Match Thread - Crawley Town v Port Vale

[Jacko51]

And you can 100% see why. Starting with so many centre backs. Very good of you to pick out the only other win everyone’s been moaning about the starting 11’s for months, havnt picked up on that though?

 

Miller had a good game because he’s a good player when we actually play to his strengths and don’t play hoof ball.

 

Check out the Oldham match thread. The first response to a post showing the team said, "Much better line up that! " And look what happened there!

 

I mentioned the Yeovil game because I actually spoked to loads of folk at the turnstiles as we were waiting to go in who were castigating the team selection.

 

There were similar comments prior to the Lincoln game including the wonderfully optimistic: "Rhead will have a field day against Smith.Especially how he played on Boxing Day.

Is it true Lincoln have installed a cricket scoreboard today."

 

I don't have to comment on every match thread to see that a lot of folk talk nonsense.

[CambridgeDon]

Surprisingly enough we have only lost 2 of the last 11 away games in the league and have won 4 of those. If we could find the right formula at home we would be challenging in the top 7 places.

 

Here's the table showing our away form so far this season, which looks pretty reasonable:

 

https://www.twtd.co.uk/league-tables/competition:league-two/form/matches:15/type:away/

 

Nevertheless, only two sides, Crawley and Crewe have scored fewer goals than we have away from home. Clearly, we are difficult to break down away from home but don't score that many.

 

By contrast, here's our home form, which is the cause of our problems this season:

 

https://www.twtd.co.uk/league-tables/competition:league-two/form/matches:15/type:home/

 

At home, only 5 teams have scored fewer than we have but the worst aspect is that no other team has conceded more - 24 in 14 games.

 

So, it doesn't take a genius to work out that Aspo's problem is how to stop us shipping goals at this alarming rate and then outscore the opposition. We need an urgent solution and maybe we have the foundations, ironically, in yesterday's away game where by all accounts we managed to play more of a passing game in Pope's enforced absence.

 

For me, among the signings we're about to make, and to build on yesterday's performance, we have to sign someone who can cross the ball. It's something of an indictment when your leading scorer says in an interview with a national newspaper that he has to cross the ball himself and then head it in. Many a true word spoken in jest.

[Warren]

Good result. Well done. Win on Tuesday and Saturday and the season can look much better. Go for it.

[Upfromnowhere]

Here's the table showing our away form so far this season, which looks pretty reasonable:

 

https://www.twtd.co.uk/league-tables/competition:league-two/form/matches:15/type:away/

 

Nevertheless, only two sides, Crawley and Crewe have scored fewer goals than we have away from home. Clearly, we are difficult to break down away from home but don't score that many.

 

By contrast, here's our home form, which is the cause of our problems this season:

 

https://www.twtd.co.uk/league-tables/competition:league-two/form/matches:15/type:home/

 

At home, only 5 teams have scored fewer than we have but the worst aspect is that no other team has conceded more - 24 in 14 games.

 

So, it doesn't take a genius to work out that Aspo's problem is how to stop us shipping goals at this alarming rate and then outscore the opposition. We need an urgent solution and maybe we have the foundations, ironically, in yesterday's away game where by all accounts we managed to play more of a passing game in Pope's enforced absence.

 

For me, among the signings we're about to make, and to build on yesterday's performance, we have to sign someone who can cross the ball. It's something of an indictment when your leading scorer says in an interview with a national newspaper that he has to cross the ball himself and then head it in. Many a true word spoken in jest.

 

Threin lies the dichotomy. Play like we did yesterday, and in that or very similar formation wingers are not a pre-requsite, play it in the air for the duration...and they most certainly are. Takes your pick I guess.

[Erniemossrules]

Check out the Oldham match thread. The first response to a post showing the team said, "Much better line up that! " And look what happened there!

 

I mentioned the Yeovil game because I actually spoked to loads of folk at the turnstiles as we were waiting to go in who were castigating the team selection.

 

There were similar comments prior to the Lincoln game including the wonderfully optimistic: "Rhead will have a field day against Smith.Especially how he played on Boxing Day.

Is it true Lincoln have installed a cricket scoreboard today."

 

I don't have to comment on every match thread to see that a lot of folk talk nonsense.

 

That’s why we are 5 points off the drop.

The win yesterday just keeps our heads above water.

We are at home again on Saturday so normal service will be resumed.

[Houston Valiant]

Play the same side on Saturday, and with that same commitment, and we’ll beat Carlisle.

