Match Thread - Port Vale v Newport County

[valiant_593]

We will set up not to lose and probably lose. The defence will probably be different with players playing where they shouldn’t and we will probably play negative hoof ball for 85 mins until we realise we need to attack.

[Warren]

Brown long to Pope every time tells me that’s the managers instructions.

 

Exactly. In the warm up they go through the square exercise promoting one and two touch passing and ball retention. They are pretty good at it. But then those skills are simply not used in the game.

 

In midfield at Tranmere we had no one prepared to take the ball and travel with it. Kay in particular plays exactly like a centra half. Give him the ball and he stops and plays square or backwards or he tries to find Pope. But he stops. He can't move and pass. He can't turn with the ball. The midfield is then not getting up the pitch and near the forwards. Because they are not moving through transition defence midfield attack we are ineffective in attack, poor at ball retention and inviting opposition pressure again and again. No matter how good the defence and keeper are, where we have improved, if we concede far more chances to the opposition than we create the probability is we are going to lose most games.

 

The point of 532 in possession is to alllow a player like Joyce to get on the ball in central midfield and move and pass securely forward to the final third. If Joyce is closed down then the wing backs must have space. If the opposition press high then that may be the right time to go long. But hoofing the ball down the pitch again and again and again, not even in a way where Pope has the best chance to control it is poor tactics and therefore poor coaching.

 

I went to opening game of the season at Anfield where Liverpool beat West Ham 4-0. Obviously there are top level players and a few world class players on the pitch. But a couple of things stand out. Firstly Liverpool have Mr Reliability to get the ball from defence to attack, James Milner, man of the match. When the ball eventually goes to the forwards it is usually on the deck or chest high. It is very rarely head high. Head high balls are only played as crosses in to the box.

 

The Liverpool players are also drilled. They find space for passes, they have patterns of play to get past defensive situations such as attacking down the flank. They set up to attack but also stop counter attacks. By contrast we just stand around in fixed positions that are easy to mark, anticipating giving the ball away and flooding back into our own penalty box.

 

I am not expecting Port Vale to be anywhere near that good, but neither are our opponents. But I do expect us to know the percentages when passing the ball. For example short passes have a much higher success rate than long passes. Surely that is reasonable to expect from the coaching.

[pjg1876]

They won’t ask difficult questions because their jobs depend on them having access to vale and they just won’t go deeper or too difficult with the line of questioning.

 

Sky are no better asking stupid questions like “how important was it that you kept a clean sheet tonight” after a 1-0 victory. I just wish somebody would say something like “we wouldn’t have won if we hadn’t kept a clean sheet” but they never do.

[bookworm]

QUOTE=smithie;825242]If you do decide to attend, don't forget we've moved from Hanley.

 

still extracting the urine smudge.

[valefan16]

Tricky one but one we can win, certainly if Oyeleke is fit and we can go 4-4-2 which we seem better with, that changed the Crawley game.

 

Newport may actually arrive in a bit of turmoil as Notts County apparently have requested to speak to Flynn about their job which may boost our chances.

 

They’ve had a good start although their wins have all been at home against teams they’d expect to beat (Grimsby and Crewe) and Notts County who are dreadful at the moment. They haven’t won’t away as yet with a battering at Mansfield and a draw at Exeter where their keeper was outstanding.

 

Did smash Cambridge in the cup away though!

 

I expect Newport will come not to get beat and try and get something to hold onto and will be similar to Cambridge and Crawley in that set up. If we play well we can win the game but does seem reliant on Mannys fitness at the moment.

 

A win and 9 points from 6 and things won’t look too bad, so fingers crossed!

 

For all the negativity regarding our away abilities we’ve actually only lost three league games at home since mid November, 1 which was a dead rubber, 1 which we got mugged with some awful officiating (Crawley) and the other a smash and grab by Exeter. So positives can be taken at home.

[Marmaduke]

Flynn is pretty new to management, though he’s had success in each of his seasons at Newport. He’s not the brightest but is probably shrewd enough to realise that moving to another L2 club, especially one as messed up as Notts County appear to be, wouldn’t be wise.

 

I attended Newport v Grimsby last Saturday. Grimsby, who started with JJ Hooper in an advanced position, weren’t really very good, though they restricted Newport to just the one goal in a game County dominated without creating many chances.

