Match Thread: Walsall v Port Vale

[TJHValiant]

It may be a difficult question to be honest with ourselves about...but would Norman Smurfwaite have tolerated this? 

[Mario]

It may be a difficult question to be honest with ourselves about...but would Norman Smurfwaite have tolerated this? 

Please don't go down that road....

[hamilboy]

10 hours ago, Vale1995 said:

I personally think nath smith is a great cb but i think he's struggling due to being partnered with legge i think legge is finished and his legs have gone and playing along side him has made smith struggle i think if brisley comes in smiths perfomances would begin to pick up

Just remind me how many clubs came in for him last summer great cb unreal

[Joe B]

I don't foresee Askey going in any circumstances prior to May. 

We have lauded Carol's firm hand and long-term vision so far, and this is just an extension of that. It's how she runs businesses..

Lessons which we need to learn:

1. Continuity of players has no impact on success (I remember posting the stats on this pre-season and was given stick as 'football isn't played on spreadsheets'). We've stagnated. Teams around us have got better. We assumed if we just went for '2019/20 Season 2.0 Electric Boogaloo' we'd see the same results. Players have regressed. Tactics have got stale. We improved the bench but not the first team. Forest Green and Morecambe made good signings or have better managers. 

2. Don't publicly announce a quantitative target pre-season. I love high expectations, but the black-white 'top 7' statement was always going to be a tough 

3. Sort out the recruitment. Again, far too many misses. Either the structure is wrong, Askey has too much say, or the scouts aren't very good. Rodney a hit; Mills, Whitehead, Robinson, McKirdy all bad.

4. Don't let your key players all age, to the point where your spine is all above the age of 33. Have replacements ready. We've got no one who can play in lieu of Joyce, and are seriously considering Crooks at centre half for next week. This isn't going to help us to finish top 7.

I love Carol, and she's the best thing to happen to this football club in my lifetime. I'm confident she'll sort it. We all fell into the same traps I mentioned above. I just think Season 1 was all a bit too good for us, and we tried to replicate it in Season 2. Season 3 needs to be a bit of a re-invention. 

 

 

[Biddulph_PV]

48 minutes ago, valiant_593 said:

It’s appauling. He should have been sacked after Stevenage. 
 

At least we beat wolves u23 though 

Ironically the much-aligned EFL Trophy now looks to be our best bet for salvaging something from what has so far been an incredibly underwhelming season. Of course I’m assuming that we won’t get sucked into a relegation battle which isn’t a foregone conclusion.

[pete vale]

13 hours ago, Biddulph_PV said:

I’ve been told that Sinclair has Carol’s ‘ear’ and that Robinson was his recommendation.  

Seems strange to me that Sinclair just suddenly turned up particularly with Covid and finance at the forefront of everything at present.

Something has definitely changed since early November and it is not good.

I've heard a few things and they are from a good source, they do focus around a few of the new players and the attempt to introduce new training methods (namely Yoga sessions) which has caused a rift with some.

I think Legge and Joyce may have had a fall out with shall we say other 'experienced' squad members, too much of a coincidence that their form has been poor?

Either way this eason is fast disappearing down the pisser and like Covid has no defined end game.

Change is required, maybe in more than just the coaching roles - needed now!

 

 

[Iron Curtain]

1 hour ago, TJHValiant said:

It may be a difficult question to be honest with ourselves about...but would Norman Smurfwaite have tolerated this? 

Neither would Polpot but I wouldn't want him anywhere near the club... nor would I want the complete tw*t knuckle that is Norman, shag around, lie through my arse and put the club at serious risk w*nker.

How is the Commercial team at Tranmere doing out of interest?

If anyone thinks that a willingness to sack a manager in anyway moves the dial on that parasite then I give up.

[Biddulph_PV]

Final word on this from me (I’m sure the anger will subside at some point, hopefully if Utd stick a tonne past Leeds) but once again, our so-called experienced, old heads had a let another younger player score their first professional goals against us (Scrimshaw). Wasn’t it the same with Loft at Scunthorpe earlier this season? 

