Cheltenham (A) match thread - 17th Feb

[JoeB2]

Funso Ojo has had perhaps 10 good games since signing.

For some reason, he got a 2.5 year extension that will keep him here till he’s 34.

He doesn’t know what he’s doing!

[Smallthorne clampet]

11 hours ago, Spunk Trumpet said:

And one more point would be Darrell Clarke.

What happened to him when with us was a tragedy and yes I know we will never get him back but what a man, what a human, and also a man who did things his way! A man who probably went against the rules so to speak. But a man who galvanised this club. Not Carol. Not the idiot DOF. Darrell. He did all of that. He gave us fans that connection. So I’ll say to Darren Moore, please don’t be that guy who gets told what to do and what to say like Crosby. Please don’t take 5 and a half years money to be a nodding dog. You must know how the fans feel. Stop asking us to back the side. We do that every week everywhere!!! Stand up for yourself. Stamp your mark on this team and make it your own and for the love of god, do not listen to the clown that is the director of football because his power that he has, is plummeting this club to league 2. 

Absolutely nailed it mate.

[Packmoor_vale]

I never noticed the formation change at the game but DM changed to 442 we definitely finished the game a bit stronger 

Walters coming on helped I was wondering what has happened to him 

I still think we’re down 

We need get behind them best we can as hard as it is and stop throwing I’m not going anymore and no season ticket for me next year about 

Make that decision in the summer 

[onestepatatime]

11 hours ago, darren1810 said:

Football very emotional game.

I've just thrown my toys out of the pram and cut my nose off to spite my face by saying I'm not going to Derby with my mates.

It's draining me and I can't bear the thought of a thrashing there with 25'000 laughing at us. Pathetic for a grown man but it's sucking the life out of me. That's how I'm feeling. Sad I know. 

Exactly mate. I posted earlier my lament and I honestly believe there are hundreds and hundreds more who are of the same feeling. Sad, sad days.

[Bald Eagle]

Looking for the positives…….only ones I can see are we are unlikely to have to face FGR and Sutton next year!

[SuperHuman]

Dan Jones was given a two year contract extension last summer. Try and process that. He is a myth. He’s been injured for about 50% of the time he’s been here. When he does play he’s a calamity. 

Perfect example of a player whose stock rises by actually not playing. 

[PVFC764]

15 hours ago, PVFC FAN said:

Clubs with bigger budgets and more to offer

According to thread inputs, we are just below mid table budget.  Those below us managed to bring in strikers, who are now scoring for them.  They also brought players in who have started making them play better.

What did we do.  Not a lot.

[Hitcher]

23 minutes ago, PV1973 said:

One thing that was very evident yesterday in comparison to Cheltenham was our lack of desire, passion and any semblance of grittiness and even togetherness too.  Since the promotion season I can’t help but feel a disconnect from the players and also to some degree the club as time progresses. Barring the odd exception we've had few characters this last 2 seasons, players who I feel would run through a wall for us. Maybe that’s just me? I don’t know.

We have brought this on ourselves, we’ve assembled an unbalanced squad with no identity or leaders and none of the traits I mentioned. There’s been lots of talk of players in this thread who’ve gone and are still playing in this league or below who I feel had those characteristics and who I felt more of a connection to (if that’s a tangible thing), Pett, Worrall, Gibbo, hall, garrity, proctor, Conlon for example. I know Garrity is still with us, but I see posters dismissing some of these former players off hand and I think some have a short memory. I too would take some of them over the majority of our  current squad and they would IMO walk into this squad and make us better. 

But my whole point is that it’s a damning indictment of our recruitment, we haven’t adequately replaced some of them, this last 2 years have seen us gradually regress and I’m concerned with where this is leading and what DF has “built” on the pitch. We still have issues with strikers, wingbacks, holding midfield and also the back 3. All of that falls on the recruitment team and as things stand now i can’t see us getting out of this mess with this squad (because of lack of characters and desire). Clark and Garrity are already being heralded as our messiahs, but what’s Clark done for us this season prior to the injury to show us he’s can drag us through this? Yesterday just showed us what a manager can do with a plan and a group of players with character who want to play for him and the club with belief, desire …. Etc.

