2 hours ago, Valiiant said:

 

In fairness to Moore, on paper the team he started with still looked capable of beating Barrow. Some of those coming in for a start let him down badly, none more so than Harper, who treated the game as if it was a kick around in the park. Terrible attitude, and I'll be glad to see the back of him at the end of the season. Some of the more dependable players also had stinkers in the first half. We were all crying out for changes and, for once, Darren didn't waste any time in replacing players.

Second half we genuinely played well and would have scored 2 or 3 on any other day. It doesn't make the first half acceptable, or any less frustrating. But if we play like that for the whole game against Crewe we will coming away with something.

I don’t agree. Just because players have a decent history Dosent mean naming them together will work. 

As soon as I saw Hackford and Harper starting I didn’t think we would beat them.

The players were poor yes, but played in alien roles again (Hackford stuck out wide) Garrity sitting. The team selection was lunacy. Harper is useless, I agree but who selected him? Walters and Croasdale both sat on the bench, I’m adamant one of them would have been fit enough to start and last 60 minutes. Where is Chislett? He would offer more in that role. 

The players were poor yes. But the tactics and team selection was horrendous. That loss is 100% on Darren Moore. Completely outclassed by a manager who’s managed 5 league matches. 

Im also not giving him any credit for making the changes at half time. 

1) Its his error. This has happened numerous times this season. A complete left field selection that everyone with a brain can see won’t work. Dosent work, then makes numerous changes at half time. 
2)Why even leave it that long? We offered absolutely nothing in that first half, letting Barrow dictate play. Everyone could see that Hackford out wide wasn’t working and that Harper was doing literally nothing. Haul them off or change the formation and get Hackford through the middle. Harper playing half arsed, get him off, 30 mins get him off and get someone on who will try. 
3) We still came out at half time with 5 defenders, 3 cbs of which all have little to no quality on the ball. If he insists on that back 5 (another gripe of mine) then get bloody Clarke on. If he has to play that back 5 then get Debrah off, put Sang in RCB and then get Clarke on. You have a more attacking wing back on and a player who can actually pass in that back 3. Debrah was awful last night so for me should have come off at half time and replaced by Clarke. 
 

100% on Moore that. We have to beat Crewe now given that he’s rested players for it. 

3 hours ago, Alan Vit said:

In our last 3 games, we have Won 2 and Lost 1, i.e. we have done exactly what the critics said they wanted.

That's an average of 2 points per game over those 3 games.

Come on Alan, you can’t possibly have watched our last 2 matches and say we had a right good go at them and attacked?

15 minutes last night.

I feel like I have been duped by DM.

He sat right in front me at the start of the season and told me to my face he wanted to play on the front foot and get after teams. I’ve seen very little evidence over 19 home games.

I can’t ever remember being so bored watching Vale play football….  I will caveat that and say I stopped going when Aspin was appointed in protest of you know who because it was a gimmick to get fans onside.

Big change in mentality at home needed for the run in. Don’t think DM has it in him.

2 hours ago, VTID-New said:

Add Connor Hall to that list as well. Continues to kick it into no man’s land. He’s piss poor on the ball, it’s actually ludicrous he’s being suggested as our player of the season. Give over 😭 We need to bring in some ball playing centre halves next season who can actually pass a ball, control a ball & don’t look all wobbly at the knees when they’re near the ball. I’m alright for one head it & kick it defender but not a full back line of them 

Or heaven forbid play 4 at the back and rely on your passing midfielder to be the playmaker coming out of the back.

2 hours ago, darren1810 said:

One thing I did Garner from last night, which a lot of us know anyway. 

Debrah and Smith can't be given the football with time on their hands. 

Both utterly clueless and bereft of ideas. I realise at times ,in fact very often there was no movement ahead of them. But some of the punts and hoofs were terrible. 

Nothing but hit and hope. Both in the same backline is not a good idea. 

Smith didn't play till was it New year's day and Debrah was rightly jettisoned. So fortunately they haven't played too many games together. 

I don't look forward to another 8 games with them as a pairing in the middle and on the right side. Sadly I think that will be the case. 

Opponents are very happy for them to have the ball, hence they do not get pressed.  They know they will win the ball back easily without exerting any effort. 

17 minutes ago, MBE said:

Come on Alan, you can’t possibly have watched our last 2 matches and say we had a right good go at them and attacked?

15 minutes last night.

I feel like I have been duped by DM.

He sat right in front me at the start of the season and told me to my face he wanted to play on the front foot and get after teams. I’ve seen very little evidence over 19 home games.

