Match Thread: Port Vale v Colchester United

[Jacko51]

14 minutes ago, Joe B said:

Nothing in there, Jean.

Try again.

[Joe B]

8 minutes ago, Jacko51 said:

Try again.

Still nothing.

[Sandyford_Lion]

3 hours ago, saintvaliant said:

Hurst runs around a lot but isn’t good enough.

Had a decent game. Effort, movement, crosses in, knew where to be in the box.

Not a bad debut at all. Better for us than playing Mckirdy from start

[Santa]

I don't know what it is, but I get this feeling, to use a football cliché, that we're not quite leaving everything on the pitch. And that's not just the players but the coaching staff as well. I come away from games thinking that fairly often. I came away from Leyton Orient after the 3-3 draw last season thinking that; little seems to have changed in over a year. 

We're not ruthless enough to turn good spells in games into goals. We don't kill teams off, we can get into winning positions but we don't throw bodies on the line. Games can drift away from us and we're too passive when that happens. The opposition manager can make a double sub and proactively changes the game; we just stand there scratching our heads. Injury time v Tranmere, 3-2 up, a man down, with one sub left in the bank; we lose.

I think it was Cloughie who said he would sell his grandmother for a win on Saturday.

[Sandyford_Lion]

2 hours ago, The man in the pub said:

If you only score one goal then no matter how on top you are then you can always  concede one. Our defence not solid enough to totally shut teams out.

We have to score goals, not a goal, to win matches.

Mills had a good game, His only fault seems to be pushing up a little too far. More than once he was further up field than the rest of back four. Then he gets caught out. Norris also so lucky to control ball between his legs but then he is a goal scorer. He does very little but he creates two great chances and scores one.

[Joe B]

8 minutes ago, Santa said:

I don't know what it is, but I get this feeling, to use a football cliché, that we're not quite leaving everything on the pitch. And that's not just the players but the coaching staff as well. I come away from games thinking that fairly often. I came away from Leyton Orient after the 3-3 draw last season thinking that; little seems to have changed in over a year. 

We're not ruthless enough to turn good spells in games into goals. We don't kill teams off, we can get into winning positions but we don't throw bodies on the line. Games can drift away from us and we're too passive when that happens. The opposition manager can make a double sub and proactively changes the game; we just stand there scratching our heads. Injury time v Tranmere, 3-2 up, a man down, with one sub left in the bank; we lose.

I think it was Cloughie who said he would sell his grandmother for a win on Saturday.

Triple sub today, all three starting impacting things, and we were to slow to adapt.

[Sandyford_Lion]

2 hours ago, MBE said:

Just off the top of my head we missed 4 sitters First half Alex Hurst curler round the post should have scored, Wozza back post somehow went with his foot instead of his head should have scored, Wozza free header in the box just over, 2nd half back post Legge six yard box free header wide.

We had enough clear cut chances to score another 4 today and should have done.

True

People only ever refer to chances on target. Add to above Conlon header first half and there were plenty of chances but off target. They were still match winning chances that we missed. Thats why their goalie had an easy game.

The players mentioned above missed those chances but how can you better the team. We cannot drop them. Hurst decent debut: Worral good game but not a goal scorer: Legge good game: Conlan good game and kept going for 90 mins.

Add to that Rodney. Until his excellent goal he never really threatened. Manny involved all game but never really threatened.

Good performance but predictable because we are short of goals throughout the club full stop.

[Sandyford_Lion]

2 hours ago, ClntonBoulton said:

How many times during my 54 years of going/following the Vale have I sat through performances like that. Thought we were excellent first half but got progressively worried as we didn't score. Rodders scores a beauty and I feel even more anxious!

Mills drops off but are we ignoring the "elephant in the room".....? For me, Browney shouldn't be being beaten from there on his near post.

Oh well, onto Tuesday but we are desperate for an out and out goal scorer but we haven't got one.

Says it all. Need to add its not just the out and out goal scorer we need, all our players are short of goals in them.

[Sandyford_Lion]

2 hours ago, Jacko51 said:

I’ll continue this via email, Alan. 

WOW

Very surprised to hear that someone quotes content of a  private email to all on OVF Thats not on.

Had many chances in the past to do this when asked for info etc but i am sure it would have been declined.

