Match Thread: Port Vale v Hartlepool United

[bycars rob]

I thought Rodders did ok yesterday held the ball up well, he seems short of confidence(no wonder with some of our fans) and fitness and lacks a bit of strikers instinct but we have had far worse players.  

[Packmoor_vale]

I’m not on Facebook or Twitter can someone start a Rodney appreciation thing might cheer him up a bit 

absolutely shocking if he has been booed 

[toyahw]

Yesterday I thought Rodders held the ball up and distributed quite well. Worked for the team and even did a bit of useful defensive work. But if you ask did he look like scoring? the answer is no. Not at all. 

His lean spell actually goes back to the second half of last season. After Clarke arrived he scored two. Not a criticism of Clarke, just I don't think the system suits him.  Nearly all his good games were left of a front three.

Now you could argue that being that specific is not much use if it's suited to a setup you rarely use, and that he should be able to adapt better to being more central, then that would be fair comment for me.  

[SuperHuman]

Rodney’s not a striker, that’s the biggest issue. I can’t remember him ever playing well as a striker. He’s far more effective as a winger. 

With the absence of Proctor and Wilson we’d be more suited to a front 3. Amoo, Rodney, Politic, Worrall, Lloyd can all fit in a front 3 much better than playing 2 strikers who aren’t strikers. The 2 strikers haven’t looked like scoring in the last 3 games. 

[NellyTheValiant]

1 hour ago, bycars rob said:

I thought Rodders did ok yesterday held the ball up well, he seems short of confidence(no wonder with some of our fans) and fitness and lacks a bit of strikers instinct but we have had far worse players.  

I agree Rob, he also tracked their 27 who had possibly their best chance of the game, he did enough to stop him converting a very easy chance at the far post.  Had that gone in could very well have been a very different outcome.

[dantheman]

Not sure what Rodney is tbf. Footballs about opinions but he could do with visiting the wizard of OZ! Lacks all three things. Imo that’s what he lacks in abundance and what will always hold him back.

[Diego Maradona]

With all due respect he was playing as a striker. I think that says it all that you are talking about his defensive contribution to the game not him being a goal threat.

Maybe he should play as a winger??

[Paul6754]

Rodney did OK yesterday, he got involved but needs a goal or two for his confidence, IMHO he's a confidence player.

He's not a striker (In the mold of a Proctor/Wilson/Lloyd) to play one of the 2 in a 3-5-2 system but a player who plays on the left in a 4-3-3 where he can move along the line to find space etc and he's got cover behind him. Hence the 3-5-2 system DC employs doesn't really suite Rodney IMHO.

No Vale player should be boo'ed, particularly Rodney as he's a confidence player, he has that athletic/languid style that sometimes makes it look like he's not trying but he's trying as much as the other lads.

[LancyTony]

9 hours ago, philmpv said:

17 hours ago, LancyTony said:

I never realised how many medical experts were Vale fans?

Indeed. It seems that we have some who know the exact extent of the original injury, and having earned an online medical degree by reading a hernia article, feel confident to pronounce without question that he's been rushed back. They also know without doubt that the new injury is inextricably linked to the old injury. I feel safer than I ever have at VP now, in the event of a medical emergency

They were my thoughts exactly!!!

[LancyTony]

4 hours ago, Jacko51 said:

This is a miracle - was there a star in the east?  Can our medical experts explain this??

They should be able to - we have enough of them!

[Rampant Zebra]

I don't think anyone needs to be a medical expert to see a player come on as substitute after an injury layoff and then not be in the squad  for the next game even though the bench isn't full.

[LancyTony]

9 hours ago, Packmoor_vale said:

Hope our manager is doing this again come end of season 

Hahahaha...terrible man management!

[Jacko51]

18 minutes ago, Rampant Zebra said:

I don't think anyone needs to be a medical expert to see a player come on as substitute after an injury layoff and then not be in the squad  for the next game even though the bench isn't full.

Eh???

[Rampant Zebra]

2 minutes ago, Jacko51 said:

Eh???

Proctor played for 20 minutes on Tuesday night after coming on as a substitute, his first appearance since his injury. Yesterday we didn't have a full bench but Proctor wasn't even in the squad. Doesn't that suggest he came back too soon? 

[Conrad]

43 minutes ago, Rampant Zebra said:

Proctor played for 20 minutes on Tuesday night after coming on as a substitute, his first appearance since his injury. Yesterday we didn't have a full bench but Proctor wasn't even in the squad. Doesn't that suggest he came back too soon? 

No, he sustained another injury unrelated to the one he had just recovered from.

thats why he wasn’t in the squad.