Match Thread - Notts County v Port Vale

[Jacko51]

I have to ask the question.... did WE play better or did we just seem to play better because they were worse than us?

Would we have played better if we were playing a mid or top table team... would we have kept a clean sheet....

Not scoring against the bottom team with a -32 goal difference is pretty depressing..... and "at least we didn't lose" doesn't change the mood much.

 

Mansfield, who are currently third in the league, couldn't score against them a couple of weeks ago and lost. Lincoln only managed one and a draw in Notts' home game before that. In between those two games they won at Forest Green who are in the play off positions. We are not the only team who haven't beaten them in recent weeks.

 

County are bad but are clearly capable of better than they produced yesterday. We didn't allow them to show it.

[Inny]

Totally agree. We’ve scored one in five, only three in ten and against the worst team in the entire football league play with just one aging, half-fit, out-of-form centre-forward whilst keeping three players who can score on the bench. Which ever way you look at it, totally indefensible in my view. A point will not be enough and I agree that could be the result that sinks us.

You may question the team selection, which many of us did prior to the game. However there was sufficient chances created to score at least 6 goals yesterday.

 

Whitfield did nothing when he came on although it was just for 10 minutes and I would have brought him on 10 minutes earlier. Miller has scored one league goal all season and has failed to have an impact on any game and then we have Monty and you never know who is turning up. At his best he would get in any team. I certainly wouldnt have brought Worrall off for him. It makes the decision not to sign Marc Richards even more mind boggling.

 

We couldn't afford to lose yesterday and the teams performance was excellent with the exception of their finishing.

[MBE]

For those complaining County are the worst team and we couldn't even score past them blah blah blah ...you have to put the game into context and the way both clubs have been heading. County have been on a recovery since a positive transfer window with a run of form DWWL before yesterdays game and closed the gap and we well... LLLL and a **** poor transfer window.

 

Make no mistake this was a must not loose game so job well done and with a much better performance.It gives is something to build upon to pull us to safety. I firmly believe if we play like yesterday until the end of the season we will stay up ..we just need a little bit of luck to put the ball in the net then I expect us to start picking up a few results.

 

I really do like Askey -I think he takes a lot of sense and I have seen enough in his tactics and changing personnel to believe he is the long term manager solution needed to rebuild this club.

[EricHamesis]

Yeah we created chances. But we failed to score and drew with the worst team in the football league.

 

Team selection was wrong...again.

 

They are proper ****. You have to beat teams like that.

 

How can people say Joyce and Conlon were good. I honestly don't understand.

 

You're right, Joyce and Conlon weren't good yesterday. They were excellent, both putting in probably their best performance of the season.

[Jacko51]

You may question the team selection, which many of us did prior to the game. However there was sufficient chances created to score at least 6 goals yesterday.

 

Whitfield did nothing when he came on although it was just for 10 minutes and I would have brought him on 10 minutes earlier. Miller has scored one league goal all season and has failed to have an impact on any game and then we have Monty and you never know who is turning up. At his best he would get in any team. I certainly wouldnt have brought Worrall off for him. It makes the decision not to sign Marc Richards even more mind boggling.

 

We couldn't afford to lose yesterday and the teams performance was excellent with the exception of their finishing.

 

Miller has actually scored 2 league goals and Whitfield has never scored away from home for Vale. I don't get this assumption that they are the answer to our prayers.

[Alright Nah]

Miller has actually scored 2 league goals and Whitfield has never scored away from home for Vale. I don't get this assumption that they are the answer to our prayers.

 

Players not in the side achieve that status very easily.

 

I will say legge looked like the answer yesterday. Not sure how rawlinsons been in over him

[geosname]

Mansfield, who are currently third in the league, couldn't score against them a couple of weeks ago and lost. Lincoln only managed one and a draw in Notts' home game before that. In between those two games they won at Forest Green who are in the play off positions. We are not the only team who haven't beaten them in recent weeks.

