Match Thread: Walsall v Port Vale

[Joe B]

8 minutes ago, PV1973 said:

How do you legislate for players making individual errors that lead to goals? More coaching? Drop them? Change it up a bit? 

Individual errors shouldn't occur at the propensity in which they have done this season.

We've either signed a team of bottlejobs, the structure is wrong, or we're failing to set ourselves up to handle a bit of pressure.

It's far too consistent to be put down to luck/chance now. 

[Platty's Tassels]

Just now, Andyregs said:

That makes three of us.

[Joe B]

2 hours ago, gags 64 said:

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

I agree with a lot of this.

Many were worried about performances early in the season but were told to shut up as we were nicking points here and there, bailed out by an extraordinary run of form from Brown in goal. I was lambasted for mentioning the xG and that Brown wouldn't keep it up (football isn't played on spreadsheets), but a drop in his form has seen us look like a bottom third outfit. 

Things even themselves up and look at us now. You simply have to play well consistently to be in the top 7. We've played well about 3 times this season. The rest has been average, good for 30 mins, or downright terrible. xG has us pegged bang on where we are. You can't outrun it forever. 

The worry for me is, if Legge is running out of gas, if we are witnessing a decline in Brown, if Joyce can no longer carry the midfield on his shoulders, then we need to replace 3 previously totemic footballers in the next 12 months. A fundamental and systematic restructuring of the starting 11 that has been set in stone for 2-3 years.

Askey has shown absolutely zero ability to freshen up the oldest squad in the league. He's overseen it ageing gradually, and not changed a thing, confident that doing the exact same thing 2 years in a row wouldn't lead to stagnation/regression. Rodney looks a great signing but for every good signing (Amoo and Rodney stand out), there's 4 poor ones. 

I'm just very disappointed by it all. I thought things might start changing for us fans, but it looks to be another year I have to write off and pretend never happened, which has been depressingly common since I turned up at Vale Park in 2003, which ranks up there with the largest mistakes I've made in my life.

 

 

[bomber]

I don't like us loosing at the best of times but the manner of the losses is worrying. From a team that could not score and loosing one nil to a team scoring three then ship in four in the space of a few weeks begs the question what has changed what has gone on. Really embarrassed to be a Vale fan at the moment over the last fifty odd years I have see us loose at lot but the manner of these latest very poor defeats is so hard to take. I feel in my heart for Carol and Kevin they deserve so much more than half hearted and clueless efforts. How the players and management can draw there wages with a straight face beggars  belief. Going to be a long disappointing season again. Hoping we can turn it around but not hopeful.  

[Coyney Valiant]

1 hour ago, Platty's Tassels said:

Aye up from a fellow Weston Coyney Valiant (I take its Weston Coyney anyway!)

Our situation is dire right now, but on the positive 6 points from play offs as WSU mentioned

It is there ain’t many of us up this end of the city 

[Platty's Tassels]

1 minute ago, Coyney Valiant said:

It is there ain’t many of us up this end of the city 

Well there at least four of us inc @Andyregs, and a decent bloke up the road from me . Always been out numbered in this area, glad to see some people have sense

[TheSage]

1 hour ago, Bycarsbill said:

It's a simple thing really......shutting down a game should be second nature to coach & professional players alike.  Why are we so incapable of achieving this?  Look at all the late goals we've conceded this season--a number of times when we have been in front--that's unforgivable and just totally naive!  

100% this.

Of course, it's much easier from my armchair - and when teams lose confidence it becomes a lot harder - but as you say a professional team, with coaching staff, video analysts and management, surely ought to be able to better organise our back line and turn them into a well drilled unit. 

If players are tiring we can bring on up to 5 subs. We can go 352 or 451 if we are protecting a lead with minutes to go. But we don't seem to do any of these things.  One or two mistakes is fair enough. It happens. But not game after game after game. 

 

[Andyregs]

10 minutes ago, Platty's Tassels said:

Well there at least four of us inc @Andyregs, and a decent bloke up the road from me . Always been out numbered in this area, glad to see some people have sense

Yeah, its a bad day when the Stoke open top bus drives past your house when they get promoted. 

[ELDERBEZZA]

1 hour ago, Bycarsbill said:

It's a simple thing really......shutting down a game should be second nature to coach & professional players alike.  Why are we so incapable of achieving this?  Look at all the late goals we've conceded this season--a number of times when we have been in front--that's unforgiveable and just totally naive!  What's Dave Kevan doing in terms of first team coaching--who is responsible for defensive coaching?  Please get a grip--this season is already over as far as promotion is concerned.  If the team and coaches don't get a grip soon, we'll be in a relegation dogfight.  Week after week, we see that in this league all teams are quite capable of beating every other team--just review yesterday's results if you don't believe me--there ain't any 'easy' fixtures!