I can’t ever remember being so bored watching Vale play football….  I will caveat that and say I stopped going when Aspin was appointed in protest of you know who because it was a gimmick to get fans onside.

Big change in mentality at home needed for the run in. Don’t think DM has it in him.

The Manager sat right in front of me in the summer and told me he wanted 100 goals and to play exciting attractive attacking football. It was clear in October that this was Spoofball with all the defensive formations and rotations.  He lost me and a few others in November. The style of football has been awful all season,  I really really hope that Port Vale get promoted but it might be by luck rather than good management. There were questions last year about training, tactics, fitness and stamina issues inside the squad . Other L2 teams look much fitter than us. Next 3 games are season defining and it's up to the players now because the Manager doesn't know what he's doing 

Have Vale fans always been this vocally negative in the stadium? It feels like it’s worse now than it has been previously. 

Don’t get me wrong - the first half last night was garbage. Tedious. Crap. I was quietly dismayed.

I was absolutely staggered by the open dissent. Audible groans, whingeing, booing. This was 20 minutes in. Classic wails of GET EET FORWARD. Men on the verge of breakdowns. 

The atmosphere was utterly horrendous and, whilst I accept that that was largely because of the performance, we’re not robots - we’re allowed to make a racket even if the team aren’t doing well.

Dunno. I can moan for England but I was genuinely shocked, and a bit disappointed, by both the vocal negativity and the absolute muteness of most Valiants last night. We’re still level points for third with excellent recent home form!

I know people will say “well, the performance was bad, ergo the fans are allowed to boo and offer no chanting”, but I find that such a depressing and passive view of being a football fan - that all we can do is react to what’s in front of us and can never even hope to create an atmosphere independent of performance. 

27 minutes ago, MBE said:

Come on Alan, you can’t possibly have watched our last 2 matches and say we had a right good go at them and attacked?

15 minutes last night.

I feel like I have been duped by DM.

He sat right in front me at the start of the season and told me to my face he wanted to play on the front foot and get after teams. I’ve seen very little evidence over 19 home games.

I can’t ever remember being so bored watching Vale play football….  I will caveat that and say I stopped going when Aspin was appointed in protest of you know who because it was a gimmick to get fans onside.

Big change in mentality at home needed for the run in. Don’t think DM has it in him.

Haven’t we got really good recent home form?

17 hours ago, JoeB2 said:

But the players picked are significantly worse than the players they replaced - and they were picked through choice.

That's happened a lot recently irrespective of who starts, poor to average first half followed by an improvement at half time or when the subs are made.  Most notably Colchester and Fleetwood but others as well.

31 minutes ago, Robert1888 said:

The Manager sat right in front of me in the summer and told me he wanted 100 goals and to play exciting attractive attacking football. It was clear in October that this was Spoofball with all the defensive formations and rotations.  He lost me and a few others in November. The style of football has been awful all season,  I really really hope that Port Vale get promoted but it might be by luck rather than good management. There were questions last year about training, tactics, fitness and stamina issues inside the squad . Other L2 teams look much fitter than us. Next 3 games are season defining and it's up to the players now because the Manager doesn't know what he's doing 

If any team achieves promotion there will be no luck involved whatsoever. It’s the basic fact they’ve finished in the top 3 on merit & would be fully deserved mate. I agree about the football part tho 👍🏻 That’s like saying the teams who are relegated have been a bit unlucky. 

Edited March 26, 20251 yr by VTID-New

54 minutes ago, philpvfc said:

Agree, Hall is no better at passing but for division 2 him and Smith are decent defenders and it is very unlikely we will find a quality defender who can distribute the ball well at this level.

Yeah good point. There’s not many at this level, I’d take a 38 year old Foley back going off last night’s performance compared to our back line. That’s how bad we are on the ball 

He’s crap promotion or no promotion he’s as  negative as a duck arse! 
 

play football to win and score bloody goals or at least try. Not ermmmmmmm Darren I’ll set up to not concede an ermmmmmmm worry about what other teams threats are instead getting at them and attacking the boring fart. 

1 minute ago, JoeB2 said:

Have Vale fans always been this vocally negative in the stadium? It feels like it’s worse now than it has been previously. 

Don’t get me wrong - the first half last night was garbage. Tedious. Crap. I was quietly dismayed.

I was absolutely staggered by the open dissent. Audible groans, whingeing, booing. This was 20 minutes in. Classic wails of GET EET FORWARD. Men on the verge of breakdowns. 

