Port Vale 0 - Walsall 5 Post Match Comments

[stupers]

Very bad day at the office. We weren't up for it at all, which is disappointing given a final performance really could've helped push some season tickets. Walsall were obviously well up for it too, the disparity between the two sides in terms of determination was key from the start. Page got it wrong with the tactics, they relished us playing 3-5-2 and found plenty of space in front of us and behind us. However the players have a lot to answer for as well, they was not a performance any of them should be proud of, poor tactics or not. A perfect storm for failure.

 

However we've finished with 65 points. This was a side that the bookies and illustrious posters on here gave little to no chance of staying up. To finish where we have has been impressive for me and the home form has been a highlight. We've been a striker short all season and a centre-half short most of the season whilst Innis has been out. I would say the recruitment from Page was good last summer, and I think he can find some gems again. I was encouraged by his interview on Radio Stoke yesterday post-game. It seems we're going with a smaller squad with more quality in the 1st eleven. I think that has to be the way forward with the smaller budget.

[Family Stand Terrier]

It would be genuinely interesting to hear what Page said to the players today both before the start and at half time. Whatever it was, it wasn't sufficient by all accounts to motivate the players. I thought before the game we would definitely give Walsall a run for their money, not least to set up our credentials for next season but also to play well in front of a decent crowd, especially with season ticket sales in mind. You'd think after all these years I'd know better but there you are, too naive for my own good.

 

Just catching up on this thread. Stayed off here last night as I knew the suicide squad would be out in force. Not saying you're one of them CambridgeDon, but I just thought I'd reply to this.

 

I think before the match Page's team talk was clearly sufficient, he had them fired up because the first 20 minutes was all us. We passed it around well, created a few chances that their keeper did really well to save. We could have been 2 up by the time their first (offside) went in. It was at this point that you need your captain to keep the players heads. The Manager can't really do much. Unfortunately, the players lost it. They were feeling hard done to and sorry for themselves. Half time team talk, I agree, it couldn't have been too inspiring as the 2nd half we were completely outclassed. It was so comfortable for Walsall it's untrue. But I won't blame Page for that.

 

Jak Alnwick has come in for some criticism I notice. I don't know what game some people were watching yesterday. He made two great saves for the first 2 goals so was really unlucky with them. The third was a great finish but should have been closed down. Looking at the replay from behind the goal I think the only criticism I'd give Alnwick is he went for it with the wrong hand so it reduced his reach. He managed to get a hand to it so may have got more on it with his left hand. Last 2 goals, if O'Connor leaves then what a shame his last contribution for the club was a pathetic, lazy pass across the face of his goal. You learn as a Schoolboy not to play passes like that, and if you do you need to commit to them. 5th was just quality.

 

Conrad. Away attendance was correct. Front few rows were netted off in the centre blocks (more than 2). They only filled the 2 side blocks. You can also see pockets of empty seats on the highlights within the middle of the stand.

[Jacko51]

Having just seen the goals again on TV Alnwick should have done better with them all, the first 2 are shockers on his part.

 

That's the funniest thing I've read on here for a while. Good work, Michael!

[Michael]

U seen the goals? Fair play 2 were screamers but the first 2 should have been dealt with far better.

[Jacko51]

my marks ill apologise in advance to the page lovers .

Page 0 More Vale fans there than in most home games this season and u couldnt motivate thst pile of

 

Pride should motivate the players. A number of them didn't show any yesterday and to my mind, O'Connor was the biggest culprit in that respect.

[Family Stand Terrier]

I think the results against the top 3 - if you exclude Wigan it home when they were still clearly re-building, played 5, lost 5, scored 0 and conceded 16.

 

All seemed to go wrong in a mad 5 minutes. Firstly, AJLS....why go near post instead of smashing it across goal when clear through?

 

You can't exclude the one positive result out of those. Your reasoning isn't justified. We beat them, whether they were re-building or not. If you exclude the 5 goals Walsall scored today we'd have drawn 0-0. Strange logic.

 

The second point about AJ's shot that hit the post. It was from a tight angle and ended up being a corner. So the keeper pushed it onto the front post. Had he not saved it chances are it would have gone across the goal.

[Family Stand Terrier]

He needs to be ruthless with the bench warmers to release the funds to do this.

Hopefully the striker should be the main priority statement of intent to sell season tickets but hey ho Pagey knows best and wants to keep this team together!!!

 

People hear Page's comments and interpret them completely differently. On his RS interview yesterday he said about concentrating the little funds he has on the first 11, to get a really competitive team together. He said he wants to keep the best players, not the whole squad. Why moan about something that hasn't even happened yet.