 

Newport have kept together the majority of the team who played out that dull 0-0 at Vale Park last Spring as well as making some useful additions. Brilliant Brighton loanee Ben White has returned to his parent club though replacement Fraser Franks has impressed so far. He always seems to have time on the ball (in that regard he reminds me of George Pilkington). It’ll be interesting to see how he copes with Pope’s physicality.

 

Newport have loaned a Bristol City midfielder named Bakinson. He’s great at picking up possession then driving deep into the opposition half, though his shots on goal need work ;). The local media liken him to Paul Pogba though I reckon he’s closer to Patrick Vierra. Either way he was very influential on Saturday.

 

A second loanee is Cardiff striker Mark Harris. He showed maturity far beyond his 19 years, worked hard making himself available for the ball and, as shown in County’s previous game, he can score nice goals. His contribution tailed off following a (ahem) robust challenge by a Grimsby defender late in the first half.

 

With Vale in the doldrums it’s hard to see Newport rolling over, but County tend not to travel too well, so you never know.

[Upfromnowhere]

Two goals from open play in six games tells it own story. Get it up to feet, Millers or ideally Pope and let him hold it up long enough for the others to link up with him.

As it stands we simply don't look like scoring, and if Neil repeats the tactics of the last few games, the crowd will get very frustrated and will do so very quickly!

[werstayinup]

Tricky one but one we can win, certainly if Oyeleke is fit and we can go 4-4-2 which we seem better with, that changed the Crawley game.

 

Newport may actually arrive in a bit of turmoil as Notts County apparently have requested to speak to Flynn about their job which may boost our chances.

 

They’ve had a good start although their wins have all been at home against teams they’d expect to beat (Grimsby and Crewe) and Notts County who are dreadful at the moment. They haven’t won’t away as yet with a battering at Mansfield and a draw at Exeter where their keeper was outstanding.

 

Did smash Cambridge in the cup away though!

 

I expect Newport will come not to get beat and try and get something to hold onto and will be similar to Cambridge and Crawley in that set up. If we play well we can win the game but does seem reliant on Mannys fitness at the moment.

 

A win and 9 points from 6 and things won’t look too bad, so fingers crossed!

 

For all the negativity regarding our away abilities we’ve actually only lost three league games at home since mid November, 1 which was a dead rubber, 1 which we got mugged with some awful officiating (Crawley) and the other a smash and grab by Exeter. So positives can be taken at home.

 

They have asked to speak to Kewell and not Flynn

[windsorvale4ever]

going into a game we shouldn't be worried about any team, we need to attack more not just sit back our defence has been superb this season but we sit back to much, we need push forward more get it wider and get better quality into pope and miller, get the central midfielders up the pitch supporting the 2 strikers better and get behind defences instead of just lumping balls in from about 30-40 yards away.

[valefan16]

They have asked to speak to Kewell and not Flynn

 

Apparently three in work managers, Kewell and Flynn rumoured as two of them.

[Fosse69]

Wonder what was made of Newport`s 3-0 defeat at home tonight? No shots on target against Oxford`s 7. Bit of a downer for them?

[Wereskintandweknowweare]

I think Aspin tactics and team selection were very significant factors in the defeats at Carlisle and Tranmere. If he picks 4 central defenders yet again, then instructs long ball with no distribution by the fullbacks / wingbacks and the outcome is as poor as it was in those games sporting wise and entertainment wise then that is it for the season for me. I am not wasting most of my Saturdays traveling to Stoke to watch this rubbish.

Ditto an hour each way back to wolves I am very nearly done

[Marmaduke]

Wonder what was made of Newport`s 3-0 defeat at home tonight? No shots on target against Oxford`s 7. Bit of a downer for them?

 

It’s a strange one. Newport played a full strength side away in round one then rested five players at home in round two.

 

Their record of failing to reach the third round now stretches to 56 years.

[PV1973]

I’m not convinced we know how to play wing backs effectively. Only the Halifax preseason game saw the wing backs making effective runs around the front 3. Since then we saw them playing too high and effectively cancelling themselves out of the game, can’t remember which preseason game that was, but it was at home. In the league games recently I think we’ve seen a reluctance from them to go forward or even try get past the halfway line. Which was a stark contrast to the first half of the Crawley game where we played 4 at the back and they were both getting forward.

 

Ditto an hour each way back to wolves I am very nearly done

And there’s was me thinking you meant that you have to commute a long way to get to Vale Park.

[valiant steve]

Hope Manny is fit to replace Kay. If not, surely Hannant should play CM with Monty on the left wing?