Will Nornan Admit he has been sold a pup

[Sam Kelly's Left Boot]

In the first 3 months of the season we've played, Bradford, MK Dons, Peterborough, Sheff U & Bolton all AWAY from home and sit just outside the Play-offs.

[Rampant Zebra]

What about Brunos record made you excited? He is friends with Jose Mourinho but so what? I expect Jose has several good friends but that doesn't mean they can manage a football team. Should have quoted Beechys post here!

[SourceOfTheTrent]

I'm confident everything will be ok. Norman says he's swapped Nathan Smith for some magic beans with a bloke he met in Wetherspoons on Wednesday who said he owns Atletico Madrid and is good mates with Pele. Smith's contract is transferring to ThirdPartyPlayersAgency.com and we're loaning him back until January when Norm will get his beans which will bring good luck and anyone who eats them will have the football skills of Inesta & Messi rolled into one.

Norm says we'll be top 2 by April and will take the Championship by storm next season. It's part of his 5 minute plan to win the European Cup.

The only thing that can scupper him now is the outcome of his appointment at the Harplands Hospital on Tuesday.

[Jinkin John Jeffers]

What about Brunos record made you excited? He is friends with Jose Mourinho but so what? I expect Jose has several good friends but that doesn't mean they can manage a football team. Should have quoted Beechys post here!

 

2 points outside the play offs, through to the next round of the cup and picking up a few results when in a poor run of form with key players out injured and a run of games against some of the better sides in the league. We are not doing that bad ffs.

[For Us All]

We could end up like tranmere / stockport.

 

Or like Burton.

[For Us All]

Next 4 league games:

 

Fleetwood - H

Charlton - A

Oldham - H

Shrewsbury - A

 

All winnable games.

Currently 2pts off the PO and in the hat for the FA cup 2nd round draw.

 

You're wasting your time Sam,Doom and Gloom are in the building.

[Guppy 4 England]

In the first 3 months of the season we've played' date=' Bradford, MK Dons, Peterborough, Sheff U & Bolton all AWAY from home and sit just outside the Play-offs.[/quote']

 

You are on the wrong forum mate, this is for moaning and whinging, not positive posts.

[Jacko51]

2 points outside the play offs, through to the next round of the cup and picking up a few results when in a poor run of form with key players out injured and a run of games against some of the better sides in the league. We are not doing that bad ffs.

 

I applaud your positivity, JJJ, but there is a limit to how far I'm prepared to look on the bright side. We were not doing that badly at the start of the season and at the end of September were in the play off places. We beat Millwall and things were looking up. Then along came Coventry. They were the first team to demonstrate that the way to play at Vale Park was simply to press us high from the start and stop us playing out of the the back. They had struggled to win a raffle let alone a match all season yet they beat us with some ease, both goals were the result of possession being lost by midfielders faffing on the ball in their own half. We had one effort on target in the whole game.

 

That was the start of a very poor run which saw us lose to League 2 Mansfield, again without scoring, get a fortunate win against MK and ship goals by the boatload at Sheffield - they scored four and had four more disallowed. We then got a fortunate point against Charlton courtesy of a second goal of the month - both penalties. We then played at home to Oxford who were in the bottom half of the league. The second half of that game was the one really decent 45 minutes I saw all month. Last Saturday's efforts against Bolton saw the home team declare after 15 minutes with the game won.

 

Now it's true we have had injuries but the much missed Alex Jones played in five of those seven games so his absence cannot be used as an excuse. Yes Forrester was missing but we managed well enough in September without him.

 

Much as I want to believe that this is just a blip, I'm worried that it is more than that. The Purkiss situation suggests that there are some issues behind the scenes. Bruno's sudden pre- and post-match silences are hard to understand. I don't buy this "language issue" which some people have suggested - it wasn't a problem for him in August and September. Added to this is the fact that the three teams below us in the League all have a game in hand and if they were to win them (or even draw in a couple of cases) we would be pushed into the bottom half.

 

I really want to be optimistic. I really want this run of poor performances to be a blip on the road to better things. It is increasingly looking to me though, that we have a huge squad of players many of whom are not fit for purpose at this level and whom we seem to be lumbered with for a couple of years. We have a manager who seems extremely stubborn and unwilling to change the way we play. If we keep playing pedestrian football with players out of their natural positions and little if any support for a striker who is struggling then we will keep getting the same outcome.

