Match Thread - Mansfield Town v Port Vale

[Paul6754]

We had the same referee for our game against Newport.

 

I also found this: https://www.nwemail.co.uk/sport/barrow-afc/match-reports/16448040.refereeing-disaster-cannot-cover-up-barrow-afc-defensive-errors/

 

Interesting VV, the phrase, "Mr Coy was played by some intelligent, experienced Forest Green players as he bought anything and everything they were selling – though Barrow too benefited on occasion from his baffling antics". Just substitute Mansfield for Forest Green and Port vale for Barrow and that sums up the refs performance for me.

 

However can't ignore the fact that they had some good players on the park yesterday, their right back and the guy, Hamilton, looked excellent to me. Their goal was superb, if that had been Vale we would be lauding it to high heaven.

[Paul6754]

After seeing the replay still think Manny's challenge was a foul but it wasn't malicious or a cynical professional foul and hence not a bookable offence. Also, there was an element of the Mansfield player playing to fall over and the ref appeared swayed by the antics of their players charging to him to get Oyeleke sent off.

[Hagrid]

In a 2 minute highlights package on the Vale channel on Youtube, not a single clip shows a Vale attack.

 

Its either them hitting the post, Brown making a good save, or Manny getting deservedly booked.

 

So much work to do.

[beasty77]

2nd best away following in the division yesterday, behind Tranmere.

[Hagrid]

After seeing the replay still think Manny's challenge was a foul but it wasn't malicious or a cynical professional foul and hence not a bookable offence. Also, there was an element of the Mansfield player playing to fall over and the ref appeared swayed by the antics of their players charging to him to get Oyeleke sent off.

 

Manny had committed another foul between his 1st and 2nd booking. The ref didn't have a choice, the lad was miles off the pace from the first minute.

 

Weirdly we played a bit better with him off and a midfield pairing of Joyce and Dodds, despite not creating any proper chances and looking horrendously ropey on the counter.

 

We need more players who can carry the ball and can pass through lines. Priority number 1 in the Jan window is either loaning a talented attacking mid in or scouring non-league for some physical midfielders.

[rayzer]

I was talking to a few Mansfield fans in their corporate section and they all agreed that they would swap their Danny Rose for Ricky Miller. I know Rose has been having a lean time recently but I would love us to that bit of business in January.

[PV1973]

After seeing the replay still think Manny's challenge was a foul but it wasn't malicious or a cynical professional foul and hence not a bookable offence. Also, there was an element of the Mansfield player playing to fall over and the ref appeared swayed by the antics of their players charging to him to get Oyeleke sent off.

But he’d got away with a couple of fouls just before and it was only a matter of time before the ref produced another yellow.

 

The January window usually sees us weakened as a team and as a squad. It's obvious we need a couple of decent attacking players to help out Pope. That is a winger who can get behind the full back and deliver decent crosses and a quick striker to play off Pope. We'd be a force in this division then.

We’ve got players who can get behind opposition full backs. We’ve got Monty, Clark, Gibbons, Worrall, Whitfield and Hannant. I know some of those aren’t out and out wingers but we have players capable. The point is that Aspin is too cautious in the league.

 

We lack width, either from out and out wingers or forwards who can make channel runs and stretch defenders laterally.

We need to be getting full backs in support of wingers and we need someone alongside Pope who’ll run the channels when the fullback or midfielders put the ball down there. When we played Lincoln for example they always had someone willing to make that run all the time, we have no one because Pope can’t do it and no one is close enough to him.

 

We are too easy to defend against vpl.We have no goalscoring threat as it stands.The only time we have played a different way is in the Checkout Trophy.3 games,3 wins,albeit Reserves v Reserves.

In those games we’ve seen Aspin allow the full backs a little more license to got forward, first half at Walsall we created at least 3 very good chances from full backs pushing on and delivering a quality ball in to the box. Come the league games and Rawlinson isn’t doing that and stays virtually in his own half, Vassel rarely does it as that’s not his natural game, but he tries. I think Clark is able to do it, even though he’s not created a lot, but in general I feel we have no link up play at all with full backs or wingers or midfielders in the league games. We are too one dimensional. We have no relationships between players in that regard. Our tactics look like a hit and hope to Pope all the time.

 

Is Aspin really able to get a team to play with some more attacking players or are we destined for his reign to be playing one up front and centre halfs as full backs?

[Upfromnowhere]

Miller has had a decent number of chances - he just hasn’t finished them. Kanu didn’t score plenty at Aldershot. He got 3 in 29 appearances, 24 of which were starts.

 

I totally disagree, as it appears most on here do, and maintain we simply aren't and don't create decent chances for anybody.

Though I accept the memory isn't what it used to be, I have to stand by my comment as I simply cant remember any he or anyone has missed. Nearly every shot Miller has had, has been self created and taken from distance and or edge of area, and that applies, not just to forwards but the midfield as well.

Popey, unless it's from corners or free kicks where he's had a few half good heading opportunities, similarly so, and guess what, when Manny did present him with a glorious opportunity against Sunderland, he scored with masterly aplomb, thats what we need more of, and thats what we are so badly missing.

Dodds, Quigley and Kanu, never really get a chance to play (and obviously I am wrong here as I thought the latter's goals for Aldershot was what got him the move to Posh)but on behalf of all our forwards, and the same applies to young Whitfield, where, apart from that glorious one on one, when we actually caught them on the breakaway that he missed where are all these chances you are suggesting we are creating, in what matches Jacko?

