Match Thread: Port Vale v Oxford United

[grand prix pants]

We need the mighty James Wilson to step up today, like he did at the end of last season.

[Diego Maradona]

59 minutes ago, Fosse69 said:

1 hour ago, Diego Maradona said:

I think it can be definitely 'Do' if we win. We will be safe!
If we lose, we still have other chances (5 games) to pick up more points.
However, 'many' see this as the best chance to secure our League 1 status simply because of Oxford's poor league position.
Therefore, I like many, see today as our chance to secure our League 1 status and then get this season out of the way. Start afresh in the summer.

But unbeaten in the last 3, tightened their defence or playing for draws?

God help us then!

[Conrad]

1 hour ago, Diego Maradona said:

I think it can be definitely 'Do' if we win. We will be safe!

If we lose, we still have other chances (5 games) to pick up more points.

However, 'many' see this as the best chance to secure our League 1 status simply because of Oxford's poor league position.

Therefore, I like many, see today as our chance to secure our League 1 status and then get this season out of the way. Start afresh in the summer.

I saw Accrington as our best chance to secure our league 1 status.

[Lifelongvalefan]

I just want to see some pride ,passion,and effort ,if we loose after giving all I cannot complain but I’m not going to fork out £800 a season for 3 season tickets to see players not earning there money I cannot afford to do that 

[Diego Maradona]

1 minute ago, Conrad said:

I saw Accrington as our best chance to secure our league 1 status.

I was responding initially to JoeB2's point about many seeing this game as a 'Do or Die' game.

Ultimately, we need some (3) points from somewhere. A win today should secure our League One status. If we lose, it won't mean relegation. So, why not treat as a Cup Final scenario. The players need to have some form of motivation. Why not today? Why not go out and attack and get the 3 points? I don't want us to have the attitude 'We have another chance' because before you know it, the games will have ran out. 
 

Ultimately, I want to see much more effort today, some desire, some passion, take the game to the opposition. A reset from the players after the last 2 disgraceful performances! And lastly, try not to give the opposition a head start!

 

[philpvfc]

9 minutes ago, Conrad said:

I saw Accrington as our best chance to secure our league 1 status.

I thought Cambridge would be the 3 points we needed.

[Howjy04]

17 minutes ago, philpvfc said:

I thought Cambridge would be the 3 points we needed.

I thought the point at Pompey would be enough.

[NorthwoodValiant]

14 minutes ago, Vale 1971 said:

It won't sell out and why would it when we win its only 1-0 .
Most performances at home since turn of the year have been atrocious .
Clarke never changes the system its the major part of it .
I hear folk complaining about atmosphere most games first half the lads get great backing from RS and RP attacking hamil second half it goes quiet usually because the performance levels go down alarmingly .
Thats not the fans fault its a players thing .
It's been dross mainly says something when the last time we played well up front Massey and Butterworth were up there v Derby at home come on be honest did you leave the ground ecstatic v Exeter and MkDons 1-0 wins both scored by defenders.
Wheres Harrison what's happened to his performances before Xmas he was like a machine I'd give him a 8 for effort and all round game since coming back I'd give him a 4
Strikers need step up I'm seeing nowhere near enough desire from them .
Today I'd rather see Politic and Wilson up there at least they be quick and OK Wilson hasn't scored since back from injury but he blasted a great volley v Accrington saved and had a stonking shot v Cambridge that just went over .
I want see desire .
The injury to the enigmatic Garrity has done us his workrate alone kept us in games now I just see a midfield who cannot get about the pitch(press high ) and somehow seem flat footed to me and apart from Pett seem incapable of winning a ball just few yards behind play all the time .
We won't sell out as last 2 home games have been absolutely in the main performances not fit for a league 1 .
Well this afternoon the levels need to be raised to a championship performance level .
If they are we will win or draw minimum.
Then the fans will be buzzing
 

That's a very long answer to a very simple question.

We haven't sold out for years, if ever, in the league. 

In our 2013 promotion season were we were hammering everyone by 4, 5, 6 goals, we didn't sell out once

In the playoff semi final in the biggest game in years, we didn't sell out a reduced allocation.

When we played Sheffield Wednesday at home this season, we didn't sell out.

I can't actually remember the last time Vale Park actually did sell out, has it ever actually happened in the last 50 years?

