Matchday thread: Port Vale v Southend Utd

[stupers]

Well I'm appy!

 

Grant, Foley, Smith, Street and Tavares are the backbone of a good side. Defreitas, when he came on was excellent.

 

Very early days but most of us would have taken 4 points so early.

 

We are going to have good days and bad but I'm optimistic that we are starting to see a shape of a footballing squad to enjoy. UTV.

 

Anyone expecting to see a quality, polished performance yesterday was always going to be disappointed. It's not a realistic expectation at the best of times, let alone 3 games into the season when we've signed 15 new players and they've played a couple of games together.

 

I thought we did fine, played some nice stuff at times but the final ball is lacking just at the moment and we got ourselves into trouble at times. Nothing we can't fix as we go along as the players get used to the level and style they are going to play at.

 

We're ahead of where I expected to us be at this point. We've already won a game and I can see the performances will come. All positive for me.

[Lady_Vale]

A decent result against a side that look like they will be fellow relegation candidates.

 

Two well taken goals but an overall standard of perfornance that will not yield many points against any even half decent sides in this league.

 

I'm very pleased with 4 points so far as it gives us a base.

 

I hope the Cicillia injury isn't bad for bloke but i dont want to see him in the first team plans anytime soon. He isn't up to any aspect of the English game.

 

I think Foley will be a big player for Vale this season.

[TylerB]

A decent result against a side that look like they will be fellow relegation candidates.

 

Two well taken goals but an overall standard of perfornance that will not yield many points against any even half decent sides in this league.

 

I'm very pleased with 4 points so far as it gives us a base.

 

I hope the Cicillia injury isn't bad for bloke but i dont want to see him in the first team plans anytime soon. He isn't up to any aspect of the English game.

 

I think Foley will be a big player for Vale this season.

 

How do you know we won't up our game against the better sides? It sounded like we started nervy yesterday as to be expected coming off the back of a shocker, but in the end ground out the result. Isn't the general opinion that good sides win games without playing anything like there best?

 

Also very harsh and somewhat silly to judge Cicilia based on one and a bit league games. From what bit I've seen he has decent fundamentals and obviously just needs time (more than one and a bit games!) to adapt.

 

Completely agree about Foley. He's a better Doug Loft.

[Valesince93]

People saying cicilia isn't up to the English game for me he holds the ball up very well and reflects in the opponents reaction when he goes off, he makes a pain of himself and when holding the ball up lays it off well , in my opinion he is well worthy of a chance in the squad at this moment in time

[Lady_Vale]

How do you know we won't up our game against the better sides? It sounded like we started nervy yesterday as to be expected coming off the back of a shocker, but in the end ground out the result. Isn't the general opinion that good sides win games without playing anything like there best?

 

Also very harsh and somewhat silly to judge Cicilia based on one and a bit league games. From what bit I've seen he has decent fundamentals and obviously just needs time (more than one and a bit games!) to adapt.

 

Completely agree about Foley. He's a better Doug Loft.

 

In my opinion after watch the friendlies and a league game, that was Vale in top gear. I don't think that was a 'below-par' performance. If Pages team had put that performance in last season i dont think people would have received it quite so well. I feel people have a certain amount of relief that is masking their concerns.

 

We have a massive squad yet no specialist LB or RB started yesterday. I see however we are now signing another goalkeeper. Bruno is flying by the seat of his pants and so are Vale. Survival will be a very big and welcome achievement this season.

[Fosse69]

My view of the first half was that Southend came to disrupt the play, and would be happy with a draw to break their losing streak, but our goal put paid to that. Maybe we will get a few games like that this season as our reputation for "continental" football grows (hopefully). Impressed today with Alnwick today, he did not have a great deal to do, or made it look easy. He came out for plenty of balls under challenges and a can`t remember him flapping at the ball. Whether the ball crossed the line I do not know, but happy to take the asst ref decision, for once.

[SuperValiant1876]

Survival will be a very big and welcome achievement this season.

