Match Thread - Port Vale v Lincoln City

[valiant_593]

staying or going? He needs to walk ASAP. Leave with dignity while you can aspin. Won’t be going again until you’ve gone I’m affraid can’t hack watching this shower of ***** every week. Glad I dodged today after seeing that starting 11!

[valiant_593]

Micky Fern should be banned from this Forum. Aspo along with Deano and Foley will always be Vale Legends. To call Aspo scum is out of order. He was a brilliant servant to this club as a player and the joy he gave Vale fans during his time then will probably never be surpassed. He’s also a decent hardworking bloke who cares about this club despite the vitriol coming out of the mouths of Sjokies like Micky Fern. The squad of players we now have in comparison to last season is immeasurably better. Injuries to key players has prevented continuity in the team. In Aspo I trust.

How can you trust a manager who played literally 6 defenders today at home with Pugh on left wing and Clark on the right? Every game there’s been at least one play out of position. And don’t give me that bull **** ‘it’s injuries’. We had miller available to cover pope, we had hardcastle and Kay on the bench to cover manny, or even Joyce. The options were there but no we played literally everyone out of position yet again. The players are bet but the manager is beyond awful. He’s obviously not scum as the one who should be on everyone’s ignored list has said. He was a brilliant player for vale as was Glover but they just aren’t managers at This level. Aspo needs to walk now before it gets really embarrassing and starts to tarnish the career he had here.

[Bycars Ender]

A complete embarrassment. Anyone who still defends Aspin after that wants their head examining. It's not working and give or take half a dozen games since he arrived it never has.

Our fanbase is obsessed with ex players who simply aren't up to standard as managers. Yes I blame Smurthwaite but we have a manager picking a team each week that no one can fathom. Sorry Neil times up.

[Port Vale Paul]

First, I have to say Lincoln were excellent. Yes of course we helped them in every way we could, but on nearly every issue and aspect involved behind being a successful football club they are I am afraid, the polar opposite of us, and that hurts as much as it annoys.

 

Yes they have plenty of money, but that was earned on the pitch, not just handed to them. They have a chairman that supports the team and management in seemingly, every way ours doesn't, have supporters who travel en mass everywhere to watch them, and in the Cowley brothers have employed a team, who are surely destined for much greater things than Div 2, and don't forget as well, proving that these type of managers are out there, it's not all about money, as before joining Lincoln, was it Braintree or Basildon the pair took to the conference play offs on an absolute shoestring budget?

 

Oh to have people like that in charge of our lads.

 

They are big, strong and quick, and okay, play hoof ball a lot of the time (like we don't?), but you can do so with Rhead up front, because, even at about the same sort of age as Popey, he gives them so much more, not only did he hold the ball so well, allowing all his team mates to push up and support him, he also bullied the crap out of us today, and what really wound me up was the amount of times poor old Vassell was left to pick him up instead of someone more senior, bit more cute, taking responsibility.

 

Equally though, when they are not going long, they also play some really decent football. Everyone appeared to know their job and their responsibilities, with and without the ball and it was just chalk and cheese.

 

Then look at our team selection and if you can describe them so, the tactics we used, that's of course if you can actually work them out.

Not for the first time, we were beyond shambolic and about as organised as the rush hour traffic in New Deli. CH's at RB, LB as right wingers, centre mid at left wing and wingers up front, leaving, for all his faults, the only forward who at least creates chaos, sitting on the bench. If anyone can explain any of that, or better still justify it, please educate me, as I sure don't get it.

 

It also I am afraid, highlighted just how inept and or limited, Aspo's tactical nous is without someone in the team for everyone to blast the ball up to, so much so that I am sure if Quigs was fit, he would have been put straight into an already weird team selection, just for that purpose.

6-2 at home is beyond embarrassment it's a total humiliation and whilst I am not one of the 'sack him advocates, and never am with any manager, I do think this performance and the sheer nature of the defeat sort of makes his position untenable, and am sorry, as legendary as he was a player, the time has surely come to admit, that at this level, with the way football has changed since he played, he just isn't flexible enough, and doesn't have either the qualities or man management expertise required to do the job. Walk with your head up rather than wait to be ignominiously pushed would unfortunately be my advise.

 

Dear oh dear

One of the most level headed posts I've read in a long time. All I would add to that is that they were not afraid to play it out from the back either, whilst we still at times resorted to hoof ball.

[Inny]

Was anyone actually surprised about the result today when looking at the team selection? Different week, same lack of direction and progress. Knee jerk reactions create one bad performance after another. The club is a shadow of its former self.

