Match Thread - Port Vale v Swindon Town

[vale on toower]

10 mins added on

Was it greated by

(A) roar

(B) groan

????

[Biddulph_PV]

10 mins added on

Was it greated by

(A) roar

(B) groan

????

 

Couldn’t say, left around 80 mins. Again. It’s becoming a regular thing.

[Platty's Tassels]

10 mins added on

Was it greated by

(A) roar

(B) groan

????

 

With a roar from me, just because of how much they cheated. I left early though as we didn't offer anything.AT ALL

[Caselord]

Well that was absolutely gash. Not sure how else to sum up that utter dross

[falmouthssoberist]

It was garbage

[Frank Mustard]

It was garbage

It wasn't that good.

[blackdog]

Just remembered Aspin saying at the beginning of the season that he didn't want to stand there and be bored he wanted to be entertained,he needs to come and sit next to me if he wants to see what bored is.

[Heatwave]

To those who wanted Kanu brought on:

 

What would be the point? The forwards we've got don't get any service. He'd just be another body in a white shirt doing sweet FA because he wouldn't get the ball.

[toyahw]

Aspin is an honest, average manager. Thank you for that Neil. An upgrade on the recent past. Truth is we don't have good players. Which is why we are rubbish.

 

Shop in pound land and you get a pound land team.

[Inny]

Aspin is an honest, average manager. Thank you for that Neil. An upgrade on the recent past. Truth is we don't have good players. Which is why we are rubbish.

 

Shop in pound land and you get a pound land team.

If we haven't got the best players then it's important that the manager makes the team well organised with an efficient style of play. We are neither well organised or have a style of play that wins games. A better manager would get so much more out of this squad. However Smurf wouldn't pay the money for a better manager.

[Black and white]

Congratulations Luke Joyce!! Of all the sh*** players I have seen at vale you are by the far the worst!

 

Honestly I thought about swapping shirts at half time with you but you wouldn’t have even been able to do that your that bad!!

 

F*** off!

[PV1973]

That was terrible. Add manny and miller all you like, they’ll make little difference to a side devoid of tactics. The worst thing about today, and Hagrid mentioned it earlier, was seeing some players not doing enough for the shirt and looking uninterested. I thought Monty and Clark looked the main culprits to me. Not enough effort or desire down the wing, going forward and tracking back, no wonder they came off, it looked like they didn’t want to know.

 

I’m not sure why we played wing backs today, maybe we expected them to do the same? But it didn’t work at all. On the face of it Clark and Monty looked a positive selection as wing backs. It was far from it though. I expected Hannant and Whitfield to get closer to Popey but that didn’t happen either.

 

What exactly is our pattern of play? We have none. By the time we changed formation we looked like we didn’t have a clue with that formation either. It’s like a war of attrition. Long balls with no joy.

 

Brown must be wondering what hes joined here. He’s our one shining light.

 

The goal was a poor one. I think Clark as the wing back is the player that should be tasked to closing down their full back when he gets forward, but he didn’t get out to him to stop the cross. The lad got in front for the shot and then their forward was more alert than Rawlinson. Good save by Brown though.

 

I don’t think the 3 centre halfs could be questioned for their effort today. They may have lacked the quality on the ball but I didn’t think they shirked anything. Im sure they’d told to just head it and kick it with no fuss. Smith was as usual. Legge got done a few times first half and we got away with it. Rawlinson made a couple of runs second half from right back and was absolutely knackered and struggled to get back. He’s never a right back, it’s not his fault he’s asked to play there, but he shouldn’t be anywhere near that position IMO.

 

Monty was awful today. Didn’t look interested or confident or even sure of what he’s supposed to be doing in that role. I said at half time, how many chances are we going to give him? Clark was the same today. His effort and desire to get forward was in question today. Really disappointing again.

 

We were so defensive and negative that it seemed every time we cleared it that ball went straight back to them. We couldn’t get out.

 

Conlon and Joyce offered nothing going forward. But then again what options do they have out wide or in front of them? None. I don’t think their effort could be questioned but they contributed very little, disappointing to hear the ironic cheers when Joyce was subbed though. In a side with seemingly no plan or attacking options then it compounds things having 2 centre mids who’s game is to disrupt play and go sideways, add to them 3 (or 4) centre halves on the pitch and our problems of last season are still there. Hannant picked up where he left off last week, no quality. He should also spend less time diving too, I hate to see that.

 

Whitfield did what he does and that’s buzz around. But he can’t do it on his own. We need other options around him too. He did go missing for spells. I’m not convinced his best position is on the wing either and when he’s out of the game he isn’t doing enough to get himself back in to it.

 

Pope was his usual self with no lack of effort. But without any width or service what can he do? He should have hit the target with the free header from the corner first half.