The Port Vale defence.....the gift that keeps on giving (to the opposition).

Merry Xmas everyone and happy new tier!

[Platty's Tassels]

Still annoyed about yesterday.

 

If true that Askey has 100% confidence then i'm absolutely gob smacked with Carol

Reading comments regarding agents/players/staff -the club at this present time stinks of jobs for the boys.

Smith resigning in the Summer was huge for me, I was over the moon he stayed. No idea whats going on with him at the moment. I do Still think he's quality, but failing massively at present.

 

Legge scares the hell out me every game.  in the air ok, other from that its a no,no. 

 

@darren1810It was me who said Fitz was our best defender. IMO he has massively improved. Not saying much about our other defenders right now, granted.

[PVFC_4_EVA]

Football is a game about opinions. I understand other people’s views.

I do still trust in Askey. We need to sort out the defense and a mix up in center halves may help us out. The games we have lost have all been one goal. It’s not like we are getting thrashed week in week out.

If we find a solution to the defense and carry on scoring things will turn around very quickly.

[Biddulph_PV]

3 minutes ago, PVFC_4_EVA said:

Football is a game about opinions. I understand other people’s views.

I do still trust in Askey. We need to sort out the defense and a mix up in center halves may help us out. The games we have lost have all been one goal. It’s not like we are getting thrashed week in week out.

If we find a solution to the defense and carry on scoring things will turn around very quickly.

It’s his failure to find this solution that has caused my confidence in him to evaporate. It’s not a new problem (it was around last season) and we are 10 games into this latest instalment and only now is he talking about making the change at centre half that most people were crying out for 6 games ago.

[Platty's Tassels]

What concerns me is shake the defense  up with who? Crookes? Hes definitely not the solution to our problems. He isnt good enough. Thats a fact

[valiant_593]

16 minutes ago, PVFC_4_EVA said:

Football is a game about opinions. I understand other people’s views.

I do still trust in Askey. We need to sort out the defense and a mix up in center halves may help us out. The games we have lost have all been one goal. It’s not like we are getting thrashed week in week out.

If we find a solution to the defense and carry on scoring things will turn around very quickly.

That won’t happen though will it. You can say that about bottom of the league. ‘If we stop conceding and start scoring we will win games’ no <ovf censored>. 
not sure how you can trust askey. He’s proven time and time again he can’t fix things and will no change. 

[TylerB]

 

Nothing wrong with our attacking since the Bolton game. We've created plenty every game. But the whole defence has been shocking, and even Brown hasn't exactly covered himself in glory lately. Smith and Legge as our partnership can't continue. They both struggle at the moment with any sort of movement. Based on how he performed last season when he was given a run of games, Brisley should be one of the first name on the team-sheet. I'd probably give Crooks ago alongside him, I just don't see how them two can't not be even just slightly better. Gibbons also can't come back  quick enough. With everyone fit and available, right now my back four would be Gibbons, Brisley, Crooks and Fitzpatrick.

[gags 64]

I see lots of comments about how we have the players to get promoted. I just don't see this. We over achieved at the back end of last season. The spine of our team is mid 30's and we look like tired and jaded.

The start of the season papered over the cracks that have started to show. We picked up wins that perhaps the performances didn't deserve.

To be honest we'd struggle to offload any player who would play at a higher standard. Maybe James Gibbons, the others well they're on the way to the likes of Eastleigh or Halifax (no offence to either of those two teams)

Were stuck with an uninspiring bunch of players and management. I've supported Vale for over 50 years and I'm losing the will unfortunately.

It needs a complete overhaul of the management team with recruitment coming from fringe players or under 23's teams at a higher level as we are not in the position to pay the wage to attract the ready made article. More drive and energy in the team instead of what appears to be journeymen plodding along earning a wage.

I hope things drop into place for Carol and the others running the club but I fear for us if we let things drift until the end of the season. Yes 45 points may keep us up but it won't be pretty