Oxford (A) match thread Sep 2nd

[Vale1995]

1 minute ago, Doha said:

Every game, actually. The same game everyone else seems to be watching, both RS commentators commenting on Plant getting hounded, and other fans on here discussing the LWB vulnerabilities alike.

Hope this helps.

Blackpool vs Port Vale on 15 Aug 23 - Match Centre | Port Vale

WWW.PORT-VALE.CO.UK

 

Everyone has bad games hes had one? Hes a young lad? Hes learning and will get better? We could sign any experienced lwb and they can have poor games?  My point is your crying over the fact we dont have a proper lwb when infact we have one solid option and 2 adequate covers if needed and we as a team are performing brilliantly and currently unbeaten in 7 games yet all you seem to be bothered about is we didnt get a back up lwb. And if it was such a massive disadvantage for us not signing one surely it would be costing us games? 
 

really don't understand why people are football fans if when a team is doing well there first initial instinct is to go for anything negative they can find. Weve signed 14 new players and the club is heading in the right direction but because we havent got the perfect make up of our whole squad with like for like replacements for every position what a <ovf censored> disaster. 

[Doha]

4 minutes ago, Vale1995 said:

Everyone has bad games hes had one? Hes a young lad? Hes learning and will get better? We could sign any experienced lwb and they can have poor games?  My point is your crying over the fact we dont have a proper lwb when infact we have one solid option and 2 adequate covers if needed and we as a team are performing brilliantly and currently unbeaten in 7 games yet all you seem to be bothered about is we didnt get a back up lwb. And if it was such a massive disadvantage for us not signing one surely it would be costing us games? 
 

really don't understand why people are football fans if when a team is doing well there first initial instinct is to go for anything negative they can find. Weve signed 14 new players and the club is heading in the right direction but because we havent got the perfect make up of our whole squad with like for like replacements for every position what a <ovf censored> disaster. 

My point is he's a very inexperienced young lad forced out of position, and it shows every time. You know that but choose to ignore it to carry on with your quite amusing effort at an ad hominem.

Quote

we havent got the perfect make up of our whole squad with like for like replacements for every position what a <ovf censored> disaster. 

Where have I or anyone else said this exaggeration you definitely haven't made up in your head? Thanks in advance.

[Vale1995]

12 minutes ago, Doha said:

.

Where have I or anyone else said this exaggeration you definitely haven't made up in your head? Thanks in advance.

 

[Doha]

Today I learned "Yet we're seemingly laissez faire about this glaring vulnerability" is actually secret code for "what a <ovf censored> disaster." Every day's a school day.

[Warren]

47 minutes ago, Doha said:

Every game, actually. The same game everyone else seems to be watching, both RS commentators commenting on Plant getting hounded, and other fans on here discussing the LWB vulnerabilities alike.

Hope this helps.

Blackpool vs Port Vale on 15 Aug 23 - Match Centre | Port Vale

WWW.PORT-VALE.CO.UK

 

Plant won't get games in central midfield other than coming off the bench to replace tiring legs. He is right footed and playing LWB. Man Utd had Dalot at LB today at Arsenal who is right footed, but he had a good game.

It's a difficult one, and he may get targeted, but provided he doesn't make big mistakes and improves I would keep playing Plant. When our on loan players leave at the end of the season he may well be ready to play in midfield. 

[Powerline]

I agree with Doha here. Plant is a right winger playing lwb, it’s not an ideal situation for him to be playing there, for us or his own development. He was quite poor yesterday (not saying he was disastrous and not having a go), offered nothing going forwards and was bad defensively.

For the goal, he played the ball straight back to them with a pretty horrific clearance that Benning would be getting hammered for on here had he done the same.

You’re allowed to be happy with the win and the performance, as well as recruitment overall, whilst also pointing out we are short in that area. They’re not mutually exclusive.

