Oxford (H) match thread - 16th March

[Nippy Naylor]

3 minutes ago, Biddulph_PV said:

We joke, but that wasn’t even League 2 standard today. I think a National League team would have beaten us today. Horrible performance and if that’s a sample, we’ll be in trouble next year as well. An absolute disgrace of a performance. 

Honestly, I think I’d stick the youth team out now, perhaps preserve with Ojo & Garrity and maybe Ripley & Debrah.

The teams today were poles apart. They were no great shakes but were quicker and more determined, had a clear idea of what they were doing, played quick little triangles to beat “the press” (haha) create space and run at us. Pretty simple really. We couldn’t (be @rsed to) do the basics like tracking / following runners and it could - sorry should - have been 5 or 6. It wasn’t actually contest really after the now customary goal off a corner. And, I’ll remind you, their form has been shocking. But hey, we all knew Vale would help out in that regard didn’t we?? 

I’ve said before but everything about the club looks a mess, in fact, you could be forgiven for thinking Smurthwaite was back running the show. The fans have taken to more & more sarcastic chanting.

My support for Moore - and this is still not his mess - has however been shaken today, such was the nature of the performance. I felt the team actually looked reasonably balanced at the start, and was hopeful we’d follow up the “success” at Orient with another solid performance today. How wrong was I.

Do we even work on defending set plays?? Why did the players look like they were running through treacle compared to Oxford?? Why were we so comprehensively outplayed that he felt it necessarily to make a double-substitution 5 mins before HT (I’ve have gone triple actually and got Jones off as well).

Dan Jones game one of the memorable fullback performances, for all the wrong reasons. Lowe was exposed for what he is….a player that was released by a struggling L2 side. Debrah, so right-footed it beggars belief why is is played on the right, Massey was never in the game, Mighten who was busy and threatening but defensively awful, Wilson trying to do it all himself, Chislet running around like a headless chicken….. I could go on. But I won’t, I’m starting to bore myself now.

I’m eagerly awaiting some sort of statement, comment, whatever because something is clearly amiss behind the scenes, it’s got to be.

Could be a Where are you let's be having you battle cry from carol in the RW suite 

But either way I think she should sell up because she won't sack off Fraudcroft 

Her leadership has been to snowflakey 

[Nippy Naylor]

1 minute ago, Sandyford_Lion said:

Might be a silly statement but " have the players given up "

They give up months ago 

[ginginator]

Behind the scenes Carol has moved the club on, stadium is getting there, fan zone etc.

But that is not what fans want. Good football and a winning team, or at least a team that shows promise. We did bring in players ,we signed and one resigned 3 strikers. All are useless or injured. 

The senior players we have are too slow, always injured or no better than before we gained promotion. 

IF DF thinks any of these players he gave contracts to, apart from BG maybe, he, well I cannot put words down. None of them will improve and that is what a good DoF can do to a 24/28 age footballer, with the right management. But do we look?

Planty and the rest have time. 

Vale do not have time to pay no hopers, just having the odd good game. 

When we were good the team picked itself and the subs wanted to play. This team my cat could pick and it could be better than the one DM picks, not his fault, but that is how poor they are.

 

 

[Killersrevenge44]

A win away at Burton may give new hope going into the gf game vs Rovers at home

[Wozza4England]

24 minutes ago, eh up nah said:

It'll be a shisha and a bubble tea tonight in there.

It's a complete joke of a club

^^^^this^^^^
 

Die hard Vale season ticket holders are laughing at and taking the piss out of:

the players

the manager

the DoF 

the recruitment team

the sports science team

the coaches

the owner.

Why have none of the above got any pride in themselves? Are they just happy to laugh right back at us?

[vale@rocks]

Awful times right now, but honestly can anyone say this was a surprise today. This footballing side has been poor since day one and had good fortune in their golden run earlier in the season. The writing has been on the wall for months and the damage has been festering for even longer from the boardroom down to the players. I had some sympathy for Jones earlier today as a human being, as poor as he is, the rot is at the top of the mountain, its there our money is spent and their the mistakes are made. It is time for Carol to realise that to keep Flitcroft in post will result in potential administration if supporters rightly decide to not renew their season tickets.

