Port Vale v Crawley

[leedsvaliant]

A real mixed bag from us so far. We've gone from comprehensive world beaters on the opening game of the season to relegation certainties after our result last weekend and in the week. I suspect our season will be very up and down this year and I anticipate it will be a lower mid-table finish. We'll have some good days like against Cambridge but once again we've had a huge overhaul of our squad, so there will be days like Colchester last weekend where we look like strangers.

We concede a lot of soft goals and do too much admiring of the opposition. I'm surprised at this because Aspin was a real battler as a player. We need to eradicate the soft goals we concede otherwise we're only heading one way. We've created a reasonable amount of chances but we lack pace in general - we could do with a pacy addition or two or try someone like Kanu who looks raw but full of tricks. We need Pope to be fit as he is the one that brings others into the game.

Crawley have had a similar mixed start but have recruited well and should be much better than last season. They had a terrible start last season but really improved as the season went on. They seem to have splashed the cash and will be a real test.

We need a win, as even at this early stage we need to build some confidence after a couple of poor results. The next 6 or 7 games will tell us where we're likely to be this season.

I'll go for a 1-1 draw which I guess wouldn't be too bad.

 

[King Kev]

Anyone remember the season opener - August 2012 when Micky Adams had a top notch tirade against the then Crawley management team? Entirely justified I would wager.

 

[kieran_vale]

A good start will be picking players in their proper positions. Only thing can say is the two teams we’ve lost to are teams you’d probably say we should lose to at this point but even so I expect a better effort this time out. Losing 4-0 at home especially to a team in the same division is simply unacceptable and would hope some of those players will have something to prove here.

 

[valefan16]

Win this and it’s a good start to the season again and positivity can return. We’d also already have more points than we matched in the first 13 games if so!

Think we will sneak it 2-1 as long as Pope is fit!

 

[valefan16]

Anyone remember the season opener - August 2012 when Micky Adams had a top notch tirade against the then Crawley management team? Entirely justified I would wager.

Yes he wasn’t too chuffed with Evans and Raynors attitude on the sidelines...

 

[Andy Proctor]

Crawley are one of those sides everybody expects beat as they only bring about 80 away fans. They have good players and we are terrible at the back. Unfortunatly im going have to predict 3 1 to crawley.

 

[Dave-Vale]

After the first few games I want to see us at least try playing with 3 at the back especially now we’ve signed another player that can fit into it. I don’t understand why Aspin played it constantly in pre-season and then changed his mind.

Hoping for a win and a decent performance but that will depend on whether Pope is able to start and play at least 60 minutes.

 

[Casey]

We seem to play with a fluid system...like diarrhea.

Ollie Palmer up top will cause problems with any kind of decent service. Two crosses all game against Stevenage shows there is a problem with that idea.

Morais lines up as a left winger but then goes roaming. This means Doherty, our left back, is constantly left with a two on one. If he was Ashley Cole you'd worry as a young left back we rescued from the southern league it's very concerning. Add to that two centre backs who are not the biggest and it's easy to see why Stevenage scored from two crosses from our left.

You may be seeing a brand new system in taking goal kicks. Passing it backwards! We need to be more direct but we won't. I will not be in attendance as I've arranged to be beaten up...it's more fun than watching us... I have hopes we will bore Port Vale to sleep and catch them out with our one shot on target.

Port Vale have a place in our history. You were the opening fixture for the Broadfield stadium and you were our first opponents in the football league. Our history doesn't match our present.

Casey

 

[Casey]

.....er, rant over.

Casey

 

[jbet]

You sound a little glum there Casey but on paper you deserved to win at Cheltenham (despite their missed pen) and you were unfortunate to concede twice late on agaisnt a decent looking Stevenage side to make the scoreline a bit lop-sided.

Your additions look solid and the Kewell seems to be improving as a manager.

It's encouraging to hear that you are averse to crossing and terrible at defending crosses, mainly because we are also terrible at defending crosses but look most dangerous when getting the ball into Pope in the area. Much depends on whether the latter actually is fit to start after coming off at Colchester with a back problem. We are a totally different outfit without him and I'll be fearful if he's not named on the teamsheet at 2pm.

There's been loads of negativity around since we got bashed up by Lincoln midweek. I totally understand the frustratuon towards the manager, who doesn't seem to be able to decide on i) a settled formation ii) consistent player selection iii) not playing people out of their natural positions, but on paper we easily beat a side expected to finish in a similar position on the opening day and then lost easily to two sides I expect to be in the top 7 come May. If we can beat the bad sides and the fellow average sides then I'm not overly bothered if we get outplayed against the top sides.

The first of three matches in a week against what I expect to be fellow midtable sides (Crawley, Carlisle and Tranmere) - we will know much more about how our season will pan out in 9 days time.

 

[Casey]

Jbet; I'm not glum, I'm bored with the way we play. It's not that we are particularly crap is just we are very dull.

At the time Port Vale came down and inaugurated our new stadium we were in the Southern league and we almost went bust (twice at least) and had some awful teams but they did try to attack. Now, when the keeper rolls the ball out you may as well go get a beer....never a bad idea.

I used to stand with twenty or so blokes (and a girl). There's about five left.

Casey

 

[Dave-Vale]

I noticed last season that you do try and keep the ball and knocked it around at the back quite a lot. We will probably try and launch long balls forward that result in us losing the ball or conceding a free kick 75% of the time. We look so much better when we do get the ball down and try to play.

One of my main issues at the moment with Aspin is that we don’t look like we have a specific style of play. We also come out and for the first 20 minutes we look lost and second best. The players never really look motivated for the game.

