I also think it's a bit silly to openly declare how much we don't care for this competition, but then start making some very serious conclusions from it as it suits the argument you've been trying to force for weeks. You can't have it both ways - this game doesn't matter, play the reserves, I really really don't care for it...

We've lost?

Here's 7 paragraphs articulating my disappointment and quite worrying conclusions at a game I was begging us to throw mere hours ago.

This wasn't a real game. Bit of fitness for some reserves. Disappointing with Clark but, genuinely, if he's knocked again we can presume this was going to happen sooner or later. Poor guy can't stay fit. 

actually thought Walters did alright tonight considering how long he has been out

Vale didn't get  going 2nd half, couple that with some poor defending and the result is no surprise. Forgettable game.

I'll take a loss tonight but a win at Swindon on Saturday every day of the week.

5 minutes ago, JoeB2 said:

I'm not sure how many defenders folk expect us to carry, but we can't just sign infinite players to avoid any sort of availability issues ever.

If any team in the 4th division had one defender suspended for a laughable red card, and another one injured, they'd probably have no more than the two back-ups we've got and certainly of no better quality.

That's not me defending Debrah and Hart (although I think we're quick to forget Debrah's form when we were winning every week), but I genuinely don't know how many decent defenders we can expect to carry without some of them getting cheesed off at lack of minutes. We can't just sign a load of centre halves on the basis that they'll play in an injury crisis. We've just had to sell a keeper because he started blarting the second he wasn't playing.

We can sign 1. I’m not suggesting to sign 8 new defenders. We’re short at the back. Deborah and hart would be the ones to miss out they aren’t good enough. Sign 1 good defender who can compete with Smith and Hall. If hall is injured we’re straight into seeing Hart play LCB. Deborah had a couple of decent games when in truth the whole side did. Before and after that he’s been hopeless. Hart isn’t a LCB and has been awful since his injury. 
 

Or at least keep cover. 

Edited February 4, 20251 yr by valiant_593

5 minutes ago, The Kalamazoo Kid said:

Head on a stick.

Legs in treacle.

Which is fine if you use him correctly in the right situations i.e. when we are under the cosh. Accrington away for example he changed the game, all we needed was a head on a stick.

Sadly for him and for Vale, Clark is our version of Chelsea player Reece James.

An outstanding player in the 10 or so games a season he plays.

He's had shocking luck. A real shame. 

I agree with most people about the game not really being of any relevance. Main aim has to be promotion…that said what an absolutely diabolical showing from our so called fringe players. Pretty much most of those need to be off at the end of the season. Also why the hell did we re sign Walter’s. He’s non league every day of the week. Will be having nightmares for weeks about him and Lowe in midfield. On to Swindon where hopefully we can put this behind us. 

3 minutes ago, JoeB2 said:

I also think it's a bit silly to openly declare how much we don't care for this competition, but then start making some very serious conclusions from it as it suits the argument you've been trying to force for weeks. You can't have it both ways - this game doesn't matter, play the reserves, I really really don't care for it...

We've lost?

Here's 7 paragraphs articulating my disappointment and quite worrying conclusions at a game I was begging us to throw mere hours ago.

This wasn't a real game. Bit of fitness for some reserves. Disappointing with Clark but, genuinely, if he's knocked again we can presume this was going to happen sooner or later. Poor guy can't stay fit. 

They’re not the same surely. I’m guessing the post is aimed at me so I’ll reply. 
I don’t care about the result, Moore picked the correct 11 in my opinion but I don’t get the late subs. That Dosent change the fact that I think we’re short at the back and defending as poor as we did (same culprits again) backs this up. 

1 minute ago, Powerline said:

Which is fine if you use him correctly in the right situations i.e. when we are under the cosh. Accrington away for example he changed the game, all we needed was a head on a stick.

Exactly. 

Speedy centre halves in league 2 are incredibly rare. 

Heneghan is OK. Steady. Certainly no donkey. 

2 minutes ago, valiant_593 said:

They’re not the same surely. I’m guessing the post is aimed at me so I’ll reply. 
I don’t care about the result, Moore picked the correct 11 in my opinion but I don’t get the late subs. That Dosent change the fact that I think we’re short at the back and defending as poor as we did (same culprits again) backs this up. 

I'll blow mine and your trumpets here mate ( ooo er Mrs ). 

We both urged caution about a certain defender whilst some were chucking 5 year contracts at his feet .

A terrible footballer .

I can accept bad performances. And I don’t care what competition it is in. But these are professional footballers not running!!

Ben Garrity is a prime example. 
He runs through brick walls and leads. 
Croasdale another. 
Give me a team full of lads like these. 

Jason Lowe. Billy big balls. Strolling around the pitch because he’s coming to the end of his career and can’t be bothered. 
Walters. Billy big balls. Strolling around the pitch at the start of his career because he thinks he’s better than he is.

Thats where the game was lost tonight. 
Possibly as a midfield two, one of the worst, most can’t be bothered performances I’ve seen.

Lowe will be gone soon. Thank Christ. 
As for Walters…. 3 more years of that? Run son. Have some pride in yourself and your talent. Or carry on wasting it. It’s a huge summer for him. He needs to go away and get his head on because he’s nowhere near a league start ahead of Garrity, Croasdale, Byers and Harper. 
 

We all thought at the start of the season we had strength in depth. We haven’t. We have too many players robbing a living, young and old.

Ive been Smiths biggest critic. He isn’t the most talented. At least the lad is running through brick walls. 
Debrah…. Just leave in the summer. He does nothing other than clap the fans when taking a throw in! 
Hart. The lads not even national league standard. 
We’ve got another few months of Hackford but if we have to rely on him and he does nothing then Moore will be through the door on the summer.

So many of those tonight, when the chips were down, couldn’t be bothered. 
That’s a sad indictment on the club as a whole. 
You sign a contract for this club and play your hearts out. Whether it be against Man City or Hashtag Utd.

I would like to think, now we are out of this, there is a meeting internally to see who is ready for the promotion push. 
Darren Moores legacy as a manager lasts the next 12 weeks or so. He needs to be looking around and seeing who wants it and who is up for it because on that showing at least 7 of them I would bomb, not just from matchday squads but from trying with the seniors altogether.

 

12 minutes ago, Trumpingtonvale said:

Wouldn’t have been available until after Notts County.

Fair enough. If Sang is suspended we are very short on that side, surprised we haven’t loaned a right sided player even if we could have Cover back for a month. 

Don't know if this is true, just been told we aren't appealing Sangs red.

I'm flabbergasted. 

Just now, darren1810 said:

Don't know if this is true, just been told we aren't appealing Sangs red.

I'm flabbergasted. 

Stupidity if it’s true 

1 minute ago, darren1810 said:

Don't know if this is true, just been told we aren't appealing Sangs red.

I'm flabbergasted. 

It’s true