Port Vale v Morecambe 6 Pointer and the First Protests

[valefan16]

Huge game for the Vale and Morecambe tomorrow with both sides in poor recent form.

Vale and Morecambe shared a crazy draw just before Christmas when Morecambe took a 2-0 lead into the dying minutes with Vale barely threatening before 2 late goals saw Vale level from nowhere... Morecambe straight from kick off ran through the back line and won an injury time penalty only for Scott Brown to deny ex Valiant AJLS...

Vales form dipped since that performance and have won only once since.

John Askey takes charge of the Vale at home for the first time and will look to change the clubs dire home run, hopefully with a more expansive set up than Aspin, three points here would put Vale 7 clear of Morecambe and potentially 8 plus GD ahead of Macclesfield, defeat and Vale could be as close as 2 points plus GD from the drop zone.

Off the field a day of protests against the clubs owner Norman Smurthwaite is set to begin with a pre game march, fans fed up at the failure to provide the 400k promised in Janaury and the clubs continued decline. The Supporters Club and the Black and Gold groups have both united to protest "Black and Gold or We will Fold" Despite Millions of pounds of income off the field with the Jordan Hugill Sell on, sales of Jak Alnwick and Anthony Grant, plus four youth players going for big money, not to mention cup profits this season the club has failed to invest well enough to challenge and the EFL status is again at risk. Smurf has refused to sell and has set unrealistic values on the clubs sale as well as split the club from its ground. Failed foreign experiments have seen the club fall from League One's top 12 to the bottom of League Two in less than 3 years.

Ironically Morecambe came to town the last time we had a big march when V2001 were running the club and eventually forced out, Vale won that day 7-2! Would be nice for a repeat but highly unlikely!

As for the game this is massive, pivitol and up there with the key Chesterfield clash towards the end of last season. A win is a must, a draw keeps us floating a loss unthinkable for our survival hopes.

Hoping we can win this but will be tense 2-1. Pope gets his 100th Vale goal and Hannant.

 

[Buxton Vale]

A must win game, and we need to start building momentum. Its a 6 pointer as well as a chance to pull away from the drop zone. As for the protests, I hope its well attended. Our club is on a downward spiral and new owners are the only way forward. I dont accept that protesting will affect the players. To be honest, they couldn't perform much worse, and our home form is dreadful. I hope Askey shakes it up a bit, drops the likes of Kay and Joyce, and sets up to attack from the start. I have my doubts that he will though.

I'll be at the town hall at 2.00 to join the protest.

 

[ShrimpsMeltdown]

Massive massive game, we can't afford to drop points but I'm just not confident at all. Clutching onto the usual thing of Jimbo getting points when he needs them most. Pope always scores against us so if he's playing, Vale will score.

 

[Crewelad87]

I'd love Vale to lose this one. Got a feeling praise and grumble would be comedy gold if they did.

 

[Andy Proctor]

A must win game, and we need to start building momentum. Its a 6 pointer as well as a chance to pull away from the drop zone. As for the protests, I hope its well attended. Our club is on a downward spiral and new owners are the only way forward. I dont accept that protesting will affect the players. To be honest, they couldn't perform much worse, and our home form is dreadful. I hope Askey shakes it up a bit, drops the likes of Kay and Joyce, and sets up to attack from the start. I have my doubts that he will though.

I'll be at the town hall at 2.00 to join the protest.

I'm going the protest aswell most of my mates are going the pub though as that's there normal routine.
I think the game will be nil nil we are generally quite solid at the back but lack goals or any creativity so it should be low scoring so expect it be 4 4 now.

 

[Andy Proctor]

Oldham 1 Crewe 0 Peter Clarke 95th minute bullet header

 

[valefan16]

Bless, trainspotters getting all arrogant again as they’ve had a good few weeks. Best in the league etc

0-0 wouldn’t surprise me! Assume Morecambe play negatively away from home still and well we’ve hardly been going for the jugular at VP!

 

[Buxton Vale]

I'd love Vale to lose this one. Got a feeling praise and grumble would be comedy gold if they did.

Don't you have homework to finish?

 

[kieran_vale]

Are people really biting at that??

Can see this being a tense game with one goal either way settling it. Be nice if just for once we could represent some sort of goal threat to the opposition, but we probably won’t.

 

[valefan16]

Big day Valiants

 

[darren gregory]

I'd love Vale to lose this one. Got a feeling praise and grumble would be comedy gold if they did.

