January window

[Danish Valiant]

To be fair to NA he does try to put two up top - Pope and Miller/Whitfield/Dodds/Monty. The issue is that the rest of the team is 50 yards behind them.

And in that answer, lies the reason why it haven't worked: 3 out of 4 names, is not a striker, nor will they ever be! Maybe if he tries playing an ACTUAL striker along side Pope, one with pace who can run the holes, read the layoffs and finish. We have that, but Aspin seems to hate him!

The case of Miller is becoming a farce! As it stands now, Aspin would pick an U15 striker, over him to sit on the bench. And all these rumors about this and that, is just disgusting! Nobody has ever seen him doing those things, they've always heard it from their aunts neighbor, who heard it from an old geezer down the laundromat, who heard it from a guy down the pub, who heard it from someone that knows someone who's seen it. I call total Bulls...!

The pub rumor turned out to be absolut crap, when others came forward and said he didn't drink alcohol and others again said he was back in the stadium for kick off. Why has he become the scapegoat on here??? Leave the guy alone, and until I hear from the horses mouth, I believe he should play again, for the benefit of Port Vale!

And even when/if we do get the explanation, please remember there are 3 version of the story: Aspin's, Millers and the truth!

 

But until then, the guy should be given a chance, as we need goals, he can score them if given confidence and a good run from the management.

[Howjy04]

I don't think he's the best footballer in the current squad at all. He may be the best striker, but I would question even that, as nobody else has been given a fair crack (not playing with Pope, but without him). Let's face it, how many other teams, even in this Division, would Pope get into as a first choice striker with no mobility nor pace? Not many I reckon. Yet we're trying to build a team around a 33 year old who is considered by the management, by their own admission, when he's not even fit and carrying an injury. Our play is dictated by Tom Pope and Tom Pope alone, meaning that we can't attack with pace as to do so will mean Pope is still huffing and

 

 

 

 

 

puffing his way into the area, leaving us to either have to hold the ball up whilst he gets in position (which allows all of the opposition to do so too), or cross it in when nobody is in the area. Saw it time and time again in the first half against Oldham.

 

How dare you philip?

[Howjy04]

To be fair to NA he does try to put two up top - Pope and Miller/Whitfield/Dodds/Monty. The issue is that the rest of the team is 50 yards behind them.

 

They are waiting for the ball to come back to them.

[Iron Curtain]

To be fair, how is your allegation that Dodds is not on £900pw currently any stronger than the allegation that he is, with no factual evidence being provided by either? Unless you yourself are privy to the payroll documentation (and don't just have it 'on good authority'), then surely you have to accept that both allegations are potentially 'fake news'?

 

That’s some really twisted logic and I hope no one ever spreads rumours about you on the internet!

 

But even if we take your logic, the blokes salary (Made up or not) should not be spread over the forum. The players salaries were removed from here before and someone just spouting a number because of a vendetta isn’t right.

[Upfromnowhere]

Partner for Miller then.

 

Spill the beans then Ernie!

[Upfromnowhere]

Put Miller, Whitfield,Dodds, Kanu (and yes I know he' gone) in a Vale side that attacks we might see the best of them and in turn Popey, who cuts a very frustrated figure

[fraggle]

Boring thread this is turning into being and that besides the tripe current squad arguments....

 

Will we sign anyone that will make the starting 11 better, that’s what I’d like to see... no another tranche of bench warmers!

[Upfromnowhere]

To be fair to NA he does try to put two up top - Pope and Miller/Whitfield/Dodds/Monty. The issue is that the rest of the team is 50 yards behind them.

 

The common denominator in all of those being what?

 

Its not the formation, or who plays, but how we approach the bloomin games, change that and perhaps are 'goals for' column will get going

[JRC]

So Vale fans want to replace Pope with a player with 2 league goals in 34 appearances! My view is Miller will have a part to play at some point this season but only in Vale Park madness would Pope be the problem and Miller the saviour. Nobody knows why Miller isn't playing. To the best of my knowledge Miller hasn't criticised Aspin publically. He made a public tweet that 2018 was a bad year ... he split up with a long term partner, had his trial, a 42 month driving ban and the issue with the football league disciplinary. That would constitute a pretty poor 12 months for most people. Aspin has been pretty up front when he hasn't wanted a player, Miller hasn't been transfer listed. Whatever has and is going on is behind closed doors for a reason.

[Upfromnowhere]

No-one is saying Pope is the problem, well I'm not, the opposite in fact, but to me, we aren't seeing the best of any forward, most certainly including Pope because of our tactics, and not because he or anyone else is doing anything wrong

[PV1973]

Finally someone else has seen this.

 

I've seen criticism of Miller but he's never been given a chance by Pope. Anyone who went to Stevenage will know exactly what I'm talking about. The way Pope barked and undermined Miller throughout the 2nd half (despite Miller coming on and changing the game in our favour - including laying one on a plate for Pope from 6 yards out) will know that Pope will not play with Miller.

 

I love Pope, he's a Vale legend and clearly the best footballer in the current squad. However, I have a horrible feeling that he would be happy if we tumble further down the leagues as long as he's still top dog. Look back at his reaction to the iconic celebration from Miller on the opening day, he was jealous as hell with the admiration his strike partner was getting from the Railway Stand.

I’m sure in that stevenage game Pope was berating Miller most of the time for not passing, which was a trend in many of the games he’s featured in alongside Pope. But I’m in the camp that he should be given another chance, I think he proved he can be a handful for defenders especially in a side where we don’t really have anyone who’ll come on and chase down defenders and make life hard for them.

[vale on toower]

Kanu did exactly that every time he played, in fact was outstanding in the first half against Lincoln (until we went two up top ie shoved out wide out of the way)

[Danish Valiant]

Just think about what all these rumors does to Miller, because I'm 99,9 pct sure, he hears them!

First he doesn't get picked in the starting 11. Then he gets picked for the bench, and finally he ends up in the stands. That must be hard enough, for a footballer with his desire!

 

And then, for reasons absolutely nobody knows, some fans turns on him, and he's stamped a drunk and a drug addict. And then the totally irrelevant rumor from the teams Christmas party.

And the common denominator for all these stories, is that nobody has ANY evidence, AT ALL, to back them up! There's no videos or pictures of him online, being drunk of his ass (which the type of people who post these stories, would line up to film and post). Which in this day and age, is proof of the opposite in it self... No videos of all these 'drug trades' some people allegedly have seen him carry out in public car parks. And nobody knows f... all, about what went on at the Christmas party, besides the squad!

Why some fans, want to throw our own player under the bus like this, without as much as the smallest, tiniest shred of evidence to back those absolutely horrific, and in all honesty quite serious, allegations up, is beyond logic to me!

 

So could we all PLEASE get off the guys case???

 

PLEASE!

[Iron Curtain]

EFL hub on twitter saying that Swindon have rejected advances from Yeovil Town and Port Vale to sign Keshi Andersen.

 

Wonder if Green and White will suit him?

[Upfromnowhere]

Keshi Anderson would be brilliant for us, a direct winger with both trickery and pace just what we need....but can he defend or play at LB?