Match Thread Port Vale (H) @ 15:00 19th March

Just got back.

Firstly, I have had a really enjoyable day at a proper club with a proper stadium rather than a cow shed and one man and his dog. I thought it was a good atmosphere. What a travesty that we both find ourselves in this hellhole. We deserve so much more than Forest Green being above us in the league standings, but that's what years of mismanagement does for you.

I thought we edged the game and we really piled on the pressure in the second half but the first 15 we were giving the ball away a lot and we really came under pressure in the last 15. Vernam is a cracking player and changed the momentum of the game and it was a nervy end. Not sure where 6 minutes of injury time came from!

Thought Proctor and Wilson were the difference for us. Proctor plays with real aggression and Wilson's touch and movement is far too good for this league. The whole team is not particularly glamorous or overly skillful but they work incredibly hard, particularly Garrity who has unreal fitness levels.

I think you have the base of a decent squad. Vernam is good, Perreira looks decent. Unfortunately, your previous manager deemed it prudent to sign permanently injured Angol and the terrible Robinson. With a couple of better strikers, you'd be so much better. I think with Hughes' contacts within the game, he'll be able to bring in better quality in general and surely must have been promised a better budget.

Anyway, thanks for an enjoyable day and hopefully next time we meet it will be in a higher division. All the best for the rest of the season.

 

Dont be ridiculous you know exactly what I’m talking about. I’m watching football , not Sky Sports Newsheadlines. And yes I see where it sits in the scheme of things thanks for the tip off though.

 

Keeper
LB
RB
CB
DM
CM
AM
LW
RW
CF x 2

These are what we need just top of my head.

 

Big, strong and organised is normally enough to get you out of this league. Something we having been sorely missing.

 

I wasn't sure what you're on about. I just read your over reaction, twice.

 

Yes all of them looked strong and fit. It was their pace that struck me, they always looked like they had extra players on the pitch.

 

You need to read things twice…oh ?

 

Spot On.
Lets just write this season off and let Mark plan for next season.

 

The ref wasn't the reason we lost. Unfortunately until the substitutions we weren't at the races at all. Playing Delfuneso in midfield was the same mistake Adams made. Hopefully Watt is back for the next game becuase we missed him in midfield.

 

He ran around a lot, misplaced passing a lot, and don’t remember him winning a tackle . Not a midfield player in a million years..

 

I think your lot are going to squeeze into third place and go up automatically.

Very impressed with Wilson today. He is a player I was hoping we might target last year, alas, our summer recruitment was shocking, particularly in the striker department.

Hopefully, Hughes will get it right in the summer and we join you in league 1 for the 23/24 season.

All the best for the rest of the season

 

I agree: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0bwf7b5

As an aside, he mentioned how much better and more postive everything is under Hughes which by my reckoning means that the last 4 players who have been interviewed on Radio Leeds post match have all felt the need to cast shade on Derek. Usually, the most that footballers manage is a metaphorical shrug when a manager moves on so I'm guessing that Adams' man management skills might not be as good as his interpretive xG skills.

 

Hughes has made an impact for sure, but he ain’t a miracle worker. Squad needs massive overhaul (again). Port Vale were quicker and stronger and, I think, deserved to win and to some extent showed us the way.

 

Our frailties were exposed again due to poor recruitment over the summer and winter. Once again we lose Watt and we don’t have a single player who can replace him. He gets stick but at least he tries things and generally passes forward. Evans was terrible today, half arsed challenges when we needed bite, hospital balls or balls to no one in particular. He’s past his best and I really hope he’s not here next season. If we chased Delfonso all window then Adams deserved sacking, in all the games he’s been involved in, he hasn’t made any impact whatsoever. Both full backs were poor and didn’t get involved in pushing forward. Foulds has shown why he’ll only really be a back up and Hendrie is just bang average.

I was impressed with Vale today, they stopped Cooke, therefore stopping the creativity until Vernam and Walker came on. Cook, oh dear, flat footed, no anticipation and too slow in thought. We desperately need to massively upgrade in the front areas. Vales front 2 were mobile, aggressive and had great movement. That’s a minimum for us next season.

 

Derek Adams is back. It was that bad.

The Ref was glory hunter twatt.

 

Spineless

 

I don’t think left wing will be an issue. Vernam is good enough an Eisa is contracted for next Year and should be fit

We need 2 CBs. Personally im not a massive fan of Paudie, he does the job, but I see the style of Football that Hughes wants to implement an to do that, we need defenders who can carry the ball forward, I.E. in the Burke mould. We also need backup CBs that are of a level higher than Kelleher so that 2 could very well be a 3

I agree on the DM. Songo isn’t the type of player we thought we had signed an we need someone to properly protect that defence.

If we can sign Walker, Id be happy with that for AM with Cooke for backup

And we need 3 strikers, 2 decent ones cus Cook is past it an the rest are tosh