Match Thread Most liked posts in thread: Home v Port Vale Dec 29th 7.00pm

Either Novak needs to camp himself in the 6 yard box or other need to join him. We've had 3 balls fly in there in the first half with no one waiting for them. Could easily have been 1 up at least.

 

I know. It drives me nuts! If I can pass and shoot with my, weaker, left foot I don't understand why those who are paid to play the game can't learn to use their weaker foot.

 

I suspect that Raynor's sport might not be football. He's just referred to the pitch as 'the outfield'. His mispronunciation of 'throw in (throwing)' and describing 'header tennis', among a few other slightly irritating odd phrasings suggest to me that he stopped talking about football when he was 7 years old. Possibly a bit harsh but there you go.

 

Callum Cooke. Hit the bloody target.

 

Just not falling for us or not getting enough men in the box. Been the story of the game.

 

I thought we played pretty well. Some nice passing and link up play. Probably the most possession I've seen us have this season. Defenders never looked in any trouble. Problem is, when you've only got Novak upfront on his own, all those passes into the box need to be spot on. Cooke can't finish, and Sutton seems to be afraid to pull the trigger.

 

Well done lads, played well on a dodgy pitch.

 

Satisfactory point, get a bit of a break now with the Morecambe game called off at the weekend, hopefully that helps rather than costs us momentum.

Had the chances to create the chances to win (written like that intentionally - because we didn't QUITE carve out the opportunities we needed).

Amazing how tight the defence is, just 2 conceded in 5 games, 1 and OG and 1 a deflection...

Not gonna lose many if that continues!

 

Evans starting to look a bit like the player we hope he can be.

 

Dull game, but poor conditions. Another point towards safety glad this years over for so many reasons including the football, let’s hope 2021 is better in every way!

 

Black Sheep milk stout - recreating the post match in the Record Cafe.

 

Black Sheep milk stout - recreating the post match in the Record Cafe.

It’s not bad - but just said exactly the same - never as good from a bottle.
It’s no Black and Tan, and I tend to like oatmeal stouts as well (bet this is boring to non beer drinkers)

 

This was the first full game I've seen of the Sellars/Trueman era.

We are clearly much better organised with and without the ball, in this aspect we look like a different team to just a few weeks ago. It seems players know what is expected of them, and we actually function as a team.

The lack of quality is still glaring. I posted on here that I didn't think we had the personnel to play any particular system, I think that showed tonight,if we are going to advance up the table I think we lack players of sufficient quality in each of the 3 positions behind the striker, with more effectiveness in these roles we'd likely have got the points tonight.

 

It’s not often I think this but tonight was one occasion I am glad to watching on tv a freezing night and the thought of a long drive back is not appealing. Not that I thought the entertainment was that bad the midfield play was entertaining on a very difficult pitch all that was missing was a goal

 

I don't think you can compare the two, Dave. An outfield challenge is made with a studded boot - potentially an ankle or leg breaker - hence the 'not in control' law. By contrast, Hornby touched the ball, on the ground, with a gloved hand. Nothing like as dangerous, so I don't think you can apply the 'not in control rule' there.
And also, it's not as though Hornby dived in to grab a ball from the forward's possession. It was a race to reach a through ball - Hornby got there first, diverted the ball and the forward arrived a split second later and fell over Hornby's arm. Unless we've turned football into a non-contact sport I can see nothing wrong with that challenge if he touched the ball, as the ref obviously believed he did.

 

Let’s hope we make use of this window and get more attacking players in as you say .

 

Yep, we have a solid enough team but don't have any who like to make a run into the box or gamble on getting space in the box from a cross to take a shot. When Novak goes wide we end up with no one in the box really.

 

At the moment?? I cant remember when he has got hardly any shots on target. His shooting ability is his major downfall.

 

We're in that bit in the table now where a win won't affect the position that much in an upwards way but it pushes us clearer of the relegation spots.

Be interesting to see how we go against a team that won't necessarily be as attacking unlike Crawley, Cambridge, Tranmere who'd all been scoring goals and had goalscorers at the top of the charts.

I suspect what we'll see is we're lacking a bit of attacking pace/quality in the 3 roles that we have supporting Novak but let's hope I'm proven wrong!

 

Yep spot on - won 1, drawn 2 lost 7 in the last 10 league games. If you take it to more recent i.e. last 5 games - still not great, 1 win 2 draws 2 losses. Weirdly that one win was 6-3 at Bolton! They have actually conceded 4 more in the league than we have...