Normans view.

[Spunk Trumpet]

Because they were knackered after extra time in the week?

 

What about the other 8?

[Jacko51]

Didn't we only play an extra half an hour or so more than Bradford midweek?

 

No, we played two hours plus pens more than Bradford - they were knocked out of the CO Cup in the first round.

[Fosse69]

What about the other 8?

We can only make 3 subs. I like most people would have used other players.

[TylerB]

No, we played two hours plus pens more than Bradford - they were knocked out of the CO Cup in the first round.

 

Fair enough. But is tiredness/fatigue an excuse this early on in the season? The point of the matter is that we had other options over Kelly, who has been poor so far, and Birchall who should have been released in the summer.

[Jacko51]

Fair enough. But is tiredness/fatigue an excuse this early on in the season? The point of the matter is that we had other options over Kelly, who has been poor so far, and Birchall who should have been released in the summer.

 

I don't disagree and I think the subs were wrong but it wasn't one of the subs who failed to attack the long ball into our box and allowed their bloke to nick it in.

[Student of the game]

Note the irony critisizing a chairman for comments made on a public forum.......on a public forum. No one should be above critisism even Page. Its a results business based on decisions made. It maybe should have said to Norman that we need more strength in depth. But its a worry when Page thinks that Birchall and Daniel are good enough replacements. Yet send out goals galore in Campion and Kapend on loan? Without replacements meaning we have 3 striker options in a squad of 24?

 

Bradford were right. We gave them

3 points today by not having stronger options for ill or physically tired players. I applaud Norman for saying what he thought too many rose tinters that have seen a couple of good performances and think we are the next Barcelona. More work required and Page needs to use Bodens experience more in team decisions.

[TJHValiant]

Outrageous comment against Page. He had to work with budget cuts and has got the team playing better football. Unless he is going to throw loads of money at a proven, better manager, how can he moan?

[Spunk Trumpet]

I don't disagree and I think the subs were wrong but it wasn't one of the subs who failed to attack the long ball into our box and allowed their bloke to nick it in.

 

I don't think the anger is stemmed at how we conceded the late winner, moreso the fact that we took off our most threatening players.

[saintvaliant]

In respect of the extra time argument, Andoh only played 4 mins of extra time and Uche went off before 70 minutes at Albion. The extra time period is therefore irrelevant in their cases. If the issues here are core conditioning based then it raises some serious questions about the conditioning work between games (and in pre-season).

 

Moore played the full 120 and has apparently been ill. You can therefore understand that call.

 

Ultimately Page took off our three most creative players in 5 minutes today and we lost our way and unfortunately also the game.

 

If he can be praised, rightly, for a promising start, then it goes without question that he can be criticised for such a call.

 

Whether the chairman should be doing that so publically is open to question but Norm clearly isn't going to change his PR delivery.

[Ben]

"Hospitality at @officialbantams top draw again today. Sadly i was unable to conceal my anger with 2nd half management decisions after match."

 

Wow.

 

Never a dull moment at the Vale and I could not see the reasoning with the Birchall and Kelly substitutions as they weakened the cause but Norman dont start upsetting the applecart with criticism of the manager in public, you are passionate like the rest of us and they were strange decisions but it will not help.

[falmouthssoberist]

Schtop it's not ready yet!

[Conrad]

What I fail to see is 20 year old uche starts every game ( and rightly so) but McCourt, hooper, Kapend etc who are the same age are considered not ready/ too young.

[Jacko51]

I don't disagree that Page dropped one with those subs - bringing off tired players is fine but having a new lad on the bench who is young and fit then ignoring him in those circumstances is bizarre. Page's subs may have cost us the chance of a win but losing the point was all Inniss' own work - you just had to see Duffy's reaction to know that.

[saintvaliant]

What I fail to see is 20 year old uche starts every game ( and rightly so) but McCourt, hooper, Kapend etc who are the same age are considered not ready/ too young.

 

Even more confusing is that Kelly and Lloyd are deemed ok to use from the bench but others are not.

 

The former has shown little in competitive games thus far and the latter has consistently done nothing with almost every opportunity he has been given.

 

Let's hope the Carlisle game gives some of those not currently getting a chance the opportunity to do something.

[Fosse69]

I don't think the anger is stemmed at how we conceded the late winner, moreso the fact that we took off our most threatening players.

How many games have Enoch and Uche finished? Difficult to maintain their style of play for 94 mins. It is up to the forwards to put the game out of reach in the first half, then shut up shop. Fresh legs should be effective, but ours were not.