Match Thread - Port Vale v Tranmere

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

A team full of none league players out there tonight. Soon be playing where they belong. Brown you are excused.

 

Been saying exactly that for weeks mate.

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

REP. Several of your posts tonight have been close to hate. Please do not cross the line. We may not be very good but we do try.

 

I don’t hate anyone mate, life’s too short.

 

Who is we? If you are talking about the fans yes. If you are talking about the players they are much worse than not very good. Brown aside (without whom I’d imagine we’d be down already) they are god awful, Gibbons tries as does Whitfield. The rest need to give up and find a new profession, especially Kay who is laughable as a footballer, he’s the worst of the worst ever Vale squad, actually god awful is too good for them.

[onestepatatime]

Rawlinson, Conlon and Hannant were total pants. Monty, Worrall and Ben HAVE to start on Saturday. What the (F) is the reason behind Legge and/ or Howkins being at the Club when they are not involved? Both must be banging their heads against brick walls having to watch the awful displays put on by certain defenders. The only decent thing out of tonight was Notts County being hammered again. Thank God there are them and Yeovil in this dire League. We have to play both. Therein lies our only chance of saving this season. Oh, by the way.......Norman Smurthwaite get out of our Club. Brilliant to hear at long last chants against him from the Railway Stand and paddock. May they continue against Cheltenham when I'll be there with my loudest voice to join in.

[Bald Eagle]

Noticed on both Saturday and today he ignores players when they are substituted. For me doesn’t appear there is much of a working relationship here

[TheSage]

I thought it was fairly common knowledge [although it may of course just be rumour and innuendo] that Legge isn't starting games because if he does it triggers a 12 month extension to his contract, and Howkins I think has fallen out with Askey because he came here at the 11th hour to play, yet is being overlooked, when towards the end of last season he was our best defender and a class act.

 

It's frustrating to think - to my mind at least - that we have a few better players sitting in the stand who are not being selected.

 

Legge, Howkins, Monty, to name but three. Maybe too the likes of Worrall and Miller tonight.

[PV1973]

Can’t believe miller took the shot on at the near post towards the end when firing it across the box looked the better option.

[smithie]

I thought it was fairly common knowledge [although it may of course just be rumour and innuendo] that Legge isn't starting games because if he does it triggers a 12 month extension to his contract, and Howkins I think has fallen out with Askey because he came here at the 11th hour to play, yet is being overlooked, when towards the end of last season he was our best defender and a class act.

 

It's frustrating to think - to my mind at least - that we have a few better players sitting in the stand who are not being selected.

 

Legge, Howkins, Monty, to name but three. Maybe too the likes of Worrall and Miller tonight.

 

I was shocked at how ineffective Pope was tonight, and if Popey is honest he'll agree. He won very few headers and generally offered little.

 

I hope he's not so influential that Askey doesn't dare drop him.

 

Pope has been excellent for most of the season but he couldn't have complained if he was taken off tonight.

[TheSage]

I agree, he wasn't at his best tonight, though he had a header off the line and if we're bombarding the box with crosses he's clearly a better bet than our limited alternatives.

 

For me, I would have subbed both Conlon and Hannant who I thought were dire and far worse than Pope. And maybe Clark too.

Change the formation, which he belatedly did, and go to a back four with Monty in front of Crookes and Whitfield on the right, with Miller/Harris alongside Pope. I don't recall who else was on the bench but anyone out of the crowd could have played better than those two above in central midfield.

 

How much better we look at home when we have pace down the wings and get men forward to help Pope.

 

The way to go. Be brave from now on.

[Paul6754]

What a daft post. People asked for change because we were going to get relegated. We didn’t ask for more of the same. It was pointless sacking aspin (especially once the transfer window was closed) if this is what we get, but don’t go on about ‘getting what we asked for’ as though we weren’t on a downward spiral beforehand anyway. No one asked for this shambles.

 

What at stupid post.

 

How do you know Vale were gonna get relegated under Aspin, no you didn't ask for more of the same but what happens if it is the same or even bleadin' worse. Vale are on a faster downward spiral now, 3 bleadin' losses in 3 games, players and manager with no confidence.

 

You asked for a new manager there is always a chance it can be the same or worse.

 

The phrase, "Be careful what you ask for" has never been more pertinent than in this case.