It’s all a bit depressing isn’t it. 

I do agree on the Clark Messiah point but personally felt he was putting in committed performances before his injury.

Mad thinking that he is our only natural wing back in the squad. Think it gives us atleast a bit more balance on one side of the pitch.

Grant --> converted CM

Sang --> converted CM

Massey --> converted right wing / right forward

Plant --> converted right wing / right forward

 

[Hot Rat]

On 17/02/2024 at 11:09, Coyney Valiant said:

You’ll have about 100 standing and singing and the rest seated and hardly making a sound  SVA 

Sadly, while there were about 100 stood I could count on one hand the number of times a song was heard.

I haven't read the 200 posts to now but for what its worth here's my tenpennoth;

I do not entirely blame the players for their performance. Clarke knows our system, knew it when they played us at home and we played the same formation which they countered by pressing us back into our half/final third for long periods. Our management should have anticipated this and had a counter tactic other than 5 at the back and a diminished midfield. They played with a very high tempo and worked very hard to close down any breaks we tried to make down either wing.  I commented to our lad that I couldn't see them sustaining it for the second half too but sustain they did. We were playing so deep and so confined into our final third we had no chance of breaking other than by a long ball over the top which, because we were fortunate to have Ethan Chislett crossing some sublime balls, got us two goals. We only looked decent when Dipepa, Mighten and Walters came on and started fizzing balls around. I cannot understand why they were not bought on when we took the lead instead of 10 minutes from the whistle.  At the point we took the lead, the delays caused by the subs plus the extra energy they introduced could have changed the games momentum and the result gone in in our favour.  In summary we were out thought and as a consequence out played and our management did not have the nous to change it until it was too late.  

However, what was most depressing was the booing from some individuals at the whistle when the players came over to applaud the travelling support. I get that those who boo were disappointed, so was I, but its obvious that confidence is very low and they need a lift right now for the next game. Cheltenham went behind twice but their fans never gave up on them FFS and kept on singing. They might be the smallest ground in the league but it was full to bursting and full of positivity. Our fans should take note of that. 

 

 

[PV1973]

13 minutes ago, Packmoor_vale said:

I never noticed the formation change at the game but DM changed to 442 we definitely finished the game a bit stronger 

 

And there’s another thing about the squad. We’ve got one full back (who’s out injured). If we go 4 at the back I think our stand in full backs will get found out. 

[RPH-KV]

5 minutes ago, SuperHuman said:

Dan Jones was given a two year contract extension last summer. Try and process that. He is a myth. He’s been injured for about 50% of the time he’s been here. When he does play he’s a calamity. 

Perfect example of a player whose stock rises by actually not playing. 

Thought he was dreadful yesterday- constantly giving cheap fouls away.  His only attribute seems to be he is left footed, and as you say is a constant sick-note.

[Guitar Ray]

34 minutes ago, Essex Boy said:

Most of the comments on here are absolute twaddle. No manager can keep Vale in League 1 with this squad. It has nothing to do with not trying, the players are not good enough. We need to accept that we will be in League 2 next season & we know it is Flitcroft's fault. Darren Moore will get a a decent squad together & we will challenge for promotion in League 2. Supporters will be attending games & feel much happier about the club.

Have to disagree to some of this, it’s about attitude as much as ability. Work rate and desire, not throwing the towel in, will get you points.  It certainly won’t lose you any points that’s for sure.

[Powerline]

26 minutes ago, JoeB2 said:

Funso Ojo has had perhaps 10 good games since signing.

For some reason, he got a 2.5 year extension that will keep him here till he’s 34.

He doesn’t know what he’s doing!

That’s rubbish. He’s one of our only league 1 standard players.

[RPH-KV]

2 minutes ago, Powerline said:

That’s rubbish. He’s one of our only league 1 standard players.

Agree - he’s our best footballer in my opinion.

[JoeB2]

He rarely plays well.