Port Vale 1 - Walsall 1 Post Match Comments

[George]

Bristol City, Crewe and Sheffield Utd all played that way at Vale Park last season and made us look like a Sunday League side. Far too many times did they get between the defence and midfield just playing short passes allowing them to move up the pitch as a unit, the defence never stepped up and the midfield never tracked back. We made Jet and Sawyers look like world beaters. We on the other hand get the ball and hoof it forward to an unfit and isolated Pope who under pressure from their centre halves loses the ball and it comes straight back at us. I don't recall us having any consistent thought outand structured build up play, it was usually Marshall with his pace that got us out of our own half.

 

We finished above Bristol and Crewe didn't we last season? Meaning that over the course if a full season, and not just judged on 1 game, we were better than them.

[NellyTheValiant]

We finished above Bristol and Crewe didn't we last season? Meaning that over the course if a full season, and not just judged on 1 game, we were better than them.

 

Agreed we were better than them so why let them play the way that they wanted to here at home. More or less from kick off could you see the 3 sides I mentioned playing that way, JET ran the show last year. It took Walsall 45 mins to change their style and from then on we were outplayed and effectively threw away 2 points. Had we countered their style I'm certain that we would have gone on to win the game.

[Santa]

Last season I would say that by and large we finished above many teams because we outfought them, rather than outplayed them. We picked up a lot of points by dragging teams into a scrap but lost a lot of points where the game became a footballing or tactical battle.

 

Bristol City last season were a classic case of a nice footballing team with no balls. They gift wrapped us an equaliser at Vale Park right at the very end of a game where we were outplayed.

[PVFC Billy]

Agreed we were better than them so why let them play the way that they wanted to here at home. More or less from kick off could you see the 3 sides I mentioned playing that way, JET ran the show last year. It took Walsall 45 mins to change their style and from then on we were outplayed and effectively threw away 2 points. Had we countered their style I'm certain that we would have gone on to win the game.

 

Exactly the same as last season with Swindon at home. We were two nil up and they come out and beat us 2-3 after changing tactics at half time. How many times has this got to happen or has happened? We just can't seem to kill games off. Teams suss us very quickly we don't have plans B or C and they exploit this. All this talk of the team needing time to gel. What is pre season for and how many games did we play. Hoof ball is not the answer this also gets Sussed very quickly. Pope is heavily marked and ends up flicking the ball on with his head inside the 18 yard box to there defence or goalkeeper. Williamson never received one ball that Pope flicked on. That partnership doesn't work.!! Adams needs to change tactics every now and then that would be a start. Question is has he got the ability or willingness to do it.??

[LancyTony]

So, according to some random Walsall fan, Vale's tactics haven't changed for donkey's years? ..."look for Pope and arrow a 50 yard ball..." Has Pope been with us for donkey's years, then?