Match Thread - Port Vale v Newport County

[Marmaduke]

Newport lack pace at full-back (particularly left-back) so if Vale have the personnel I’d definitely look to create crossing opportunities on the right side. It’ll really open them up. Their best player (central defender Demetriou) often gets himself in a tangle when he has to turn to defend a cross. Pope could, with the right service, prosper.

 

1-0 Vale, for my money. Newport don’t create enough chances. Dodds is going to have a blinder (law of averages and all that...).

[Mattholl]

Hopefully the pace of Kanu and Whifield will be utilised successfully over the coming months. It's a long season and they'll all get a chance if they work hard in training and show a good attitude.

 

Kanu is a goner unless we get injuries as we can only have 3 loan players in the 16. With Clark at LB, new lad from blackburn and dodds thats the three now. It will mean Quigley and Kanu not in the squad unless emergency

[valefan16]

Kanu is a goner unless we get injuries as we can only have 3 loan players in the 16. With Clark at LB, new lad from blackburn and dodds thats the three now. It will mean Quigley and Kanu not in the squad unless emergency

 

Can have 5 loanees in the squad on a match day.

 

Possibly Kanu injured?

[Mattholl]

Can have 5 loanees in the squad on a match day.

 

Possibly Kanu injured?

 

Ah ok could be then always thought it was 3 or is that the starting 11?

[JRC]

Ah ok could be then always thought it was 3 or is that the starting 11?

 

No you start with up to 5 its just no more than 5 in the match day squad.

[Mattholl]

No you start with up to 5 its just no more than 5 in the match day squad.

 

It’s a school day

[valiantastic]

demetriou was originally a Left back. can be exposed to the physical side so pope should play on him most of the game. i got a good feeling about tomorrow as we are at home and i’m hoping for couple of goals and a win

[Valist]

It will be very interesting to see a) what team is selected and b) what the style of play is.

 

Looking at the squad now I think we have genuine competition for places across midfield with the following options:

 

RM: Worrall and Hannant

LM: Hannant, Montano, Whitfield

CM: Okeyleke, Joyce, Hannant, Hardcastle, Conlon (Kay/Tongue/Pugh as last resort)

CAM: Whitfield and Dodds

 

There are plenty of variations within those positions to find s winning formula and a progressive style of play.

 

I think we are light at CB with no real 4th option behind Rawlinson, Legge and Smith other than Davis. This is part of the reason I would play with a back 4.

 

We are also light of real alternatives upfront behind Pope and Miller.

 

For me it has to be a 4-4-2, playing on the front foot and finding Popes and Miller's feet to enable them to combine with each other and the supporting midfielders to create plenty of chances and goals.

[man in the pub]

As I’ve asked the fellas from Radio Stoke on twitter (still no reply); why don’t they ask Aspin the hard questions? About the tactics? The team selection? Why he plays players out of position constantly? Etc etc

Like after the Carlisle game, where he sole handedly, bodged the first half, by changing formation and personnel. If that is not the time to ask challenging questions to the guy, when on earth is???

Aspin speaks of being consistent away after the Carlisle game. Then why on earth, is the follow up question put to him not "speaking of consistency, isn't it hard for the players to be consistent, with the major change of formation and personnel tonight?"

That is a legitimate question for a serious journalist to ask, but not at Vale! Instead, Aspin gets away with answering the same platitudes loss after loss. That is just plain bad, lazy 'journalism'!

 

And the so called ‘press conference’ every Monday and Thursday, are becoming so boring and repetitive, even I could sit there and answer the questions the same way.

Basically, the ‘interviewer’ are human mic stands...

 

Ask the hard questions, make the man give real answers and resonate on bad decisions. Right now, the hardest question asked, is the injury update... seriously???

Perhaps we, the fans, could try to understand why he does what he does, an makes the decisions he makes. If only they would ask him the questions!

 

Otherwise, we could just scrap the so called ‘press conferences’, if it’s just the easy questions every idiot who follows the Vale could answer!

 

Very true DV. However the last Radio Stoke journalist who did that was a guy called Phil Bowers. He asked Foyley the hard questions the fans wanted asking( he is a Vale fan himself so was as interested as us to know ). It resulted in him getting moved on. Phil is back now but he spent time in the wilderness. My conclusion is that the deal is you ask the manager easy questions and the Vale give you access. The moment you start asking probing questions ie the sort the fans want you to ask then its goodbye. You need to look no further that the recent spat between the Sentinel and our glorious leader where they were banned from the Pressbox.

[LancyTony]

why react like than when he could completely lose his mind like the majority of fans.......

 

It isn't the majority of fans, though, Matt - it's the same screaming whackjobs every time...the ferns gimp and the skint of brains plank, plus a couple of associated bitches whose names I can't be arsed to remember! There are many fans on here who eloquently and rationally voice their disappointment with tactics and performances without resorting to the hysterical "You're ruining my club, Neil...Smurf...that guy who sits behind you and always tells you to shut up...etc"!!!

 

Don't lump the majority in with these loons! Thanks

[windsorvale4ever]

i'd bring hardcastle straight in a 352 but we defo need younger legs in the centre mid position.

 

-----------brown-------

 

smith-legge-Rawlinson

 

monty-hannant-hardcastle-joyce-clark

----pope-miller

if its not working we could just drop clark back into a back 4

[mickyferns]

Brown

 

Clarke WB

Smith

Legge

Rawlinson

Monty WB

 

Manny

Joyce

Hardcastle

 

Miller

Pope

 

352

[Erniemossrules]

Well Aspin has responded well to criticism. Made signings that are welcome. Also gave a logical explanation of what went wrong at Tranmere dispelling my assertions that he had simply told the players to hoof it all the time. So I am more optimistic and back onside with him as manager. He isn't an ostrich head buried in sand sort of guy.

 

But if that’s the case why is every away match like Groundhog Day.Set up not to lose with no wing backs putting in the crosses.Its only when we go behind he goes more positive to try to get back in the game.

Definitely been less crosses going in while Gibbons has been on the bench.

[man in the pub]

Aspin I am sure is aware of our appalling record away from home. Defeat after defeat so much so that to the fans a draw feels like a win. It to me looks like his tactics now are instead of going away looking for a win we are looking for a draw. I am sure he would deny that but look at the set up of the team, Kaye who is basically a centre half in midfield. An away game involves us being totally battered by the opposition and losing. Our forwards get the odd chance against the run of play which we don't take and Aspin sums the game up as we were unlucky not to get something out of it. Read that as we were dominated by the opposition ,it was like shooting in until the last 5 minutes when Popey doesnt take the only chance he has.

So how about going for it away. I only go home matches but I would prefer to see Vale lose 3-2 in an exciting end to end game than lose in a total one sided game. What is the worse that can happen, we lose which we do anyway. With us on the front foot from the start we might even win.

[Mattholl]

Brown

 

Clarke WB

Smith

Legge

Rawlinson

Monty WB

 

Manny

Joyce

Hardcastle

 

Miller

Pope

 

352

 

You will do well mate manny isn’t playing he still injured