I've watched the highlights. How powderpuff is our defending? We don't attack the player with the ball. We don't get goalside,we don't attempt to block shots,we don't follow runners,we allow too much space etc etc.

Earle,Porter would block shots. Tankard,Hill would block crosses. Glover,Aspin would head/kick/block...back off and jockey or intercept.

Forwards would defend from the front. Wide MF would track back. MF would support forwards or track back.

I know it's different times but if you don't do the basics then you are letting the fans down.

In short,what I have seen for 2 seasons as an ST holder (bar around 4 games) has been(I will choose my next words carefully) absolute sh*TE.

I'll send this in a letter to Carol

4 minutes ago, leedsvaliant said:

50 minutes ago, MBE said:

I agree Wrex the squad didn’t much resemble what Crosby stated in pre season but he signed off on everyone.
 

Yes. We were told we were going to be big, physical and athletic and the fittest team in the league. How many goals do we concede late in games? How many goals do we concede off crosses? How many times does the opposition look physically stronger than us? It goes to show that the plan for this season was an absolute sham from the very start.

One game that stands out to me as the worst since coming back up was the Exeter game last season away... The 4-0 what a hapless performance against a club Vale have always regarded as poor... That result took the club to new lows. 

At the end of the day, any money available should have been ploughed into the team. Yes, some things had to be done to the stadium to make it safe, but anything else is just window dressing. The coaching room, the ice baths, the endless list of backroom staff are all great to have if you're doing well.

As long as you're paying a player the going rate, he'll get changed in a portakabin.

I understand to some extent to want to improve the commercial side of the business, but spending money on the unnecessary flowery stuff is just a bad plan. Spend every spare penny you have on the first team, which creates success, increased attendances, bigger away followings and everything else that comes with it. Once you achieve success on the pitch, you can do all the vanity projects you want.

We've tried to act like a Championship/Premier league club before actually achieving anything.

The most important thing in a football club is football. Full stop. Not community work, not nice buildings, not Mother's day lunches. Football. Concentrate on it, spend on it and then you can do as many charity/vanity projects as you like.

5 minutes ago, leedsvaliant said:

At the end of the day. Any money available should have been ploughed into the team. Yes, some things had to be done to the stadium to make it safe, but anything else is just window dressing. The coaching room, the ice baths, the endless list of backroom staff are all great to have if you're doing well.

As long as you're paying a player the going rate, he'll get changed in a portakabin.

I understand to some extent to want to improve the commercial side of the business, but spending money on the unnecessary flowery stuff is just a bad plan. Spend every spare penny you have on the first team, which creates success, increased attendances, bigger away followings and everything else that comes with it. Once you achieve success on the pitch, you can do all the vanity projects you want.

We've tried to act like a Championship/Premier league club before actually achieving anything.

The most important thing in a football club is football. Full stop. Not community work, not nice buildings, not Mother's day lunches. Football. Concentrate on it, spend on it and then you can do as many charity/vanity projects as you like.

They know better. Apparently.

08/12/23
 

The first and last goals just highlight our weakness in the wing back / full back position. Both times Shorrocks been done in behind him and both times Plant hasn’t got a clue at the back post where the player is behind him who’s in acres to score. 

10 minutes ago, PV1973 said:

The first and last goals just highlight our weakness in the wing back / full back position. Both times Shorrocks been done in behind him and both times Plant hasn’t got a clue at the back post where the player is behind him who’s in acres to score. 

Shorrock got hung out to dry by Iacovitti several times. Plant had the same with Lopata. Both of those two were dreadful today.

18 minutes ago, PV1973 said:

The first and last goals just highlight our weakness in the wing back / full back position. Both times Shorrocks been done in behind him and both times Plant hasn’t got a clue at the back post where the player is behind him who’s in acres to score. 

That's because neither of them are defenders

We have a few players drawing a wage for nothing. I don’t know how they can do

It!! Absolutely unbelievable! 

They know better. Apparently.
08/12/23
 

And the thing with having a lower mid table budget is that you have to have a pretty much perfect season to avoid being in trouble. It's a massive gamble.

I get that it would be nice to have a successive production of youth players coming through but you can spend money on that in the Championship. Leagues 1 and 2 require experienced players to get out of. Look at Derby and Portsmouth, they have a real core of experienced pros.

We don't want to end up like Crewe, who bounce between the bottom two divisions and sell their youth products to simply reinvest in their youth systems.

As I said, spend all the money now on experienced, trustworthy footballers to progress us up the leagues. Then do all the flowery, long-term strategy stuff. Stop trying to run before you can walk. You can bet your life that every spare penny at Stevenage is given to Steve Evans to improve his squad. They won't be ducking about with sports scientists and 10 fitness coaches.

Sent from my SM-A137F using onevalefan mobile app

What we need is a return to old school values somewhat where young players would go out to non-league clubs and toughen up, not sit in sanitized academy structures.  Thats why we have a team that cant battle because far too many of them have had a cushy football upbringing.  

8 hours ago, Matlock Vale said:

8 hours ago, fuzzyvalefan said:

Think that is very harsh. He's a medicore footballer who has made the most out of limited ability presumably through hard work. He was asked to do a job today that he is completely unsuited to do as we all know from the start of the season. He tried but failed. Again, ultimately it boils down to piss poor recruitment. I've given Massey lots of stick over his time here but using him as a scapegoat today, now THAT is gutless.

What? He chcikens out of headers and tackles. He's not done anything at this club. Nothing.

He's 5 foot and a fag-end, how many headers do you bloody expect him to win?

8 hours ago, Sandyford_Lion said:

Thats why Moore has to be given his own chance as a manager of his team.

He has to pick 11 plus subs and he does drop senior players but he also needs the players he has got. Next season, if he has financial backing, lets see who he keeps and plays then

I agree on Moore.  He will come good but some of the players need to take a long hard look at themselves and ask why they think they deserve to be professional footballers.

4 hours ago, rob1983 said:

Moore doesn't give a toss. Just going through the motions. Literally <ovf censored>.

And what are you basing that on?  Cuz he doesnt shout and swear when things dont go his own way like a little child.  Lesson for yourself there i suggest.

6 hours ago, Spunk Trumpet said:

And he got plucked from Turkish obscurity.

 

'Turkish Obscurity' sounds like one of them dodgy knock-off aftershaves that they sell on the market.

5 hours ago, DazFred said:

That's because neither of them are defenders

And regardless of what narrative is being throwing out there by Flitcroft, they are babies in footballing terms and not good enough right now.

When children play mens football in a relegation battle, where all around you are downing tools, it’s a recipe for disaster.

Im not digging them out here, because they’ve been thrown to the wolves, but somebody tell me that Plant, Shorrock, Dipepa, Lomax, whoever else is out of that academy, is good enough to be playing league football right now. Never mind league one football.

If the answer is none of them you are correct.

And if you aren’t angry that they’ve been hung out to dry then you need to take a long hard look at your judgement.