Carlisle (A) match thread - 1st Jan

[Brian Johnson]

7 hours ago, Powerline said:

I think the reason people seem angrier at Crosby is because the others had all been sacked by this point. Bruno and Brown didn’t last till Christmas. I can’t remember when our form nosedived under aspin but he was sacked before it had got to this point with the fans. I remember going to Lincoln away and people were not happy with him at all, and he was a club legend. With Askey there were no fans in the ground to watch it. 

 

I totally agree with this.

I think the issue is that the under the present owners, they have set the bar with both Askey & DC on what it needs to look like to make the change. The fans have then seen the current manager having similar results that got the  other two sacked, the fans are rightly asking, why is the trigger not being pulled on AC. 

 

[Brian]

Just now, Brian said:

 

Part of the reason for the wild swings of opinion is that we have attracted significant levels of new support in the last 2-3 years. Some of these may even be refugees from the tedium at the 365.

These people have less context to draw on, hence the knee-jerk responses to the ups and downs of supporting the Vale.

It has been a bit of a roller coaster week too!

[The French Connection]

And so the Crosby In/Out pendulum swings again.

[The French Connection]

I totally agree with this.
I think the issue is that the under the present owners, they have set the bar with both Askey & DC on what it needs to look like to make the change. The fans have then seen the current manager having similar results that got the  other two sacked, the fans are rightly asking, why is the trigger not being pulled on AC. 
 

Probably because we are 14th in League 1, and despite some ups and downs recently, we are 'mid table' at the half way point in the season and, [dare I say it, dare, dare] a transfer window to come.

I hope Garrity came off cos he was knackered yesterday, and not because there's a Big offer on the table.

[Guppys left peg]

7 minutes ago, The French Connection said:

Probably because we are 14th in League 1, and despite some ups and downs recently, we are 'mid table' at the half way point in the season and, [dare I say it, dare, dare] a transfer window to come.

I hope Garrity came off cos he was knackered yesterday, and not because there's a Big offer on the table.

I think if there was a big offer on the table he wouldn’t have played in the first place. Crosby said he’s been playing with an injury since before the Blackpool game which makes his performance more remarkable to me. From the iFollow stream he did go straight down the tunnel and wasn’t moving too great so I think it’s a legit injury. Just hopefully not too bad.

[valiant_593]

1 hour ago, The French Connection said:

Probably because we are 14th in League 1, and despite some ups and downs recently, we are 'mid table' at the half way point in the season and, [dare I say it, dare, dare] a transfer window to come.

I hope Garrity came off cos he was knackered yesterday, and not because there's a Big offer on the table.

6 points off the relegation zone losing to Cheltenham at home who were bottom and now Carlisle away. With a manager that will simply not learn from his mistakes and makes them repeatedly. January window will be the same as our others. We will come out weaker. I agree with Garrity but teams will surely be watching and I think quite a low figure would be accepted by the vale. 14th is ok, but it’s been the manor of the defeats and performances and that horrible run we went on and the managers inability to learn that convince fans he isn’t the man for the job. 

[valiant_593]

5 hours ago, PV1973 said:

They’re both done here and will be off if we can get rid. Rumours at the club suggest Conlon already has a move lined up. 

You know when you see the players being shown stuff on pads before they come on? That’s them going through their jobs at setpieces. On that corner we’re doing zonal and man marking and you see Balmer (I think) turn and look at the lad who scored before the corner comes in. Then he never looks again to see where he is, gets underneath the ball and they score. Poor defending at that stage of the game. Crosby intimates on his interview afterwards that their player should have been marked and it was also interesting to hear Yatesy after the game talking about the type of characters we need at the back, leaders, experienced and not afraid to do the nasty side of the game. 
 

Plenty of people are comparing where we are now to where we were this time last year. But the key last year was the terrible transfer window. That can’t happen this season, we need a good January. We need to ship out the ones we’ve earmarked to go and we need quality bringing in. 

