Match Thread - Port Vale v Notts County

[PV1993]

Are you off your head!

 

No smith! Please tell me you follow the ball 100% of the time and don’t realise how Smudger annoys the CF’s / Strikers off the ball! The man is a pest, horrible, shirt pulling, dragging and talking in the ear. For a young CH he is fantastic and why he was a stand out player under baldrick and Bruno.

 

You’ve got to get real, and think about the best team. Don’t just watch the ball, watch the team, tactics, formations.

 

Then pick a team without Smith!

 

We have three centre halves who are all decent in the air, good solid defenders, but none of them are remotely comfortable on the ball.

 

I'm not knocking Smith, or saying he's poor. I rate him. But out of the three he's been by far the most inconsistent and if I was to try and get someone into that back three who could help us play out from the back then he would be the sacrifice. You can't deny he's been as poor as he has been good this season.

 

Legge is the undroppable one out of the three for me. I agree it would be unfair to drop one after the last 3 performances but we need to be better with the ball and being better on the ball from the back is certainly one way of doing that.

[onestepatatime]

We have three centre halves who are all decent in the air, good solid defenders, but none of them are remotely comfortable on the ball.

 

I'm not knocking Smith, or saying he's poor. I rate him. But out of the three he's been by far the most inconsistent and if I was to try and get someone into that back three who could help us play out from the back then he would be the sacrifice. You can't deny he's been as poor as he has been good this season.

 

Legge is the undroppable one out of the three for me. I agree it would be unfair to drop one after the last 3 performances but we need to be better with the ball and being better on the ball from the back is certainly one way of doing that.

 

Agree with that.

 

As most people seem to concentrate on the fact that our midfield lacks guile and forward thinking passion, we should also consider the fact that our defenders, in the main, are not comfortable on the ball when in a position to go forward. Hence so many hoof balls.

 

 

If you look at successful teams they have a set up in general whereby most of the squad are able to and in fact do, pass the ball to their colleagues in a forward direction, not hoof it or smash it in the direction they happen to be facing. It is with this in mind that I believe Smith has come in for a lot of criticism this season.

 

 

He has had a poor time of it and his main idea nowadays is to get rid of the ball as quickly as possible, irrelevant of whether any opponent is anywhere near to him.

 

I realise we are discussing Division 2 footballers but a more balanced squad would contain players that can actually spot a pass, deliver it correctly and set up some form of attacking motion. At present Aspin has not succeeded in finding that type of formation or player(s).

[PV1973]

And Aspin may not even want us to have ball playing centre halves anyway. Certainly theres nothing that we'e seen over the last year that makes me think that he wants to build from the back with centre halves picking the ball up off the keeper.

[PV1993]

SPOT ON!Maybe mates with the other Smith hater from Alsager

 

You've got to love some of the people on here at times...

 

Suggest one thing and people jump their gun. I've already stated I rate him. I'll change it to Rawlinson instead if it makes you feel any better - I think they're about the same. My point is that we should try something different.

 

Against Lincoln Brown looked time and and time again to play it out from the back, as he knew the wind would carry the ball. However, both Smith and Rawlinson turned away from him as if to say 'I don't want the ball'. Not because they're bad defenders, but because they're uncomfortable playing out from the back. This is something we either need to improve on or change because the ball inevitably keeps coming back to us. Teams know that if they win their second balls against us we're pretty much useless.

[PV1993]

And Aspin may not even want us to have ball playing centre halves anyway. Certainly theres nothing that we'e seen over the last year that makes me think that he wants to build from the back with centre halves picking the ball up off the keeper.

 

Surely though by having three at the back and losing that extra midfield/forward player, you need at least one of them to be a decent footballer? Otherwise we will be on the back foot as we have seen so far this season because we are outnumbered - despite having the same amount of players on the pitch.

 

Its funny that people only notice what a player does with the ball, they aren't seeing what the defenders are doing positionally or the little tricks they do with forwards or the runs the full backs make off the ball etc. I love that side of the game, which is why (as sad as this may sound) I also try to keep one eye on the back 4 (or 5) as play goes on. In terms of Smith if you watch him its funny to see the forwards getting frustrated and always looking at the liner or the 4th official to say stuff like 'have you seen this sh*t going on here'?