[Osh]

6 minutes ago, Nippy Naylor said:

Could be a Where are you let's be having you battle cry from carol in the RW suite 

But either way I think she should sell up because she won't sack off Fraudcroft 

Her leadership has been to snowflakey 

What is snowflakey...??

[eh up nah]

I bet they're so <ovf censored> angry they're all in tomorrow for a flat white

[soothsayer]

42 minutes ago, Sandyford_Lion said:

Might be a silly statement but " have the players given up "

Possibly but one thing’s for certain very few are good enough for L2 never mind L1.

I will excuse the young players from criticism as they still have time to develop but of the others, I’d only keep Ripley, Garrity and Clarke - they rest can be released or paid up (if we can afford to). 
In return for my support all I ask is effort and commitment to the cause unfortunately, there’s been none of that in 2024. I predict now it’ll take three transfer window to turn this mess round.

Edited March 16 by soothsayer

[Killersrevenge44]

13 minutes ago, Wozza4England said:

^^^^this^^^^
 

Die hard Vale season ticket holders are laughing at and taking the piss out of:

the players

the manager

the DoF 

the recruitment team

the sports science team

the coaches

the owner.

Why have none of the above got any pride in themselves? Are they just happy to laugh right back at us?

A 3.5 million wage bill suggests they are laughing at the fans

They are an absolute disgrace... And that is nothing to laugh at

[eh up nah]

28 minutes ago, Brian Johnson said:

For me, I did not want to blame her but because of her insistence on letting this carry on & on, relegation is firmly on Carol now for me

She can sell up for me mate

Got no confidence she's going to oversee the summer overhaul we need

[Rampant Zebra]

39 minutes ago, Brian Johnson said:

You got told all this by the guy that was serving you with your Hollands pie?

Iacovitti and Sang were in the Lorne Street concourse before the game started, maybe it was them who said it.

[ginginator]

4 minutes ago, soothsayer said:

Possibly but one thing’s for certain very few are good enough for L2 never mind L1.

I will excuse the young players from criticism as they still have time to develop but of the others, I’d only keep Ripley, Garrity and Clarke - they rest can be released or paid up (if we can afford to). 
In return for my support all I ask is effort and commitment to the case unfortunately, there’s been none of that in 2024. I predict now it’ll take three transfer window to turn this mess round.

The sad thing is when we did do well late 80's and after. We upgraded or replaced players. I know Bosman messed up some of the deals and money available.

But if we sold McCarthy we got Ainsworth. Plus all the other deals that made sure we made some money but were still competitive and got better.

We have Arblaster recalled and we get Lowe. 

I do not want to single out individual players but the way we recruit was always going to be the issue. League 2 players trying to do well in League 1, with no players of that level or above bought in, get away once but not for long.

 

[Diego Maradona]

8 minutes ago, soothsayer said:

Possibly but one thing’s for certain very few are good enough for L2 never mind L1.

I will excuse the young players from criticism as they still have time to develop but of the others, I’d only keep Ripley, Garrity and Clarke - they rest can be released or paid up (if we can afford to). 
In return for my support all I ask is effort and commitment to the case unfortunately, there’s been none of that in 2024. I predict now it’ll take three transfer window to turn this mess round.

If he wanted to play for the shirt, I would keep Funso as well as maybe Chissy. I reckon those 3 (including Garrity) are better than our promotion winning midfield a couple of years ago.

It's the defence that really needs sorting for me! Shocking. Players who were in the promotion side have gone down hill.

Also, might be a good idea to sign some strikers? Might be worth a thought? For league 2, I would keep Wilson.

[tommytunstall]

2 minutes ago, Diego Maradona said:

If he wanted to play for the shirt, I would keep Funso as well as maybe Chissy. I reckon those 3 (including Garrity) are better than our promotion winning midfield a couple of years ago.

It's the defence that really needs sorting for me! Shocking. Players who were in the promotion side have gone down hill.

Also, might be a good idea to sign some strikers? Might be worth a thought? For league 2, I would keep Wilson.

Fully agree Diego, blimey sign some strikers, that would be radical for the Vale.