 

Vassell and Dodds came on and at least looked like they wanted to be there. Despite common consensus I think Dodds is a good link to the forwards, but I sound like a broken record by saying we have no options for players. No wingers. No overlapping full backs. No midfielders breaking the lines going past forwards. Vassell isn’t a full back, that’s plain as day but at least he looked like the cared. He did well defensively even though he (like Rawlinson) offers no threat that a proper full back would going forward.

 

Quigley isn’t the answer. Simple as that.

 

It’s tiring hearing the same old stuff after games from the manager. We started badly. We picked up second half. We worked hard. The ref didn’t get a grip of the game. We didn’t create enough. Everything they come out and say after the game is clutching at straws. Talk is cheap. Do something about it.

 

What do we do in the week to solve the same issues game in game out? Why do we start with no intensity? We are purely relying on a set piece or something falling from a long ball. To have 4 centre halves as our entire back 4 is just the start of our negativity. Why can’t we play with proper full backs that will also get forward. At least they know the role. What are we gaining with Center halves there. It’s baffling to me. Our wing play is awful. Last season might have been a shitshow but at least we had full backs and wingers linking up properly at times and getting crosses in. We don’t have a centre midfielder that will get forward, is that on the managers instructions? We’ve got one the best forwards in this league and we don’t play to his strengths. We get no one up in support, we don’t get behind the opposition fullbacks and we have no options when we get the ball.

 

My only conclusion is that Aspin is negative and too cautious. Rather grinding something out than going and taking something out of the game. It’s terrible to watch. If we get in decent wingers and forwards I still have no confidence it can be sorted because it genuinely looks like we have no tactics or plan.

 

I don’t know what the answer is to our problems, but first things first we should be playing players in their correct positions I feel.

 

As a side note it was really classy from the Lorne street faithful by the tunnel who abused their lad going off who was seriously injured too. Saw him in the ambulance on oxygen outside as I was leaving after the game.

[blackdog]

That was terrible. Add manny and miller all you like, they’ll make little difference to a side devoid of tactics. The worst thing about today, and Hagrid mentioned it earlier, was seeing some players not doing enough for the shirt and looking uninterested. I thought Monty and Clark looked the main culprits to me. Not enough effort or desire down the wing, going forward and tracking back, no wonder they came off, it looked like they didn’t want to know.

 

I’m not sure why we played wing backs today, maybe we expected them to do the same? But it didn’t work at all. On the face of it Clark and Monty looked a positive selection as wing backs. It was far from it though. I expected Hannant and Whitfield to get closer to Popey but that didn’t happen either.

 

What exactly is our pattern of play? We have none. By the time we changed formation we looked like we didn’t have a clue with that formation either. It’s like a war of attrition. Long balls with no joy.

 

Brown must be wondering what hes joined here. He’s our one shining light.

 

The goal was a poor one. I think Clark as the wing back is the player that should be tasked to closing down their full back when he gets forward, but he didn’t get out to him to stop the cross. The lad got in front for the shot and then their forward was more alert than Rawlinson. Good save by Brown though.

 

I don’t think the 3 centre halfs could be questioned for their effort today. They may have lacked the quality on the ball today but I didn’t think they shirked anything. Smith was as usual. Legge got done a few times first half and we got away with it. Rawlinson made a couple of runs second half from right back and was absolutely knackered and struggled to get back. He’s never a right back, but it’s not his fault he’s asked to play there.

 

Monty was awful today. Didn’t look interested or confident or even sure of what he’s supposed to be doing in that role. I said at half time, how many chances are we going to give him? Clark was the same today. His effort and desire to get forward was in question today. Really disappointing again.

 

We were so defensive and negative that it seemed every time we cleared it that ball went straight back to them. We couldn’t get out.

 

Conlon and Joyce offered nothing going forward. But then again what options do they have out wide or in front of them? None. I don’t think their effort could be questioned though, disappointing to hear the ironic cheers when Joyce was subbed. Hannant picked up where he left off last week, no quality. He should also spend less time diving too, I hate to see that.

 

Whitfield did what he does and that’s buzz around. But he can’t do it on his own. We need other options around him too. He did go missing for spells. I’m not convinced his best position is on the wing either and when he’s out of the game he isn’t doing enough to get himself back in to it.

 

Pope was his usual self with no lack of effort. But without any width or service what can he do? He should have hit the target with the free header from the corner first half.

 

Vassell and Dodds came on and at least looked like they wanted to be there. Despite common consensus I think Dodds is a good link to the forwards, but I sound like a broken record by saying we have no options for players. No wingers. No overlapping full backs. No midfielders breaking the lines going past forwards. Vassell isn’t a full back, that’s plain as day but at least he looked like the cared. He did well defensively even though he (like Rawlinson) offers no threat that a proper full back would going forward.