I agree, the window is key but I can’t see us progressing in this window. It’s too expensive and we just want pay. Balmer shouldn’t be near the side been proven countless times this season and shouldn’t have come on yesterday. Walters on and keep Lowe at CB. Balmer should go back for me 

[valiant_593]

9 hours ago, JoeB2 said:

As poor as some of the results have been, we're 5 points off where we were at this stage last season, where we were pretty much in agreement that things were great.

Are we a returning Mitch Clark in the home straight, Wilson managing 12 more games, and 2 good loan signings away from replicating our points from the first 23 games and ending up with a points total that would have us finishing 12/13th last season?

Or the same happens as last season and we are in relegation battle. Our squad is thread bare at the moment. Mitch Clarke and Wilson staying fit is a big ask, as is finding another two successful loan signings (which wouldn’t be enough Imo) 

[Valiiant]

 

People are mental. I've said it before. Too many Vale fans are more than happy to accept utter dross and is why the club will never get further up the ladder than League One baring a minor miracle. Happy to accept complete <ovf censored>, then they'll go home after the game and watch Keeping Up Appearances while eating their bacon and cheese oatcakes and drinking Dandelion & Burdock. Rinse and repeat.

[werstayinup]

12 hours ago, Sandyford_Lion said:

Without strengthening the team in Jan with ' league 1 players ' we ARE in a relegation fight. Our squad is poor and two or three key players out and we are borderline good enough to stay up.

Must have a commanding centerback

Must have a left wingback

Trouble is we were told that Jan is the wrong time to spend money. I think we will be happy to sign a couple of loan players and hope we have enough to hold on to div 1 status

I think this window will show the true ambition of the club,strengthen with kids and inexperience then yes they are happy to be in that battle.. 

[Howjy04]

2 hours ago, Devine intervention said:

Better team won by far Ripley made two really good saves first half they have blasted over and had another shot just whistled past the post on another day it goes in .

Thats first half did we have a attempt think Wilson hit one it went about 40 yards wide there goalie had nowt do as we were so damn poor .

Then second we score a goal from good play down the left with Chislett setting up Garrity to net .

A minute after we scored we nearly gave one away again with yet more abject defensive play as player put it wide instead of in then we had a very good chance make it 2 with double save from there keeper Wilson and chislett denied .

Then the game looked to me like they had run out of ideas till dopey gave them a lift after that switched it off as knew we had lost as it was so damn predictable as we had thrown the game away yet again against bottom of the league with Smith starring for  the third bottom of the league team who have defeated us 

Port Vale 2 Burton 3 

Port Vale 1 Cheltenham 2

Carlisle 2 Vale 1

It's pretty damn obvious that the players go into these games unmotivated look at the results there disgusting 

UTV 

 

Good job we’ve beaten the teams relegated from the Championship,last season.All Crosby’s fault.

Reading 1-0

Wigan 3-2

Blackpool 3-0.

[Raveninblack]

16 hours ago, Sam Kelly&#x27;s Left Boot said:

Pushed further out wide and is asked to play a role where he actually has to play football. Smith is an old fashioned CB who likes a tackle and wins a header, he's no ball playing defender.

let’s be realistic Crosby is completely out of his depth and we are having a very poor period of time and the whole scenario is very unhealthy and yesterday was a classic case of being outplayed by a team from the bottom of the league and he just comes out with the same pointless interview and his time as manager has to come to an end before he gets us into deeper trouble and I can’t bring myself to go on Saturday to register my displeasure and more should do the same

[Howjy04]

14 minutes ago, Raveninblack said:

let’s be realistic Crosby is completely out of his depth and we are having a very poor period of time and the whole scenario is very unhealthy and yesterday was a classic case of being outplayed by a team from the bottom of the league and he just comes out with the same pointless interview and his time as manager has to come to an end before he gets us into deeper trouble and I can’t bring myself to go on Saturday to register my displeasure and more should do the same

If your intention is only to show your displeasure why don’t you go shopping with the Mrs instead?

