Griff

[fuzzyvalefan]

JMW was the best player in the first half but faded badly after the break.

[Warren]

That's my point, we have been more defensive than attacking tonight. Our creativity from midfield was missing tonight

 

Two things were changed tonight. Firstly we were deadly accurate with finishing against Burton, but tonight we weren't. Secondly Aldershot were much better defensively than Burton in two ways - they marked Pope and countered crosses and they had really good athleticism throughout the team which denied our midfield time and space. They seemed prepared to let us have the ball wide and defend the cross, but it certainly wasn't easy through the middle. Griff maintained the balance there to keep us in the game because in quite a few earlier games this season we would have completely surrendered possession. That didn't happen.

 

I thought we were carrying too many players with niggling injuries and McCombe was holding his back from early in the first half.

[Paddock_Boy]

Griff did well in winning the ball back, but what does he do when he wins it?!

 

There is no point in playing him when we actually have to break a team down such as Aldershot, as he offers nothing in that regard. We needed someone to get a hold on the ball, and pass it. Didn't happen last night.

[onestepatatime]

Griff did well in winning the ball back, but what does he do when he wins it?!

 

There is no point in playing him when we actually have to break a team down such as Aldershot, as he offers nothing in that regard. We needed someone to get a hold on the ball, and pass it. Didn't happen last night.

 

Have to agree to a certain extent. Imo Grif has given us the steel we missed in midfield. He gets stuck in and lets opponents know he's there. However he is not a creative midfielder and he constantly passes the ball square or back, rather than looking up and feeding a front man. He needs a general alongside him(we have needed one all season!) to set up moves etc. Not knocking Grif but he would be far more effective had Vale got a thinker regularly in the centre to complement his passion. Loft clearly should not have played last night, he was carrying an injury and his engine was not there. Birchall tried but looked short of pace and again not fully fit. Vale need 3 fit men in the middle of the park.

[big ee]

Im not a fan of griff but before tonight he's played well for the preious 3 games but last night he was back to what he does worst.

 

Ok Griff won quite a few tackles but when a simple square ball or a pass inside was required he unexplainably passed it backwards creating more pressure. At one point he hoofed it back to Neil from the half way line when we had at least 7 men in front of him. It's no good winning a great tackle then doing nowt with it. I personally think that he's so much of a headless chicken that he doesnt see the game like most midfielders such as ryan Burge, for instance.

 

We will struggle in league 1 if we insist with players like griff. Simply not good enough.

[arthur_sir]

I'm not sure why there's so much negativity surrounding Grif. When we signed him back there were a load of people on here saying it was the wrong decision etc.

Yet, at the time we were in an awful slump and it looked as though we might slip out of the top 3. I felt that a lot of the bad run was due to us being massively overrun in the middle of the park. Since he's been back in the team we've looked a lot more solid and coincidentally picked up some invaluable points.

Whether he's good enough for League 1 is another matter, but feel he is exactly what we need to get us over the line.

[cricket]

If everybody had played as well as griff did last night we would have won easily. ok he is no play maker but he did his job, when some of the others didnt . Dont think Loft or Jones looked fit imho. UP the vale !!!!!!!

[Markie G]

Griff was constantly man on the match last season because he gets the tackles in and kills things before they start. Too many players run along with their midfield/strikers and do not get the tackle in. He was the best man on the pitch. Griff is what we need in the next league up. We are going to struggling so we need people in the middle that can control it.

 

Up the Vale !!!!

[cheshirevaliant]

Griff was constantly man on the match last season because he gets the tackles in and kills things before they start. Too many players run along with their midfield/strikers and do not get the tackle in. He was the best man on the pitch. Griff is what we need in the next league up. We are going to struggling so we need people in the middle that can control it.

 

Up the Vale !!!!

 

Griff was constantly man of the match last season because it was an exceptionally dull season with little to shout about and little creativity on show. Solid League 2 player, but he has not improved in his time at Orient, so I see no reason to keep him for next season. I suspect we will do though, particularly if Adams is still here.

[biddleingy]

Griff was constantly man of the match last season because it was an exceptionally dull season with little to shout about and little creativity on show. Solid League 2 player, but he has not improved in his time at Orient, so I see no reason to keep him for next season. I suspect we will do though, particularly if Adams is still here.

 

To be honest I think he has improved, his passing is certainly better. We need a player like him to battle in midfield, he is probably my favourite player and rarely puts in a bad performance. Just because he does not create/score goals means that he is not a good player in some peoples eyes. He is there to do a job and week in week out he does the job he is there for. I would imagine in most games you could count the number of headers he loses on one hand.

 

If we have attack minded defenders such as Jones and yates who like to get down the wing, I for one am glad that griff is there to cover for them which he easily does.

 

I can't remember a goal conceded that could be said to be his fault, and for me that means fills his role brilliantly. I am pretty sure he could do the same for us in league 1.

 

Not sure how he did at Orient but they must have a ****** good holding midfielder to keep him out. Hope we keep him.

[bookworm]

Two things were changed tonight. Firstly we were deadly accurate with finishing against Burton, but tonight we weren't. Secondly Aldershot were much better defensively than Burton in two ways - they marked Pope and countered crosses and they had really good athleticism throughout the team which denied our midfield time and space. They seemed prepared to let us have the ball wide and defend the cross, but it certainly wasn't easy through the middle. Griff maintained the balance there to keep us in the game because in quite a few earlier games this season we would have completely surrendered possession. That didn't happen.

 

I thought we were carrying too many players with niggling injuries and McCombe was holding his back from early in the first half.

a good quote warren,scotty has got them playing far better than their league position suggests and they might just sneak out of the bottom two.

[The Kalamazoo Kid]

Solid League 2 player, but...I see no reason to keep him for next season. I suspect we will do though, particularly if Adams is still here.

 

One of Adams' faults is that he has made 'lazy' signings/contract offers so it's extremely likely that Griffith will be kept on, along with a few other players that we should probably be getting rid of if we do get into League 1.

[biddleingy]

One of Adams' faults is that he has made 'lazy' signings/contract offers so it's extremely likely that Griffith will be kept on, along with a few other players that we should probably be getting rid of if we do get into League 1.

 

Have I missed some kind of announcement by the new owners where they have said that there will be some huge pot of cash for Adams to spend if we get promoted? There is all this talk of the players we have not being good enough to play in League 1, are people expecting massive changes in the squad? I can't really see it myself, maybe 3 or four signings but can't see wholesale changes.