Who should play with Pope (Poll)

[CambridgeDon]

It has to be Dodds, with Williamson on the bench for all the reasons given by many (possibly most) of the posts on this thread. Micky has managed to find the best formation to turn the Pope into a goal scoring machine and we mess with it at our peril. There will of course be times when he needs to change it during a match but we have enough on the bench to ring the changes when we need to. Back to basics, please.

[Valiant62]

I don't think Pope and Andrew are a pair but I do think people are being a bit harsh on Andrew here, he's played not too bad in a couple of nightmare team performances. No worse than Pope against Chesterfield for example.

[cplowe1]

Chris Neal

 

Sam Johnson

[PV1993]

Get Dodds back into the team.

We started the season playing 4/2/3/1 not 4/4/2.

Dodds is a 10 goals a season attacking midfielder but is also an intelligent and creative player who links the play.

Another reason to play Dodds is that it gives a five man midfield and teams can't play through us and have to play the long ball

which is bread and butter to a couple of giant centre backs but let a team play through midfield and slide a ball through on the deck to make these slow centre backs turn then expect trouble.

Keep Williamson as a "super sub" and used or not on the hour mark or the last quarter hour psychologically the threat is there

and Dodds can be kept fresh by going off early every other game or so.

Do not play or sign another big centre forward to play alongside Pope and invade that space and duplicate the work Pope does

and in short get in the way of Pope and disrupt the team and put Pope off this rich scoring run.

Put simply two centre backs mark Pope and thus Port Vale have an extra man available and can play football but put two players upfront playing back to goal and everyone has to watch hoofball....and fans of hoofball can watch Stoke Rugby Club.

 

100% agree with this

[Fosse69]

I don't think Pope and Andrew are a pair but I do think people are being a bit harsh on Andrew here, he's played not too bad in a couple of nightmare team performances. No worse than Pope against Chesterfield for example.

Only necessary as back-up for the Pope.

[Pete T]

Get Dodds back into the team.

We started the season playing 4/2/3/1 not 4/4/2.

Dodds is a 10 goals a season attacking midfielder but is also an intelligent and creative player who links the play.

Another reason to play Dodds is that it gives a five man midfield and teams can't play through us and have to play the long ball

which is bread and butter to a couple of giant centre backs but let a team play through midfield and slide a ball through on the deck to make these slow centre backs turn then expect trouble.

Keep Williamson as a "super sub" and used or not on the hour mark or the last quarter hour psychologically the threat is there

and Dodds can be kept fresh by going off early every other game or so.

Do not play or sign another big centre forward to play alongside Pope and invade that space and duplicate the work Pope does

and in short get in the way of Pope and disrupt the team and put Pope off this rich scoring run.

Put simply two centre backs mark Pope and thus Port Vale have an extra man available and can play football but put two players upfront playing back to goal and everyone has to watch hoofball....and fans of hoofball can watch Stoke Rugby Club.

 

I have mentioned a few times that I think BA is an insider at the Vale. (I have no idea and we've never met)

 

No matter. Another top post.

[Warren]

Why so few options?

 

Rob Taylor is decent up-front and score goals

Lee Hughes

Ashley Vincent

 

433 with Vincent and MW the other two is a possibility. They can then roam more and not get double marked and we have three in midfield to control the ball.

 

I think Shuker has not had a fair chance either. He has had a successful career and not as a central midfield player. Too many people a judging him in that role and looking at his small size and saying he can't tackle. His correct position is as a wide attacking player. In that role he would have better quality on the ball than either MW or Vincent.

[valiant_593]

433 with Vincent and MW the other two is a possibility. They can then roam more and not get double marked and we have three in midfield to control the ball.

 

I think Shuker has not had a fair chance either. He has had a successful career and not as a central midfield player. Too many people a judging him in that role and looking at his small size and saying he can't tackle. His correct position is as a wide attacking player. In that role he would have better quality on the ball than either MW or Vincent.

 

That's true I just worry now that shuker might not be able to get past his man, anyway worth a try in picking him in his correct position.

[Santa]

Dodds, I reckon.

[Bernieseven]

Lee Hughes, akpo sodje or billy painter

[tonyh]

I think Dodds gave his own vote today.

[Moorlander]

Perhaps his brother or possibly his mother I belive it is the sort of thing that goes on in the Burslem, Endon, Tunstall Brown Edge areas.

[old sage]

Perhaps his brother or possibly his mother I belive it is the sort of thing that goes on in the Burslem, Endon, Tunstall Brown Edge areas.

His mother probably would score more than your top goalscorer.

[Pete T]

Rules please people.