Match Thread: Leyton Orient v Port Vale

[Guitar Ray]

Having just watched the highlights again, their first goal really came from there being no pressure on the player crossing the ball, he had all the time in the world to pick out the goal scorer and it was pinpoint for him to head home. Joyce or Gibbons could’ve been closer but without pressure on the cross I think the outcome would’ve been the same.

The second goal is a damn good strike. Crookes header is poor but the striker still had a lot to do.

Similar for the third, which, whether it was intended or not, is a great header.  He couldn’t have got better contact to flick the ball just beyond Brown.

All in all, I’d be more disappointed with the first goal than the other two.  We can blame the defending but need to make better choices and be more clinical at the other end too.

In the circumstances it may be seen as two points dropped but it was probably a fair result.

 

[Bald Eagle]

23 hours ago, mikey said:

good reply, Burgess looking like a decent signing

He can’t be - remember he used to be at Macc 😎

[MBE]

Good away day yesterday which I think summed up our season so far. At times we look very good but we never seem able to keep playing throughout the 90 mins and don't handle pressure very well. Very disappointing to loose 2 points at the end - I thought it was unprofessional. 

JA needs to address the late goals its more than a coincidence. Watching the game yesterday only re-affirmed my view we are missing a ball player in midfield. A player who can protect the ball and dictate the play to keep us passing. Far too often when we are under pressure we are happy to just hook the ball long rather than managing the game.Its happened far too many times away from home. The decision making needs to improve in this area. 

To be fair we are exactly what I thought at the beginning of the season which is a decent mid table team but I have to say its frustrating to watch.

I think we are 3 players short of a play-off/promotion team. LB/CM/ST

[Caselord]

26 minutes ago, MBE said:

Good away day yesterday which I think summed up our season so far. At times we look very good but we never seem able to keep playing throughout the 90 mins and don't handle pressure very well. Very disappointing to loose 2 points at the end - I thought it was unprofessional. 

JA needs to address the late goals its more than a coincidence. Watching the game yesterday only re-affirmed my view we are missing a ball player in midfield. A player who can protect the ball and dictate the play to keep us passing. Far too often when we are under pressure we are happy to just hook the ball long rather than managing the game.Its happened far too many times away from home. The decision making needs to improve in this area. 

To be fair we are exactly what I thought at the beginning of the season which is a decent mid table team but I have to say its frustrating to watch.

I think we are 3 players short of a play-off/promotion team. LB/CM/ST

Not many of them players exist at L2 level. 

[CambridgeDon]

On 28/09/2019 at 23:50, toyahw said:

Crookes was nowhere to be seen. Smithy got stuck trying to cover and also cover his own left CB position. Not for the first time. A tame cross came in and we had Gibbo and Joyce defending it. Where Legge was I do not no. Not to pin the blame on anyone in particular. But Gibbo and Joyce should not be the only two in the box defending a high ball.

That's how I saw it, having watched the highlights a couple of times. Allowing the tame cross for the first goal was just poor defending by Crookes and shortly after the same thing happens, only this time Leon, facing his own goal, manages to deflect it away with his heel with their attackers lining up. Then Crookes puts in a poor clearing header for their second goal, so more poor defending. I'm not having a go at Crookes  - he's being played out of position and doesn't seem to have the pace or know-how to cope with opposition wingers with skill or speed. How many seasons is this we've played with make-shift arrangements at left back? It seems to be our Achilles heel and we need to find some decent, experienced cover if we're going to sort this out.

Great game to watch though, with three cracking goals on our part. Just can't understand how we've gone from the solidity we had in defence away from home last season to where we are now. The facts are we've conceded more goals away than any other team in L2 and sit next to the bottom of the away form table. By contrast, we're second from top of the home form table.

https://www.soccerstats.com/homeaway.asp?league=england4

So just a modest improvement in our away form would send us shooting up the table. Definitely top priority for Arthur to sort out!

 

[Valiant62]

Interestingly, we’ve played the 3rd and 4th best home teams away and the 2nd and 4th best away teams at home.

[SFBT]

We also scored two against Forest Green, who have 8 clean sheets on 11.