 

Can I quote you on this later in the season?

[SuperValiant1876]

I bet there aren't many people who wouldn't snap your hand off if they were offered a 20th place finish right now?

 

I wonder if Bruno would?

[Bald Eagle]

First viewing of the new lads today, as unable to get to the friendlies or the 2 away games.

 

After reading various threads on here beforehand, I was cautious, but after what I've seen more optimistic than I was.

 

True, Southend wern't great, but we stood up well to their aggressive stance, and in the 2nd half played some decent stuff. Equally pleasing was how we dug in for the 10 minutes before the opening goal, when they were getting on top and the game could easily have got away from us.

 

Streete and Smith were solid and will only benefit from playing against experienced players the like of Cox, both full backs, whilst you could tell they were out of position look competent defenders, and Tavares looks like he could be a quality playmaker. Forrester also improved as the game went on, taking his header superbly, and making Barrrett look a mug at times. de Fraitas also looked like he has massive potential with that pace.

 

Key however were Grant and Foley, who's contracts we must look to extend. Rudges squad was built on a strong spine, and these two, alongside Streete and Smith could set the platform for Norman / Bruno's project of developing young talent to sell on at a profit and benefit the club and the team as a whole.

 

Overall, a solid victory. 2 clean sheets, the players involved yesterday all looked capable of holding their own at this level, and yes, cause for optimism!

[TylerB]

In my opinion after watch the friendlies and a league game, that was Vale in top gear. I don't think that was a 'below-par' performance. If Pages team had put that performance in last season i dont think people would have received it quite so well. I feel people have a certain amount of relief that is masking their concerns.

 

We have a massive squad yet no specialist LB or RB started yesterday. I see however we are now signing another goalkeeper. Bruno is flying by the seat of his pants and so are Vale. Survival will be a very big and welcome achievement this season.

 

We're obviously still very much a work in progress. Good sides in general are always built from back and nobody can deny that we have a solid shape to the team, and two clean sheets in both league games speaks volumes for this. We do need a bit more pace in the side but with potentially three more signings to come hopefully that will be addressed. If we keep it tight at the back then the odd goal is going to win us lots of games and also draw us plenty away from home too.

 

You make some valid points but can't agree at all that we'll be down there. If we were genuine relegation fodder we'd have got a point against Bradford and probably would have dropped points yesterday to a Southend side that wen into the game highly motivated to put things right after a poor start. On paper they have some good players, and we'd have plenty of there lot in our squad.

 

There's the glass half empty type and then there's the glass smashed to bits on the kitchen floor type...

[Tomo]

I bet there aren't many people who wouldn't snap your hand off if they were offered a 20th place finish right now?

 

I seriously can't understand this opinion that a few people seem to have. Why on earth would anybody take 20th in the league right now, 2(3) games into the season, with fairly decent league performances & 4 points from 6, with no goals conceded?

 

I definitely would NOT snap someone's hand off for that, I believe we have the ability to do far better, & I believe we actually will do far better. If you can't have a bit of optimism at this stage, as a fan of a FL team (where optimism is really required in my opinion), why even bother buying a ST or watching us at all?

[DIV3SOUTH]

Interesting

Watching goalkeeper warm up all done by what must have been goalkeeper sign language perhaps that's why we're after a new one.

Just a thought..... Mac-Intosh may be a good centre half but he's no right back lets hope the Purkiss affair is over by Tuesday.

[Lady_Vale]

Can I quote you on this later in the season?

 

Gladly!

[mr burslem]

I agree with you, onestepatatime. From around 15 minutes into the game, in fact, I thought the side was really knitting together; from around the same time, I noticed Southend players getting away with far too much, and wondered just how much the ref was going to tolerate (which turned out to be quite a lot).

We were the side trying to play football - and, although it came just after a prolonged Southend attack, I wasn't surprised at all when we took the lead. From then on I thought we just became more dominant.

[Regal Beagle]

Gladly!

 

Hopefully around February!