Sheffield U 1 Port Vale 0, post match comments

[Howjy04]

The major dissapoint for me today is that we've just lost to the worst Sheff Utd team I've seen.

[Mario]

Considering all the mither Page has to put up with behind the scenes, the continual undermining of player confidence and all the players he gets foisted on him Page does a good job, I think its a cheap shot having a dig at him.

[TheSage]

I've lost count of the number of times I've said this since last August, but we don't have any proven, regular goalscorers in the team, unless you count AJ whose form was bound to dip.

 

Our attacking threat - up front, in midfield and down both wings - is abysmal.

Neither do we have any defenders who can get us 6-8 goals a year from set-pieces.

 

Until we rectify that we'll never make progress up the league.

 

Some aspects of our play - and the performance of some individual players - has been good this season but anyone with any nouse fully realised where the problems would be 8 months ago - creating and scoring goals.

 

It's nothing to do with tactics, or picking the wrong XI, or difference in attitude home and away. It's simply a fact that we don't have proven goalscorers throughout the team.

 

When we got promotion we had the likes of Vincent, Pope, Myrie-Williams, Dodds, Hughes, Williamson, players who were, more or less, double-figure scorers in their own right. Who do we have now up front?

 

I think we've done ok this year considering the problems I've outlined above.

But to rectify the problem is going to be very hard. Game changers, creative players and goalscorers are very hard to find.

[jjvale_03]

Anyone who went to the opening day 0-0 at Crewe will have told you that we're a neat, tidy, solid side who lack a cutting edge in the final third - and it hasn't changed since. That's the worrying thing for me. We've played 17 away games and still have no idea how to create chances away from home. That has to come down to the management. The last two away games (Wigan and Sheff Utd) tell us a lot. We beat them both in thrilling home matches earlier in the season where we created chance after chance. We've struggled for a shot on target against either in 180 minutes away from home. That comes down to difference of mentality, which has to come from the manager.

 

12 goals in 17 away games in a very poor league. Never going to get out of this league with a record like that.

[Conrad]

A more serious question has to be; away from home, is it psychological, lack of confidence, the way we're set-up or a combination of all these factors? Thank goodness we've seen a much better level of performance at Vale Park so far this season and will hopefully continue to see this over the last remaining games. I've been to 5 away matches and we just seem to be a different team to the one I see at home irrespective of the actual personnel on the park!

you're lucky, I've been to 13 away. We always seem to go for a 0-0, then when we concede we're stuffed.

[jjvale_03]

Considering all the mither Page has to put up with behind the scenes, the continual undermining of player confidence and all the players he gets foisted on him Page does a good job, I think its a cheap shot having a dig at him.

 

He's done a decent job in very difficult circumstances (having to work for a complete lunatic of a chairman), but he must take some heat for this away record - failing to score in over 50% of our away league matches!

[Bucknall Rob]

The major dissapoint for me today is that we've just lost to the worst Sheff Utd team I've seen.

 

I said the same walking out of the ground, first saw Vale v Sheffield United back in 1988 when it was 3 all and they were easily the worst Sheffield team I have seen since.

 

It was a very poor game of football between 2 very average limited teams. The first half was shocking was like a pre season friendly, nothing seemed to happen. They scored with their own really decent effort on goal, I am struggling to remember any chances that either team created in the game.

 

Anyone who thought we were on the fringes of the play offs needs to look at the table, were 8 points off having played 1 or 2 games more than most teams. Last season we had 48 points from 35 games and came very close to going down, we need a win from the next 2 games to reach that figure this season, not saying we are going to be struggling but things not much different to me than last season in a much weaker league.

[fairportnick]

not sure if he is doing a good job but he certainly isn't doing a bad job

 

what i am sure about is that i know as soon as we lose people like yourself will be on the thread with your page outs

 

page out

[valiant_593]

I'm more than happy for page to be given a longer go. We've shown at home what we can do. Away from home we are completely toothless but do play some neat and tidy stuff. I still think were a striker away from a decent side.

[Santa]

To be fair to Page, when you look at the shambles we are going forward, it's a wonder we aren't in a relegation battle.

[Regal Beagle]

Notice how poor AJ has been since Theo Robinson has been starting?

[Alkie]

If you dont have shots on target you dont win football games.

We may pick up enough points with Page in charge this season, next season, season after etc..... But because the football is dire more often than not, fans will slowly drift away even more.

 

More than ever our product is a business. And the product is toothless.

The club is not sustainable to mediocre pretty triangle passing without getting the fans excited.

 

We all knew we needed a striker but more worryingly it seems we needed a creative player

.

A major frustration for me is that the nearest thing we've got to a creative midfielder (Dodds) is used to replace the person most likely to run onto an intelligent through ball (A.J) .

To replace AJ with Dodds suggests we are keeping the same shape and hoping that Dodds will be better at it than A.J.

I would have thought it would be more creative to lose a wide man (Moore is the current choice as his form has dipped in recent months) and try to play through the middle a bit more often.

[Santa]

Ive noticed how poor Theo Robinson has been since Theo Robinson has been starting.

[Tubbs]

I'm more than happy for page to be given a longer go. We've shown at home what we can do. Away from home we are completely toothless but do play some neat and tidy stuff. I still think were a striker away from a decent side.

 

Can't really get my head around that.

[valiant_593]

Can't really get my head around that.

 

You wouldn't though... Typical vale fan never happy about anything.