20 hours ago, PV1973 said:

🤣🤣🤣 absolute comedy gold that’s as predictable as night following day. You do lighten the mood with your agenda. Explain how only Hengehan alone can stop that going in. 
 

Amos is probably unsighted. The balls gone through Garrity, hall, 2 of their players and smith behind him. Garritys probably not got close enough to stop the shot. The rest of it is just pure luck that it doesn’t take a deflection or get blocked from one of the other 4 players that are in line with the ball and behind Garrity. 

 

It was a calamity defending for which Amos was mostly to blame.

Amos should have claimed the ball in to the area leading to the corner, Debrah’s clearance was very poor, possibly made worse because he was expecting Amos to come for it. Amos should have called for the ball from the corner kick, sang pathetically flicked the ball on despite having Curtis and Amos behind him. Why did we have 2 on the front post marking nobody? They just got in each others and Amos way, and it all ends up with Amos letting a soft shot go in at his near post which he should have easily saved but was probably unsighted. 
 

All in all, school boy defending but in all of that Smith was not in one way to blame and Henneghan would not have made any difference. 

1 hour ago, philpvfc said:

It was a calamity defending for which Amos was mostly to blame.

Amos should have claimed the ball in to the area leading to the corner, Debrah’s clearance was very poor, possibly made worse because he was expecting Amos to come for it. Amos should have called for the ball from the corner kick, sang pathetically flicked the ball on despite having Curtis and Amos behind him. Why did we have 2 on the front post marking nobody? They just got in each others and Amos way, and it all ends up with Amos letting a soft shot go in at his near post which he should have easily saved but was probably unsighted. 
 

All in all, school boy defending but in all of that Smith was not in one way to blame and Henneghan would not have made any difference. 

For me Amos only has blame on the initial ball in, which he was dreadful for as that’s his ball all day.

The corner I don’t see how anyone can attribute blame to him. When have you ever seen a keeper call players off the ball on a corner? It’s too risky since there’s so many players around. Sang did a piss poor header. Then Garrity didn’t close down. As you say, Smith was not to blame at all and Heneghan would have made no difference.

Also not going to say Amos should save it. I’m in the railway stand so had a good view of what was in front of him. There were loads of players blocking his view, he wouldn’t have seen it until really late so had no chance really.

Id say 50% down to Amos on initial corner cock up, 25% Sang for poor header, and 25% Garrity for sitting off and not closing down the scorer.

I still think he should have called for the cross, he only had Sang and Curtis in front of him. 

19 minutes ago, philpvfc said:

I still think he should have called for the cross, he only had Sang and Curtis in front of him. 

Fair enough, but not for me. Far too risky. If he calls for it and their player comes and heads it in we’d be fuming. Too difficult for a keeper to assess the players around him, the flight of the ball, and make a decision to shout it all in the time a corners coming in. For me I want my front post defender heading that away every time and doing his job. Sang does his job properly and that balls cleared out at the front post.

On 25/03/2025 at 22:22, Paul6754 said:

Vale are 4th in the table, ask Carlisle and Morecambe fans if they would like some of DM's 'not learning ".

Thats a poor argument we have assembled a squad that should be higher. 4th is under achieving its a play off spot we may as well be 7th. Every time he tinkers and starts making wholesale changes we start struggling again and slip back down the table. He can play with formations either three in centre midfield and two up top  or three up top and two in centre midfield depending on the opposition he can even play with 3 or 4 at the back but leaving our better players on the bench is idiotic. I don't buy into this young athletes needing a rest every couple of games either its tosh just sports scientists creating a job for themselves we have had more injuries since they appeared not less its a load of bull.

3 hours ago, Powerline said:

Fair enough, but not for me. Far too risky. If he calls for it and their player comes and heads it in we’d be fuming. Too difficult for a keeper to assess the players around him, the flight of the ball, and make a decision to shout it all in the time a corners coming in. For me I want my front post defender heading that away every time and doing his job. Sang does his job properly and that balls cleared out at the front post.

sangs defensive frailties played a big part in us being relegated he puts some beautiful balls into the box at the other end when he gets the chance but he isn't a natural defender and can be expensive.

36 minutes ago, kevin_struggles said:

sangs defensive frailties played a big part in us being relegated he puts some beautiful balls into the box at the other end when he gets the chance but he isn't a natural defender and can be expensive.

Agreed. I’d release him end of season tbh. I don’t know what position he plays. The only time I’m happy for us to use him is when we are playing a weaker team at home and he can play right centre half. He’s dreadful as wing back. Don’t think we carry someone with such a specific role who we can’t use in half the games.

55 minutes ago, kevin_struggles said:

4th is under achieving its a play off spot we may as well be 7th

I’ve seen some silly stuff on this forum but this is next level. Wtf are you on about? If we were 7th we’d be 5 points off the automatic spots, currently we are only outside the top 3 on goal difference. That’s all that separates us in 4th place & Wimbledon in the autos. You do know there’s 8 games left to play right? That sort of statement is only relevant if we’d finished the season or Grimsby who are 7th were on the same points as us. 🤦‍♂️ 

Edited March 28, 20251 yr by VTID-New

On 26/03/2025 at 11:08, PVP said:

If DM had started the 11 from the beginning that started the 2nd half them I most probably think we would of got a draw or win, that is 100% down to Moore's team selection and nobody else.  Why oh why didnt he play his best 11 from the start in which was arguably our most important game of the season so far ?

This game has gone now but perhaps if you look at our run in you’ll see why Moore was reluctant to give certain players more minutes.  Certainly Croasdale and Tolaj who cover a lot of ground, Clarke who’s had his injury problems, and to a lesser extent Walters, who hasn’t played many games.  Stats will force his hand.  Anyway, if any one of the chances goes in second half we wouldn’t be having the same conversation.

As I said the game has gone so the most important game is the next one.  Let’s hope we see the right reaction, and a touch more luck than we had on Tuesday.👍🏻

On 26/03/2025 at 16:35, 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. 

 

But some of our players who start every week were miles off it in the first half. I don't disagree that Moore has to have a long, hard look at himself after the game. But too many of our players get off lightly, too often. On paper, our starting 11 was still a match for a team that was 17th (I think) at the start of play. Two players shouldn't make THAT much of a difference when playing average opposition at home. I personally believe it was more of an attitude problem in the first 45 where all of our players looked half arsed, not just Harper and Hackford.

15 hours ago, VTID-New said:

I’ve seen some silly stuff on this forum but this is next level. Wtf are you on about? If we were 7th we’d be 5 points off the automatic spots, currently we are only outside the top 3 on goal difference. That’s all that separates us in 4th place & Wimbledon in the autos. You do know there’s 8 games left to play right? That sort of statement is only relevant if we’d finished the season or Grimsby who are 7th were on the same points as us. 🤦‍♂️ 

If you think thats the silliest thing you have read on here you mustn't read much but silly or not its the truth we haven't been in the automatic spots for a long time we have been hovering around the play off spots mainly because we have drawn too many games and that is where we currently remain. In my opinion if DM continues to rest our better players in the last 8 games the play off spots is where we will stay. The current top three all have far superior goals differences too so if it comes down to that we are screwed. We need our biggest goal threats on the pitch not resting.

We seem to be in the top three at the moment...