Strikers can only score if chances are created - unless they score a "worldie" - and from the reports I've seen and the one game I've been able to get to, we haven't been good enough with our crosses or feeding the strikers generally. 

1 hour ago, valiant_593 said:

There were multiple instances yesterday where Faal wasn’t pressing when the rest of the team were. I can recall two occasions early 2nd half where Curtis was getting visibly frustrated with him. 

Agreed. I just think he got a lot wrong yesterday - not just those things. 

Form is temporary...

Edited August 31, 2025Aug 31 by Osh

17 hours ago, PJR said:

I honestly feel sorry for Moore. He's got us playing some really good stuff, but he hasn't been backed this season. I was worried as soon as Carol said that we had a league one team in her speech, after the Gillingham game. 

 

If we don't sign a striker before the window ends, we are nailed on for relegation. 

 

She made the same mistake last time we were promoted, obviously hasn't learned her lesson. I don't understand the logic of spending all that money to get promoted and then just throw it all away. 

 

Barrow away olé olé. 

Said last week and was ridiculed when i said it looks like we have done things on the cheap this pre season.

Let me say it another way.

Last season DM spent a huge amount of money. Was this part of a budget he was going to have for two seasons. We signed some big money players for us and we know the wages are way above previous seasons. Were they signings that would see us in a good position in league 1 this year. Looks like it to me.

Now he doesnt have a lot to spend and i cant understand why he isnt knocking down the door to Carols treasure chest. Our signings this pre season are poor. Humphreys the exception for me so far, Gabriel still have to wait and see with him but i feel he will prove better to the team attacking wise than Clarke, Gordon ok but did we need 7 wingbacks in our squad ? Waine, Shipley very poor, Faal, Brown loan players to fill gaps occasionally.

Yet we keep hold of Hart, Paton, Shorrock i understand keeping hold but realistically cannot see him getting in the squad let alone appearing.

2 hours ago, Freddie the Dog said:

I'll ask a question to all the OVF members who read this thread. If we sign by tomorrow a proven goalscorer by spending £1m by tomorrow, would you be confident that this would solve our lack of goal scoring? After all, football is a team game so we score and not concede as a team.

No guarantees if spend a million, however it will send the home support buzzing to the Orient match ,with hope in there hearts.

 Clarks constant balls in be turned in by the superb movement of the expensive man for Vale we all hope .

I would be confident if Devante Cole is signed ,he would score very often in our team .

Its a big ask ask a loan player score the goals to keep Vale safe in league 1 ..

League 1 has in recent past not being a good league for Vale be in we really do not go into games with the right positive attitude on ,and off the pitch (last week i was shocked by how apathetic the support was v Donny).

The players we sign have too bring about a change in everything we do .

The support needs to wake up ,you cannot  expect as a Vale fan  ,you roar it on ,you bring about mistakes in oppositions play, and you encourage a better tomorrow ..

You certainly don't have a go at CS or tag her in something ,its a bag of wind nowt else not worth harming  others ,because you in a bad mood because of it ,go for a walk ,buy a dog and give it the time and exercise it deserves ,or join a gym ,go for a swim ,much more too life than moaning about a bag of sodding wind ..

Championship ready will only happen if everyone pulls together 

A new striker or strikers in tomorrow can bring the goals and change of fortune our play deserves 

If by end of transfer window we are going with what we have got, then there might a envitable outcome come season end ,but maybe not if some shots actually start flying in like they deserve too .

Keep the faith 

In my opinion if bring a striker who has know how too  finish, no  reason why Vale cannot finish top 6 and reach semi finals in a major cup .

Id like  see new striker bring R Paton on, and after what ive seen of faal id only be bringing him on if 2 up in games ,waines a worker but cannot sustain it and has yet too score which is major disappointing .

Curtis would be great in emergencies up front, but not fair to the lad too lead when is partner is not putting hard yards in aswell ,always involved always working is my opinion of the performances ive seen from Rohan he will belt a few in soon ,maybe new striker can create the space for him to do so .

Need Garrity at full pelt 

40 games go .

Lots of twists and turns too go 

Get behind Moore and the club .

Non stop all 90 minutes every home game 

I don't care about Tolaj 

he don't care about me 

All i care about is PVFC .

Make the atmospheres enjoyable if nowt else  that backing bought a win v Birmingham and can win us many more games .

UTV 

 

 

UTV 

 

 

Edited August 31, 2025Aug 31 by Dipepa delight

17 hours ago, Essex Boy said:

Its the appallingly negative tactics that are the problem. We are playing with 2 attacking players and people wonder why we don't score any goals. With 4 at the back, you usually have 4 attacking players, but we have no attacking central midfielders in the squad. Unfortunately, we will struggle until Moore is relieved of his duties.   

Garrity apart, all our midfield players have 7 goals total in a season between them.

Garrity may only have 5 or so due to his total number of appearances he makes ??

Play any two of 7 wingbacks may have a season total of 8 between them

And we all know they are not the best to drive forward and create chances either.

