Match Thread - Tranmere Rovers v Port Vale

[Doha]

Fair play running 90 minutes of professional football x 50 odd times a season

 

[paulvaliant]

Fair play running 90 minutes of professional football x 50 odd times a season

 

 

He would have been Michael Brown’s next signing!

[Warren]

 

Wrexham's first goal.

[mickyferns]

4-4-2

 

Gk- Brown

Rb- Gibbons

Lb- Clark

Cb- Legge

Cb- Rawlinson

Rw- Kanu

Dcm- Joyce

Cm- Hannant

Lw- Montano

Cf- Pope

Cf Miller

 

Play positively, attack players with pace, whip crosses into the box, play to Popes strengths. If we lose, lose having a go.

 

Gibbons should be nowhere near the first team he costs us time and time again. I agree Montano shud be playing further forward and stop being a square peg at LB

[PV1973]

Gibbons should be nowhere near the first team he costs us time and time again. I agree Montano shud be playing further forward and stop being a square peg at LB

I know you’re a troll but I’ll bite because I know you don’t go to many games. Costs us time and time again in what way? Gifting the opposition goals? Getting constantly beaten by his winger? Can’t defend his back post? Positionally weak? Not giving 100%? Allowing the opposition to play between him and his centre half? I would say it’s actually none of those. Don’t let a couple of bad decisions that stick in the mind where he tried to play inside to a midfielder in the second half of the only game you’ve been to, (Crawley), cloud your extremely limited judgement of a player who is IMO quite a decent defender.

 

The fact we have defenders guilty of giving the ball away sometimes in a game is nothing new at this level, all our defenders seem to be able to do it and indeed when you watch the opposition they are not much different either. Our defenders are damned if they do and damned if they don’t, criticised for long ball, criticised for going backwards, criticised for going safety first and hitting the channels, criticised for trying to play to forwards feet and making a bad ball.

 

I have no problem with any player trying to play if they can. I would say that as a full back Gibbons in particular needs to learn which option to take when in possession. Whether to drive forward, play a pass forwards, go inside with it, go long to his forward, hit channels, put a cross in or try to play a striker in and the seeming right choice out of all those and many more options in a game only comes with experience. He’s not the only one. But IMO he’s a starter in our team, we need that energy and commitment down both sides in full back areas.

 

Interestingly after that game I got home, sat down and watched the Stoke v Preston game. After seeing our unbelievable defensive performance against Crawley and comparing it to Stokes, it was plainly obvious that they really struggled with full backs who can’t defend their back post and conceded 2 goals through it. Supposed premier league quality defenders couldn’t do the basics. Of course I’m not saying ours are necessarily premier league or championship quality but at least ours displayed the basic understanding and commitment in that position to do their main task, which is to defend.

 

We have full backs who we rely on greatly, (maybe too much) who can add something different to our side in Monty and Gibbons. Have you noticed how the opposition have soon realised this and have stopped them having space to go into? As a result our attacking play has struggled. When that happens that’s where the management should have other ideas of how to be effective going forward, or how to change things to get the full backs in to the game.

[valiant steve]

Hope we can improve our woeful away form this season. Scraping draws would be a massive improvement on the last several seasons!

[mickyferns]

I know you’re a troll but I’ll bite because I know you don’t go to many games. Costs us time and time again in what way? Gifting the opposition goals? Getting constantly beaten by his winger? Can’t defend his back post? Positionally weak? Not giving 100%? Allowing the opposition to play between him and his centre half? I would say it’s actually none of those. Don’t let a couple of bad decisions that stick in the mind where he tried to play inside to a midfielder in the second half of the only game you’ve been to, (Crawley), cloud your extremely limited judgement of a player who is IMO quite a decent defender.

 

The fact we have defenders guilty of giving the ball away sometimes in a game is nothing new at this level, all our defenders seem to be able to do it and indeed when you watch the opposition they are not much different either. Our defenders are damned if they do and damned if they don’t, criticised for long ball, criticised for going backwards, criticised for going safety first and hitting the channels, criticised for trying to play to forwards feet and making a bad ball.

 

I have no problem with any player trying to play if they can. I would say that as a full back Gibbons in particular needs to learn which option to take when in possession. Whether to drive forward, play a pass forwards, go inside with it, go long to his forward, hit channels, put a cross in or try to play a striker in and the seeming right choice out of all those and many more options in a game only comes with experience. He’s not the only one. But IMO he’s a starter in our team, we need that energy and commitment down both sides in full back areas.