It's very simple what this means, it means Vale park is too big for us, and you therefore can't judge our success on selling it out

[TJHValiant]

5 minutes ago, NorthwoodValiant said:

That's a very long answer to a very simple question.

We haven't sold out for years, if ever, in the league. 

In our 2013 promotion season were we were hammering everyone by 4, 5, 6 goals, we didn't sell out once

In the playoff semi final in the biggest game in years, we didn't sell out a reduced allocation.

When we played Sheffield Wednesday at home this season, we didn't sell out.

I can't actually remember the last time Vale Park actually did sell out, has it ever actually happened in the last 50 years?

It's very simple what this means, it means Vale park is too big for us, and you therefore can't judge our success on selling it out

Swindon was surely a sell out? I know because I couldn’t get a ticket on the day? Even so, sell outs are not a badge of pride. Every sell out means there will be some fans who could not go. That means missed income. The general beauty of Vale park has meant anyone who can go, will get in. It’s not like Bournemouth in the Prem who are losing whole generations of fans due to simply not being able to sell tickets to anyone except season ticket holders in a 10k ground. 

[Guitar Ray]

We need to conjure up a clean sheet from somewhere, anything beyond that is a bonus right now.

[MelbourneValiant]

Didn't we sell out the home stands v Bristol Rovers or Newport last Season? Albeit reduced capacity. 

 

[TJHValiant]

2 hours ago, JoeB2 said:

Also folks - we aren't going to go down.

This game is not as do-or-die as some are making out. 

Exactly. The reason Oxford have sold so many tickets is because it matters to them as they really are in a relegation battle and they want to see their hero, Matty Taylor again. 
 

We won’t sell many because we got thumped back in November in a dire game by them and despite the drama..this is a dead rubber for us. Just fed up of the awful recent efforts and want a turnaround. 

[NorthwoodValiant]

4 minutes ago, TJHValiant said:

Swindon was surely a sell out? I know because I couldn’t get a ticket on the day? Even so, sell outs are not a badge of pride. Every sell out means there will be some fans who could not go. That means missed income. The general beauty of Vale park has meant anyone who can go, will get in. It’s not like Bournemouth in the Prem who are losing whole generations of fans due to simply not being able to sell tickets to anyone except season ticket holders in a 10k ground. 

No, Swindon certainly was not a sell out because the Swindon fans were rinsing us for it after we reduced their allocation to 2,200, we also didn't sell out our 2,200 at Swindon.

The attendance at the Semi final was 11,669. Now our theoretical maximum attendance at the moment is 15,069, that's with a 3,000 capcaity Bycars. As there was only 2,200 in the bycars that night it meant that our capacity would have been 14,200, so we were 2,500 away from a sell out. 'In your empty seats, sit down' was regularly chanted by the Swindon fans that night 

I totally agree with you, selling out should not be used as a metric to gauge success, that's why I'm not sure what point the person I am replying to is getting at when he's saying we aren't selling out against Oxford

[NorthwoodValiant]

7 minutes ago, MelbourneValiant said:

Didn't we sell out the home stands v Bristol Rovers or Newport last Season? Albeit reduced capacity. 

 

Well the official attendance for each of those matches was 10,840 against Bristol Rovers and 9,048 against Newport.

Newport certainly did not sell out.

Bristol Rovers bought 2,222 away fans that game meaning that the home support was 8,618, assuming that the home end holds 11,000 out of 15,069 in our reduced capacity, there was still 2,500 empty home seats somewhere, although this doesn't necessarily mean that it wasn't sold out

[MelbourneValiant]

2 minutes ago, NorthwoodValiant said:

Well the official attendance for each of those matches was 10,840 against Bristol Rovers and 9,048 against Newport.

Newport certainly did not sell out.

Bristol Rovers bought 2,222 away fans that game meaning that the home support was 8,618, assuming that the home end holds 11,000 out of 15,069 in our reduced capacity, there was still 2,500 empty home seats somewhere, although this doesn't necessarily mean that it wasn't sold out

Newport was officially sold out in the home ends. Embarrasing for small crowd really, and empty stands with the reduced capacity. Even under the fat controller we managed 13k v Wolves. So I dunno what changed to reduce the capacity.

Anyway, today I put my co ck on the block and say 2-1 Vale in a dour game witnessed by 8,452 unfortunate individuals.