Match Thread - Yeovil Town v Port Vale

[DIV3SOUTH]

Sad but I've reached the point where I couldn't care less who plays.

[Erniemossrules]

Certain players like Joyce and Monty can’t do wrong.

I still think Gibbons and Worrall link well on the right side but Aspin prefers to play with 6 centre backs.

Kanu hasn’t been given a fair chance.

Think he was part of the deal by Norman for Millar but Aspin didn’t want him.

[mbycars]

Certain players like Joyce and Monty can’t do wrong.

I still think Gibbons and Worrall link well on the right side but Aspin prefers to play with 6 centre backs.

Kanu hasn’t been given a fair chance.

Think he was part of the deal by Norman for Millar but Aspin didn’t want him.

 

Both Monty and Joyce have been dropped by Aspin. I don't think Joyce would have played in many of those games if Manny had been fit or not suspended.

I agree with you over the centre halves. We must stop playing with 3 or 4 centre backs at the expense of proper speedy full backs that we have in the squad.

[PVFC764]

I'll listen to this on Tuesday, assuming that Radio Sjoke bother to cover the game live.

 

They are bound to find a reason for not putting the game on. Too wet or not the right type of leaves on the ground.

[PV1993]

My team, for what it's worth, would be:

 

4-1-3-2: Brown; Gibbons, Legge, Vassell, Montano; Kay; Hannant, Oyeleke, Conlon; Pope, Whitfield

 

I genuinely believe that with the players we have available this is one of the only formations suited to us. We don't have any wingers, so we need wing backs to overlap. That means not shoving centre halves out wide (Rawlinson, Vassell). The wingbacks also get decent cover with wide midfielders - something they don't get in the current system with only 2 in the engine room. I really believe this is why we haven't seen the Monty of last year. His link up with Hannant, along with Gibbo and Worrall on the right, was crucial. It was the centre that was lacking. Now we have two good midfielders in Oyeleke and Conlon, we should have sorted that - but instead we play centre halves in full back and even wing back positions. Crazy.

 

I got hounded for it before, but people are starting to cotton on to how dire Smith and Rawlinson are with the ball at their feet - that's not to say they're bad defenders mind. Vassell showed the pair of them up within 5 minutes on Saturday - but because he can pass a ball he gets shoved into unorthodox positions. Certainly if we can continue with 3 at the back then one needs to be sacrificed because we give up position far too easily.

 

Aspin bangs on about needing a goalscorer but in my opinion we have a few. What we don't have is any width or pace. A couple of tricky wingers would give us more options, either starting or changing a game. Send Quigley and Hardcastle (although that's slightly harsh on him) back and lets find some young wingers.

[valefan16]

Yeovil have quite a big injury list to some key players so hopefully we can take the points in this one.

 

Need to attack them and be positive. They've got a guy from the 12th tier who debuted on Saturday at the back... could be a chance to capitalise if he plays tonight with Pope's experience against him?

[valiant_593]

No chance of that happening. We will set up not to lose again and end up losing. Like every away match.

[PV1973]

My team, for what it's worth, would be:

 

4-1-3-2: Brown; Gibbons, Legge, Vassell, Montano; Kay; Hannant, Oyeleke, Conlon; Pope, Whitfield

 

I genuinely believe that with the players we have available this is one of the only formations suited to us. We don't have any wingers, so we need wing backs to overlap. That means not shoving centre halves out wide (Rawlinson, Vassell). The wingbacks also get decent cover with wide midfielders - something they don't get in the current system with only 2 in the engine room. I really believe this is why we haven't seen the Monty of last year. His link up with Hannant, along with Gibbo and Worrall on the right, was crucial. It was the centre that was lacking. Now we have two good midfielders in Oyeleke and Conlon, we should have sorted that - but instead we play centre halves in full back and even wing back positions. Crazy.

 

I got hounded for it before, but people are starting to cotton on to how dire Smith and Rawlinson are with the ball at their feet - that's not to say they're bad defenders mind. Vassell showed the pair of them up within 5 minutes on Saturday - but because he can pass a ball he gets shoved into unorthodox positions. Certainly if we can continue with 3 at the back then one needs to be sacrificed because we give up position far too easily.

 

Aspin bangs on about needing a goalscorer but in my opinion we have a few. What we don't have is any width or pace. A couple of tricky wingers would give us more options, either starting or changing a game. Send Quigley and Hardcastle (although that's slightly harsh on him) back and lets find some young wingers.

 

You make some good points about the full backs / wingers linking up. This season we have seen none of that at all. Players being dropped, chopped and changed constantly in addition to formation changes has meant that we look to have no partnerships anywhere on the pitch. Its no wonder we look like a team of strangers at times.

 

How often have we heard Aspin say we need to create more and get more quality in to the box? Yet he then plays centre halves at full back which ensures we get no support from that area going forward, which is crucial for a player like Pope and gives us extra bodies in the attacking third. I don’t believe for one minute that in training we practice attacking drills with Rawlinson and Vassell overlapping and putting crosses in, because come the games we just don’t do it.

 

At the weekend I read Aspin speaking about how good the small sides games are in training and how well we keep the ball, but when it comes to the games we don’t play football like that and instead go long. This has been happening all season. One reason for that is that I think its easy to go long with someone as good as Pope in front of you. Secondly I think its down to the team selections as well, because within that we’ve been playing 4 centre halves and 2 holding midfielders. That’s 6 outfield players who keep their shape and hardly move. Theres no outlet out wide and theres no movement through the middle. Its so one dimensional and easy to play against. Thirdly, if he wasn’t happy with it why hasn’t he said something before and changed it? Personally I think we go out there and play to his instruction and I think the managers cautious and negative selections are why. We look scared to try anything, setting up for a draw from the start. But wih us starting mose games slowly its hard to get momentum back, especially if we’re losing.

[Bimbleabout]

Game live on ifollow tonight chaps

[smithie]

No chance of that happening. We will set up not to lose again and end up losing. Like every away match.

 

Except Crewe and Oldham where we won.

[Paul6754]

Hope Oyeleke plays and provides a fulchrum in midfield and some quality passes to create good chances not just half chances.

 

Whether Aspo goes with 4-4-2, 3-5-2 or 4-5-1 should depend on whether Yeovil play with fast wide men and obviously who is available for Vale.

 

Vale are a much better team when Oyeleke plays.

[valiant steve]

The scummy cheating Yeovil team will no doubt play act to get one of our lads sent off as they do every season.

[llcoolj]

Very defensive looking line up, Pope up front with......well no-one

[Mario]

Teams in

 

Brown Montano Legge Kay Oyeleke Pope Hannant Rawlinson Smith Vassell Conlon

 

Subs. Hornby Gibbons Joyce Quigley Kanu Dodds Whitfield

[valefan16]

Awful tactics against a side out of form who’ve got injuries and been done over by Stockport and Macc Town in their last two.

 

We should be asking the questions of them not parking the bus!