 

County are bad but are clearly capable of better than they produced yesterday. We didn't allow them to show it.

 

Thanks Jean.... difficult to decipher sometimes when your disappointed.

[WalterJ]

Whine about askey? Because I’ve said i don’t understand why we’re leaving it so late to make subs? I was one of the only ones on here who wanted him!

 

My take on the game was we played ok, i posted at half time we were doing ok and we’re better than county, I felt we needed to push on and we would’ve taken the 3 points. For me pope should have gone off he dosent like right he’s missing chance after chance and someone else deserves a go at least for half an hour. I saw today 2 poor sides where one was slightly betterthan the other first half and much better second but are clueless in front of goal. Montano and miller should have been brought on imo.

 

The other issue is of course most posts will be moaning. Have you not noticed how bad we have been?

 

Sorry but when you look at County line up and wage bill they should be top six, pre match Pope was telling how many good players they have. Would have liked a win midfield a lot better and will get better still if we stick to it with just Joyce as holding midfielder. Worrall gives us good options and I can see Manny gaining form. Agree about Millar and Montano, I would try the latter as centre forward? Come to that would try Howkins at centre forward.

[WalterJ]

He's in Outer Mongolia scouting players.

 

Our away fans are fantastic they deserve more than Smurth! Let’s force him to stay in Mongolia or anywhere. Hope Synetics can win deal in the end, supporters deserve a lot more than this.

[WalterJ]

I can't believe what I am reading. We may have turned a corner? It was a great point? What???? To me, that cemented our relegation. How many clear cut chances did we create where you can say "We should have scored"? 1? 2? We couldn't score against the worst team in the football league, Askey drops the only guy who has scored in ten years. Askey needs to do one, he is out of his depth. We are down, there are no two ways about about.

 

What utter rubbish, how’s it cemented relegation we gained in bottom two?

[Shropshire_Valiant]

There's a difference between having an experienced/quality squad on paper and actually producing the goods though as we well know. Yes Notts County may have Michael Doyle, Jim O'Brien, Mackail-Smith, Jon Stead, Boldewijn plus 1 or 2 others who didn't even play yesterday(David Vaughan, Richard Duffy who used to play for us) all very experienced or players who have achieved more in the game previously but collectively coupled with the rest of their squad they could take them out of the league. Perhaps some of them are past it or they just aren't motivated or deployed properly?

[valefan16]

What did impress me was our intensity. At

Half time my worry was we would burn out and surely couldn’t keep that level up but we did.

 

The issue with Notts is like the issues we have seen. It’s great having big name experienced players but too many and you lose the legs! Doyle is what 37? O Brien 31 that’s an old central midfield to cope with our central three of Manny, Conlon and Joyce.

 

What I would say is taking Kay out as I’ve mentioned before improved us in terms of how quick we get the ball forward.

 

I’m bouyed by the energy and fitness along with the improvement in some players who had been wildly out of form. Just need his holiness to get that goal.

[Paul6754]

Was the offside for Pope's "goal" given against Smith or Pope cause Pope looks onside to me when he heads the ball in, difficult to tell for Smith from the highlights.

 

Better performance by Vale yesterday, they looked more compact and pleased to see Vale pressing more especially up the pitch.

[Wise Owl]

Jean you were told on Thursday out tyrant chairman has been ill the reason for not going to Hong Kong he must not have recovered for today:ohmy:

 

He was apparently having an ******** transplant, but the rumour is the ******** has rejected him.

[JRC]

Was the offside for Pope's "goal" given against Smith or Pope cause Pope looks onside to me when he heads the ball in, difficult to tell for Smith from the highlights.

 

Better performance by Vale yesterday, they looked more compact and pleased to see Vale pressing more especially up the pitch.

 

Pope definitely wasn't, maybe Smith but I think the guy marking Pope looked level with him. It wasn't clear cut as their defenders weren't appealing. Probably a very borderline call looking at the replay.