Match Thread - Stevenage v Port Vale

[PV1973]

Afraid I have to disagree, I am talking about chances created. Chances that if clear cut, forwards, certainly if they're good enough should be putting away, and there is a huge difference between those and the snap shot 'efforts' from outside the box that we have been resorting too all season.

 

Take Tuesday for example, apart from one effort, where I think the keeper saved with his legs, that was pretty much it.

Hannant, Conlon, Miller and Pope all had a good few shots between them, all from distance, and none were what you would call chances, certainly not chances created from a threaded ball or defence splitting pass or cross, in fact I would bet half of them were actually from free kicks, hardly real chances are they, and it's why we have only scored four from open play all season...four!!

 

The same sort of pattern was repeated against Oldham. Yes Popeys penalty won us the game, and ultimately that's all that matters, but again, I don't remember any chances being created and am equally sure no-one missed any sitters as a consequence.

 

Tuesday, as has been the case all season, all our 'efforts' were optimistic pops from outside the area, and though the post match stats may well tell you we had a dozen plus efforts on goal which could suggest we were piling forward en mass, the reality was we weren't and being truthful, never looked like scoring.

Totally agree I think Tuesdays Pope chance was a snap shot from a scramble at a corner. Other than that we’re not creating anything clear cut. Millers attempts seemed to be all with defenders around as he tries to force a chance. I don’t think we looked like scoring at all on Tuesday. Reading stats is misleading. Saying we had a shot on target does not determine how good a chance that was or if it was a scuffed effort straight at the keeper.

[Seamus O'Wye]

..."Perhaps the mentality should be for the players to aim about 10 feet too high or wide and only then may we hit the target by default, lol." (onestepatatime)

 

... the same philosophy I use when golfing... aim at the bunker/tree/pond, on the basis that I can never hit what I'm aiming at!!

[man in the pub]

Absolutely Jean. You needed a helmet on behind the goal at Stevenage, pre match warm up. It was incredible the abysmal efforts by all players shooting at goal. If that is all they can offer it's no surprise we don't have many actual decent shots on goal in a real live match. Perhaps the mentality should be for the players to aim about 10 feet too high or wide and only then may we hit the target by default, lol.

 

Thank goodness we spend all week practising. Mind you its not as if its their full time job. Oh yes unbelievably it is.

[pjg1876]

If you watched the pre match warm up when the players were shooting in as Pugh threw the ball up you would have seen how many players missed the target when they were directly in front of the goal, edge of the box and not a defender in sight. Until they get their communal radar fixed we will continue to miss chances.

 

It is the same in front of the Bycars every home game. They break more seats than the net. At our last home league game, Worrall looked completely disinterested while others missed the target on most occasions. We then went on to get hammered.