[Guest TommyMac]

I've just listened to Aspin's post match interview and, to be honest, it is very poor listening. Says he won't blame the players then blames them, defends the team selection, and says it would be easy to walk away. Sorry Neil I disagree, it would be a far braver act to walk away and admit you're making mistake after mistake than to stay with the delusion that you're doing the correct thing. He says that, as manager, he is responsible but the interview stinks of passing the buck.

[JohnJames]

Brilliant and spot on. Thanks for the memories Neil but you need to walk away.

 

And like a bad smell.......

[Biddulph_PV]

I thought they were a horrible side personally; very niggly, plenty of gamesmanship notably the two outrageous attempts to con penalties in the first half, Frecklington behaving as if he’d needed an amputation then Andrade deciding his lace had come undone when the ref tried to hurry the free kick when it was clear it was a deliberate attempt to stop the game and get some ad-hoc coaching. All totally unnecessary.

[sandyford_valiant]

Whether you like Aspin as manager or not to call him a piece of scum is absolutely awful.

 

What an horrible post from an horrible poster

 

You deserve banning

[Erniemossrules]

Aspin continues to make the same mistakes building Lincoln up as Real Madrid then picking a team to defend and pinch a point.He continuously plays Rawlinson at right back when he is not a right back.Drops Miller to the bench when he scored on Tuesday night and Pope is not available.Pugh on left wing for God’s sake.He is now worse than Baldrick Brown at team selection and tactics.Is he playing Groundog Day hoping for a different result.No plan B when we go behind.

Useless management.

[Hagrid]

I thought Lincoln were really good to be honest.

[Hagrid]

Anyone else really, really sick of supporting a bad football team? Don't know how much more I can hack.

[TheSage]

Actually I didn't think that Lincoln were at their best today but we gave them the points gift wrapped on a plate.

 

And that was because they were everything that we aren't at the moment - well-drilled, organised, physical & with a game plan that everyone knew and stuck to. In contrast, we play lads out of position, have no physical presence in the attacking half of the pitch, don't mark players tightly enough and are not prepared to compete with them physically when the going gets tough. It was men against boys.

 

We've had all week to prepare for their corners and free kicks and to watch them on video but we might as well not have bothered.

 

There were far too many tactical and team selection cock-ups to expect a positive result today. But they are no world beaters. They narrowly beat Crewe last week and lost 0-1 at Tranmere before. Other teams keep their shape and solidity against them so why not us?

 

We've got CR at right back who Andrade ran at all game. Why was Smith marking Rhead and not Legge doing that job? Smith was very poor and got physically battered. And then there is the inexperienced Vassell, a right footer, playing on the left with virtually no help from anyone in front of him.

Hardcastle and Miller who played well in the week were left on the bench and 35 year old Pugh appears out of the blue. He let his man get in front of him for the first goal and was just too slow. Kay as a physical presence would have been better in midfield. I felt sorry for the game Kanu who ploughed a lone furrow up top with no support. And what of Clark? Right wing in the first half, left centre in the second and finally hauled off. A truly mystifying team selection. Everyone knew at 2.45 that we'd struggle and lose that game today.

 

I don't know where we go from here. It's looking like a very long hard season.

 

And don't anyone dare suggest again dropping Pope. Even on one leg he's miles better than most of that lot today.

 

(I really didn't think Lincoln were anything special. Just a well drilled efficient outfit who did the basics right and played to a plan. Their best player, Akinde, was injured! No O'Connor either. We lay down for them and waved the white flag.)

[mickyferns]

I've just listened to Aspin's post match interview and, to be honest, it is very poor listening. Says he won't blame the players then blames them, defends the team selection, and says it would be easy to walk away. Sorry Neil I disagree, it would be a far braver act to walk away and admit you're making mistake after mistake than to stay with the delusion that you're doing the correct thing. He says that, as manager, he is responsible but the interview stinks of passing the buck.

 

Thought that myself he takes responsibility but then blamed the players? He says it wud be easy walk away but no it wudnt cus he wudnt get paid, if he was honest he wud have said he can't walk cus wudnt get paid but if he got sacked wud get his money....

[PV1973]

I thought Lincoln were really good to be honest.

Have to agree with that. Very good at what they do and they play to their strengths. No matter what anyone says a player like rhead would be a more that adequate deputy for Pope, and he’d be loved here for what he brings to the team. Today they showed they are perfectly adept at playing 4 at the back as well as 3 when they hammered us earlier in the season. It’s just sour grapes to be slagging them off. They are a club on the up and we aren’t.