Puts a lot on our front two strikers to chip in with just 35 between them. Simples...

17 hours ago, JohnDoe said:

Played well, or flattered to deceive. We are playing the same way as we did in league 2, with a worse side against better teams. So instead of scraping a win by a goal, we are losing games by a goal. We need a striker or two, but it’s also how we set up. 

Spot on. Won lots of games by one goal and we did have some luck, deservedly, but luck still the same. Winning teams build self confidence but do have an amount of luck with them. Teams at the bottom struggle to have good luck, only bad and that appears to be us this season so far

8 minutes ago, Sandyford_Lion said:

Spot on. Won lots of games by one goal and we did have some luck, deservedly, but luck still the same. Winning teams build self confidence but do have an amount of luck with them. Teams at the bottom struggle to have good luck, only bad and that appears to be us this season so far

We’ve had a few dodgy decisions but beyond that it’s being poor in front of goal and defensive lapses at the other end rather than bad luck which have cost us.  We’re saying every week, “We deserved at least a point”, or, “We should’ve won that”.  The fact we’ve taken nothing from close games tells its own story.

23 minutes ago, Sandyford_Lion said:

Said last week and was ridiculed when i said it looks like we have done things on the cheap this pre season.

Let me say it another way.

Last season DM spent a huge amount of money. Was this part of a budget he was going to have for two seasons. We signed some big money players for us and we know the wages are way above previous seasons. Were they signings that would see us in a good position in league 1 this year. Looks like it to me.

Now he doesnt have a lot to spend and i cant understand why he isnt knocking down the door to Carols treasure chest. Our signings this pre season are poor. Humphreys the exception for me so far, Gabriel still have to wait and see with him but i feel he will prove better to the team attacking wise than Clarke, Gordon ok but did we need 7 wingbacks in our squad ? Waine, Shipley very poor, Faal, Brown loan players to fill gaps occasionally.

Yet we keep hold of Hart, Paton, Shorrock i understand keeping hold but realistically cannot see him getting in the squad let alone appearing.

We’ve had a decent budget this season, more than last season but Moore decided to strengthen our midfield and bring in more wing backs at the expensive of our defence and striker force. Cant blame Carol for that, Humphries won’t have been cheap or Gabriel and Shipley, Gordon was offered a contract by Walsall so I would guess we have offered more. IMO, we strengthened in the wrong areas, that is down to Moore and his recruitment team. 

3 minutes ago, Guitar Ray said:

We’ve had a few dodgy decisions but beyond that it’s being poor in front of goal and defensive lapses at the other end rather than bad luck which have cost us.  We’re saying every week, “We deserved at least a point”, or, “We should’ve won that”.  The fact we’ve taken nothing from close games tells its own story.

Fine margins. We won lots of games last season by the single goal and fans thought we were ace. Play very similar and lose by the single goal which is all our defeats this season then the same fans think we are rubbish. This is Moore’s style of football, we won’t get stuffed very often and we won’t stuff teams very often but it’s a very thin line between success and failure. 

Really looking forward to the time when we've had a three, four or five game winning streak and we can all start enjoying the season. 

It will come. 

Stating obvious but after the summer window which in my opinion has been below average, we fail to do serious business tomorrow then the new season optimism will have gone, it already feels like the last time in this division, I don't believe the Tolaj deal was done in 24 hours but it seems time and time again we are caught with our pants down.

It's not rocket science is it? - we need people at the front who can score. You can't sell the likes of Tolaj (whatever the reasons) and then expect to sail on serenely.  I will assume Darren and Carole are addressing this with some urgency...

Wot gets me with the team is zonal play, the defence can zonal mark there area of the pitch, the midfield and wingbacks should man mark not zonal play being two yards away from the player gives him room to start a run which ends up with us having to jump in to tackles this results in a yellow or red card as we have seen this season the strikes need to take shots headers from anywhere around the box not when in front of goal with the ball pass it to the wing back to put across in, the wingbacks when they get the ball need to beat there man clark is fast running with the ball but in the last third as slow play down to get his cross in giving the defencive play time to get back and block is cross also when the otherside have a corner or freekick around our area can we leave some one up from the penatly box to halfway line to give us an outlet when the ball is cleared.   

1 hour ago, Vale Ball said:

Stating obvious but after the summer window which in my opinion has been below average, we fail to do serious business tomorrow then the new season optimism will have gone, it already feels like the last time in this division, I don't believe the Tolaj deal was done in 24 hours but it seems time and time again we are caught with our pants down.

Have we ever had a player with a release clause before?

2 hours ago, philpvfc said:

Fine margins. We won lots of games last season by the single goal and fans thought we were ace. Play very similar and lose by the single goal which is all our defeats this season then the same fans think we are rubbish. This is Moore’s style of football, we won’t get stuffed very often and we won’t stuff teams very often but it’s a very thin line between success and failure. 

Exactly. And the natural conclusion, given we’re now in a higher league and haven’t strengthened sufficiently, is that we’re now more likely to be on the wrong side of it, a la yesterday. And that won’t bode well.