Match Thread: Mansfield Town v Port Vale

[melv]

Listening to P&G on RS (I dont normally bother)I notice nothing has changed as its STILL all Stoke Stoke Stoke.Disgraceful bias tin pot radio station.

[Guitar Ray]

Points thrown away late on again but even with Taylor absent I’d have taken a draw prior to KO. We’ve played well but their subs changed it.  We don’t have the strength in depth just yet.  We need a couple in during the window and everyone can see that one must be a left back.

Disappointed, but I’d be more disappointed if I was a Stags fan and looked at the table tonight.

[darren1810]

A defensive player on as sub to waste time and kill the game is the norm . For whatever reason we are too nice and don't do the ' dark arts ' 

[MelbourneValiant]

You can't blame Monty, out of position all season, he gets a free pass, there is nothing worse than being played out of position at any level.

At half time I thought we would win, at 2-0 we were cruising. Yes we have thrown it away at the end of the game we did to Mansfield what they did to us today. Swings and roundabouts I guess.

We need a left back, creative midfielder, two wing backs/wingers. Bad result, very entertaining though.

 

[vale2010]

When will John Askey stop playing Montano in defense and get someone in who knows how to defend, next Askey will be playng pope in goal.

[melv]

5 minutes ago, vale2010 said:

When will John Askey stop playing Montano in defense and get someone in who knows how to defend, next Askey will be playng pope in goal.

Maybe during the transfer window.He cant get anyone in outside the window.

[Iron Curtain]

Looking for the positives (as I tend to do) 

- after a tricky period in the first half the Vale were the better team at the end of the first half and the vast majority of the second.

- We adapted to the atrocious conditions. The pitch was none league standard and the vales normal game plan was not suitable.

- we scored twice, in recent seasons were were completely devoid of goals. This season we always seem to score and if we don’t we create chances.

- Atkinson played well, as did Burgess. Legge was immense.

- We are at not losing games we would have done last season.

- with Manny (hopefully) to come back into this team and with some funds to improve the team we can hopefully continue to steady improvement vs from recent years.

the fact we have lost so many points is bitter sweet (far more bitter that sweet) but if we are taking the long term view at least it means we are finding ourselves in winning positions.

[CambridgeDon]

12 minutes ago, MelbourneValiant said:

You can't blame Monty, out of position all season, he gets a free pass, there is nothing worse than being played out of position at any level.

At half time I thought we would win, at 2-0 we were cruising. Yes we have thrown it away at the end of the game we did to Mansfield what they did to us today. Swings and roundabouts I guess.

We need a left back, creative midfielder, two wing backs/wingers. Bad result, very entertaining though.

 

Don't think anyone should blame Monty, he's learning as he goes along and will inevitably make mistakes. It's poor squad construction from my point of view - not enough cover at left back and too weak in midfield without Oyeleke. Arthur needs to put this right in the window or any hopes we may have had for the playoffs will quickly start to disappear. 

Just half the points we've dropped at the start or finish of games would have put us well in the play offs but the players haven't got the mental strength that marks out a winning team. 

It's been going on since the start of the season and it must drive Arthur mad, as well as us.

[Heatwave]

Even though it feels like a defeat, last season we really would have lost that. A draw means we've made progress, but not enough yet.

We're two or three players short of a promotion push, so let's move forward and see who we can bring in, maybe on loan to start with; I feel the permanent signings we need won't come till the summer. A top half finish will do me, and let's face it after the last two seasons we'd have taken that last August. 

[ClntonBoulton]

I'm still sat here shaking my head......from total control to throwing 2 points away. However, as some one said earlier i'd have taken a point before kick off. It is so disappointing that having totally dominated them and controlled the game we give two very poor goals away....I really didn't see them coming. I thought Legge and Smiffy were excellent and the midfield kept it ticking over on a Pub League pitch. Atkinson was solid and I'm liking what I'm seeing grow in Burgess, a tidy give it and go midfielder. Joycey had a couple of errors but is the glue in our team. Amoo gives me the heebie jeebies but a great ball in for Smithies goal. Monty is a pro, even if he is not a LB ,so why didn't he just put that ball into Row Z rather than side footing it to Maynard? Swindon on Sunday could be interesting......they are on a roll......

[Heatwave]

19 minutes ago, melv said:

Maybe during the transfer window.He cant get anyone in outside the window.

It's about time the window was done away with outside the Premier League. 

[TylerB]

 

We're all gutted but looking at the bigger picture we're not a million miles away from having a side good enough to get out of this God forsaken league. For the love of God please can we sign an actual left-back. Crooks isn't good enough to start right now and Montano is an impact sub for when Amoo tires, nothing more, nothing less.

[Biddulph_PV]

Good grief, just watched the highlights on Sky. They could be two of THE poorest goals we’ve conceded this season, absolutely criminal. I actually think the 2nd was the worst.

[PV1973]

Just back. Feels like a defeat that.

In the main we did well, we did the other side of the game on a terrible pitch and didn’t try to overplay. The difference in the last ten mins or so was they piled on the pressure and we didn’t or couldn’t change it. Even another sub in injury time to kill the flow a bit might have helped?

Our first goal was excellent, The cheat Rose should take credit for costing his team there by trying to win a free kick instead of using the ball when he he had it at his feet, we nick it off him and go and score with a great move. At 2-0 we were cruising.
 

But their subs changed it. The first comes from nothing, a poor clearance from Monty and Maynard shows his quality. The second for me showed they had a little more work rate in injury time than us, their lads running at the back 4 with another player overlapping him. It looked like we got overloaded on the right and once Gibbo steps out to the ball or shuts the space off between him and Legge then he’s effectively out of the game leaving the overlapping player free. I need to see a replay so I don’t how we managed to be in the position when the balls been switched from the other side. Maybe the midifeld should have been back there too helping out. 

atkinsom and Burgess came into the game more second half. Really apart from that last ten mins they all played well. We just didn’t react to their changes and the pressure that brought on us.  

[TylerB]

 

Let's not forget that Mansfield are a much better side than their league position would suggest. They have one or two of the better players in the league. As soon as they got one back, which we gifted them, it was almost inevitable for me that they would score an equalizer. It's just dissapointing it came so near to the final whistle. Had we come from 2 down to get a point though we'd all be saying we're dark horses for the play-offs and feeling wonderful, so some perspective is needed. A point was a fair result in the end.