[Paul6754]

Please quote the post where '593' asked for Askey or **** off back to the Brexit topic and spout your ******** there.

 

What the hell are you talking about.

[The Kalamazoo Kid]

I don’t hate anyone mate' date=' life’s too short.[/quote']

 

Not even Mike Lloyd then? - only I seem to recall that you made repeated comments about him that indicated severe hatred (and even very recently on here you made some derogatory remark about him)......in fact, so obvious were your feelings towards him that it actually made me like the bloke a little!

 

(apologies to everyone else for going off-topic on this thread).

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

Not even Mike Lloyd then? - only I seem to recall that you made repeated comments about him that indicated severe hatred (and even very recently on here you made some derogatory remark about him)......in fact, so obvious were your feelings towards him that it actually made me like the bloke a little!

 

(apologies to everyone else for going off-topic on this thread).

 

Oh he’s a vile human being but my company ended up settling with his tinpot company in the end. He is a disgrace to the human race that pillock.

[Erniemossrules]

I thought it was fairly common knowledge [although it may of course just be rumour and innuendo] that Legge isn't starting games because if he does it triggers a 12 month extension to his contract, and Howkins I think has fallen out with Askey because he came here at the 11th hour to play, yet is being overlooked, when towards the end of last season he was our best defender and a class act.

 

It's frustrating to think - to my mind at least - that we have a few better players sitting in the stand who are not being selected.

 

Legge, Howkins, Monty, to name but three. Maybe too the likes of Worrall and Miller tonight.

 

When will Askey actually use the best players he has available.

We were a different team second half after he was forced to use the substitutes.Even he must have seen that Rawlinson was dire again and to blame for both goals.

He has Legge and Howkins who are much better and would have probably stopped the scoring with better marking.Howkins was one of the best players last season and saying he is not match fit is rubbish.You could ask the question is Rawlinson match fit or picked because he has blue eyes.

What other reason can there be for Legge and Howkins not being picked.

The first goal he was busy appealing for something instead of stopping him scoring.

The second he let him get goal side of him and guess what happened.

Is Askey any better than Aspin?

We have the players to be better than what we are but poor team selection and tactics still letting us down.

Sorry I was wrong about him bringing Miller on for the last 5 minutes he did it with 10 minutes to play when it was too late.I must admit I thought he would make more changes after Saturday especially when he said In the Sentinel that Miller was in the frame to start.

Hannant should have been subbed for Miller at half time to give Pope some help up front.

Again it’s not rocket science that they put 2 sometimes 3 players on Pope to stop him playing.

There must be a plan B instead of hoofing it up to Pope.

[blackdog]

With a positive mental attitude like that you can tell you’ve lived in the Potteries all your life.

 

Blackdog for mayor of the potteries!

 

Still as optimistic ?

[Smugsy]

Where to begin? We have problems all over the pitch. Defensively we concede a soft goal seemingly every week. Rawlinson is an ok centre half, terrible right back and so out of his depth in a three at the back formation I'm worried that he'll drown. He allowed his man to run free to score the winner Saturday and stood statuesque for the first goal tonight. He's not the only one struggling though. Smith is fine as long as he plays alongside a dominant centre half ie Legge or Howkins but ask him to be the main man and he crumbles. Clark's confidence looks shot. He's so worried about making a mistake he overthink things and ends up slowing attacks down.

 

In midfield at last we saw a change in midfield personnel but with very little change in productivity. Kay is a decent defensive midfielder but doesn't have the game to start spreading the ball around the pitch. Unfortunately no one told him that. At least he doesn't hide but games like tonight make you wish he would. Conlon runs around doing very little and was caught out for the second goal. Hannant is way out of form and looks in need of a spell on the bench. Worrell looked far more effective when he came on and needs to start Saturday.

 

Up top Pope was ineffective but to get the best out of him we need to get to the by line and play it in rather than the hoof and hope tactics we currently employ. Whitfield was better in he second half as he stopped running offside all the time.

 

The main problem is for all the criticism I've just mentioned we dont have many alternatives to replace them after the much discussed lack of transfer activity last month. This is it now and I can't see how we'll get enough points to survive when we give soft goals away each week and we cannot score goals at the other end. I pray that I'm wrong but non league beckons