Match Thread Most liked posts in thread: Away v Port Vale Sat 13th November @ 12.00pm

Can I also compliment Port Vale, both sets of fans and the bugler for a wonderfully observed and moving tribute before the match

 

So you've decided we are not going up after 1/3rd of the season and a Transfer Window to come?. Shame on you and your defeatist attitude.

All Clubs at our level suffer if they have injuries simply because they don't carry large squads of top class players, they can't afford it. Yesterday Vale were missing their top scorer and Wilson went off "injured again" as it was put to me. Hopefully, Cook apart, we have had our spell of injury and have a different mood about us, especially the way we threw bodies on the line to defend around half time. Yes the goal was a bad one to concede but 20 seconds earlier we should have scored and I believe we would have gone on to win.

Contrast this approach and some of the good stuff we play, together with our xG stats and we are many a mile away from the dismal surrender at Oldham almost 12 months ago. Oldham translated to Vale would have given us a hammering yesterday but it didn't and that has been repeated at Newport and Swindon.

Read the Vale fans comments, yes, they are sore at not winning but some give us credit. I had a conversation with both David Flitcroft, DoF and others of Vale persuasion after the game and the view most clearly was "You will be there at the end, hope we're with you". Make of that what you will and possibly excepting next Tuesday, see where we go after the full season and January before you give up.

 

From what I've seen so far this season there isn't one standout side in the division. And that includes us. We do have a good shape to us and at times do look capable of mounting a decent run. But a defence that has 3 clean sheets on 21 simply will not get you promotion unless you have a front six that has goals in it, which we simply don't have based on what we've seen. The positive thing is we aren't far off from having that side but to balance that so do a lot of teams. I'd say we are minimum 2 players away from having that side but it depends which way Derek decides to go. Eisa coming back maybe one of them, we certainly lack goals from midfield, we're more likely to get a goal from the back four. I think if we fix the lack of chance conversions then the defence problem takes care of itself. We could do with another centre back but its not a priority. What is, is a replacement for Crankshaw which has to be an improvement on what we currently have. And someone who can convert the chances that the likes of Cooke keep creating.

 

How can a draw away against the form team in the division be 'shocking'?
You're mugging yourself off.

 

Fair result. Decent performance overall. Quality CB and Striker in Jan, and we're in business.

 

Pretty crap overall from the Vale, the occasion clearly got to us. Adams had set up perfectly to stop us playing, little time and space for our central three to find the space they need, but on top of that excellent tactical set up we were uncharacteristically shit really. Almost played you in a few times! Nervy, timid, resorting to hoof ball, passing all over the place, including straight to you for the equaliser. Not what we've been used to seeing, really uncharacteristic, really frustrating.

Clarke made a slight shape change after about 30 minutes and it opened up a bit more, Worrall came into the game and we actually played looking for passes instead of just booting it up, we got back into the game and managed to force a few overloads on the flanks. Good saves from Gibbons and Conlon, two great strikes in the first half.

Don't think there's much argument against the call for Threkeld to have been sent off. So much for hoping no one notices the referee, ffs.

I think both sides will be frustrated by that, both could actually have stolen it at the end, Lloyd really should have with that injury time cross flashed across the six yard box.

Fordy is an interesting 'character' isn't he?

I see what you Bradford fans mean by your inability to finish this season. Given how cack Vale were for much of the game tactical match ups aside and at times couldn't have done more to try and create your opportunities for you, that should be a bit concerning.

 

I'd give it up Dave. It's as though to some of our fickle fans, unless a new manager hasn't won at least half of their first 15 matches then it's all rubbish.

Such views are laughably myopic. We only have to see how long it took Parky to get the team he wanted.

Then if you go look at the managerial careers of those punching above their weight, i.e, Ainsworth at Wycombe, Warne at Rotherham or Lowe at Plymouth - if the critics on here were in charge of their clubs, they'd all have been sacked due to their moderate starts.

 

It might not have come across well on TV but it was chaos is the away end.
I don’t know why Vale section off the seats behind the goal but by doing so it encouraged fans to cram as near to the the goal as they could get, meaning everyone was stood for the whole game with fans blocking the isles in the first half. Had there been an emergency nobody would have got out. The stewards stopped fans standing in the isles in the 2nd half but still did nothing to get fans to sit in a seated area. It happens every time there’s a sizeable away crowd at fairly local games and it needs to stop.
Young kids having to stand on seats to see and elderly having to stand up the whole game is not acceptable.

 

Basically means if the ball is in an area of the pitch which ‘could’ produce a goal then the team is great and nothing more needs to be done. It’s utter utter bullshit.

 

I can remember 16 goals in 2 games - these are etched in my memory! lost 7-1 to Crewe followed by losing 7- 1 to stockport in the next match - Sept 1965

 

I like you Fordy but sometimes you add nothing to the debate. That post comes under that.

 

Angol makes things happen.

 

I'm all for ambition. But that's a good point in anyojes book. Apart from yours Fordy

 

We're not higher because of dropped points at home. I don't think its anything to do with pressure. Weve had rotten luck with injuries and we lack a touch more quality in either box. We're really not far away fordy. A quality centre back makes a difference. As does a quality striker.

No f*****g about, spend the money, get the quality in.

 

You've only had half a week of him. Try half a decade

I thought both teams looked good in parts. Remember this is L2. Put another way, I still say whichever three teams end up above us are going up.

Best of luck for the season. Always had time for Vale, ever since the ding dongs we had with that John Rudge team. Impressed with the classy way you guys handled the Covid end of season controversy. And one of my big customers is in Stoke. Proper club with proper fans (top of the table Forest Green brought 152 fans )

Best of luck for the rest of the season but not on 19th March!!

 

I can’t understand those knocking Adams at the moment. He’s not the one diving in or mis-kicking the ball or missing the chances. We’re a tough side to beat and given the players we have thats no mean feat. I know one or two have called for Songo’O to move forward but I’m of the opinion he’s more of a spoiler than a creator. He gets in the way and hustles but isn’t great with a pass, neither is Sutton so we’d end up gifting possession back to the opponent. I think FCD probably deserves his spot back until we can bring someone in. Another central midfielder and half decent finisher would see us closing in on the playoffs.

 

I couldn't care less about other clubs. I could care less about giving managers a chance and that's what I showed you.

The fact is we weren't down to ten men and if we're going to play that game - maybe that disallowed equaliser at Sunderland @ Xmas 2017, might have led us on to win that game, go on a run and stay up.

In other words, why are you pointing to incidents where we got the rub of the green - we didn't get that against Forest Green or do you forget the ones, that might mean we've actually a half decent team and you'd have to admit it.

Besides careless finishing what 'cracks' are there? Despite arguably our most exciting signing (Eisa) not playing a football league minute, rollercoaster of injuries and recoveries with all the other strikers - we're still handley placed. Hence, why I implied the need for some to be patient as opposed to always annoyed and their 'we'll never win nowt!!" attitude.

 

We do need patience but we also need better players because as it stands, the chances we miss and the goals we concede are not befitting a team looking to get promotion. 3 clean sheets in 21 and arguably the worst chances taken to chances created ratio in the division is mid table mediocrity in a nutshell.