[PV1973]

4 hours ago, CambridgeDon said:

That's how I saw it, having watched the highlights a couple of times. Allowing the tame cross for the first goal was just poor defending by Crookes and shortly after the same thing happens, only this time Leon, facing his own goal, manages to deflect it away with his heel with their attackers lining up. Then Crookes puts in a poor clearing header for their second goal, so more poor defending. I'm not having a go at Crookes  - he's being played out of position and doesn't seem to have the pace or know-how to cope with opposition wingers with skill or speed. How many seasons is this we've played with make-shift arrangements at left back? It seems to be our Achilles heel and we need to find some decent, experienced cover if we're going to sort this out.

Great game to watch though, with three cracking goals on our part. Just can't understand how we've gone from the solidity we had in defence away from home last season to where we are now. The facts are we've conceded more goals away than any other team in L2 and sit next to the bottom of the away form table. By contrast, we're second from top of the home form table.

https://www.soccerstats.com/homeaway.asp?league=england4

So just a modest improvement in our away form would send us shooting up the table. Definitely top priority for Arthur to sort out!

 

I’ve been flicking back through the game on ifollow which uses the radio stoke commentary and am I right in saying that Sproson is Crookes agent? I’m sure he is.  It seems almost blatant that he seems to do Gibbons down a lot and not Crookes and yet Crookes is all over the place and really struggled Saturday in all aspects of his game as a full back IMO. 

[Mario]

It's quite irritating all this singling out individual players for criticism,I think sometimes supporters are doing it just for the hell of it.

We are a 4th division team with quite a few young players who are learning the game as they get experience and one mistake and all the football pundits jump down their throats.

Maybe sometimes just sometimes these young lads get let down by team mates who dont do their own job,I'm not sure,but one thing I do know is Lloyd is not as bad as he appears at the moment,his confidence is shot to bits,he looks terrified and I am sure  he knows what is being said about him.

Gibbo has turned his game around this season and is learning.....get off his back.

Crookes is learning,get off his back,it serves no purpose being critical,in fact it is counter intuitive.

I'm sure being supportive and positive gets through and helps the side, far better than continually knocking.  

 

[PV1973]

Fair comments, I’m going to predict that before long though that Campbell-Gordon gets a run out at left back.

[Jacko51]

23 minutes ago, PV1973 said:

Fair comments, I’m going to predict that before long though that Campbell-Gordon gets a run out at left back.

I see he won Man of the Match for Ilkeston at the weekend. 

[Paul6754]

6 hours ago, PV1973 said:

I’ve been flicking back through the game on ifollow which uses the radio stoke commentary and am I right in saying that Sproson is Crookes agent? I’m sure he is.  It seems almost blatant that he seems to do Gibbons down a lot and not Crookes and yet Crookes is all over the place and really struggled Saturday in all aspects of his game as a full back IMO. 

Sproson actually said during one Vale match this season he was Crookes' agent or words to that effect, Sprowy does appear to limit his criticism of Crookes but he did say on Saturday that Crookes should have put the ball out rather than head it back into the danger area. Crookes didn't just head the ball back to the danger area, it was the perfect lay-off to their No9, Wilkinson didn't have to move, it was straight onto his left foot and he buried it. Wilkinson looked a decent player to me.

To me Crookes is very much a confidence player who's learning his trade and will get better.

 

[Iron Curtain]

3 hours ago, Paul6754 said:

To me Crookes is very much a confidence player who's learning his trade and will get better.

 

Agreed, let’s hope the assassination section of OVF leave off him and understand he is a young, developing fullback in league 2.

[toyahw]

Sproson has made no secret of being Crookes' agent. I think his biggest problem is his not being a Gibbo or a Mitch. Who are, at this time, much better full backs. This is not picking on him, and based on a load of performances not just one off day. How many goals come down our left?

For me he looked best as the left side of a back three. But this is a bit specialist. He's not strong enough in the air to be a CB in a back four. This is not slagging him off, just an observation. Maybe he will grow into the LB roll?

If you ask me where we are weakest at the moment it would left back, and lack of a driving presence in centre mid. That is not to say the players there are rubbish. Just where we are weakest.

[Rampant Zebra]

I wonder how Mitch is enjoying the uncompetitive nature of U23 football and the snails pace of 2 matches a month on average.