert wins:unsure:)

[valiant_593]

No it isn't.

 

15 points 14 games

 

14 x 3 = 42 games.

15 x 3 = 45 points.

 

We would probably make around 48-50 points with that form consistent throughout out the season, which would certainly leave us around the bottom 4 or so. As we have seen this season though we are better than that.

[CAVALIER]

Jones had his best game bar a schoolboy error first half in ages

[sheffield61]

We scored more last nite than all the other SEVEN league one sides combined, WHAT a team!........

[onestepatatime]

I thought, for about the tenth game on the spin, we were absolutely terrible.

 

Davis just hasn't got what it takes to be playing at this level. He needs to make better decisions, position himself better and be stronger. Maybe after 3 seasons of conference football, but I doubt it.

 

Tomlin was garbage today. Lines was poor and loft, like the last few games, has been below his usual high standards.

 

Knott was absolute class. We must sign him. God knows why he was taken off. Adams will probably drop him and play Griffith.

 

The sending off was bizarre. The foul by lines and nothing Robertson did was any worse than what their players did them surrounding the ref. Old habits die hard from fatty's reign at creepy Crawley!

 

Robertson was terrified to go near Fallon all game. Duffy is a decent centre half but a rubbish full back.

 

We didn't give Pope any service at all, all game.

 

Happy with 3 points but watching Vale recently is as about as enjoyable as watching a documentary on knitting.

 

 

Absolutely spot on mate. Agree entirely with all you say. We were dire for most of the game and if we hadn't got Knott in our team we have no brains whatsoever. That said, we won and you know what they say about teams winning when playing badly? Strikes me that Division 1 is not that better than Division 2, bar the top 6 clubs.

 

P.S. Think Knott was taken off with exhaustion. He ran himself physically sick. He fell to the floor when no one was within 30 yards of him and he looked as though he was about to throw up. Great display lad. Oh it would be terrific if we were able to afford him and if he wanted to stay with us. He makes some of our players look like carthorses!

[Yukon]

I think that's hard on Davis. He's still a young lad and learning his trade. Crawley were technically very good and for want of a better word "tricky". As long as Joe learns from it, then onwards and upwards. It's also worth pointing out he didn't go into his shell after giving the penalty away and looked very steady.

 

Jones did well but I think he was a bit scared to bomb forward as much as he would have liked because he was concerned about some one dropping in as cover. The one gripe I have with Lofty is he does tend to wander; like Dodds, he gets put out on the wing (needs must, I'm not knocking the manager) but his natural position is in the middle and he gravitates towards that position, sometimes exposing the left back.

 

I also think the gaffer deserves a big pat on the back for the well timed triple sub. For ten men, that must have been psychologically testing as well as physically very hard work. It was "gritty" but it worked

[upthevale]

15 points 14 games

 

14 x 3 = 42 games.

15 x 3 = 45 points.

 

We would probably make around 48-50 points with that form consistent throughout out the season, which would certainly leave us around the bottom 4 or so. As we have seen this season though we are better than that.

 

Statistics eh, don't ya just love em!

 

Our current form is promotion form!

 

One win and draw from the last two games = 4 points, i.e 2 points a game....46 games means 92 points! Going up?

 

Sorry, but 10th in the league is all that matters. ;)

[Woakesy]

I thought, for about the tenth game on the spin, we were absolutely terrible.

 

Davis just hasn't got what it takes to be playing at this level. He needs to make better decisions, position himself better and be stronger. Maybe after 3 seasons of conference football, but I doubt it.

 

Tomlin was garbage today. Lines was poor and loft, like the last few games, has been below his usual high standards.

 

Knott was absolute class. We must sign him. God knows why he was taken off. Adams will probably drop him and play Griffith.

 

The sending off was bizarre. The foul by lines and nothing Robertson did was any worse than what their players did them surrounding the ref. Old habits die hard from fatty's reign at creepy Crawley!

 

Robertson was terrified to go near Fallon all game. Duffy is a decent centre half but a rubbish full back.

 

We didn't give Pope any service at all, all game.

 

Happy with 3 points but watching Vale recently is as about as enjoyable as watching a documentary on knitting.

 

Pretty much sums it up completely.

 

Only point I disagree with is Davis. Not one of his best games but I do like him. He's already our second best CH behind Duffy and he's still learning.