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

[Rampant Zebra]

Where are all the people who said that Joe wouldn't get another chance under Adams? Seems you were wrong. He didn't have the best of games though, which is maybe why he doesn't get picked every week.

[Guppy 4 England]

I've been going regardless, so I'm not in the bunch you're picking on.

 

I fail to see how you can see not see the style of football is awful compared to last season. Last season we went on the front foot at every opportunity. Adams has not done that this season. We're on the back foot in the majority of games and the play is 'direct' if you want a more palatable phrase than long-ball. Robertson has almost been our playmaker in some games. A 6ft3 defender with no distribution skills. How depressing is that. Yes, we're playing better teams but does that mean we have to change our whole mentality about the way we play the game? I think not, and yet here we are.

 

I find it confusing that you think you've seen as many stormers as stinkers. We've been outplayed and outfootballed by a lot of our visitors to Vale Park this season. If last night isn't a good enough example, Notts County on Boxing Day again made us look a bunch of chumps with a football. They passed it round us like we weren't there. Then when we had the football, we pretty much gave it straight back to them. You can add games such as Crwho, Swindon, Oldham, Plymouth, Preston to that list as well. Have we had 7 'storming' games at home this season? I think not. Coupled in with our atrocious away form and you have a perfect recipe for people avoiding Vale Park. Even some season tickets holders (Not all as I know some people have other commitments) are fed up of the football.

 

It's not as exciting as the promotion season, you're right. But what I was hoping for was that Adams would at least have a crack at this division, take teams on and have a go. We have tried to play counter attacking football with a weak defence and a lop-sided midfield. You can say we're 4 points off the playoffs all you want, but I think most supporters will see we're in a slightly false position, given the amount of times we've scraped 3 points when we've played awful (Carlisle away, see I've thought of another game).

 

Finishing 19th, but knowing we'd put in some decent performances and been unlucky to win a few games would be a better feeling than what's been served up this season. I'm pretty sure that'll be reflected in the season ticket renewals come the end of April. I'll be renewing mine, but supporters who signed up for the fast-flowing attacking football of the promotion campaign won't be renewing on this season's evidence.

 

So yes, I guess we do see things very differently.

 

Stu, the old cliche is the league doesnt lie.

 

I hear what you are saying but this is our first crack at this league for a few seasons, dont expect carpet football when we have changed arguably over half the starting line up from last season to this.

 

Our major problems could have been identified at the start of the season. No decent centre back and only one good winger. We were so good last season because we had Purse playing superbly for half the season alongside mccombe and two quality wingers at that level, so we could absorb pressure and kill teams on the break.

 

This season we only have JMW with pace and hes been hit and miss, mainly because sides double/treble up on him if they do their scouting and we have changed our back line every week!

[Lady_Vale]

Ripped right from the Chairman's statement the other day:

 

'I think the most compelling fact that I can share with you is that our received income for this season will be circa £4 million net of VAT but the Club’s total salary bill for the season will be circa £3.7 million and there lies the major problem. '

 

£3.7m is not limited resources in League One. Even when you take out non-playing staff it's still a very reasonable budget for League One.

 

That's not just the playing squad though is it?

[fairportnick]

You're a happy chap aren't you?

 

Could it be because he is right?

 

The problem isnt the budget , its the way its used.

Go through the squad man by man if you dont believe me.

[Howjy04]

Could it be because he is right?

 

The problem isnt the budget , its the way its used.

Go through the squad man by man if you dont believe me.

A more careful use of the budget would have meant a tilt at the playoffs IMO.The fault,as you suggest Nick,lies with the manager's wasting.Cue ' we are 10th in the league,look where we were 18 months ago etc'

[Rampant Zebra]

I suspect that if you look at most league clubs they all sign a few players that don't work out for one reason or another, Palacios at St*ke for example. Torres at Chelsea, Adams has done OK but doesn't have the backing of a chairman who understands football. We should have strengthened in January and would have had a good chance of getting in the play offs. A proper football chairman would have found a way to get round the rules, lots of other teams do.

[Guppy 4 England]

Could it be because he is right?

 

The problem isnt the budget , its the way its used.

Go through the squad man by man if you dont believe me.

 

The issue being nick that nearly the entire squad was out of contract last season and we could have ended up with 1 maybe 2 players left from our first team, Adams simply resigned most of the squad who got us promoted and a top 10 finish is excellent considering where we have come from, not where we are.

[waynes62]

You only have to look at Rotherham fatties chairman is ambitious and backs him to the hilt and that's why they are chasing back to back promotion s

[Bert Llewellyn]

Where are all the people who said that Joe wouldn't get another chance under Adams? Seems you were wrong. He didn't have the best of games though, which is maybe why he doesn't get picked every week.

 

I think what people said was that he'd been treated appallingly and I'll stand by that. I was surprised, however, that he came out for the second half on Tuesday. I thought that Adams might well have pulled him as he has done in the past.

[andy jones]

Stupers you are saying you would have preferred us being in a relegation battle and only just surviving rather than being top half and very safe? I would suggest that you are in a minority of one because your so called 'having a go' would have been written off by just about everyone on this site as 'suicidal defending'.

 

As I have just posted on another thread Carlisle Manager said the other night what a good team Vale are.

[boomer's vet]

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.

 

http://www.soccerstats.com/formtable.asp?league=england3