I’d drop Ripley. Bring in Amos just to give Ripley a kick up the arse. I’d also hide DMs car keys so he couldn’t get to work. 
And get Billy big <ovf censored>  off P&G to pick the team. 
There’s too many Connor’s in the side. The worst being Connor be arsed.

its a bloody conundrum what’s going on. UNLESS none of the player are good enough 🤷

 

January feels quite important for Moore and the 24/25 season.

Our home form is actually quite steady - we've only lost once at Vale Park in the league since August, and that was the daft game against the runaway leaders. 

Of the 9 league games we've played in this slump, 6 have been away. That's a bit of a fixture list quirk, including back-to-back away games on Boxing Day and the 29th. Am I mistaken in thinking usually its one home, one away over the festive period?

As well - and this isn't me saying we've been anything but crap - we have been on the wrong end of 'luck' in this away-heavy month. Stockley's underperforming his xG more than any striker in the division; we had one off the line against Walsall; one perfectly good one not given against Bromley; a seemingly standard offside flagged for and not given against Bradford; Andy Cook channeling Van Basten in the same game. It's been a combination of bad but also quite unlucky and away from home. A very weird month.

The lesson Moore needs to take from this is if he keeps rolling the low-margin dice, this will keep happening.

From January 1st to February 1st, our home games are Cheltenham (14th), Barrow (17th), Newport (18th), and Accrington (22nd). There's 4 games that, regardless of confidence or injuries or form, we have the players who should be able to comfortably win at home. If Moore wants to be PVFC manager in June 2025, he's got to be looking at 9-10 points from those 4 home games, which are the only games the vast majority of the fanbase will see.

Away from home, it's tricky, but Moore's already shown that the one place where his conservative football works, it's against good sides away from home. Chesterfield and Doncaster away are tailor-made for his tactics, and the sort of games I think most Vale fans could accept his caution if they deliver the same results as Notts and MK.

He's just got to go for it at home. Aggression and a high press. He's still got some big away games where he can get excited about 3 shots on goal and a 1-0 win, but we've got to see the aggression and directness he promised we'd identify with. He needs to figure out a spine to his team, start playing the two expensive forwards together up front on a consistent basis, and start focusing on process (playing aggressively) more than the outcome (winning the game).

Garrity should be back this month. Byers I genuinely have written off seeing fully fit again, but Moore suggests it's this month too. With 2-3 ins and outs in the transfer market, things can look very different - Doncaster's business last January is testament to that.

If he can't get it right this month, then he'll need to be sacked, we can write the season off, and bring in a more positive manager with an eye on next year. We're going to need to make a plan and stick to it for 2-3 years, and accept we might not get promoted in that time. 

Pretend Walsall aren't there. Good luck to them. They stuck by a young manager, recruited a lot of talent from non-league, and have put up a genuinely incredible first-half of the season and barring an absolute apocalypse will go up pretty easily. A much more sensible way of doing stuff than giving Ronan Curtis a wedge on the wrong side of an ACL injury.

Beyond that, we're bang in the mix of a 8-10 team scramble for the other 2 automatic places. It's not ideal, but it's also not disastrous. It isn't a strong League 2 and it will only take another run like September-October for us to pull away again. You have to assume things will improve when the midfield returns, and if we can make 2 good additions elsewhere.

There's a very possible path that we win 3 of the next 4 home games, sneak 1-0s away at Doncaster and Chesterfield, and go into February sitting comfortably in 2nd, Garrity and Byers winning the midfield battles every week, Tolaj and Paton settling, and a couple of sensible bits of business giving up better balance than we've had hitherto.

There's another path where the rot has set in, the players have lost faith in Moore, the fans are on edge and a bit toxic, we don't win at home, collapse away, Byers has another 'setback', we go into February in 9th, Moore is on his way, and the 24/25 season is a big ol' lesson in having a plan to get out of League 2, rather than just waving a wand and chucking money around.

Big month for Dazzer. 

Amos

Debrah Heneghan Hall

Clark Croasdale Chislett John

Richards

Tolaj Paton

41 minutes ago, JoeB2 said:

Amos

Debrah Heneghan Hall

Clark Croasdale Chislett John

Richards

Tolaj Paton

I'd go with that. I'd also like to give a Smudge a go in the middle of the three though.

4 hours ago, Swanny-pvfc said:

If that’s what you think. 
 

I can assure you Stoke have never played 4-4-2 so not sure where that tripe as come from. 
 

but yes you are right hardly anyone plays 4-4-2. 

They have and did under Pelach. I watched a couple of their games on the TV and speak to quite a few mates who are Stoke fans and they have all said he was playing 4-4-2 and they were far, far too open and teams cut them to ribbons in midfield.

I think the problem is most other systems people play all have a lot of midfield players in them now, whether they be defensive, attacking, box to box or "inside forwards" (like Crosby played), so if you do play a 2 in there, you get overwhelmed. Most managers don't play it because the majority of the others don't play it either.

1 hour ago, Mellor! said:

I'd go with that. I'd also like to give a Smudge a go in the middle of the three though.

Agreed. Can’t possibly persevere with that same back 3.

gonna be in sandbach for this game with me dad whose not well  radio joke for us !! up the vale   be there in spirit ! 