[Sandyford_Lion]

2 hours ago, werstayinup said:

Still people cant help but moan about Askey and yes he certainly went defensive with his subs

Askey did what was necessary. Perhaps Pope at the same time as McKirdy but the changes were o.k.

One mistake at the back cost us but not scoring two or more really cost us

[CambridgeDon]

16 minutes ago, Sandyford_Lion said:

Says it all. Need to add its not just the out and out goal scorer we need, all our players are short of goals in them.

Correct  - so, when we're playing a team with such a bad defensive record as Colchester, why do we have three players with goals in them on the bench? If you select a team full of players who can't score on a regular basis, why is it such a surprise that they don't? It defies belief but what drives me mad is that Askey keeps on doing it and expects a different result. It just isn't going to work unless he finds a way of playing two forwards who can capitalise on the chances we create. 

Today, 17 shots and 3 on target - simply not good enough for a team supposedly going for promotion.

[Sandyford_Lion]

1 hour ago, valiant_593 said:

Same old from us today wasnt it? 

Can’t put the ball in the net and can’t defend. I’d love to know what has happened to that defence. Looked solid last season and the start of this. Looks the complete opposite now. I’ll be much happier when gibbons is back in the side, I know a few like mills on here but he’s lost us two points today and was all over the place at Bolton. Gibbons and Clarke beck in 11 and we will look much better hopefully. 
rodney definitely has something, I’d still like to see him out wide and have a proper striker up top. 
Really happy to see hurst given a go and hope that continues. Did ok before tiring towards the end. 
also thought as normal askey left the subs too late to have an impact - nothing new there. 
point is ok but kind of shows what we are a mid table ish side

Its not the same old.

Todays performance was good. Yes we still failed to score goals but overall it was a decent football performance.

We dont need to go overboard about Gibbons. Hes not the complete answer to our problems. There have been plenty of mistakes in him when he plays to go with excellent performances. Mills made a mistake and we got punished.

Worral made a mistake at the far post

Hurst mad a mistake in front of goal

Legge made a mistake at the back post

Conlan made a mistake with a header

Lets not forget Brown. Could he have done better with the goal

[valiant_593]

8 minutes ago, Sandyford_Lion said:

Its not the same old.

Todays performance was good. Yes we still failed to score goals but overall it was a decent football performance.

We dont need to go overboard about Gibbons. Hes not the complete answer to our problems. There have been plenty of mistakes in him when he plays to go with excellent performances. Mills made a mistake and we got punished.

Worral made a mistake at the far post

Hurst mad a mistake in front of goal

Legge made a mistake at the back post

Conlan made a mistake with a header

Lets not forget Brown. Could he have done better with the goal

For me it was the same. We played some decent stuff. Missed chances as we always do because we didn’t sign a decent striker and defended horribly for the goal as we have done this season. 
imo that’s 2 goals in 2 league games mills has been at fault for. He’s not close to gibbons. I do think we’re starting to concede more goals now that brown isn’t playing as amazing as he has since signing. Now looking like a pretty normal league 2 keeper 

[Sandyford_Lion]

13 minutes ago, CambridgeDon said:

Correct  - so, when we're playing a team with such a bad defensive record as Colchester, why do we have three players with goals in them on the bench? If you select a team full of players who can't score on a regular basis, why is it such a surprise that they don't? It defies belief but what drives me mad is that Askey keeps on doing it and expects a different result. It just isn't going to work unless he finds a way of playing two forwards who can capitalise on the chances we create. 

Today, 17 shots and 3 on target - simply not good enough for a team supposedly going for promotion.

Askey plays one up front

Rodney has the shirt after his last , good performance, so Pope and Robinson and Cullen when fit will always be on the bench. Will be the same Tuesday night, guaranteed. McKirdy will never get a chance i dont think.

Two forwards , at sometime is a must , but for me to do that we have to leave out Joyce or one of Conlan / Manny. It defeats the object to play two forwards and leave a wide man out.

[werstayinup]

25 minutes ago, Sandyford_Lion said:

Askey did what was necessary. Perhaps Pope at the same time as McKirdy but the changes were o.k.

One mistake at the back cost us but not scoring two or more really cost us

I wasn't saying Askey went defensive mine was a sarcastic response to a poster

Askey's subs today were to try and win the game