5 minutes ago, Iron Curtain said:

Agreed

We got a better return without Taylor in the team.

I'll probably get shot down in flames for this but I wouldn't swap either Conlon or Burgess for him. I think both overall offer more. I thought Taylor's overall play was pretty basic but obviously his eye for goal was something else. Whether he just hit an absolute purple patch for us or whether it's something he will do throughout his career remains to be seen.

Burgess has surprised everyone and I rate Conlon more highly than many.

Edited August 24, 20205 yr by TylerB

Squad is looking strong well done Askey.

8 minutes ago, valiant_593 said:

He was crap last time seen in a vale shirt. Crap is being quite kind actually. 

look forward to you telling him this in person  , not through your preferred keyboard method obviously

1 minute ago, TylerB said:

I'll probably get shot down in flames for this but I wouldn't swap either Conlon or Burgess for him. I think both overall offer more. I thought Taylor's overall play was pretty basic but obviously his eye for goal was something else. Whether he just hit an absolute purple patch for us or whether it's something he will do throughout his career remains to be seen.

Burgess has surprised everyone and I rate Conlon more highly than many.

You won’t get shot down in flames but I really can’t understand how you think they especially Conlon offer more  

Burgess looks decent. He’s been much better than expected but his whole game is a long way behind Taylor (which is expected). Conlon so far in his vale career has probably had 3/4 good games and that’s pushing it. He has potential but he needs to show something and be far more consistent. Personally it entirely sure he will be much different to previous years. 

Taylor is easily the best Cm down vale for a few years (not difficult I know) and this for someone so Young. Personally I think we will miss him this season. Midfield looks ok but lacks goals and creativity especially if / when manny pulls up. 

For all the negativity about his last spell it must be remembered that this was in a top half League One side also... this is a league below.

2 minutes ago, valeblue said:

look forward to you telling him this in person  , not through your preferred keyboard method obviously

Why / when would I need or want to tell a pro footballer he was crap the last time he was he!? Which is was and there is no debating that. He was even considered on here in vales worst ever strikers!! 

Looks like he’s improved especially looking at the goal record. Let’s hope he is much improved. 

Not sure how I can convey my opinion on a forum other than with a keyboard....

Happy with the signing of Robinson, based on recent form rather than his previous spell with us. We now have great options up top.  Just need to get Mitch back now at LB and everything will be sweet.

He was crap last time seen in a vale shirt. Crap is being quite kind actually. 

I'm glad you're not a scout for us.

Kyle Perry was crap
Danny Glover was crap
Martin Paterson was crap

Robinson most certainly is not crap or he would have disappeared into the abyss like them!

4 minutes ago, valiant_593 said:

You won’t get shot down in flames but I really can’t understand how you think they especially Conlon offer more  

Burgess looks decent. He’s been much better than expected but his whole game is a long way behind Taylor (which is expected). Conlon so far in his vale career has probably had 3/4 good games and that’s pushing it. He has potential but he needs to show something and be far more consistent. Personally it entirely sure he will be much different to previous years. 

Taylor is easily the best Cm down vale for a few years (not difficult I know) and this for someone so Young. Personally I think we will miss him this season. Midfield looks ok but lacks goals and creativity especially if / when manny pulls up. 

Like I said, I rate Conlon more highly than others do but I think he has a lot of ability and will become our best midfielder as long as he continued to improve and works on his fitness.

I thought we would miss Taylor terribly but we didn't miss him at all if you're talking about points and results. I thought Conlon stepped up after Taylor left and was playing his best football in a Vale shirt at the back end of last season.

Lot of negativity on here based on Robinson's form last time around. As he signed in January with no real football behind him earlier in the season it probably wasn't that much of a surprise really he struggled to hit the ground running.  He did get better towards the end of that season. If you really wanted to meld statistics to make him seem better he scored two in his last 4 starts but he was pretty average for the first couple of months to be fair. The reality is he is a player who has spent most of his career at a higher level. Post 2009/10 season at Bristol Maynard's record in higher leagues was nothing to write home about (30 goals in 7 seasons), certainly no better than Robinson's (47). Over the last couple of season when both played some league 2 football Maynard has more goals per game (1 every 2 compared to Robinson's 1 every 2.4 games), Robinson scored his goals with fewer minutes on the field. Robinson is a couple of years younger.

Would I have been very happy with Maynard - yes. If rumours are true that the sticking point was more money for each goal then I'm glad we didn't budge as:

1. teams create chances

2. A Maynard goal is worth no more than a Pope, Rodney or Cullen goal and shouldn't be

Colchester were trying to resign Robinson. They have had to reduce their expenditure as their owner's business has been hit by Covid. Ultimately he's signed for us because our owners are more able to cover the Covid loss most clubs will face this year than Colchester's. It would appear Mansfield's owners can cover their loss more easily than our owners. Such is life.

Where does all this leave us. In my opinion it leaves us with the best group of 4 strikes we've started a season with since the days of John Rudge. I don't think there is a lot between them and to a degree it's a choice of differences. Cullen for me is in pole position to start but I don't think there is a lot in it. I think there is also on option of playing all 3 in a more narrow front 3 at times than we currently play. Robinson and Rodney can both play wide in a 3.

 

From a report on our 4-1 win against Rochdale:

"Robinson had easily his best game in a Vale shirt, managing one fine goal and having other good efforts. He too was applauded for his performance. He had the honour of scoring Vale's 6000th League goal."

6 minutes ago, valeparklife said:

I'm glad you're not a scout for us.

Kyle Perry was crap
Danny Glover was crap
Martin Paterson was crap

Robinson most certainly is not crap or he would have disappeared into the abyss like them!

What was he when he played for us the first time then? He was abysmal. 

6 minutes ago, TylerB said:

Like I said, I rate Conlon more highly than others do but I think he has a lot of ability and will become our best midfielder as long as he continued to improve and works on his fitness.

I thought we would miss Taylor terribly but we didn't miss him at all if you're talking about points and results. I thought Conlon stepped up after Taylor left and was playing his best football in a Vale shirt at the back end of last season.

I hope Conlon can really step up. He certainly has the game to be a very good Cm at this level. Just need some consistency from him. 

3 minutes ago, TylerB said:

Like I said, I rate Conlon more highly than others do but I think he has a lot of ability and will become our best midfielder as long as he continued to improve and works on his fitness.

I thought we would miss Taylor terribly but we didn't miss him at all if you're talking about points and results. I thought Conlon stepped up after Taylor left and was playing his best football in a Vale shirt at the back end of last season.

I agree with you. Once Taylor settled down and got to grips with the league theres no doubt that he did well for us and scored some important goals. But equally there were games that passed him by that he struggled to get in to, which was to be expected given his age and inexperience. The same happened with players like Conlon and Burgess as well. But Burgess really stepped up and took his chance when Taylor went and I don't think we missed him after January. I think that players like Conlon go unnoticed and IMO don't get the plaudits they deserve too.

Good to see some rational thoughts on Robinson and his career since leaving us. Earlier posts wondering why Colchester didn't sign him are looking nothing but ill informed now when you take a good look at his record and the reaction of the Colchester fans on social media.

1 hour ago, eh up nah said:

I'm not ignoring it mate.  2 bad seasons in what must be 15.

He would not have been a risk imo.

 

His record after 2010 until 2 seasons ago is pretty awful.