[Howjy04]

41 minutes ago, Valiiant said:

 

People are mental. I've said it before. Too many Vale fans are more than happy to accept utter dross and is why the club will never get further up the ladder than League One baring a minor miracle. Happy to accept complete <ovf censored>, then they'll go home after the game and watch Keeping Up Appearances while eating their bacon and cheese oatcakes and drinking Dandelion & Burdock. Rinse and repeat.

Pathetic.

[jjvale_03]

11 hours ago, JoeB2 said:

Weirdly, the fanbase wasn't this divided/angry when Norman was on the brink of sending us to non-league. I've seen one very vocal twitter user get quite aggressive in calling for Carol to sell up - this was previously a bloke who was aggressively positive. It was hard work getting fans to turn on Smurthwaite, years of effort despite a nosedive in position, yet some have turned on Carol for taking us up a division and having the temerity to be 15th.

I'm seeing fans show more aggression and vitriol to Crosby than I can remember towards Bruno, Brown, Aspin, or Askey. Its known I'm not hugely keen on him, and would probably welcome a change, but I don't think he's anywhere near as bad as some are making out - he's just not great. He's also not going anywhere.

It sort of reminds me of the apathy of Rob Page - we had a very decent season with lots of decent players, but a lot of fans were spitting feathers because it was boring. The truth is, most seasons for most clubs are exactly that - really dull. Football is pretty dull, mostly. 

I think we just really struggle with mid-table nothingness. We're so used to this club being on the brink that, perhaps, do we create intense emotions when there isn't a situation to warrant one? We've either been getting promoted, nearly relegated, or pushing for playoffs over the past 6 years, and have had two administrations and a close shave with oblivion in the last 20.  I know I've been guilty of overreacting on many occasions - Colchester away and Bristol Rovers at home in 21/22 being examples - as usually stuff happens at Vale which means we're on the verge of going bump.

Shrewsbury have been at this level for 9 seasons now, finishing between 3rd and 20th but mostly mid-table. Bristol City have spent a similar amount of time in the division above, between 8th and 19th. That's what football is like for most fans. Not a lot happening.

It's perhaps quite hard to accept that we're nothing special, this is likely a completely forgettable season, you'll forget 99% of the games by July, and under current budget restrictions the chances are that not a lot more is going to happen for another few seasons, if all goes roughly to plan.

We won a good game 3 days ago at home, and lost a poor game away today with 2 players off injured and Devine limping around for the last 30. It was a poor performance, but for Smith not being a bit daft we probably see out the win. Crosby's only other option, sub-wise, was Walters - who has been subbed at HT a couple of times and perhaps isn't the best shout to chuck into the fray with 10 minutes to go against a team in the ascendancy. We're an inconsistent team being managed by a manager probably not quite good enough but not a complete and utter fraud. 

This isn't me siding with the 'stick with Crosby, you knee-jerkers' faction in the slightest. I think there's upgrades out there. I'm just trying to understand the reactions when, as much as I've been clear that I'm not convinced he's the right guy, I don't think things are anywhere near as bad as being made out - not to the point to demand Carol sells up.

Early contender for post of the year. 

This pretty much always happens when we're going steady in L1. We're no good as a fanbase unless we have a cause - be it fighting an owner, an impending relegation, or flat-track bullying our way out of the basement division. Bumping around in the middle of L1 has never got the fire burning for the Vale faithful even though it's pretty much where we should be in the grand scheme of things. 

Lastly, despite the football being negative and tedious under Crosby, I believe he's doing exactly what they're asking him to do - namely: keeping us away from a relegation dogfight whilst 'providing a pathway from the academy to the first team' and implementing a more modern (boring) style of football. They'll also feel a level of responsibility for providing him with sub-standard squad depth in some areas (namely up top), so there's no way in a million years they show him the door.