Matchday Thread: Stevenage v Port Vale

[SGW]

This was awful. Players want to do well but their morale is shot to pieces. MOM Tyler Denton. We have to improve on this. Bring in Gibbons Turner Reeves and put Whitfield in a Tony Naylor type role. Out Kay Wilson Barnett De Freitas. We need pace energy willingness to work .Worrall to play as a winger Tonge as anchor with Reeves to do his running. Gibbons and Denton to add energy Pope as target man Whitfield really tight to him and pick up his knock one. Smith and Anderson in the centre attacking the ball. Come on lets play to our strenghts

There is a GK problem lets give Boot a chance. Roos dropped a clanger today and that gave Stevenage a corner which we could not force away and from that play they scored. We need passion Popey has it but he is isolated.

 

Agree with that except worth pointing out that we've tried the Tonge anchor and Reeves legs combo already and it just made Reeves look bad: he did so much running he had no opportunity, and probably no energy either, to get on the ball.

 

I'm seeing Tonge as part of the problem, not part of the answer. He's a good player in his own right but he's killing midfield because he can't run. He's also playing for himself not the team, it can't be a coincidence that every midfield partner he's had has looked awful. I think they're being made to look sh.t.

[elav trop 1876]

This was awful. Players want to do well but their morale is shot to pieces. MOM Tyler Denton. We have to improve on this. Bring in Gibbons Turner Reeves and put Whitfield in a Tony Naylor type role. Out Kay Wilson Barnett De Freitas. We need pace energy willingness to work .Worrall to play as a winger Tonge as anchor with Reeves to do his running. Gibbons and Denton to add energy Pope as target man Whitfield really tight to him and pick up his knock one. Smith and Anderson in the centre attacking the ball. Come on lets play to our strenghts

There is a GK problem lets give Boot a chance. Roos dropped a clanger today and that gave Stevenage a corner which we could not force away and from that play they scored. We need passion Popey has it but he is isolated.

 

Sounds like too much common sense, hope you are 1 of the 3 candidates for manager- agree with this, our energy was sadly lacking with strength and direction-

Going 3 at the back wasn't an issue but to have smith on the left when he is right footed , kay in middle who cant run or distribute a ball and no pace as your last man is asking for issues especially when tongue,wilson struggle to get back to cover-

 

Agree with whitfield,denton,worrall ,turner,gibbons(not sure of his pace) are our pacey players and if worked on correctly should create problems with the strength of gunning,smith,pope(or Barnett) backed up by a keeper who at least shouts instructions to his defence when they are facing him with the ball-

It was never addressed in the summer the spine of the team and this clearly shows as we didn't/cant dominate midfield as we signed fringe back up players who we now have to rely not much for a new manager to work with but with organisation playing players in correct positions to their strengths should at least improve things

[Conrad]

We,re coming for you, we,re coming for yoouu,

Vanarama, we,re coming for you.

[Essex Vale]

Agree with that except worth pointing out that we've tried the Tonge anchor and Reeves legs combo already and it just made Reeves look bad: he did so much running he had no opportunity, and probably no energy either, to get on the ball.

 

I'm seeing Tonge as part of the problem, not part of the answer. He's a good player in his own right but he's killing midfield because he can't run. He's also playing for himself not the team, it can't be a coincidence that every midfield partner he's had has looked awful. I think they're being made to look sh.t.

 

All about opinions and I think ours are pretty close. Reeves and Tonge have only started two games together this season, Leeds and Wycombe. I would not have Tonge as my first choice but given the current squad strength, which we cannot change until January, I think him playing with Reeves is about the best we can get. When Pugh is back then I would definitely put him in place of Tonge.

 

The first Stevenage goal yesterday came because Godden ran at pace through our midfield with no midfield challenge at all, Kay did not come anywhere close to him which pulled Anderson in to try to plug the gap, Godden simply slid the ball to the man Anderson had, he then scored. So as an anchor Tonge was absent yesterday. Kay may well not have been there, his inability to get anywhere near the ball adversely affected Anderson. I think Pugh would be a much better anchor. I don't want to be too critical of Tonge, his legs have gone.

[Paul6754]

For me their first goal was a result of the weakness of playing 3-5-2. Wilson was caught up field during a Vale attack, Stevenage got the ball and two passes later their player was in on goal on the Vale right and no Vale right back/wing back in sight. I bet if Denton had the chance again he would commit a professional foul on the Stevenage player running with the ball (who supplied the final pass), Kay could have done better but the place to defend that attack was around the middle of the park by Denton taking one for the team. I'm sure Denton learned a lesson there.

 

Denton played well yesterday but he was a fault for their 2nd goal, he should have cleared ball and man but opted to feint and jump over the ball thinking the Stevenage player would go over the line with it, he left the ball in possession of the Stevenage player. I'm not having a go at Denton, it's part of the learning curve.

 

I'm not a fan of 3-5-2 for this very reason, interestingly the tv commentators on the Chelski vs Man C game yesterday were debating the very same scenario of a counter attack and a wide player getting in on the flank. Give me a simple 4-4-2 or a variant of it any day.

[CambridgeDon]

It makes depressing reading going through the reports of the game but a lot less depressing than actually having gone. It's about an hour from here but I couldn't bring myself to face it and the posts of the game make me think it was the right decision. The 225 who went deserve a medal as well as a few valium.

 

Whoever takes over from the two inept excuses we have in charge at present will clearly need nerves of steel. He'll also have to be completely ruthless and drop the so-called senior professionals in the squad who seem incapable of putting in a shift for those who do, including our younger players. This is now all about building a siege mentality because, even after 11 games, it's clear we are in a relegation fight.

 

It's going to take a battle-hardened experienced manager to get us out of this mess and too many of the names being linked with us, like Ince, Westley, Little, Sheridan or even Horton (who's been out of it for so long) give me no hope. Bringing in someone who's a has-been ain't going to do it. For me, it's either Powell, Allen or Aspin.

 

Over to you Norman.

[Valiant in Brum]

It makes depressing reading going through the reports of the game but a lot less depressing than actually having gone. It's about an hour from here but I couldn't bring myself to face it and the posts of the game make me think it was the right decision. The 225 who went deserve a medal as well as a few valium.

 

Whoever takes over from the two inept excuses we have in charge at present will clearly need nerves of steel. He'll also have to be completely ruthless and drop the so-called senior professionals in the squad who seem incapable of putting in a shift for those who do, including our younger players. This is now all about building a siege mentality because, even after 11 games, it's clear we are in a relegation fight.

 

It's going to take a battle-hardened experienced manager to get us out of this mess and too many of the names being linked with us, like Ince, Westley, Little, Sheridan or even Horton (who's been out of it for so long) give me no hope. Bringing in someone who's a has-been ain't going to do it. For me, it's either Powell, Allen or Aspin.

 

Over to you Norman.

 

Those names would spell relegation. They would have been fine 15 years ago.

 

I am still unsure about Allen after recent record at Eastliegh but that might be me being nit picky. Aspin or Powell would be the better options.

[joey_pvfc]

Those names would spell relegation. They would have been fine 15 years ago.

 

I am still unsure about Allen after recent record at Eastliegh but that might be me being nit picky. Aspin or Powell would be the better options.

 

Honest truth, would you choose aspin if he had no connections with vale.