The atmosphere was utterly horrendous and, whilst I accept that that was largely because of the performance, we’re not robots - we’re allowed to make a racket even if the team aren’t doing well.

Dunno. I can moan for England but I was genuinely shocked, and a bit disappointed, by both the vocal negativity and the absolute muteness of most Valiants last night. We’re still level points for third with excellent recent home form!

I know people will say “well, the performance was bad, ergo the fans are allowed to boo and offer no chanting”, but I find that such a depressing and passive view of being a football fan - that all we can do is react to what’s in front of us and can never even hope to create an atmosphere independent of performance. 

There was a bloke in front of me in hamil to the left near bottom who was hilarious no one could understand what he was shouting mainly at there goalkeeper,he had most folk  on that side looking at one another bewildered and had us all laughing 

I thought the hamil were very encouraging second half last night .

I do get you though I personally cannot go a football match and not be encouraging especially if I see something worth encouraging and second half last night was a good watch regardless of result 

I've had people say I'm not sitting by you  it doesn't bother I'm there encourage the team to higher heights, I'm not there to say after game where we lose have a onfield argument with players it's too drama dramarama when it's getting you like that 

You accept what's occurred and go home quietly, or like last night I stayed and clapped them off ,as sometimes in defeat you learn more about what will make us a better side and for me I was very encouraged by Vales attacking work second half and for me it will bring wins in last 8 if repeated .

 

48 minutes ago, valiant_593 said:

I don’t agree. Just because players have a decent history Dosent mean naming them together will work. 

As soon as I saw Hackford and Harper starting I didn’t think we would beat them.

The players were poor yes, but played in alien roles again (Hackford stuck out wide) Garrity sitting. The team selection was lunacy. Harper is useless, I agree but who selected him? Walters and Croasdale both sat on the bench, I’m adamant one of them would have been fit enough to start and last 60 minutes. Where is Chislett? He would offer more in that role. 

The players were poor yes. But the tactics and team selection was horrendous. That loss is 100% on Darren Moore. Completely outclassed by a manager who’s managed 5 league matches. 

Im also not giving him any credit for making the changes at half time. 

1) Its his error. This has happened numerous times this season. A complete left field selection that everyone with a brain can see won’t work. Dosent work, then makes numerous changes at half time. 
2)Why even leave it that long? We offered absolutely nothing in that first half, letting Barrow dictate play. Everyone could see that Hackford out wide wasn’t working and that Harper was doing literally nothing. Haul them off or change the formation and get Hackford through the middle. Harper playing half arsed, get him off, 30 mins get him off and get someone on who will try. 
3) We still came out at half time with 5 defenders, 3 cbs of which all have little to no quality on the ball. If he insists on that back 5 (another gripe of mine) then get bloody Clarke on. If he has to play that back 5 then get Debrah off, put Sang in RCB and then get Clarke on. You have a more attacking wing back on and a player who can actually pass in that back 3. Debrah was awful last night so for me should have come off at half time and replaced by Clarke. 
 

100% on Moore that. We have to beat Crewe now given that he’s rested players for it. 

Will somebody get DC on the blower 👍📠

51 minutes ago, MBE said:

Come on Alan, you can’t possibly have watched our last 2 matches and say we had a right good go at them and attacked?

15 minutes last night.

I feel like I have been duped by DM.

He sat right in front me at the start of the season and told me to my face he wanted to play on the front foot and get after teams. I’ve seen very little evidence over 19 home games.

I can’t ever remember being so bored watching Vale play football….  I will caveat that and say I stopped going when Aspin was appointed in protest of you know who because it was a gimmick to get fans onside.

Big change in mentality at home needed for the run in. Don’t think DM has it in him.

Spot on you've hit the nail on the head , bud 

Darren isn't decisive or ruthless enough and what fu###in baffles me is he conner make a decision on his own he consults his coaching staff ,ffs Darren grow a pair and get us playing on the front foot or do us a favour and resign 

Edited March 26, 20251 yr by Nippy Naylor

18 hours ago, Alfie1962 said:

Harper getting a lot of stick quite rightly but I thought Ben was just as bad. He played better second half with better players around him. Can't complain about the result, Moore was forced to play more attacking football and I don't think by choice. We need the best 11 playing until the end of the season.

I agree 1962, the most invisible midfield player in the 1st half was Garrity and to add fire to the flames, his challenge for their goal was non existent. Surely he should have at least forced/shown the Barrow player down the outside and not let him step inside.

I can only think of John who played with any intensity 1st half, Vale were lucky to be only 1-0 down at HT even though Barrow didn't have much ambition themselves.