Tom Pope & Next Season

[valiant_593]

0 in his last 8.

7 in 32 League games.

9 in 17 before his injury. (although 4 of those were in Cup games, so 5 in 14 League games before the injury)

 

Not great either, but I know who offers more of a threat to defences, when fit, out of the two of them.

 

I agree he offers more threat, but that's a poor record as well

[carl]

0 in his last 8.

7 in 32 League games.

9 in 17 before his injury. (although 4 of those were in Cup games, so 5 in 14 League games before the injury)

 

Not great either, but I know who offers more of a threat to defences, when fit, out of the two of them.

 

Bit fickle aren't you. How many games did Vale win when Pope was out and which striker was instrumental in those wins. I would also argue that Williamson has not had the same playing time as Pope. And most of his playing time has been played whilst the team concentrates on lumping the ball up to Pope- so how do you expect Williamson to fit into the game. My point was Williamson can finish and finish as well, if not better, than Pope.

[Birches Head Fred]

Pope may not have scored last night but his mere presence and ability to hold up the ball moved us 10 yards further up the field thus pushing Preston back and giving us the impetus to get the 2 penalties.

If the second half's performance wasn't enough to convince people of Pope's value to the CLUB then I don't know what else would.

[carl]

I agree he offers more threat, but that's a poor record as well

 

From an aerial point of view yes he does. But that's where most of the savvy teams are working Vale out..the one dimensional play just is not working over the full season, it's as simple as that.

[valiant_593]

Pope may not have scored last night but his mere presence and ability to hold up the ball moved us 10 yards further up the field thus pushing Preston back and giving us the impetus to get the 2 penalties.

If the second half's performance wasn't enough to convince people of Pope's value to the CLUB then I don't know what else would.

 

Why should one second half performance be enough to convince anyone that he should be signed up? He has been really poor this season, just because hes played well for 45 minutes changes very little. If that is that case then the likes of Birchall and Duffy should have their contracts extended as well because theyve had a good half hour or so.

[The Kalamazoo Kid]

Bit fickle aren't you. How many games did Vale win when Pope was out and which striker was instrumental in those wins. I would also argue that Williamson has not had the same playing time as Pope. And most of his playing time has been played whilst the team concentrates on lumping the ball up to Pope- so how do you expect Williamson to fit into the game. My point was Williamson can finish and finish as well, if not better, than Pope.

 

How the f*** am I fickle? Do you know the meaning of the word?!

 

Williamson was most certainly not instrumental in those wins we had when Pope was injured. I'd say that N'Guessan was more instrumental.

 

Williamson has only ever been a decent option to bring off the bench in the last 20-30 minutes, to utilise his pace against tiring defences - and even then, far more so when we were back in League 2 where the defenders are that much poorer.

 

He has had more than ample playing time, both with and without Pope, with different strike partners and as a lone striker, and proved that he is poor at reading the game, anticipation, aggression, physicality, and most alarmingly, finishing (he has no composure whatsoever) - if you think that Williamson is a good finisher then you really are as deluded as most on here seem to regard you.

[hamilboy]

I think last night showed us just how vital a part of Port Vale's team Tom Pope is. Let's face it we were toothless in the first half but when he was introduced in the second period it was a game changer. I'm not trying to say that he turned the game on his own but he was the catalyst to enable the midfield to gain a foothold in the middle of the park. The two employed up front in the first half were incapable of holding the ball up which mean't that our defence were constantly stretched to breaking point.

It was very evident last night that Preston feared Popey which resulted in them conceding the first penalty.

 

What Tom needs is a sharp mobile striker alongside him to profit from his flicks and knock downs another Steve McPhee. If this were to happen then next season could, with a few decent other additions be a good one. Yes like the Catholics Port Vale need the Pope.

 

Before folks start talking about the cost then just stop and look at Bristol City they have built a promotion winning team with a squad of 18 players which they have no doubt supplemented with a couple of loan signings when the need as arisen I presume. We currently have a squad of thirty players which is ridiculous because at least 8-10 of them wont see the first team. Wouldn't it be better to have 18 to 20 which would enable us to pay a little extra to get good quality signings in instead of the cast off 'journey men' we have to settle on.

 

All I believe is that by allowing the likes of Pope and O'Connor leave us then our prospects for next term seem extremely bleak. It's okay saying that we must work within our means but cutting the budget will only result in lower attendances meaning even lower budgets in the future. All I do know is that if you excite people they will come and watch.