 

Don't get me wrong I appreciate the job they do off the ball - but we have three people doing essentially the same role with no impetus or ability to be able to do anything once they've won the ball. Defensively solid but if we want to push on we do need to improve on the ball.

 

We've pretty much only been able to watch Vale off the ball anyway - certainly in the first half against Bury.

 

Yes it has worked and we've kept three clean sheets, but it won't last forever - and against struggling teams we should really be putting them on the back foot (not the other way around).

 

A ball playing centre half and wing backs on both sides would help this.

[PV1973]

Surely though by having three at the back and losing that extra midfield/forward player, you need at least one of them to be a decent footballer? Otherwise we will be on the back foot as we have seen so far this season because we are outnumbered - despite having the same amount of players on the pitch.

 

 

Don't get me wrong I appreciate the job they do off the ball - but we have three people doing essentially the same role with no impetus or ability to be able to do anything once they've won the ball. Defensively solid but if we want to push on we do need to improve on the ball.

 

We've pretty much only been able to watch Vale off the ball anyway - certainly in the first half against Bury.

 

Yes it has worked and we've kept three clean sheets, but it won't last forever - and against struggling teams we should really be putting them on the back foot (not the other way around).

 

A ball playing centre half and wing backs on both sides would help this.

I'm not disagreeing with anything you're saying. I'm just not convinced thats what Aspin wants right now, hes trying to stifle the opposition, at the expense of our own attacking play, we can all see that no matter how he tries to dress up the formation. Maybe in time we will get a centre half who can pick it up and spray it about a bit.

 

Also throw in the fact that we have another centre half at left wing back too. So its no wonder our options are a bit limited when we get the ball at the back.

[Hagrid]

Brown

Smith Legge Rawlison

Gibbons Hannant Conlon Clark

Whitfield Pope Miller

 

Lets have a go.

[valiant_593]

Are you off your head!

 

No smith! Please tell me you follow the ball 100% of the time and don’t realise how Smudger annoys the CF’s / Strikers off the ball! The man is a pest, horrible, shirt pulling, dragging and talking in the ear. For a young CH he is fantastic and why he was a stand out player under baldrick and Bruno.

 

You’ve got to get real, and think about the best team. Don’t just watch the ball, watch the team, tactics, formations.

 

Then pick a team without Smith!

 

Well I wouldn’t pick smith.... legge and rawlinson much better at this level unless playing a back 3. A back two for me would be rawlinson and legge

[PV1973]

Brown

Smith Legge Rawlison

Gibbons Hannant Conlon Clark

Whitfield Pope Miller

 

Lets have a go.

Loving that front 3 and playing arguably IMO the best 2 full/wing backs at the club in their correct positions too.

 

Plus it takes out the defensive minded inclusion of Joyce and a centre half at left wing back.

[Hagrid]

I still believe Gibbons is very, very good.

[PV1973]

I still believe Gibbons is very, very good.

He is, but if truth be told I can't see Aspin changing much this weekend with the defence after the run of clean sheets we've had. I honestly think what will happen is that when Monty is fit that he will have Vassells place and Clark will stay right back. Monty as a left back is the managers little project, that has to work for him and I think he will give him every chance to make it work.

 

My own view is that Clark should go left back or left wing back and Gibbons go right. Purely because Monty hasn't convinced me enough of his defensive capabilities and his strength to dig in when needed. Even though I don't think Gibbons did much wrong early in the season before getting injured, Clarks played well and been consistent in the main and doesn't deserve to be dropped. I just find it odd that we have such a good prospect in our own squad who isn't being played and developed, hes an asset we can potentially make money from in the future. In fact thinking about it its not odd, why would a manager care about stuff like that when managers are really only short term anyway?

[nickkidsgrove]

Well I wouldn’t pick smith.... legge and rawlinson much better at this level unless playing a back 3. A back two for me would be rawlinson and legge

 

It seems that you are the only person on this forum who hasn’t picked Smith.

 

Very strange!!!

 

You obviously watch the games with tunnel vision or do you drink a lot before the game?

[cpade]

Aspin talking of Notts county as a ‘big club’ .. we are quickly becoming tin pot

[Fosse69]

Aspin talking of Notts county as a ‘big club’ .. we are quickly becoming tin pot

They are a big club in this league, as we are. Only MK with a bigger ground.

[cpade]

He didn’t mention Vale ....