 

I really do hope things improve. I really hope that I will see us stuff Donny on Tuesday and progress in another cup competition. I really hope that next Saturday against Fleetwood is the start of another surge up the league. I always live in hope but Christ, it's hard at the moment!!

[For Us All]

I applaud your positivity, JJJ, but there is a limit to how far I'm prepared to look on the bright side. We were not doing that badly at the start of the season and at the end of September were in the play off places. We beat Millwall and things were looking up. Then along came Coventry. They were the first team to demonstrate that the way to play at Vale Park was simply to press us high from the start and stop us playing out of the the back. They had struggled to win a raffle let alone a match all season yet they beat us with some ease, both goals were the result of possession being lost by midfielders faffing on the ball in their own half. We had one effort on target in the whole game.

 

That was the start of a very poor run which saw us lose to League 2 Mansfield, again without scoring, get a fortunate win against MK and ship goals by the boatload at Sheffield - they scored four and had four more disallowed. We then got a fortunate point against Charlton courtesy of a second goal of the month - both penalties. We then played at home to Oxford who were in the bottom half of the league. The second half of that game was the one really decent 45 minutes I saw all month. Last Saturday's efforts against Bolton saw the home team declare after 15 minutes with the game won.

 

Now it's true we have had injuries but the much missed Alex Jones played in five of those seven games so his absence cannot be used as an excuse. Yes Forrester was missing but we managed well enough in September without him.

 

Much as I want to believe that this is just a blip, I'm worried that it is more than that. The Purkiss situation suggests that there are some issues behind the scenes. Bruno's sudden pre- and post-match silences are hard to understand. I don't buy this "language issue" which some people have suggested - it wasn't a problem for him in August and September. Added to this is the fact that the three teams below us in the League all have a game in hand and if they were to win them (or even draw in a couple of cases) we would be pushed into the bottom half.

 

I really want to be optimistic. I really want this run of poor performances to be a blip on the road to better things. It is increasingly looking to me though, that we have a huge squad of players many of whom are not fit for purpose at this level and whom we seem to be lumbered with for a couple of years. We have a manager who seems extremely stubborn and unwilling to change the way we play. If we keep playing pedestrian football with players out of their natural positions and little if any support for a striker who is struggling then we will keep getting the same outcome.

 

I really do hope things improve. I really hope that I will see us stuff Donny on Tuesday and progress in another cup competition. I really hope that next Saturday against Fleetwood is the start of another surge up the league. I always live in hope but Christ, it's hard at the moment!!

 

 

Keep the faith.UTV

[Mario]

Keep the faith.UTV

 

Blind faith

[TheSage]

Couldn't agree more with Jacko's sentiments.

 

We have been sold a pup and it was the runt of the litter.

[i vale]

Even Arsenal have a plan B now. The playing out from the back is too predictable just like the Page/ Adams hoof ball was. We need to mix it up a bit.

 

Lets hope Smurf will learn quality before quantity is important especially upfront. We still haven't replaced Pope have we ?

[old sage]

I'm confident everything will be ok. Norman says he's swapped Nathan Smith for some magic beans with a bloke he met in Wetherspoons on Wednesday who said he owns Atletico Madrid and is good mates with Pele. Smith's contract is transferring to ThirdPartyPlayersAgency.com and we're loaning him back until January when Norm will get his beans which will bring good luck and anyone who eats them will have the football skills of Inesta & Messi rolled into one.

Norm says we'll be top 2 by April and will take the Championship by storm next season. It's part of his 5 minute plan to win the European Cup.

The only thing that can scupper him now is the outcome of his appointment at the Harplands Hospital on Tuesday.

I didn't give your post a 'thanks' comment but it sure did make me laugh and they say that a good chuckle is good for you.

[For Us All]

Couldn't agree more with Jacko's sentiments.

 

We have been sold a pup and it was the runt of the litter.

 

I do agree that some of the fans are barking mad.

[Jacko51]

I do agree that some of the fans are barking mad.

 

Don't worry, I'm sure there are some tablets you can take for it to make you better.