Match Thread: Port Vale v Colchester United

[TJHValiant]

5 hours ago, werstayinup said:

Really??

Yes. He missed so many absolute gilt edged chances. The goal was good but in the first half had enough to get 3 or 4. 
 

I’m not saying he is dreadful but he isn’t playing well enough to be a league 2 starter. Our strikers have generally been awful this season. 
 

Although you could argue not enough have been given actual runs in the team. Robinson has looked poor but he is a confidence player, yet has not been given a run of games. 
 

What I can say is, Rodney is a prospect but not a dependable player. People can defend him on forums, but the cold reality is, he isn’t going to be a star who performs and gets us promotion. 
 

He is a liability who blows hot and cold. Sadly, like all our strikers. It isn’t like the old league 2 era when we had a prime Pope and Lee Hughes who were great week in week out. Then we moaned when we’d bring on Calvin Andrew a guy who had scored goals in the Championship  for Crystal Palace and has seen more League 1 action than Vale have since. 
 

We have Rodney today starting games as seemingly our best option! That’s not going to cut it. Ever. 

 

[valefan16]

It was as well as we have played in general play all season but just didn’t take a hat full of chances. Some games we’ve dominated and created nothing, now we are dominating and creating but need to start putting the ball away.

That said 11 goals in 4 games isn’t too shabby but should have had more at Bolton, against Orient and today!

It’s a game we probably dominated today more than Bolton but the difference was failure to take chances.

Better defensively today but one mistake and punished again, we really aren’t getting away with these at the moment which you sometimes do at this level!

Manny back to his best, Hurst decent debut, Legge fantastic, the bloke had an epileptic fit in the week yet captained us for 90 today and performed to standard which deserves huge praise.

Browns gone off the boil for me lately. He’s getting done from these angles to often, late against Orient, Tranmeres 3rd, Newport’s winner.

After five losses though if you took me back to 14:59 last Saturday and offered me four points from Bolton away and Colchester at home and cup progression I’d have snapped your hands off, something to build on as we look to fully recover from a horrific November.

[toyahw]

Rodders is progressing really well, happy about that. But, at this point in time, he is not a player leading the line who will get you out of L2. Prefer him wide at the moment, where he gets more space and less pressure. Particularly as we are not short of other options for the central role.

[darren1810]

With regards to Clark not playing as well as he did last season it appears he's had a rough time off the pitch which has affected his performances.

Somebody cleverer than me might be able to put up his tweet. I don't think he's been as dynamic as he was last season but fair play to him for battling on. 

[Breadwinner]

The cross from Hurst why did Worrall not try head it in .

On half time Hurst gets in behind puts a ball across the six yard box who want our players brave enough get in there put it away .

That free header for Legge he surely got score second half .

Why and having watched all the game did Mckirdy pick the ball up with only the full back to beat yet took the ball infield where all the players were  when surely he should of being driving forwards and trying go past his man .

There goal was a shocker but if as somebody rightly pointed out three of the four pushed up and Smith was playing them in then it's as much his fault as Millsy s who to me in general play was one of our better players.

Thin margins we should be talking about a 4-1 win today the fact we are not disappoints me greatly .

Rodney is linking the play brilliantly enjoying his performances but it's no good us performing well and giving teams a leg up with very poor defensive errors its same old for me players switching off ,goalkeeper not reacting to balls in and around our box .

We do not have the steel to get in the top 7 in my opinion teams do not have to play well v us to score 

[PV1973]

I think some people need to watch their goal back and have a proper look at it to see that Mills positioning was poor. Nothing to do with the other 3 defenders. 
 

 

[valefan16]

Rodney is looking a real find but as a striker he drifts out wide or as per his goal ends up 40 yards from goal looking for the ball. That’s the issue when we are pinging crosses in as he’s not looking for it coming in. That’s experience maybe but if a lone striker he just needs to be in the those positions to finish the moves.

May be better as a number 10 drifting behind if he looks for the ball like he does.

[dantheman]

I thought we played really well. Colchester has 15-20 minutes in the first half. Thought there was some really good football from both sides. We were a couple of goals off a very accomplished performance. Still sloppy errors in our game but we are league 2 so to be expected. I’ve been critical of Askey but not yesterday. More positives than negatives yesterday. That’s not been the case of the last few weeks. 

[ClntonBoulton]

1 hour ago, PV1973 said:

I think some people need to watch their goal back and have a proper look at it to see that Mills positioning was poor. Nothing to do with the other 3 defenders. 
 

 

As soon as that ball went over him I thought Oh Oh.....but the lad went so wide I thought he'd not score from where he shot.....but Browny got his angles wrong, for me and he's having  a bit of a trot at the moment. Last week's 3rd for Bolton was an U12 howler. I'm not advocating dropping him but from what I've seen in the Pizza Cup Visser wouldn't let anyone down.

[Joe B]

Biggest problem is that 4 points from 21 limit how much we can slip up for the rest of the season.

We need to be miraculously good to get top 3. We need to be consistently good, much better than we have been, for top 7.

It's possible, but it just puts a whole lot of pressure on us for the rest of the season. We've eaten into how many points we can drop at an alarming rate 17 games in. 

[Guitar Ray]

Did Brown get his angles wrong?  He’s probably caught in two minds as their guy might put the ball across low and hard.  You see keepers get beaten like this every week.  For me it’s a decent finish.  The problem really stems from the defending leading up to the goal, where Mills should do a lot better.

[grand prix pants]

Just watched the highlights again and Colchester themselves had a number of decent chances which just went wide.

One thing I have noticed in recent weeks is how many times opposition forwards get their shots off without our defenders managing to block them. I've noticed this particularly when Smith is defending, he seems to have stopped getting quite so close to them as he has done previously. Not here to blast Smithy by the way, love him. 

[SFBT]

2 hours ago, PV1973 said:

I think some people need to watch their goal back and have a proper look at it to see that Mills positioning was poor. Nothing to do with the other 3 defenders. 
 

 

Also, there isn't a midfield player in front of him.

What had happened before?

[osprey]

Did Brown get his angles wrong?  He’s probably caught in two minds as their guy might put the ball across low and hard.  You see keepers get beaten like this every week.  For me it’s a decent finish.  The problem really stems from the defending leading up to the goal, where Mills should do a lot better.

I thought Brown should have come off his line to close Norris down onc it was obvious no one else was going to get to him

[valiant_593]

35 minutes ago, grand prix pants said:

Just watched the highlights again and Colchester themselves had a number of decent chances which just went wide.

One thing I have noticed in recent weeks is how many times opposition forwards get their shots off without our defenders managing to block them. I've noticed this particularly when Smith is defending, he seems to have stopped getting quite so close to them as he has done previously. Not here to blast Smithy by the way, love him. 

I was educated by some on here that we only concede loads of chances when we play 442... happening more and more with the current formation, suppose that’s the exchange for creating a few more chances as well. Agree re Smith he’s not been close to what he has been so far