[Doha]

4 minutes ago, Warren said:

Plant won't get games in central midfield other than coming off the bench to replace tiring legs

If Massey drops off in form, or goes off second half, I'd like to see Plant playing on the right with Clark behind him. Thomas to his left in the centre and Devine/Arblaster in the centre sliding balls through when we break with pace, that would be a right swine to cope with in the last 20-30 mins.

5 minutes ago, Powerline said:

You’re allowed to be happy with the win and the performance, as well as recruitment overall, whilst also pointing out we are short in that area. They’re not mutually exclusive.

 

Crimethink detected. Cease immediately!

[For Us All]

On 02/09/2023 at 20:16, Warren said:

Excellent result today. A squad showing skill and resilience to get an away win at a ground where we lost 4-0 last season. 

We've lost the last five in a row at their place Warren and seven out of the last eight.Our last away win at Oxford  was in 1997.SVA

[andy jones]

Agree with you.

The feedback from fans who went the game is they were better than us but we hung in and got the win.

Team spirit is the momentum that's getting us there. We don't have superstars but we do have a plan as to how to compete and sometimes it will go for us and sometimes it won't.

What I am loving is that we are looking a rock solid league 1 side in this our second season. 

We don't have the budget to guarantee covering every position with equally good players. Live with it!

The club is in an incredibly good position and it's fantastic to be a Vale fan.

Loving the new songs for each individual player. Don't think the fans-player relationship has been this good for decades. 

With the academy producing results there's going to be a lot more who are 'one of our own'

Happy Days

UTV

 

 

[saintvaliant]

In an ideal world Plant shouldn’t be playing LWB because, put very simply, he isn’t a LWB.

It is a slight worry, given Grant’s injury record, that Plant appears to be the de facto cover for the role. During the 2nd half yesterday he gave the ball away three times in dreadful positions. The first led to their lad chipping Ripley after the first red card but it went just over, the 2nd led to a dangerous situation which Smith broke up and ironically enough led to us getting the free kick which we scored from and the third led to their goal (which Plant was also culpable of being beaten very easily by their winger).

On another day that third one costs us 2 points. On another day the other 2 could easily have led to goals. Thankfully they didn’t and instead Planty can chalk up the game to experience.

It is naive in the extreme to think that because we won the game, and have won 3 on the spin, that there aren’t things that we need to continue improving. From yesterday the biggest challenges we look to have are ball retention, LWB where Plant isn’t the answer, RCB where Cass was very poor and carrying a greater goal threat because sticking Massey through the middle is beyond crazy.

 

[SFBT]

11 minutes ago, andy jones said:

Agree with you.

The feedback from fans who went the game is they were better than us but we hung in and got the win.

Team spirit is the momentum that's getting us there. We don't have superstars but we do have a plan as to how to compete and sometimes it will go for us and sometimes it won't.

What I am loving is that we are looking a rock solid league 1 side in this our second season. 

We don't have the budget to guarantee covering every position with equally good players. Live with it!

The club is in an incredibly good position and it's fantastic to be a Vale fan.

Loving the new songs for each individual player. Don't think the fans-player relationship has been this good for decades. 

With the academy producing results there's going to be a lot more who are 'one of our own'

Happy Days

UTV

 

 

Interesting. I watched it back on ifollow, so knew the outcome, which might make a difference to my views. I didn't think they were better than us. Especially when we changed it up at half time.

I thought we were the better side second half, and no way were we hanging on.

I'm beginning to doubt my view that Plant played well having read other views. He did well defensively, got forward a bit second half and looked comfortable on the ball.

Cass was mixed.

Maybe I'm just more easily satisfied?

I see progress and development, and I'm satisfied with that.

Sure, there's progress to be made, there always will be.

It takes time.

It's happening.

Enjoy it.

[Warren]

45 minutes ago, Doha said:

If Massey drops off in form, or goes off second half, I'd like to see Plant playing on the right with Clark behind him. Thomas to his left in the centre and Devine/Arblaster in the centre sliding balls through when we break with pace, that would be a right swine to cope with in the last 20-30 mins.