I've watched many training sessions and they're better than the dross we're  watching at the moment, ALL training,up to about 5 weeks ago,is high tempo and the attitude is very good.The players appeared in good spirits too.Askey,Kevan,Pugh,Rudge are all giving input plus the goalkeeping coach.Whatever has gone wrong since I last went is baffling me.

[For Us All]

1 hour ago, Joe B said:

I agree with a lot of this.

Many were worried about performances early in the season but were told to shut up as we were nicking points here and there, bailed out by an extraordinary run of form from Brown in goal. I was lambasted for mentioning the xG and that Brown wouldn't keep it up (football isn't played on spreadsheets), but a drop in his form has seen us look like a bottom third outfit. 

Things even themselves up and look at us now. You simply have to play well consistently to be in the top 7. We've played well about 3 times this season. The rest has been average, good for 30 mins, or downright terrible. xG has us pegged bang on where we are. You can't outrun it forever. 

The worry for me is, if Legge is running out of gas, if we are witnessing a decline in Brown, if Joyce can no longer carry the midfield on his shoulders, then we need to replace 3 previously totemic footballers in the next 12 months. A fundamental and systematic restructuring of the starting 11 that has been set in stone for 2-3 years.

Askey has shown absolutely zero ability to freshen up the oldest squad in the league. He's overseen it ageing gradually, and not changed a thing, confident that doing the exact same thing 2 years in a row wouldn't lead to stagnation/regression. Rodney looks a great signing but for every good signing (Amoo and Rodney stand out), there's 4 poor ones. 

I'm just very disappointed by it all. I thought things might start changing for us fans, but it looks to be another year I have to write off and pretend never happened, which has been depressingly common since I turned up at Vale Park in 2003, which ranks up there with the largest mistakes I've made in my life.

 

 

Think yourself lucky Joe,that you weren't around to witness season 1979/80? 😩

[Guitar Ray]

1 hour ago, Jeff. said:

Back in 82' one was the Captain of a reasonably sized fishing vessel, at first things were great, one was catching a plethora of creatures from the sea. Then after a while things didn't go so well, week after week Captain Jeff had no fish to show for his efforts. When arriving back on land one was summoned to one's seniors who said "Hey, Captain Jeff, this is a results business, where are all the fish? YOU'RE FIRED!"

All the very best,

Captain Jeff.

This story sounds fishy.

[Platty's Tassels]

24 minutes ago, Andyregs said:

Yeahi, its a bad day when the Stoke open top bus drives past your house when they get promoted. 

Luckily I'm away from that, Glad to hear from fellow Weston Coyneys! Grew up in Meir Park and Vale fans were scarce. Good handful of top lads. Took days off at school to go Bradford away on a Tuesday night. Thing is we didnt need to set off until 4pm. My parents Their parents teacher 

[rider1308]

28 minutes ago, Platty's Tassels said:

Well there at least four of us inc @Andyregs, and a decent bloke up the road from me . Always been out numbered in this area, glad to see some people have sense

You’d be surprised at the large number of Vale fans there are all over the city and further afield fella. In my job I meet and speak to a lot of new people everyday though-out the Staffordshire area and football comes up a lot in conversation and the number who are Vale fans is quite staggering considering what we’ve all had to put up with over the years !!!!! 

[PV1973]

13 minutes ago, ELDERBEZZA said:

I've watched many training sessions and they're better than the dross we're  watching at the moment, ALL training,up to about 5 weeks ago,is high tempo and the attitude is very good.The players appeared in good spirits too.Askey,Kevan,Pugh,Rudge are all giving input plus the goalkeeping coach.Whatever has gone wrong since I last went is baffling me.

Maybe it’s because you stopped going.

[Platty's Tassels]

1 minute ago, rider1308 said:

You’d be surprised at the large number of Vale fans there are all over the city and further afield fella. In my job I meet and speak to a lot of new people everyday though-out the Staffordshire area and football comes up a lot in conversation and the number who are Vale fans is quite staggering considering what we’ve all had to put up with over the years !!!!! 

Thats good news, I always bring up Vale whenever I can when a tradesman is involved to make conversation. Normally met with  i support sJoke.

Red and white eye balls as my Granddad used to say, which surprises me reading your post. Good news.