Port Vale 0 Millwall 2 Post match comments

[Rampant Zebra]

Good call, use Andoh as sub for a bit to allow him to adjust to first team football.

[Fosse69]

Millwall were a side built in the image of Neil Harris. Ruthless, cynical at times, a bit ugly, effective.

 

It was an even better performance when you hear in mind that all but one of their international players (who they got the original game called off for) weren't playing.

Was it a cunning plan so they would play us after our Wigan game, whereas they had an easy game against us? It does give us a view of the standard required to be successful in the POs, however getting into the POs would be a big step forward for us. Early days in the season yet.

[Shropshire_Valiant]

Strange game in that the period Millwall dominated(first 20 minutes) we somehow escaped in tact and as Beechy says above you thought we might just come out 2nd half and make them pay(I know I've seen us do that in the past i.e. miss a load of chances then go and lose it!) However it wasn't to be. Can’t really complain about the result, Millwall played it well and could easily have been several up in the first 20 had it not been for Alnwick and men on the line.

Not for want of trying but I felt we huffed and puffed a bit too much and perhaps tried to make 1 pass too many or players dithered on the ball when they could have shot or passed to someone better placed!

Just frustrating to keep them out then not take advantage but hey ho we move on. We’ve had a tough start when you look who we have played. Only really Crewe who you would expect to be down with the dead men and we’ve played Gills who are one of the earlier pace setters so mid-table isn’t bad!

[Shropshire_Valiant]

I'm yet to be convinced Andoh can change a game. Looks great with the ball running at people, love his attitude but he doesn't seem to have an actual end product yet. I think we may see Foley there when MOC is fit.

 

I agree can't fault the lad for effort and pace does scare defenders but when he gets in/around the box he not so much craps himself but doesn't know what to do with it! Needs to improve his crossing and shooting. It's a shame he didn't bury that header as a goal or 2 might do his confidence the world of good!

[onestepatatime]

I agree can't fault the lad for effort and pace does scare defenders but when he gets in/around the box he not so much craps himself but doesn't know what to do with it! Needs to improve his crossing and shooting. It's a shame he didn't bury that header as a goal or 2 might do his confidence the world of good!

 

Agree with that but he offers a whole lot more than Moore has so far. Would imagine opposition prefer to see Moore in our side than Andoh.

[Port Vale Paul]

Agree with that but he offers a whole lot more than Moore has so far. Would imagine opposition prefer to see Moore in our side than Andoh.

 

Agree, Moore was very poor last night (passing & positional) and offered no outlet at all down the right 1st half, and was playing to far infield IMO.

[cheshirevaliant]

Agree with that but he offers a whole lot more than Moore has so far. Would imagine opposition prefer to see Moore in our side than Andoh.

 

Moore was dreadful last night but on the whole has shown some lively moments this season (as has Andoh). He links up superbly with Purkiss and looks more likely to get a goal than most of our players other than Uche.

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

I'm yet to be convinced Andoh can change a game. Looks great with the ball running at people, love his attitude but he doesn't seem to have an actual end product yet. I think we may see Foley there when MOC is fit.

 

Personally I'd have Foley in place of Moore and maybe switch wings. Moore for me is akin to how Dodds has been for much of his career until this season - obviously quality inside the player when he applies himself but all too often only one really good game in 6 or 7.

 

The supporting 3 however do abundantly clearly need to start scoring more goals as three (I think) between the three of them this simply not good enough in the system we play.

 

Page also needs to look to create plan b and plan c when our very solid and entertaining plan a doesn't work like last night.

[cheshirevaliant]

Personally I'd have Foley in place of Moore and maybe switch wings. Moore for me is akin to how Dodds has been for much of his career until this season - obviously quality inside the player when he applies himself but all too often only one really good game in 6 or 7.

 

The supporting 3 however do abundantly clearly need to start scoring more goals as three (I think) between the three of them this simply not good enough in the system we play.

 

Page also needs to look to create plan b and plan c when our very solid and entertaining plan a doesn't work like last night.

 

Is that how Dodds has actually been or just how you imagine Dodds has been? :)

 

I think Dodds and Moore have 2 goals each, assuming you are including cup games. 4 in 10 games isn't dreadful. Given the height of our centre halves, I am disappointed they haven't scored yet, although that may not reflect particularly well on Foley's set pieces.

[carpetman123]

Outplayed and outfought in all areas of the pitch for me last night and has already been said we could have gone in at half time 4 or 5 goals down, Uche played well enough up top but he still needs to try passing the ball at critical moments instead of always getting crowded out and losing it under his feet

 

Andoh with our best chance needs to gain a clinical finish on him and i,m sure he will be a star of the future suffice to say I thought the Valiant suite was hosting a Managers Forum by the amount of League Managers there were in there last night

 

We could see throughout the first half Inniss should have been in the team from the start as it was Land of the Giants in their team with us not winning any headers front or back so glad Page changed it second half

 

Like has been said though we offer nothing from Corners or free kicks so the sooner O'Connor returns the better, quiet games for Grant, Dodds and Moore last night maybe we just cant play two games together in a short space in time!

 

The sign of a good team though is how you bounce back from a defeat so we need a good solid performance on Saturday V Bury and Fleetwood which I believe we are capable of.

[Little_Al]

Very pleased that we have had a sensible reaction and constructive comments, although I must question whether some commentators watched the game with their eyes open. To say for instance that Uche is not a team player when he produced the move and cross of the game for Andoh's header, and to say we won nothing in the air when Andoh had a free header in the centre of their area is simply not true. Overall we were in the game until the 90th minute which was a considerable achievement against a very good, strong, talented Millwall side. We are still learning and blending and it is not possible to find which substitutions work unless you try them under match conditions.

[Fosse69]

Outplayed and outfought in all areas of the pitch for me last night and has already been said we could have gone in at half time 4 or 5 goals down, Uche played well enough up top but he still needs to try passing the ball at critical moments instead of always getting crowded out and losing it under his feet

 

Andoh with our best chance needs to gain a clinical finish on him and i,m sure he will be a star of the future suffice to say I thought the Valiant suite was hosting a Managers Forum by the amount of League Managers there were in there last night

 

We could see throughout the first half Inniss should have been in the team from the start as it was Land of the Giants in their team with us not winning any headers front or back so glad Page changed it second half

 

Like has been said though we offer nothing from Corners or free kicks so the sooner O'Connor returns the better, quiet games for Grant, Dodds and Moore last night maybe we just cant play two games together in a short space in time!

 

The sign of a good team though is how you bounce back from a defeat so we need a good solid performance on Saturday V Bury and Fleetwood which I believe we are capable of.

Ideal chance for the managers without a game last night, looking at players, style, tactics, strengths and weaknesses? Maybe to our advantage in the future that our usual standard was not on display, but there are two teams on the pitch, the stronger team controls the pitch, but we could have snatched a draw. All part of the learning curve.

[George]

Agree with that but he offers a whole lot more than Moore has so far. Would imagine opposition prefer to see Moore in our side than Andoh.

 

Really? How many goals / assists has Andoh contributed compared to Moore this season?

 

I'm a huge Andoh fan, but at the moment Moore has more of an end product.

[Santa]

Moore and Purkiss are guilty of overplaying at times and they lose the ball in positions where they need to put a ball in.

[Bluedevil]

Moore and Purkiss are guilty of overplaying at times and they lose the ball in positions where they need to put a ball in.

 

In fairness, I think we have several players who need to learn when to either lay off a simple pass or hit an early shot. This constant need to try and dribble past every defender on the edge of the box is becoming very frustrating.