[dantheman]

Anyone that thinks that was decent yesterday was watching a completely different match to me! Just shows how poor we have been that we now feel it’s accepable to play 90 minutes without mounting a single attack of any credibility. Aspin again showed his non league credentials by baffaling everyone with his subs again, left wingers up front and a striker on the left. People won’t go because it’s so boring to watch. Don’t mind being hard to beat but we’re not we are just devoid of any offensive idea other than hoof!

[Hagrid]

We objectively do not create many good chances. Have linked the stats before. Pope's goal scoring record is a testament to his ability as opposed to us doing much to help him.

 

Miller obviously bottles a few chances but the service has been poor.

[Danish Valiant]

We would have width, if only we played the right players in the right positions...

 

I rate Rawlinson a lot, but he's not going to come charging down the wing in an overlap. He's a central defender! Clarke goes forward, as does Gibbo. But for some reason, Aspin doesn't like Gibbo. Maybe he's been on a date with his daughter, that didn't go well? What do I know...

)

Play players on the wing, that knows how to play there! We do actually have a few. Whitfield, Kanu, Montano, Hannant and Worrall (when ready). Instead of this fascination of moving central midfielders out on the wing ie. Conlon yesterday... They naturally drift infield, as we saw with Conlon yesterday. And who can blame them? I sure won't!

 

But once again, we have a squad of 25 but the manager only realisticly want to choose from 13 players for the starting 11 and more than half of those, are undroppable.

Some rightfully so (ie Brown and Legge), but a few seemingly have to have a foot or a leg amputated, before they are dropped. And still then, it won't be with Aspins good will.

 

And as someone stated elsewhere; why do we have all those loan players, when we only need the 1? If they play in the Checkatrade for us, or for their mother clubs reserve team, what's the difference in that?

 

I know I sound overly negative, but I actually believe we only need to swap a few players and get a few better players in in key positions, and we actually have a good squad! I'm optimistic!

[blackdog]

To improve the squad it will require spending money because the the teams current position reflects the budget.

[Jacko51]

I totally disagree, as it appears most on here do, and maintain we simply aren't and don't create decent chances for anybody.

Though I accept the memory isn't what it used to be, I have to stand by my comment as I simply cant remember any he or anyone has missed. Nearly every shot Miller has had, has been self created and taken from distance and or edge of area, and that applies, not just to forwards but the midfield as well.

Popey, unless it's from corners or free kicks where he's had a few half good heading opportunities, similarly so, and guess what, when Manny did present him with a glorious opportunity against Sunderland, he scored with masterly aplomb, thats what we need more of, and thats what we are so badly missing.

Dodds, Quigley and Kanu, never really get a chance to play (and obviously I am wrong here as I thought the latter's goals for Aldershot was what got him the move to Posh)but on behalf of all our forwards, and the same applies to young Whitfield, where, apart from that glorious one on one, when we actually caught them on the breakaway that he missed where are all these chances you are suggesting we are creating, in what matches Jacko?

 

If you look back through the match threads on here you’ll find a lot of criticism of Miller for missing chances. He missed a sitter against Notts County about 10 mins from the end. If he’d had his shooting boots on he might get have won it for us at Stevenage. We don’t create a hatful of chances but our finishing been poor from the ones we do create.

[CambridgeDon]

We had the same referee for our game against Newport.

 

I also found this: https://www.nwemail.co.uk/sport/barrow-afc/match-reports/16448040.refereeing-disaster-cannot-cover-up-barrow-afc-defensive-errors/

 

Fascinating report on a ref who should be nowhere near a proper football game. Don't think I've ever read such a scathing account of a ref's performance. Since then, of course, he's been promoted from the National League to L2, which tells you everything you need to know about our so-called football authorities.

[MBE]

We would have width, if only we played the right players in the right positions...

 

I rate Rawlinson a lot, but he's not going to come charging down the wing in an overlap. He's a central defender! Clarke goes forward, as does Gibbo. But for some reason, Aspin doesn't like Gibbo. Maybe he's been on a date with his daughter, that didn't go well? What do I know...

)

Play players on the wing, that knows how to play there! We do actually have a few. Whitfield, Kanu, Montano, Hannant and Worrall (when ready). Instead of this fascination of moving central midfielders out on the wing ie. Conlon yesterday... They naturally drift infield, as we saw with Conlon yesterday. And who can blame them? I sure won't!

 

But once again, we have a squad of 25 but the manager only realisticly want to choose from 13 players for the starting 11 and more than half of those, are undroppable.

Some rightfully so (ie Brown and Legge), but a few seemingly have to have a foot or a leg amputated, before they are dropped. And still then, it won't be with Aspins good will.

 

And as someone stated elsewhere; why do we have all those loan players, when we only need the 1? If they play in the Checkatrade for us, or for their mother clubs reserve team, what's the difference in that?

 

I know I sound overly negative, but I actually believe we only need to swap a few players and get a few better players in in key positions, and we actually have a good squad! I'm optimistic!

 

 

Conlon was a deliberate tactic to play in the centre and only went wide when Mansfield managed to play the ball out to the left. We tried to deny the space in the middle as the had good ball players in the middle.