 

Quigley isn’t the answer. Simple as that.

 

It’s tiring hearing the same old stuff after games. We started badly. We picked up second half. We worked hard. The ref didn’t get a grip of the game. We didn’t create enough. Everything they come out and say after the game is clutching at straws. Talk is cheap. Do something about it.

 

What do we do in the week to solve the same issues game in game out? Why do we start with no intensity? We are purely relying on a set piece or something falling from a long ball. To have 4 centre halves as our entire back 4 is just the start of our negativity. Why can’t we play with proper full backs that will also get forward. At least they know the role. What are we gaining with Center halves there. It’s baffling to me. Our wing play is awful. Last season might have been a shitshow but at least we had full backs and wingers linking up properly at times and getting crosses in. We don’t have a centre midfielder that will get forward, is that on the managers instructions? We’ve got one the best forwards in this league and we don’t play to his strengths. We get no one up in support and we have no options when we get the ball.

 

My only conclusion is that Aspin is negative and too cautious. Rather grinding something out than going and taking something out of the game. It’s terrible to watch. If we get in decent wingers and forwards I still have no confidence it can be sorted.

 

Classy from the Lorne street faithful by the tunnel who abused their lad going off who was seriously injured too. Saw him in the ambulance on oxygen outside as I was leaving after the game.

 

Anyway that’s by the by. I don’t know what the answer is to our problems, but first things first we should be playing players in their correct positions I feel.

 

Good summing up,on whose doorstep do you lay the blame for such an inept performance ?

[Old fort]

That’s it, I’ve had enough. Not one flicker of positivity from yet another abysmal display. As much as I’ve really wanted Aspin to be our next decent manager, I really believe that the guy doesn’t have the intelligence to manage a club at this level. If he had he’d see the following and use that missing intelligence to at least try to show a semblance of managerial nouse.

 

How does passing the ball to your keeper from a kick off, so that he can launch it as far downfield with the hope of profiting from a lucky knock down define your footballing ethos?

 

A regular midfield player who appears regards collecting a ball and then moving forward in to yards of space, as multitasking and is a risk not worth taking. Michael Tongue reincarnate, minus the passing ability.

 

A team that has absolutely no idea of how to mount any kind of attack that doesn’t involve hoofing the ball.

 

A team that looks so uncomfortable in possession, coupled with no ability to keep the ball for more than three passes, resulting in inevitably having to spend the majority of the game firefighting after continually surrendering possession.

 

A set up so devoid of encouraging any kind of creativity that a game is likely to be not winnable if the opposition score.

 

Wholesale changes of either personnel or what I’d loosely describe as a system, are treated like a lucky dip in virtually every game.

 

With the very rare exception, that every team that we’ve played, including the ones that we’ve actually managed to beat, display a capability of moving the ball around with distinctly more competence and purpose than us.

 

Realise that Leon Legges multiple long throws have not created a sniff of a chance and are negated by his lack of presence in the opponents box.

 

Just remind me again of the definition of madness.

 

Admittedly, most of our players aren’t great, but looking at the teams we’ve played, who’s are? Yet they nearly all look better organised and from our perspective, there’s only one person who’s responsible for that.

 

So Mr Aspin, no matter who we were to sign, you’ve set your stall out and had your chance to impose the way that you wish to play and to quote your predecessor “ is there for all to see”. Unfortunately we see nothing to suggest that you’re capable of moving our club significantly forward to anywhere near the extent that is required.

 

Mr Aspin, please do the honourable thing and safegurd your immense reputation that was gained as a player, by holding your hands up, being honest with yourself and admitting that it just hasn’t and won’t work out for us this time.

 

PS Hagrid, may not be the answer, but Phil Brown could potentially be an interesting shout. Patchy at times yes, but has shown to be capable of success at league level. Now then, what happened when we last had a manager who knew a thing or two about the football league? - Answers on a postcard please to N Smurthwaite, C/O Vale Park Cleaning lady.

[PV1973]

Good summing up,on whose doorstep do you lay the blame for such an inept performance ?

The manager.

 

In our minds we’re all football managers, but can anyone honestly say they’d pick these sides that Aspin is, square pegs and all that. No tactics. No motivation it seems from some players. Too many players allowed to get away with poor performances whilst others are completely left out for much less. All that leads me to question what we do in the week, the intensity and discipline of that training and also the actual level of tactical coaching and team shape we do in training too.

 

We set up with wing backs but don’t actually play like a team with wing backs. That systems an excuse to get more bodies at the back it seems.

 

We are clueless right now with no plan. Every player should know their role inside out. We look like we don’t.