 

Crimethink detected. Cease immediately!

I hope this isnt the Dr in the tardis about to turn back time so we lose and have two players sent off. Oh stupid me, he / she / it wouldn't do that of course because it would disturb the frabic of time and the Kassam stadium may be sucked into a void. 

[Powerline]

51 minutes ago, saintvaliant said:

In an ideal world Plant shouldn’t be playing LWB because, put very simply, he isn’t a LWB.

It is a slight worry, given Grant’s injury record, that Plant appears to be the de facto cover for the role. During the 2nd half yesterday he gave the ball away three times in dreadful positions. The first led to their lad chipping Ripley after the first red card but it went just over, the 2nd led to a dangerous situation which Smith broke up and ironically enough led to us getting the free kick which we scored from and the third led to their goal (which Plant was also culpable of being beaten very easily by their winger).

On another day that third one costs us 2 points. On another day the other 2 could easily have led to goals. Thankfully they didn’t and instead Planty can chalk up the game to experience.

It is naive in the extreme to think that because we won the game, and have won 3 on the spin, that there aren’t things that we need to continue improving. From yesterday the biggest challenges we look to have are ball retention, LWB where Plant isn’t the answer, RCB where Cass was very poor and carrying a greater goal threat because sticking Massey through the middle is beyond crazy.

 

I do think people are overly harsh on Cass. He did fine yesterday, an average 6/10. He seems to get blamed a lot for others mistakes, and then doesn’t get credit for things he’s actually done well. 

For example - saw people blaming him for their goal. If you watch it back, it’s clearly Clarke who loses Leigh. And then the time you refer to when Plant gave it away - that was Cass who broke it up, not Smith. 

Considering he’s our 5th choice centre half he’s ok.

[Portvale4]

2 hours ago, Vale1995 said:

Everyone has bad games hes had one? Hes a young lad? Hes learning and will get better? We could sign any experienced lwb and they can have poor games?  My point is your crying over the fact we dont have a proper lwb when infact we have one solid option and 2 adequate covers if needed and we as a team are performing brilliantly and currently unbeaten in 7 games yet all you seem to be bothered about is we didnt get a back up lwb. And if it was such a massive disadvantage for us not signing one surely it would be costing us games? 
 

really don't understand why people are football fans if when a team is doing well there first initial instinct is to go for anything negative they can find. Weve signed 14 new players and the club is heading in the right direction but because we havent got the perfect make up of our whole squad with like for like replacements for every position what a <ovf censored> disaster. 

I don’t think being critical of the LWB situation is unjust. 

You must be have been watching a different game of football if you didn’t take note of how Oxford targeted Plant, resulting in a goal and much of their positive play.

Nothing against Plant mind, I just think we should have brought in proper competition for Connor Grant, a lad who is only just getting back into the swing of things after a huge injury lay-off. 

[Clayts]

I think it's difficult to recruit to a specific position twice in the same window, at comparable or similar quality. Once Benning left, and it's known we've brought Grant in as first choice, could we get a high quality second LWB? It may be the only options available/affordable/remaining to us at that point in the window would have left us no better off than having Planty there, with an area of inexperience/weakness the opposition can target. 

It may be that once the Loft/Harrison deals were all but done, it gave us a bit more confidence re having the budget to enquire about Denver Hume, but we ran out of time to seal the deal?

We'll never know all the exact ins and outs of it for sure, but thankfully we've got away with Plant at LWB so far, and with Grant coming back to fitness, I'm hopeful we can manage the situation until January. The trickiest bit will be end of Sept/start of Oct, the 5 games in 2 weeks including Sutton and Gas on the Tuesdays. I assume AC has been easing Grant back in gently with an eye on that period when we'll likely need Grant and Plant alternating, with Sang/Massey chipping in at RWB too.