Match Thread - Forest Green Rovers v Port Vale

[Danish Valiant]

One thing is for sure: the playing players out of position has to stop, and it has to stop NOW!

 

I can't even begin to contemplate Aspin saying, the players need to be more consistent. Well, how about the manager shows some consistency as well?? For the 8th game in a row, he sent half the squad on a magic mystery tour

How the h... are the players supposed to show any type of consistency, when the players don't know what position, or if at all they'll play next week? How bad must Gibbo or Vassell be, for Aspo to stick Hanno in LB???

Don't give a toss about team selection anymore, as anyone on here, has a bigger chance winning the Lottery 10 weeks in a row, than figuring out who plays where any given Saturday! Do Aspo just put all the names in a bag, and pick them out at random??? How he in any way, shape or form can truly believe, that todays line up would work, nobody knows.

I said it before the game and I repeat it now: is he trying to get himself fired???

 

Well, based on the first 7 League games, my strongest 11 would be:

 

4-4-2

 

Brown

Clark - Legge - Rawlinson - Montano

Hanno - Joyce - Manny - Whitfield

Pope - Miller

 

If any of those are unavailable, for Gods sake: PICK A PLAYER WHO IS NATURALY THAT POSITION!!!

I'm so frustrated with team selection, I could almost f'ing cry!!!

We have a good squad, if the players actually were allowed to play in their natural position and playing on the ground! I swear, it's just a matter of time, before we see Pope in goal and Brown at CM!

[paulvaliant]

One thing is for sure: the playing players out of position has to stop, and it has to stop NOW!

 

I can't even begin to contemplate Aspin saying, the players need to be more consistent. Well, how about the manager shows some consistency as well?? For the 8th game in a row, he sent half the squad on a magic mystery tour

How the h... are the players supposed to show any type of consistency, when the players don't know what position, or if at all they'll play next week? How bad must Gibbo or Vassell be, for Aspo to stick Hanno in LB???

Don't give a toss about team selection anymore, as anyone on here, has a bigger chance winning the Lottery 10 weeks in a row, than figuring out who plays where any given Saturday! Do Aspo just put all the names in a bag, and pick them out at random??? How he in any way, shape or form can truly believe, that todays line up would work, nobody knows.

I said it before the game and I repeat it now: is he trying to get himself fired???

 

Well, based on the first 7 League games, my strongest 11 would be:

 

4-4-2

 

Brown

Clark - Legge - Rawlinson - Montano

Hanno - Joyce - Manny - Whitfield

Pope - Miller

 

If any of those are unavailable, for Gods sake: PICK A PLAYER WHO IS NATURALY THAT POSITION!!!

I'm so frustrated with team selection, I could almost f'ing cry!!!

We have a good squad, if the players actually were allowed to play in their natural position and playing on the ground! I swear, it's just a matter of time, before we see Pope in goal and Brown at CM!

 

You moan about Aspin playing players out of position then in your side have Hannant on the right side of midfield.

[philpvfc]

You moan about Aspin playing players out of position then in your side have Hannant on the right side of midfield.

 

Hannant is right footed, he may be a central midfielder but he certainly ain’t a left back.

[PV1973]

We had a couple of half chances first 15 minutes, but in terms of play and pressure we were miles behind what FGR were doing. We couldn’t get near them, we were disjointed and they were just playing it around us easily. They scored their one meaningful chance of the half and had a few shots straight at Brown. But how anyone can be happy with what we produced in that first half I don’t know. On the balance of play they looked comfortable and organised. Gavin Gunning was running the midfield FFS. Yes Gavin Gunning was bossing the midfield, unbelievable. We looked like a team of strangers who’d never played together at times and in fairness that’s what we were. But we really had to up it second half to get anywhere near them and we did.

 

I was listening to Williams on the drive home and he seemed more happy in terms of the formation and the effort shown by the players. But we all know come next saturday that team that finished won’t be starting against Northampton.

[CambridgeDon]

The main problem with the Club is clear as day we need wingers to provide our main man with crosses. Then you would see the net bulging with Tom's headers every week and Miller and Whitfield would bag their share as well.

Surely there must be somebody out there who can put in a decent cross because as sure as day Worrall clearly can't.