[JRC]

In all honesty we didn't play that bad today, the difference was Warsaw have goal scorers, we don't, something everyone could see from the first day of the season. Goals change games( stating the obvious)

 

Not conceding goals wins leagues and gets promotion - and yesterday our defending was awful. I have defended Duffy and McGivern in the past, partly because Streete hasn't really lived up to expectations at times and they've been the least bad options. Wouldn't be sad to see both leave and a couple of decent experienced players replace them.

[Jacko51]

U seen the goals? Fair play 2 were screamers but the first 2 should have been dealt with far better.

 

Of course I've seen the goals. Have you? Not sure what he could have done about the first one which ended up being offside and was largely a result of a ludicrous attempt at a clearance by McGivern then a missed tackle by Dicko. Alnwick made a good save but the attacker headed back in from an offside position The second was direct from our corner when we ended up with 2 defenders against 4 attackers while the rest of our team, apart from Foley, dawdled back. Alnwick made a pretty decent save but none of the defenders challenged Bradshaw effectively so he just headed in. The third was a thunderbolt shot into the top corner which he got a hand to. The fourth was all Michael O'Connor's own work with a stupid square pass that gave their bloke a free run on goal unchallenged. The final goal was another thunderbolt which their bloke was allowed to line up unchallenged by any of our midfield or defence and flew into the top corner.

 

Alnwick is not the best keeper in the world but I'm not convinced he alone could have done a great deal to stop Walsall yesterday in view of the abject defending in front of him.

 

The Alnwick v Neal debate will no doubt carry on every time we let a goal in and to be fair, there is not a lot to choose between them except for age. Neal was prone to the odd mistake, the last goal he let in was a near post shot that Alnwick would have been murdered for by you. He was also prone to being beaten from long range and which was that game where he let a goal in between his legs from a soft shot and was given man of the match by some jokers in the sponsors' lounge?

 

Just because we let five goals in it doesn't mean the keeper was garbage - I'd be more inclined to look at the blokes in front of him to be fair.

[PVTony]

Today was a bad day at the office they clearly had a job to do whereas we had not a lot to play for.

I thought Alnick had no chance with at least two of the goals and saved quite a few others but was down to slow defending for the rebounds.

Two ball playing commanding centre halves needed who are a threat at corners/free kicks etc for next year at least one good goal scoring midfielder and two quality strikers.

He needs to be ruthless with the bench warmers to release the funds to do this.

Hopefully the striker should be the main priority statement of intent to sell season tickets but hey ho Pagey knows best and wants to keep this team together!!!

 

>>........ where as we had not a lot to play for.

Wrong! They had the supporters to play for. The real payers of their wages are the supporters who deserve 100% of effort!!!

[stupers]

I agree with Family Stand Terrier. The pre-match team talk was clearly alright. We matched them pound for pound before the offside 1st goal. It's then up to the players to regroup and motivate themselves to get back in to the game. They couldn't do it and it was too late at half-time to really salvage the game. Pagey has to take some of the blame for setting us up poorly, but for motivating the players? I think they have to shoulder the blame for that one.

 

Painful as it was, I've already let this game go. Overall it has been a positive season on the pitch, and I hope the week ahead will be the time Page takes the chance to reshape this team fully in to his mold. I like what I've seen in the main this season and I think despite the budget cuts, we can field a team to compete in the top half again next season if we're smart with our summer transactions.

[NellyTheValiant]

Alnwick had a very decent game yesterday and still conceded 5!

 

http://www.skysports.com/walsall-videos

 

The only 1 of the 5 that he could have been at fault for was the 3rd when he tried to save it with his wrong hand. Made some very decent saves but must say our defending and closing down was shocking.

[Michael]

And the first for not pushing it far enough wide out of danger.

[Fosse69]

And the first for not pushing it far enough wide out of danger.

How many saves did Hindsight make?

[Tomo]

Can't believe people are actually slating Alnwick, & saying things like he'll never be as good as Neal. 8 years ago, when Chris was Jak's age, he'd been with Preston & made one appearance at that point before breaking into the Shrews side.

 

Think some people forget that yes, whilst Jak has looked very promising, he is in his first full season. He, like Page, Kelly & a few others, is still learning. He'd made 8 appearances prior to coming to Vale, & I for one am really glad we've got him. Neal also had a full season in a promotion side prior to joining Vale.

 

Often hear complaints about the PL binning off players because they're not good enough before they've even had a chance to prove themselves, but some of our fans are no better, if they had their own way we could be getting rid of one of the best young keepers in the league.