3 hours ago, Granville said:

They have and did under Pelach. I watched a couple of their games on the TV and speak to quite a few mates who are Stoke fans and they have all said he was playing 4-4-2 and they were far, far too open and teams cut them to ribbons in midfield.

I think the problem is most other systems people play all have a lot of midfield players in them now, whether they be defensive, attacking, box to box or "inside forwards" (like Crosby played), so if you do play a 2 in there, you get overwhelmed. Most managers don't play it because the majority of the others don't play it either.

Thee play 4-2-3-1 with inside forwards. 
But won’t get into that debate because couldn’t give a monkeys jiffy. 
 

we’re playing 2 in the middle every game anyway mate I watch every game regardless having 5 at the back always 2 in middle an we get bullied since garrity been injured regardless so go an stick sodding 2 up top an have a go! 

3 hours ago, Tim vlf said:

gonna be in sandbach for this game with me dad whose not well  radio joke for us !! up the vale   be there in spirit ! 

Happy New Year to you and your Dad. I’ll keep him in my prayers. UTV!! 

7 hours ago, JoeB2 said:

 

If he can't get it right this month, then he'll need to be sacked, we can write the season off, and bring in a more positive manager with an eye on next year. We're going to need to make a plan and stick to it for 2-3 years, and accept we might not get promoted in that time. 

Pretty much agree with all of your post. Just picked this bit out: which again I completely agree with, but has been my issue even when we were winning.

There’s a lot of people saying I don’t care how we win as long as we get promotion. I agree because I love my club and want to see us succeed.

However if we were playing exciting, attacking football, I wouldn’t even mind if we missed out (so long as we gave it a good go). I just want to enjoy watching us again. I would prefer this option any day of the week. Football is a game full of ups and downs, so a few good seasons of playoff/promotion chasing football, even if we miss out a few times,  is better than one season of struggle but glory.

Furthermore, if we went up, but came straight back down, I would have more faith in an exciting manager to stay and take us back up. That’s a manager I would want to have a 5 year deal.

Come on Darren, entertain us. Be that manager. 

13 hours ago, Dipepa delight said:

Vale is something people really love, and for some it's there everything in life so when we play meekly (Middlesbrough),appallingly (Carlisle )folk are going react not in a very good way ,like i say some folks only happiness and hobby may be Vale .

So each time our team takes to the field we have big hopes so when other fans say to those invested in Vale too much it doesn't matter if we lose to Barnsley well it does look what's happened since it does matter it matters a lot 

Until each player realises this we will continue to be treated to dire non go for it performances

You put that shirt on you give us everything ,like every time we step into our place of work we expected do the same and we do.

Tomorrow is the beginning of a 23 game unbeaten run 

Make sure thsts the case

UTV

I will be there in the rain today no problem 

Well it’s match day. All of us will turn up even some of those that said they wouldn’t will suddenly have a change of heart. The question is will the manager and players turn up for us? Happy New Year all. Hopefully 2025 is better than 2024 was for all of us. Glad see the back of it in footballing terms! 
 

 

1 hour ago, dantheman said:

Well it’s match day. All of us will turn up even some of those that said they wouldn’t will suddenly have a change of heart. The question is will the manager and players turn up for us? Happy New Year all. Hopefully 2025 is better than 2024 was for all of us. Glad see the back of it in footballing terms! 
 

 

I sat behind you at Wembley,Dan

We stopped going after the home game against Exeter last season and haven't renewed STs. Apart from when Garrity plays this manager has no leaders on the pitch and his constant squad rotation has bitten him on the backside. It's a shame because the fans have backed the club in numbers

Edited January 1, 20251 yr by DazFred

3 hours ago, PV1993 said:

Pretty much agree with all of your post. Just picked this bit out: which again I completely agree with, but has been my issue even when we were winning.

There’s a lot of people saying I don’t care how we win as long as we get promotion. I agree because I love my club and want to see us succeed.

However if we were playing exciting, attacking football, I wouldn’t even mind if we missed out (so long as we gave it a good go). I just want to enjoy watching us again. I would prefer this option any day of the week. Football is a game full of ups and downs, so a few good seasons of playoff/promotion chasing football, even if we miss out a few times,  is better than one season of struggle but glory.

Furthermore, if we went up, but came straight back down, I would have more faith in an exciting manager to stay and take us back up. That’s a manager I would want to have a 5 year deal.

Come on Darren, entertain us. Be that manager. 

I think if go a football match and come away and go wow that was a good watch like v Doncaster ok we come out wrong side but it was a exciting 5 goal match ,you can say ok I can accept that least we have a bit of oomph going forwards then I'd rather that than spend like we did v Walsall virtually all game doing little to nothing and producing nothing ,for the home support to get behind, and meekly bowing to Walsall and conceding a horrific goal when we had the wind on our side second half and Stockley off the line our only excitement the players could muster .

People give up there time go the football at least set up get them out there seats enjoy there afternoons entertainment .

Will they today though with no confidence in the players .

Big ask 

 

33 minutes ago, DazFred said:

I say behind you at Wembley,Dan

We stopped going after the home game against Exeter last season and haven't renewed STs. Apart from when Garrity plays this manager has no leaders on the pitch and his constant squad rotation has bitten him on the backside. It's a shame because the fans have backed the club in numbers

It's easy to stop going .

I totally understand why people do though .

The fans have come out in numbers back the club .

Only v Grimsby there was a lack of leadership in most games I wouldn't say that's  the case at all