Rochdale 2 Port Vale 1, post match comments

[Hagrid]

Soon as I heard we'd lost I knew what it was going to be like on here tonight.

 

Win and we're going to win the league. Lose and we're certs for relegation.

 

Different people have different opinions shocker. I don't see any poster who has claimed we were gonna win the league post on here that we are going down.

[PVTony]

I aren't getting at people like yourself,my problem is that there are a few who have just appeared today again when we have lost but post nothing when we win,i personally think you are a decent poster on here

 

Thanks for the kind reply. I also understand what your feelings are towards such posters. But I also understand their feelings. They so very much want the club to do well, but they get so frustrated when they think that the team should win and then go and lose.

 

One day, I don't know just how soon that will be, but when we are in the top six, everyone will be posting messages of great glee and enthusiasm. UP THE VALE!!!

[Heatwave]

Different people have different opinions shocker. I don't see any poster who has claimed we were gonna win the league post on here that we are going down.

 

You won't. But you could bet on who was going to post after a defeat.

[Eddie Hitler]

The game changed when they made a tactical sub after 30 mins.

 

Calvin Andrew ran the show today. By far and away the best player. We just couldn't handle him.

 

We started brightly but then faded badly with no real quality.

 

Uche in next game please. And Purkiss, who offers a lot more quality into the box than Yates.

[Santa]

The game changed when they made a tactical sub after 30 mins.

The lad was lucky to still be on the pitch to be able to be subbed. He was already on a booking and walking a tightrope after a few fouls.

[Howjy04]

Their goalkeeper assaulted Uche,no pen.Their player dived ,pen.Bad refereeing,they were persistent foulers then we get a player sent off.I thought we defended ok apart from their second goal.Not a lot created by us.Uche and AJ for Exeter.Louis Dodds is,well, Louis Dodds I'm afraid.

[markpvfc]

We got the result Page's negative tactics deserved. Rather than going out to win a game he goes not to lose it. Calvin Andrew was a class above anything we had on the pitch, which is rather depressing.

[Woakesy]

One observation I've got is this;

 

Roberto Martinez was under pressure earlier in the season to drop Tim Howard who want playing well. When asked why he continued to select Howard he replied, because he picked his players based on class rather than form.

 

Especially at our level, form is so fleeting and players so inconsistent that surely we have to pick our best players overall rather than those who played well in the previous game.

 

Our defence for the last few games was the same defence that we came fairly close to getting relegated with last season. Surely logic says that if we continue to play the same players, we're going to struggle defensively.

 

I know we've been on a good run recently but no one can say we've looked solid in any game, including the 2 Maidenhead games.

 

Surely our back 4 has to include Streete & Purkiss?

[Conrad]

Ah Well, time to start another run next Saturday. Rest for Dickinson!

 

Sunday.

[VantaaVale]

Keith Hill's view is on this page and says they got a break with the penalty, but still reckoned they were deserving winners.

 

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/34887216

[ELDERBEZZA]

Very interesting points being raised tonight on the Rochdale Fans Forum.They thought the penalty decision was a bad one and their player dived!They also stated that Dicko was elbowed in the ribs prior to him getting sent off.Additionally they thought their player should have gone too!!!

Oh,they think Vale are awful too.

[Bucknall Rob]

The first 25 minutes thought we played some decent football, got the goal and seemed decent value for it and could have gone 2 up if Foley had got his head up and passed to Dodds instead of shooting,

 

At the time thought it looked a penalty for them but people saying it wasn't. After their goal they controlled the game, Grant and O'Connor were second best to their midfielders who bossed it. I still feel we look a better side with Grant and Foley in the middle, O'Connor not reached last season's form. Dodds was his typical self away from home, McGivern had another good game, Dicko blamed everyone else apart from looking at his own game.

 

I still cannot believe that Purkiss is not playing, you have to play your best team, if we signed Messi and won the week before, we would leave him on the bench.

[CAVALIER]

What's their budget ? Awful if we've been 'out thought' by the way

[NLVMalc]

A disappointing loss today which was partly down to poor refereeing and partly down to our inability to clear out lines in a way that allowed us to hold on to possession. If Page insists on hoofing the ball forward we would do better having Uche & Hooper up top.

 

A second goal seemed inevitable. It could have been so different. A soft Rochdale penalty allowed them back into a match we leading relatively easily without offering a great deal. We could have easily had a second if Dicko's free header had hit the target or if Uche had scored when rounding the keeper. As always with football Rochdale could have had a couple of goals too. Last ditch tackles and Duffy??? Hitting our own post.

 

For me, the keeper, back four and Grant acquitted themselves very well. However, there is only so much pressure a team can soak up. O'Connor does not look match sharp and Vale look better with Foley down the centre.

 

Birchall took his goal well, capitalising on a back pass holding up in surface water. Dodds and AJ got very few opportunities today but this was down to the lack of service coming from the midfield. Pages' substitution of AJ was booed by an element of the Vale crowd who thought Dodds should have subbed. I thought this was harsh on Dodds. In the conditions and with our style of play it might have been better to taken both Dodds and AJ off and given Uche & Hopper more time together.

 

Kelly offered nothing when he came on and looked lightweight again.

 

I miss the style football we played at the beginning of the season, although today wasn't a day to be playing carpet football. However, the players have done well to win 4 league matches on the bounce without playing particularly attractive football. This is especially commendable in the short space time we recorded the wins and with a FA Cup replay in the middle of it too. We still had flashes of what the team is capable of today, one reverse pass by Dodds to AJ sticks in my mind.

 

Dicko's red was as stupid as it was unwarranted. It does mean a change at the back. Streete to come in and McGivern to left back. I would bring Purkiss back too, harsh on Yates, but we are stronger with him in the team. O'Connor should be rested next week and Foley brought in to the centre.

 

Finally, well done to Calvin Andrew who was a pain in the rear end all match - thankfully he didn't score from said 'rear end' today.

[Smugsy]

Didn't play well with too many players off their game particularly Dodds and O'Connor. Started off well enough and were worth a goal lead but they gradually got a foot hold in the game. Hill's early substitution was enforced because the lad was lucky to stay on the pitch with three bookable fouls. Didn't see their penalty so can't comment. Second half they began to dominate and despite our couple of chances, they deserved to lead. Unfortunately Alnwick's problems with crosses cost us as chaos reigned and the rebound was stuck in. The penalty incident with Uche was as clear a penalty as you will ever see and how a spot kick wasn't given I'll never know. Dickinson's sending off I didn't see but as is the way with these things, their player's recovery after the incident was miraculous. So we probably deserved to lose but with a better referee, could have taken a point.