Match Thread - Macclesfield Town v Port Vale

[dun 4]

On today’s showing it looks like he’s off, but he’s the least of our worries because we've got a good enough player already in house. Our main concerns IMO are left back, up front, midfield and maybe even a new winger.

 

Sounds like everyone but the goalkeeper.

[Erniemossrules]

Aspin has just given Tom Pope a 2yr contract so now is the time to play to his strengths.The year we got promoted he had Myrie Williams and Vincent putting in crosses for him to score.He also needs a player alongside side him to keep their defenders happy.At least when Miller plays he keeps them busy.

[pjg1876]

Everton 2 - 6 Tottenham. Sky commentator made comments about “look what happens when the defensive midfielders are injured”. Entertainment - probably not so good if you are an Everton fan though.

[Beza]

A small section of Vale fans were singing "we're sh it and we are sick of it". How fooking true is that.

[smithie]

A small section of Vale fans were singing "we're sh it and we are sick of it". How fooking true is that.

 

A much larger section were thinking it, I'm sure. It was a desperately disappointing performance against the bottom side, and quite frankly no-one wants to hear about it being a good point. It's Macclesfield Town for fxcks sake.

 

How and where we finish the season surely will define the future for Aspo. Improved performances and results would earn him until October next season to get us in the promotion scene. A string of defeats and poor shows would (and maybe should) see him shown the door.

 

I'll be truly disappointed if it doesn't work out for Neil, but I'll be even more disappointed if we play in the same league as Macclesfield Bloody Town for much longer.

[Frank Mustard]

Has Neil broke the world record for the most amount of centre halves in a starting eleven yet?

[Erniemossrules]

Has Neil broke the world record for the most amount of centre halves in a starting eleven yet?

 

No I think Baldrick Brown had that record but Aspin is quickly catching him up.By playing centre halves at full back he is inviting them to push their full backs up to put more pressure on midfield.

[bycars bootboy]

Agree on Angus, he can do no more than he has and deserves the end of the season back with us.

 

One thing Whitfield’s performance showed us yesterday is that some of the fringe players need a little bit of patience, Whitfield’s not played for a few games, not featured in the reserves and for that 15 mins yesterday it looked like that too. Some on here were quick to write him off because of that and it wouldn’t surprise me if Aspin does the same too, “see, I played him and he made no difference”. So really the same applies when players like Gibbons, Worrall, Miller come back in to the fold. They need to get back up to speed again.

 

Surely Whitfield should have been chomping st the bit.I can't accept this cotton wool appeasement of players.Whitfield needs a kick up the proverbial.

[PV1973]

Surely Whitfield should have been chomping st the bit.I can't accept this cotton wool appeasement of players.Whitfield needs a kick up the proverbial.

Whitfield was slated on here by someone for his Macclesfield cameo at the weekend. Which is harsh considering how little he’s played lateley. Also that last 15 minutes might see a player hardly involved in the game depending on how the games going and that’s really how it panned out at Macclesfield, he shouldn’t be written off for the weekends sub appearance.

[valiant steve]

Three games against lowly teams and we've been mega defensive and scraped three draws. The football, bar the first fifteen minutes against Cheltenham, has been woeful. We've got the best striker in the league and failed to create a single chance for him. It's boring. We rarely win (we rarely score) and we're about to enter the January transfer window which has been a disaster in the past two seasons. We hear the usual "It's difficult to sign players in January" but money talks. (Wages)

I hope I'm pleasantly surprised after the next two home games but fear more of the same.

[Upfromnowhere]

Whitfield was slated on here by someone for his Macclesfield cameo at the weekend. Which is harsh considering how little he’s played lateley. Also that last 15 minutes might see a player hardly involved in the game depending on how the games going and that’s really how it panned out at Macclesfield, he shouldn’t be written off for the weekends sub appearance.

 

Couldn't agree more, and not just about Whitfield but all our forwards who have been forced to feed off the most meagre of scraps all season. On the assumption the lad hasnt been put on the naughty step for missing that one on one a few weeks back, one has to ask what on earth has the lad done wrong. To dig him out for anything, least of all his 15 min cameo is absurdly unfair.

The same with Kanu, certainly Dodds and Quigley and most certainly Miller, all of whom have been starved of any service or chances. At the start of the year, many were saying we suddenly had the best strike duo in the league, but two months later Miller's lack of goals turned him into a huge disappointment to many. Well I am one of those who disagrees. He always puts in a maximum effort, never gives defences a chance to settle and has proved in the cup that give him chances he will score.

But particularly like Whits at the moment, he and all forwards appear to have been banished from the starting eleven because Neil has decided none can play with the skipper, and it wouldn't surprise me, if two or three are loaned out in the next couple of weeks as a consequence.

If this happens the biggest problem we will then face, especially given the one dimensional tactics Aspin employs, is who could he get in, more specifically perhaps who would want to join us?

Players speak to players, they see or find out the way teams play before joining and any prospective replacement will surely know that playing up front for Vale is a poison chalice at the moment.

As long as the skipper stays fit, which isnt a given, we urgently need two or three new midfield signings (which also suggests to finance that, a few more players could be loaned out) and to stop more matches in which next to no chances are created, they must surely include one or two speedy wingers and an offensive creator. If we dont, and instead sign another forward, which we do need considering the fall out, how long before they too are sitting on the naughty step?

The other question of course is if we lose today (I dont think we will) especially with Lincoln on the horizon will he still be here to oversee it, will certainly be an interesting few weeks on and off the pitch