 

[kieran_vale]

This is such a dangerous game from Vale just looking to defend the 1-0 lead during the second half. Can't help thinking eventually a Crawley player will get one with his name on it. Not convincing at all.

 

[kieran_vale]

Vale just about sneak over the line. At least we got the win even if were riding our luck massively second half. Crawley should feel they probably deserved at least a point. Either way good to get the three points on the board after the last week.

 

[Casey]

61% possession and one shot on target.

Anyone got any paint I can watch drying?

I reckon Kewell will be in trouble if the knitting circle doesn't take off. We need something to do while the games on.

My being beaten up went roughly to plan. I think I passed grade 9 at Krav Maga. Well I only got hit by the plastic bullets once.

Casey

 

[valefan16]

More points after 3 games than 13 last season. At a wedding so sounds like we made hard work of it but a great needed win!

 

[Buxton Vale]

Pleased with the 3 points, even if it sounds like we scraped them. That takes us up to 5th, but I really don't expect that to last. Two away trips next week where I'm hoping we can win one of them.

 

[valefan16]

Pleased with the 3 points, even if it sounds like we scraped them. That takes us up to 5th, but I really don't expect that to last. Two away trips next week where I'm hoping we can win one of them.

Even a point or two would do just keep it ticking over. An average start would of seen us out of trouble all season last year.

 

[Dave-Vale]

Was a weird game with neither side playing particularly well or looking like they actually wanted to win.

 

[valefan16]

Was a weird game with neither side playing particularly well or looking like they actually wanted to win.

Hopefully the character to grind out the win will see us good going forward into the next few games.

 

[darren gregory]

That was truly awful. Legge outstanding.
Deserved to be 0-0 as despite all the possession did Crawley have a shot ?
Our only attempt of the 2nd half came on 87 minutes .
God damn awful but we won somehow !!
As for the away following. Jesus

 

[Dave-Vale]

Hopefully the character to grind out the win will see us good going forward into the next few games.

Maybe. The fact we’ve got 6 points on the board from 3 games is a positive. Another 4-6 from the next 3 would be ideal.

I still think our game management is awful. We were 1-0 up and just kept giving the ball away by hoofing it forward. Somebody needs to tell them to keep the ball and stay calm. We were also sat way too deep. Their centre back was constantly allowed to come to around 30 yards with the ball before anybody was going to him. It was a problem when ahead last season (Sitting deep and inviting pressure) and it’s still clearly a problem now.

 

[Buxton Vale]

That was truly awful. Legge outstanding.
Deserved to be 0-0 as despite all the possession did Crawley have a shot ?
Our only attempt of the 2nd half came on 87 minutes .
God damn awful but we won somehow !!
As for the away following. Jesus

BBC have Crawley with one shot on target out of 16 attempts

 

[darren gregory]

BBC have Crawley with one shot on target out of 16 attempts

Sounds about right, decent side up to the last third .

Hate to say this as he's one of our own, Nathan Smith plays we do not win this game.

 

[Andy Proctor]

Cant believe we won we were abysmal i hope we dont have to watch shit like that every week.not many teams will play that badly and win. Everytime we attacked we were offside or gave a foul away.its laughable that we are 5th as we are no where near good enough be that high up in the table.Well done on everyone doing the minutes applause before the game.

 

[leedsvaliant]

Crawley had virtually all the play second half but had a huge (slightly overweight) donkey up front and had zero cutting edge. It shows how stats mean nothing because the possession they had was lots of sideways passing and their shots were lots of unthreatening ones from distance. Decent team up until they had to do what matters.
Poor sportsmanship at the end, not returning the ball which I think ran them out as deserved losers.
We need to keep the ball much much better as it invites pressure but at least the defence was much better.

 

[Buxton Vale]

A win is a win. We would have lost this last season.

 

[jbet]

By all accounts, the game turned when Manny went off injured and was replaced by Kay.

Worried going into Tuesday if Manny isn't fit enough to start and instead we go up to Carlisle with an old, powder ouff midfield. There's no way we can play two in the middle if one of them is Pugh/Tonge or Kay.

 

[valefan16]

By all accounts, the game turned when Manny went off injured and was replaced by Kay.

Worried going into Tuesday if Manny isn't fit enough to start and instead we go up to Carlisle with an old, powder ouff midfield. There's no way we can play two in the middle if one of them is Pugh/Tonge or Kay.

Can’t Wozza play in the middle with Monty wide if need be maybe?

Missed the game as at my sisters wedding but sneakily following it on twitter I was convinced we would concede second half as it seemed to be constant pressure but to see the win out is hugely positive as that’s just the situation we’d have thrown away last season. Looking at it Crawley seem to be excellent in possession sounds like they were decent midweek in the Cup but have no firepower. Remember that Palmer came on for Lincoln last season against us and was dire!

We seem to be very inconsistent at the moment...

The league games three very different performances.

Complete and attacking performance first game

Dire display defensively second

Solid defensive but negative performance third

Need to get some real consitency at both ends of the pitch if we are to have a good season, we look fairly short against the top 7-8 type sides such as Lincoln and Colchester but capable of seeing off the lower midtable sides so far which is probably enough to suggest we will finish comfortably around half way come May.

New lad sounded as though he was quality? Oddly Villa fans are furious he has been allowed on loan rather than given a chance there which is promising!

 

[IanPVFC]

The performance (especially) second half was poor to say the least. This is the type of game we'd have lost 3-1 at this stage last season though so I'll take that!

Positives were a cracking debut for Clark, who looks a very competent player, and Legge's second half performance was one of the most commanding centre half displays I've seen in a Vale shirt for some time!