 

Change the record about pope he can stay as long as he wants just not on the money that he is on now,for the majority of this season when he plays he has been average to say the least.The only thing i agree with is we have a lot of deadwood to get rid of before next season but lets stay in this league first of all.Just on my way crewe now with the grandson to support walsall thought id never say that come on u saddlers.

[Conrad]

Sorry but Pope gets paid to score goals and ultimately he should be judged on that and that alone. He hasn't scored many and we need at least a 15 goal striker in League One to reach the top five or six. Is Pope capable of 15 goals in this league?

 

Two penalties got Vale out of jail last night. But without a sufficient supply of goals it has left Vale struggling. The injury lay off is being used as an excuse for Pope's lack of form yet it should have actually energised his form and he should be fully refreshed. You would think by some of his performances that he has actually played a long season and with injury-it just isn't good enough.

 

Williamson, when he scores, he takes his goals really well and that of a true striker. He needs to find the right partner to play off and one that compliments his style and not the other way round as Old sage is saying. O'Connor, Marshall, Veseli all three are promotion form players who are more or less consistent. Birchall should be given another season at least. Campion should be signed he has potential.

 

Vale need a midfield playmaker who can run from box to box- something Vale has lacked for a while. Vale need another striker who can offer more than just holding the ball up and can turn a zilch chance into a goal. Can Pope do that?

 

Vale shopping list actually is not as long as people think...perhaps a good job. Seeing as we don't have much money...which is why I think we should benefit and promote the development youngsters who won the reserve league and get a man who has a proven track record of youth success. That man is Neil Adams, who actually started his Norwich managerial career quite well. He would flourish in the lower leagues and he is a local.

 

We need a 15 goal a season striker? Pope has 11 and he's been out for 3 months injured and there is still 2 games to go.pope made a massive difference last night, and if we had stuck with Campion and Willo last night we would have lost, no question about it.

[carl]

How the f*** am I fickle? Do you know the meaning of the word?!

 

Williamson was most certainly not instrumental in those wins we had when Pope was injured. I'd say that N'Guessan was more instrumental.

 

Williamson has only ever been a decent option to bring off the bench in the last 20-30 minutes, to utilise his pace against tiring defences - and even then, far more so when we were back in League 2 where the defenders are that much poorer.

 

He has had more than ample playing time, both with and without Pope, with different strike partners and as a lone striker, and proved that he is poor at reading the game, anticipation, aggression, physicality, and most alarmingly, finishing (he has no composure whatsoever) - if you think that Williamson is a good finisher then you really are as deluded as most on here seem to regard you.

 

He is a good finisher. Have you not ever seen him score. That's his job...to score goals...correct me if I am wrong. This continual sticking up for Pope is an injustice for many strikers who have gone from this club, done better than him, and scored more goals, with a lot more abuse taken for it.

 

Yes I think a few people are fickle, including yourself. Professional footballers should have an element of consistency about them. Pope certainly isn't one of them.

[Jacko51]

 

Two penalties got Vale out of jail last night.

 

What an odd thing to say. Don't penalties count as goals then?? Did Fleetwood get out of jail with their penalty against us? Did Sheffield United?

[The Kalamazoo Kid]

He is a good finisher. Have you not ever seen him score. That's his job...to score goals...correct me if I am wrong. This continual sticking up for Pope is an injustice for many strikers who have gone from this club, done better than him, and scored more goals, with a lot more abuse taken for it.

 

Yes I think a few people are fickle, including yourself. Professional footballers should have an element of consistency about them. Pope certainly isn't one of them.

 

Yes, I've seen him score.......I've also seen him miss/fluff/sky/completely balls-up/(choose your own adjective!) far, far more. (and that's when he actually has the nous/positional sense/reading of the game to get himself into a goalscoring opportunity - i.e. for someone with his pace how many times do you see him going through on goal past the last defender?)

 

I ask again - how the f*** am I fickle? I ask again - Do you know the meaning of the word?! I have stated, quite clearly, that I do not rate Williamson, certainly in League 1, and I have never thought otherwise.

 

And if you're insisting on comparing him to Pope, then fair enough, just take a look at their respective records over these last two seasons in League 1 and still stick up for Williamson, claiming that he is a good finisher. (I won't even include the League 2 Promotion season, as that obviously skews the argument even more).

 

One question can sum it up - does anyone (other than this clown) seriously think that any League 1 teams will want to sign Williamson this summer when his contract expires? (unfortunately, I think it'll be just the one, assuming that we stay up and Page is still in charge)

 

And the same question regarding Pope - will any other League 1 teams be interested in signing him?