 

Interestingly after that game I got home, sat down and watched the Stoke v Preston game. After seeing our unbelievable defensive performance against Crawley and comparing it to Stokes, it was plainly obvious that they really struggled with full backs who can’t defend their back post and conceded 2 goals through it. Supposed premier league quality defenders couldn’t do the basics. Of course I’m not saying ours are necessarily premier league or championship quality but at least ours displayed the basic understanding and commitment in that position to do their main task, which is to defend.

 

We have full backs who we rely on greatly, (maybe too much) who can add something different to our side in Monty and Gibbons. Have you noticed how the opposition have soon realised this and have stopped them having space to go into? As a result our attacking play has struggled. When that happens that’s where the management should have other ideas of how to be effective going forward, or how to change things to get the full backs in to the game.

 

Fair point but my problem with Gibbons is that although I have never doubted his work rate I simply think he is a very poor footballer in every other aspect I can't see one single strength to his game other than pure effort. He is a fullback that can't defend cus his positional sense and reading of the game is shocking, he has a willingness to go forward but decision making and crossing is very poor but he's not the only one in that team. I've seen enough of him to personally think he will go no further in the professional game than Vale in league 2 and if released wud be a Stafford Rangers player.

[PV1973]

You’ll forgive me if I think you know absolutely nothing of where a fullbacks should be on the pitch positionally. Let alone going to regular games to form any opinion on players.

 

Anyway, with our lack of mobility in midfield I’d be tempted to consider moving Hannant in to the centre. But then again who goes on to the left wing? Monty? He wasn’t that effective last season there, although he did make a difference at Carlisle. Some tough choices for Aspin I think because our centre mid with Joyce and Kay is just another version of Tonge and Pugh. Hopefully Manny and Conlon are fit soon.

 

If he goes with Kay and Joyce in the centre, which he probably will, I think we need some mobility the wings in whatever combination he decides on out of Gibbons / Worrall, Clarke / Worrall, Monty / Hannant or Clarke / Hannant.

[Danish Valiant]

No need for all this discussion on Gibbons. Aspin won’t pick him anyway, unless the entire defence is injured and the reserve team as well.

[Wrex]

I'm not sure if mickyferns tries to influence opinion in a way he feels hurts the club or if he just simply posts something he hopes will irritate people so that he can get a reaction off them.

 

I'd imagine though he is purely a troll looking to get a response off people as I don't think he's dumb enough to think anyone takes him seriously.

[Emile]

Gotta keep ignoring mickyferns and he will buggar off.

 

Fancy us to get a win here! I would personally play Hannant in the middle and Dodds / Monty wide left but not sure Aspo agrees. Wouldn't be playing Smith either.

[SFBT]

I agree about the midfield pairing of Joyce and Kay. Far too static. Hannant should be a shoe in until Manny or Conlon are fit.

We now have a defence that is fit for purpose.

Legge is what I call a centre half!!

We have two strikers who should really be lethal at this level.

It's the bits in between that need working on and when it's sorted, we should be a team to be reckoned with.

[mbycars]

I'm not sure if mickyferns tries to influence opinion in a way he feels hurts the club or if he just simply posts something he hopes will irritate people so that he can get a reaction off them.

 

I'd imagine though he is purely a troll looking to get a response off people as I don't think he's dumb enough to think anyone takes him seriously.

 

Just need everyone to put him on their ignore list as many already have. If everyone ignores him he will soon go away.

[Inny]

You’ll forgive me if I think you know absolutely nothing of where a fullbacks should be on the pitch positionally. Let alone going to regular games to form any opinion on players.

 

Anyway, with our lack of mobility in midfield I’d be tempted to consider moving Hannant in to the centre. But then again who goes on to the left wing? Monty? He wasn’t that effective last season there, although he did make a difference at Carlisle. Some tough choices for Aspin I think because our centre mid with Joyce and Kay is just another version of Tonge and Pugh. Hopefully Manny and Conlon are fit soon.

 

If he goes with Kay and Joyce in the centre, which he probably will, I think we need some mobility the wings in whatever combination he decides on out of Gibbons / Worrall, Clarke / Worrall, Monty / Hannant or Clarke / Hannant.

I think the defence picks itself with Gibbons a 100% starter for me. We are a team with very little creativity who struggle to deliver decent crosses and in my opinion Gibbons is one of our better crossers of the ball.

 

Unfortunately Aspin tends to look to avoid defeat rather than winning games and I feel that Hannant is better central midfielder as he offers little out wide.

 

Despite the transfer business been done early we still look like a team with very little idea of how to play together and the anticipated addition of more players indicates that actually our recruitment was very speculative.

[jjvale_03]

This one of those matches where 'loads of idiots come out of the woodwork', so we may actually see a decent atmosphere from Vale fans?