[jjvale_03]

This will be an unpopular opinion, because the player I'm going to talk about is untouchable to most.

 

The players looked and played like they were happy and free, not having to worry about getting barked at by Tom Pope. We played the ball on the ground, little triangles, short sharp passing, full backs pushing up and overlapping, Ricky Miller at his unpredictable best - terrifying the Crawley defenders in the process. There was no negativity when the wrong ball wasn't played or when a player had bust a gut to get up and support only for sokmeone to take a shot or pick the wrong pass. We just got on with it and went again. No hoofball, no negativity, just a collective positive approach.

 

In the absence of an overbearing front man, other leaders emerged most notably Nathan Smith. He marshalled Rawlinson and Crookes superbly, which allowed the excellent Gibbons and Clark to push forward at will.

 

There's a time and a place for Tom Pope, and we owe him plenty for his contributions over the past decade or so. However, I hope yesterday makes Aspin re-think his 'I will never take off Tom Pope unless he's injured mantra' as it was shown to be utterly stupid given the performances of many players yesterday who have been shunned all season. We have another striker in Ricky Miller who needs an arm around him, to feel loved and that requires good man-management. He's no doubt as mad as a box of frogs, of course he is at times selfish and makes the wrong choices, but he has the ability to terrify opposition defences and to have sidelined him for unknown reasons when we are desperate for goals is plain daft.

 

Great performance yesterday and proof that life goes on with or without Tom Pope.

[Danish Valiant]

This will be an unpopular opinion, because the player I'm going to talk about is untouchable to most.

 

The players looked and played like they were happy and free, not having to worry about getting barked at by Tom Pope. We played the ball on the ground, little triangles, short sharp passing, full backs pushing up and overlapping, Ricky Miller at his unpredictable best - terrifying the Crawley defenders in the process. There was no negativity when the wrong ball wasn't played or when a player had bust a gut to get up and support only for sokmeone to take a shot or pick the wrong pass. We just got on with it and went again. No hoofball, no negativity, just a collective positive approach.

 

In the absence of an overbearing front man, other leaders emerged most notably Nathan Smith. He marshalled Rawlinson and Crookes superbly, which allowed the excellent Gibbons and Clark to push forward at will.

 

There's a time and a place for Tom Pope, and we owe him plenty for his contributions over the past decade or so. However, I hope yesterday makes Aspin re-think his 'I will never take off Tom Pope unless he's injured mantra' as it was shown to be utterly stupid given the performances of many players yesterday who have been shunned all season. We have another striker in Ricky Miller who needs an arm around him, to feel loved and that requires good man-management. He's no doubt as mad as a box of frogs, of course he is at times selfish and makes the wrong choices, but he has the ability to terrify opposition defences and to have sidelined him for unknown reasons when we are desperate for goals is plain daft.

 

Great performance yesterday and proof that life goes on with or without Tom Pope.

Get ready for it... I tried saying some of these things on Facebook, and I had to delete it, because people got personal calling me all sorts.

It’s like going to North Korea, and critizise Kim Jong-un...

I don’t think I can set foot at Vale Park again, without getting hurt for saying level headed things about our Dear Leader, our Messiah: Tom Pope.

[smithie]

Get ready for it... I tried saying some of these things on Facebook, and I had to delete it, because people got personal calling me all sorts.

It’s like going to North Korea, and critizise Kim Jong-un...

I don’t think I can set foot at Vale Park again, without getting hurt for saying level headed things about the Messiah

 

North Korea has got nothing on North Staffordshire.

 

We've got Kim Wrong-Un as our crazed dictator.

[pjg1876]

This will be an unpopular opinion, because the player I'm going to talk about is untouchable to most.

 

The players looked and played like they were happy and free, not having to worry about getting barked at by Tom Pope. We played the ball on the ground, little triangles, short sharp passing, full backs pushing up and overlapping, Ricky Miller at his unpredictable best - terrifying the Crawley defenders in the process. There was no negativity when the wrong ball wasn't played or when a player had bust a gut to get up and support only for sokmeone to take a shot or pick the wrong pass. We just got on with it and went again. No hoofball, no negativity, just a collective positive approach.

 

In the absence of an overbearing front man, other leaders emerged most notably Nathan Smith. He marshalled Rawlinson and Crookes superbly, which allowed the excellent Gibbons and Clark to push forward at will.