[Inny]

He is a good finisher. Have you not ever seen him score. That's his job...to score goals...correct me if I am wrong. This continual sticking up for Pope is an injustice for many strikers who have gone from this club, done better than him, and scored more goals, with a lot more abuse taken for it.

 

Yes I think a few people are fickle, including yourself. Professional footballers should have an element of consistency about them. Pope certainly isn't one of them.

 

Williamson may be able to finish his dinner but he can't finish a goal scoring opportunity

[Jay606]

Yes, I've seen him score.......I've also seen him miss/fluff/sky/completely balls-up/(choose your own adjective!) far, far more. (and that's when he actually has the nous/positional sense/reading of the game to get himself into a goalscoring opportunity - i.e. for someone with his pace how many times do you see him going through on goal past the last defender?)

 

I ask again - how the f*** am I fickle? I ask again - Do you know the meaning of the word?! I have stated, quite clearly, that I do not rate Williamson, certainly in League 1, and I have never thought otherwise.

 

And if you're insisting on comparing him to Pope, then fair enough, just take a look at their respective records over these last two seasons in League 1 and still stick up for Williamson, claiming that he is a good finisher. (I won't even include the League 2 Promotion season, as that obviously skews the argument even more).

 

One question can sum it up - does anyone (other than this clown) seriously think that any League 1 teams will want to sign Williamson this summer when his contract expires? (unfortunately, I think it'll be just the one, assuming that we stay up and Page is still in charge)

 

And the same question regarding Pope - will any other League 1 teams be interested in signing him?

 

I doubt many league 2 teams would be interested in signing Williamson!

[boomer's vet]

The injury lay off is being used as an excuse for Pope's lack of form yet it should have actually energised his form and he should be fully refreshed. You would think by some of his performances that he has actually played a long season and with injury-it just isn't good enough.

 

Williamson, when he scores, he takes his goals really well and that of a true striker. He needs to find the right partner to play off and one that compliments his style and not the other way round as Old sage is saying. O'Connor, Marshall, Veseli all three are promotion form players who are more or less consistent. Birchall should be given another season at least. Campion should be signed he has potential.

 

Vale need a midfield playmaker who can run from box to box- something Vale has lacked for a while. Vale need another striker who can offer more than just holding the ball up and can turn a zilch chance into a goal. Can Pope do that?

 

Vale shopping list actually is not as long as people think...perhaps a good job. Seeing as we don't have much money...which is why I think we should benefit and promote the development youngsters who won the reserve league and get a man who has a proven track record of youth success. That man is Neil Adams, who actually started his Norwich managerial career quite well. He would flourish in the lower leagues and he is a local.

 

You are talking absolute drivel. What players ever come back refreshed from injury? I have never known one.

 

Saying that Williamson takes his goals really well, as a true striker, again just shows how much of a ****** you are. Neil Adams? Where on earth did you pull that one from. You sound like David Brent saying that Ian Botham is his lifetime hero.

[Paul6754]

I think last night showed us just how vital a part of Port Vale's team Tom Pope is. Let's face it we were toothless in the first half but when he was introduced in the second period it was a game changer. I'm not trying to say that he turned the game on his own but he was the catalyst to enable the midfield to gain a foothold in the middle of the park. The two employed up front in the first half were incapable of holding the ball up which mean't that our defence were constantly stretched to breaking point.

It was very evident last night that Preston feared Popey which resulted in them conceding the first penalty.

 

What Tom needs is a sharp mobile striker alongside him to profit from his flicks and knock downs another Steve McPhee. If this were to happen then next season could, with a few decent other additions be a good one. Yes like the Catholics Port Vale need the Pope.

 

Before folks start talking about the cost then just stop and look at Bristol City they have built a promotion winning team with a squad of 18 players which they have no doubt supplemented with a couple of loan signings when the need as arisen I presume. We currently have a squad of thirty players which is ridiculous because at least 8-10 of them wont see the first team. Wouldn't it be better to have 18 to 20 which would enable us to pay a little extra to get good quality signings in instead of the cast off 'journey men' we have to settle on.

 

All I believe is that by allowing the likes of Pope and O'Connor leave us then our prospects for next term seem extremely bleak. It's okay saying that we must work within our means but cutting the budget will only result in lower attendances meaning even lower budgets in the future. All I do know is that if you excite people they will come and watch.

 

Absolutely correct. I would also add a winger who has pace and who can cross a ball on the run, someone like the guy Lalkovic (spelling ?), Marshall is a good player but he's more a dribbler, twister and turner rather than a great crosser of a ball. Such a winger + a goal scoring nippy second striker + Marshall + Pope + Dodds and we would have a potent threat up front.