Match Thread - Port Vale v Swindon Town

[PV1973]

one change for Tuesday oaki back probably Joyce to make way

Based on yesterday’s and last weeks performance you could take your pick from Monty, Clark, Rawlinson or Hannant to be dropped too. Not that so many would be dropped of course, but they’ve stood out to me as being poor.

 

I think Joyce in the right system isn’t that bad. Put him in a midfield 2 with another similar player like Conlon or Kay and it doesn’t work. For me he proved to be useful as the sitting midfielder when we had that decent run a few weeks ago.

 

Dodds is another that splits opinions, have players moving off him like wingers and wingbacks and midfielders that will break lines and he’s useful. Put him on the left or up front with no options and it doesn’t work.

[For Us All]

Top and bottom of it is that we are useless without Manny.

[Warren]

Couldn’t you tell by the players reaction how bad it was? Plus the amount of medical staff that were running round in the technical area, even our physio had to go on. He got abuse from some of the fans right by the tunnel as he walked off.

 

 

With an injury that bad they won’t do that. He was struggling to walk as he was in that much pain and they can’t lie him down because of the shoulder.

 

Fake News. The abuse by fans at the tunnel bit.

[darren1810]

Interesting that Joyce ran the show in April, maybe it's less to do with Joyce and more to do with our manager ?

 

We quite simply, probably not this season, are the next Chesterfield in waiting.

[CAVALIER]

Totally losing faith. I agree with the squad but the formation is dire. Brown collected several balls yesterday and went to release it but couldn't as we just had one up being marked by 4. When we have a corner we have nobody within 10 yards of the goal line. Why not block the keeper as an example? It's as if we are getting ready to run back and defend. Midfield is toss. Joyce may be poor but Conlon is as hard as a fart and couldn't win a tackle ever. Oh for a thumping challenge to wake the crowd up, but no, only Dodds, yes Dodds, got stuck in.

Time to sort it Aspo or sod off along with Norm.

[PV1973]

Fake News. The abuse by fans at the tunnel bit.

I was sitting right behind them mate. MacCourt even managed to squeeze in a “**** off you old tosser” to one of the culprits.

[Erniemossrules]

Based on yesterday’s and last weeks performance you could take your pick from Monty, Clark, Rawlinson or Hannant to be dropped too. Not that so many would be dropped of course, but they’ve stood out to me as being poor.

 

I think Joyce in the right system isn’t that bad. Put him in a midfield 2 with another similar player like Conlon or Kay and it doesn’t work. For me he proved to be useful as the sitting midfielder when we had that decent run a few weeks ago.

 

Dodds is another that splits opinions, have players moving off him like wingers and wingbacks and midfielders that will break lines and he’s useful. Put him on the left or up front with no options and it doesn’t work.

 

Aspin definitely has favourites because why would he continue playing Joyce.He can’t tackle doesn’t close his man down and consistently gives the ball away.Even Kay does a better job and isn’t frightened to get stuck in when required.Bringing on Dangerous Dodds for Clarke made us even worse.Why do we set up with one up front for home matches when we should be attacking the opposition from the start.Its too late to change things when we go behind.

Where were Miller,Worrall and Gibbons who are much better than players on the bench?

[ELDERBEZZA]

Clarke actually indicated when he came off at half time that he had a hamstring issue.

[mbycars]

Yesterday was turgid and depressing. We are way too defensive and this habit Aspin has got with playing 3 and 4 centre halves is ridiculous. We are hitting long balls from the back up to Pope and one other forward. The midfield is too far back to support and Popes headed on balls are usually mopped up by the opposition defenders who are under no pressure. We have wing backs who are often by passed or full backs with no pace to support the midfield or forwards. Aspin needs to play either Clarke, Gibbons or Montano as full backs with just 2 centre halves in the 11. I feel Montano is better playing as a full back rather than a wing back, same too with Clarke. There seems to be confusion when we play with wing backs as to who marks who with the result that nobody picks up the runners. We need midfielders to be in support of the forwards and not all sitting in front of the defence. We have players that can play but they need to play in the positions they are familiar and ccomfortable with.

[Warren]

I was sitting right behind them mate. MacCourt even managed to squeeze in a “**** off you old tosser” to one of the culprits.

 

Well in that case I take back the fake news and there is no excuse. The people around me applauded after realizing the severity of his injury. I thought the overall volume of applause was more muted than should be expected for the severity of the injury.

 

In general though the conduct of the Swindon team throughout the game was poor and wasn't dealt with by the officials. That escalated the annoyance in the home supporters and in the team (e.g. Pope). I think Swindon have a culture problem in the club as its been seen many times in recent seasons. That includes the sit down and punch the ball away incident in injury time leading to a Port Vale penalty equalizer a few seasons ago. They have a poor culture problem in the club with gamesmanship. It is a pity as many years ago I enjoyed them as a club and remember in particular Jan Åge Fjørtoft playing for them.

[Paul6754]

Well in that case I take back the fake news. The people around me applauded after realizing the severity of his injury. It is also the case that the overall volume of applause was more muted than I would expect for the severity of the injury. In my opinion that is because the conduct of the Swindon team throughout the game. They have a culture problem in that club with gamesmanship. It is a pity as many years ago I enjoyed them as a club and remember Jan Åge Fjørtoft playing for them.

 

Warren, On a light note I remember John Trollope, fitting given their antics Yesterday.

 

On a much less lighter note, my son was a very promising youth footballer but from age 17 his shoulders were prone to dislocation and in the end this put an end to any footballing career he may have had, College Scholarship, trials for the Vale etc.

 

Sometimes his shoulder used to dislocate during a game particularly from robust challenges from behind, he would walk off the field by himself, pop it back in and go back and play. I totally understand that there are shoulder injuries and shoulder injuries but after witnessing McCourt yesterday I can't help but think there was more than a tab of gamesmanship in his actions.

[MBE]

Sorry but the Aspo experiment needs to come end. Square pegs in round holes, dwindling attendances due to the most negative tactics I think I have ever seen at Vale. He needs to go if we carry on we with him in charge will will be bottom 6 just picking ups a point here and there every few games. Can't see the different between clueless Brown and Aspin ,other than one played in the best vale side for a generation.

 

As manager Just not good enough.

 

Please can we appoint the next manager not based on the fact they have connections with the club previously and just the best candidate!!!

[PV1973]

I totally understand that there are shoulder injuries and shoulder injuries but after witnessing McCourt yesterday I can't help but think there was more than a tab of gamesmanship in his actions.

Their gamesmanship was a disgrace and I actually blame the ref for not stamping it out earlier. He should have dished some cards out long before he did. Why wait til the 85th minute to do something about it? Nip it in the bud early I say. Despite that MacCourt looked in absolute agony when he walked off. When I left when the board went up (sorry to say I’d had enough by then) he was sitting in the ambulance outside the reception with an oxygen mask on.

[Jacko51]

I don’t blame their players for trying it on, I blame the ref for being too weak to clamp down on it. The amount of persistent fouling that their goal scorer did to break up the game should have earned him a yellow long before he eventually got one.

 

Exactly, the contrast in the use of yellow cards between last week's referee and this was amazing.

[Hagrid]

The treatment of Gibbons by Aspin has been nothing short of a disgrace.

 

Inconsistencies aside, he is a young, talented player who would provide us with pace, width, and aggression; three attributes we sorely lack.

 

To drop him without justification and then to basically omit him from the 18 for months is a real smack in the face for a lad who won't be any worse than Rawlinson. He's young, will only improve, and local.

 

Really speaks volumes of Aspin's man-management.