 

There's a time and a place for Tom Pope, and we owe him plenty for his contributions over the past decade or so. However, I hope yesterday makes Aspin re-think his 'I will never take off Tom Pope unless he's injured mantra' as it was shown to be utterly stupid given the performances of many players yesterday who have been shunned all season. We have another striker in Ricky Miller who needs an arm around him, to feel loved and that requires good man-management. He's no doubt as mad as a box of frogs, of course he is at times selfish and makes the wrong choices, but he has the ability to terrify opposition defences and to have sidelined him for unknown reasons when we are desperate for goals is plain daft.

 

Great performance yesterday and proof that life goes on with or without Tom Pope.

Not unpopular with me as I feel that playing Tom Pope only really works with wingers. Hoof ball from behind him is a complete and utter waste of time. He has played every league game this season until yesterday and I think he has 9 goals including a few penalties. Tyrone Barnett has as many if you exclude the penalties. Different situations call for different tactics. Let’s hope we can pick up some more points before Tom is fit again as he will walk back into the side and we will go back to hoof ball. Even Ricky Miller made a comment about not playing hoof ball yesterday

[toyahw]

What words of wisdom you do glean from this place. So Pope is the actual problem? Yeah right. Monkey dust use has got further in S-o-T and Derbyshire than I thought.

 

We played total hoof ball until we scored and could sit back and play on the counter.

 

Pope out. Black and Gold 'til Pope's sold. How many here actually watch the games rather than just sit and type about them? Not many I suspect.

[Paul6754]

What Saturday showed is that you don't have to be 6" 2"+ to play as a target man/back to goal as long as the ball is played forward along the ground or into space. It was entertaining and fascinating watching the 6" 2"+ center back trying to cope with a player who is considerably smaller but much more skillful and fleet of foot, at times I thought the center back was going to rip Millers head off.

 

I was really pleased Miller got the goal but I do wish he would beat the player once rather than try and beat the same player two or three times at the same time.

 

Only Aspo and the coaching staff know why Pope and Miller haven't started together much this season, hopefully when Popey is fit Aspo can play both of them together, especially at home, and vary the balls forward

[PV1973]

Lastly, people have questioned if Pope and Miller can play together, in fact if anyone is suitable to play and form a decent partnership with our talisman, and to me after yesterday the emphatic answer is yes. What yesterday suggested was that it isn't compatibility that has prevented a partnership developing but our tactics.

 

Play like we did, get the ball down and run at the opposition,and then by design, push both full backs and midfield players up in support, something we've been missing all season, then to me it is abundantly clear, we are very suited to and would consistently benefit from, playing 3-5-2 every game, and we certainly have the personnel to do so.

With Pope in the middle receiving the ball to feet (and that's the key) bringing everyone around him into the game, am utterly convinced not only we would win a lot more matches than we would lose, we would at last see the arrival of a proper front two partnership

The test in that formation is going to be when we play against a side who play 4-4-2 because they will be able to double up on our wingbacks. If I was watching that game back as an opposition scout I'd straight away be thinking how you can deny the space for Gibbons and Clark, because Saturday (especially Gibbons) it was like a game of cat and mouse because of the space afforded on the wings. So I expect the Carlisle game to be a lot different than Crawley.

[Erniemossrules]

Following the Leedsgate spy scandal Aspin has admitted he has been using Speedy and Boomer to spy on other teams.Thats why we treat all the visiting teams as if they are Real Madrid.He was only found out when one of the opposing teams players threw a bone to Boomer and he told them that Tom Pope was playing up front on his own.

[jjvale_03]

What words of wisdom you do glean from this place. So Pope is the actual problem? Yeah right. Monkey dust use has got further in S-o-T and Derbyshire than I thought.

 

We played total hoof ball until we scored and could sit back and play on the counter.

 

Pope out. Black and Gold 'til Pope's sold. How many here actually watch the games rather than just sit and type about them? Not many I suspect.

 

Bizarre post.

 

Nobody is saying that Pope is the 'problem'. Many are saying that he should be used more sparingly and effectively and that 'hoof it to Tom' shouldn't be our Plan A, B and C. It doesn't make sense for a team in the lower regions of Division Four to have someone who 'is never coming off unless he's injured' to quote our manager.

 

I like Pope and think there are not many (if any) better in the air than him in the EFL. He looked head and shoulders above other players a couple of times this season (most notably against Sunderland when they couldn't handle him)but on other occasions he has looked laboured and has been as ineffective as the rest.

 

Imagine a fully fit Tom Pope coming off the bench as we push for a winner at home against tired defenders who have been run ragged by Miller or others.