The Voice - Match preview #40: Port Vale vs Bradford City 1st April 2025 7:45pm

Yes spot on…” bottler” is lazy language used by WuM’s and kids who can’t offer an explanation what they mean.

 

Port Vale didnt nullify our wing backs …. WE DID!

Team selection was the issue .

 

Yes I think we bought a duffer in Leigh

 

I still think Pattison and Pointon aren’t fully fit and hopefully they will click again soon. The absence of Sarcevic is a massive blow.

 

You mean like Oliver experienced?
No guarantees with signing journeymen. For every Jon Stead there are multiple Oliver’s, Macleans, Angol, Derbyshire etc. The issue should have been addressed in the summer as someone mentioned earlier.

 

Within 2 minutes of kickoff the other half said “my god he has set us up for a draw, madness” Agree with all of your post.

 

The die hards , it would have been an interesting last 10 minutes if Smallwood has stuck the penalty away as he usually does, not making excuses but a deflection for the first goal definitely gave them a boost and swung the momentum Port Vale's way, then you see Smallwood changing his penalty technique which has been so successful for us this season you have to wonder was it destined to be Vale's night.

 

Total let down tonight as it was on Saturday. Teams have sussed us out and the fact we cannot go long into a striker makes it so easy for a side to press us and have us camped in because the ball just keeps coming back.

Stockley was good for Vale last night. Huntingdon had an absolute mare as did Kelly and couldn't get anywhere near him. The ball always stuck when they went long and it constantly put us under pressure in the first half. Shepherd on the bench in a big game when he's our best defender is laughable.

As others have said, it's absolutely criminal we didn't sign a proper striker in January. We spunked 100k+ on Leigh who is useless and there's not a single person who can say that money wouldn't have been better spent on someone who can hold the ball up.

 

100 percent spot on, and one reason why I was one of the few that clicked 'not impressed' on the jan recruitment thread, we are too weak up front and messed up signing midfielders who now cant even make the bench and letting strikers out on loan, with no one coming in because of this 'right character fit' rubbish.

 

Well what a let down again, away from home
Of the current top 10 we have lost to 5 of the other teams in the top 7and draw with 2 of the next three with Donny and Chesterfield to come
Absolutely shocking and relegation form
I was looking for a pick me up from this bloody awful back pain agony
Instead they have made me even more miserable
If my back doesn’t improve markedly then there’s no way I am risking doing any more damage by trailing down to VP on Saturday
If they can not be bothered why should I

 

Andy you are really showing your age citing that old chestnut of a bad back as an excuse for not going to VP. I have moved with the times and won't be going because I have anxiety issues watching City.

Joking apart mate, get well soon. I know it can be agony

 

Ironic Moore rotating his Port Vale side against Barrow cost him points, by the time he brough his full strength 11 on they had conceded and we're chasing the game.

 

Cheers buddy. It is. Doctors bloody useless
A paramedic the wife knows has suggested a muscle rub used for injuries, He uses all the time and says it will work wonders
Stinks to high heaven apparently and is used on horses lol. Wife has ordered some

 

Tough watch last night. Baldwin played the best out of our starting three centre halves and he was poor. We couldn't cope with their intensity. Would have been an interesting last 5-10mins had the pen gone in but we deserved nothing from that game.

Having said all of which, 3 wins from the last 6 takes us up IMO. Swindon and Fleetwood are probably both matches against teams with nowt to play for. Crewe will be facing a crowd of 20,000 roaring City on. I'd like to think it's still ours to throw away.

 

Stockley didn’t do anything of note ….. Had no part in the any of their goals either. He was so ineffective Hunts was taken off because he only played to counter Stockley’s “threat”. Once GA realised he carried zero threat he took Huntingdon off .

Why he’s used to compare with Leigh I’ll not understand until next Xmas as they are not comparable players. The only comparable player we have to Stockley is Cookie.

 

By the time we kick off on Saturday we could be down to 3rd and level on points with Donny if the early kick offs go a certain way. That has the potential to either send a rocket up the players arses or cause them to capitulate even further. Hoping for the former, worrying it will be the later.

 

Fleetwood have had nowt to play for in their last 2 games and they’ve scored 4 at MK and 4 at Accy last night.
Accy had nowt to play for last Saturday and completely smothered our way of playing.

I just don’t get this “nowt to play for” excuse.
They are professional footballers who are after contracts,contract extensions or putting themselves in the shop window for a move.

We need to be right at in every game as there are no presents handed out by players or managers of other teams at any point of the season.

 

Come on Kevin, be serious. Huntingdon was hooked at HT because he had an absolute stinker and was nowhere near Stockley. He's not a great player by any means but his physicality was vital to how they played and we didn't get to grips with him. He won every long ball in that first half.

And I never compared Stockley to Leigh. I said Leigh was a waste of six figures that should've been used on a striker.

 

Anyone a bit worried with Pattisons display yesterday? Another who might be coming off an injury and not fully up to speed yet, but he seemed to play within himself a little? There were a few times he could burst into space or in the middle and he wasn't pulling away in his foot races like he was in the games pre-injury.

A fully "on it" Alex Pattison is one of the best midfielders in the league, fingers crossed he just goes for it this Saturday. I wouldn't be against him playing off the striker to be honest? He seems to properly press. One thing that annoys me with especially Wright, but Kav and Lapslie do it too to an extent too.... when they press, they do the fake press that's really annoying to watch. Where rather than run for the man/ball had on and close down his avenues, they look like they are closing down side space just off the man, and actually letting the simple pass go and has no intention of blocking the man or ball. It's a half arsed press, Jones called it out a few times last night on comms too. I wouldn't mind Khela and Smallwood again and Pattison Pointon supporting Mellon on Saturday.