 

Spot on. In the 2012-13 promotion season when we had two wingers and full backs who could put in a cross, TWENTY TWO of Popey's 33 goals came directly or indirectly through crosses from wide positions. Defenders can't defend them at this level and Popey can still score them if he gets the service. Opposition teams must think we are mad not to play to his strengths in this way.

 

If you need cheering up after the last run of games, here's a refreshing look at Popey's finishing.

 

 

Music is pretty good too.

[Danish Valiant]

Isn’t Hanno naturally right footed, or have I missed something?

If you want your wingers to put in crosses, you put their best foot against the sideline. If you want them to cut inside and have a shot at goal, you put them with their best foot facing inside.

Basic knowledge... so can someone please go round Vale Park during training next week, and explain this to Aspin?

[Goal Drought]

You moan about Aspin playing players out of position then in your side have Hannant on the right side of midfield.

 

And Whitfield is not a wide left

[hamilboy]

All the vale fans sing feed the pope he will score the reason it does not happen from open play is we have no wingers.We are a team of centre midfielders who are expected to play wide and do the job it will not happen.There is more chance of Pope running from the halfway line beating 5 defenders on his way and chipping the goalie than anyone taking the ball to the bye line and crossing at the moment.All the years i have watched the vale the best football we have played was with 2 wingers who could go past there markers and get the ball over even when aspin played we had the players who did it not midfielders filling in proper quick tricky wide wingers who got into positions to hurt the teams we played against.

[JRC]

Hannant is right footed, he may be a central midfielder but he certainly ain’t a left back.

 

Hannat is two footed so it doesn't make much difference which side he plays on. Watching him I think he's marginally better with his right.

[Black and white]

Something very very wrong with Nathan Smith

 

P***ed up Hanley again tonight goin for a takeaway.

 

There is nothing up with him he’s just sh**e!

[Paul6754]

Whatever fans think about Aspins tactics/squad selection etc, it was one hell of a penalty from Popey and that was one tall, huge dude between those goal posts and he had got a hope in hell of saving it.

[PV1973]

P***ed up Hanley again tonight goin for a takeaway.

 

There is nothing up with him he’s just sh**e!

Aren’t the players allowed a night out after a game?

[Upfromnowhere]

Hmmmm he looked pretty good in the 1st game

 

He certainly did, but on measured reflection could not that have been adrenaline. I mention that only because until it was mentioned yesterday I forgot that 45 mins apart, he had no pre-season matches or minutes, and possibly that could account for his hit and miss form in the games thereafter?

 

That said, though he hasn't really pulled up any trees since then, I still don't think the boy has done anything wrong and is by some way our best CF option, particularly as everyone has previously commented on, he and Pope have received absolutely no service in those games.In the Tranmere game, after which he was dropped he wasn't even playing up front, more a wing back, which unfortunately comes back to the coaching and tactics. In Aspins defence, and cant believe I am doing so, maybe he hasn't shown enough in training to start either?

 

However after that first game, and certainly the last two, it seems pretty clear to me, that to get the best out of him, and to get the best of of a partnership with Pope, we need to get the ball down a bit more, something alas that under Aspin's stewardship we just don't look like doing.

 

Also agree with an earlier poster about the frailty of our defence, whoever plays, it is all over the place at times, compounded by the lack of shape and organisation of the midfield in front of them, and yesterday reminded me of the Colchester games when too many times the FGR players just run through us, and in truth should have scored a couple more. In that respect it will be interesting to hear the respective managers comments on yesterday, I rather think their views will be polar opposites

[Upfromnowhere]

The meagre away following today adds to my already growing belief that even hardened lifelong Valiants are becoming so disillusioned with the managers pathetic selections, tactics and boringly predictable style of play. Some will say they are happy at bringing home a point but my gut says the underlying current of apathy from Aspin is increasing and we fans deserve so much more. 7 games in and still there is not a lot to enthuse anyone attending Vale's games.

 

To be fair, though agreeing about our style of play, I think yesterday was rather more to do with the fact that it was live on ifollow, for a tenner, which is where myself and four other regulars who would have travelled, watched it

[PV1973]

Last season it was much more packed in that side terrace. Another thing to consider is that game came just after that winning run in December too.