Wish you lot would have a Radio Cheshire
We don't want you or that fucking gimp Artell dirtying our airwaves

 

[Buxton Vale]

certainly is a big day

 

[valefan16]

Shocking line up again! Still going with two holding midfielders! Club is done.

 

[kieran_vale]

In a sense I can see Askeys thinking in terms of a consistent team selection which Aspin never did. Now that said what part of Kay and Joyce in the same lineup doesn’t fucking work is so hard to understand?

Would also note that once again the loanees brought in on deadline day not in the matchday squad. If there ever was a small debate about it can we now file that whole charade then as another disaster from this clownshoes setup?

 

[valefan16]

In a sense I can see Askeys thinking in terms of a consistent team selection which Aspin never did. Now that said what part of Kay and Joyce in the same lineup doesn’t fucking work is so hard to understand?

Would also note that once again the loanees brought in on deadline day not in the matchday squad. If there ever was a small debate about it can we now file that whole charade then as another disaster from this clownshoes setup?

Howkins should walk into this XI! Nuts!

Protest was ok

 

[kieran_vale]

That actually hasn’t been terrible. Think we’ve shown glimpses almost of a pattern of play at times and Morecambes keeper fair play to him has kept them in it.

 

[valefan16]

Did a minutes applause for Ex Vale coach Gordon Banks... the Morecambe keeper has then done a tribute performance, good penalty save then a string of fine stops afterwards.

It has the feeling of not being our day again.

 

[Buxton Vale]

Should be winning. Gibbons playing well, but we need to be more positive.

 

[Buxton Vale]

The protest was well attended. Hopefully the first of many.

 

[valefan16]

Should be winning. Gibbons playing well, but we need to be more positive.

In fairness we’ve battered them! Just one of those keepers performances so far... one save he even tipped it and got back spin on it so it bounced onto the post!

Keep plugging away we will be ok. Had we scored the penalty we’d be cruising but keepers had a boost.

 

[valefan16]

Absolutely mugged but irrelevant. We are down

 

[kieran_vale]

You could literally see the confidence drained out of the players the moment Morecambe scored. There are positives to take mainly from the first half. Askey has a real job to do to lift them for Tranmere.

Bottom line though in a must not lose game we’ve lost again.

 

[markpvfc]

Lowest scorers in the country, we are going to get exactly what Smurf deserves.

 

[Gandalf the Grey]

I don't know how much having Pope in the squad is going to help Port Vale; last season Barnet had Akinde but they nevertheless went down.

 

[darren gregory]

Clark was abysmal, closely followed by Joyce, Harris and Rawlinson.

Anybody can miss a penalty but 2nd half all Pope did was make pathetic fouls and wave his arms around.

Today was probably the day that confirms we are going down.

What makes it worse was that Morecambe were truly hideous, worst team up Vale all season by an absolute country mile.

So that pretty much tells you everything you need to know about us

 

[Buxton Vale]

Just got back home. How did we manage to lose that?

First half was a big improvement, but I worried when I saw Pope grab the ball for the penalty. Morecambe didn't look like scoring, and are possibly the worst team Ive seen all season, but they managed to steal the points and I would be delighted if we could win in the same way. Askey needs to try something different as we just dont seem to be able to score. I would even consider dropping Pope and giving Turner a run.

At the moment its looking very worrying and I dont know where our next goal is coming from.

 

[Buxton Vale]

Clark was abysmal, closely followed by Joyce, Harris and Rawlinson.

Anybody can miss a penalty but 2nd half all Pope did was make pathetic fouls and wave his arms around.

Today was probably the day that confirms we are going down.

What makes it worse was that Morecambe were truly hideous, worst team up Vale all season by an absolute country mile.

So that pretty much tells you everything you need to know about us

I dont believe we haven't got better players than Harris and Joyce.

 

[darren gregory]

We have, Worrall is one. Joyce is a younger version of Kay but shitter.

The substitutes were quite bizarre and really nothing has improved.

Two 1-0 defeats against teams below us.
For me today was the first nail in our coffin I know all fans are doom and gloom but the losing mentality and malaise within the club will relegate us

 

[valefan16]

We are in big trouble. Earlier in the season we win that game 3-0 and the stark reality is 22 other league two clubs would have put that Morecambe performance to the sword and beaten them. 19 shots, 9 on target but still no goals. Last week we had the better chances lost 1-0 and today it was even more in our favour and we’ve lost.

Morecambe didn’t look like scoring and we’ve got done big time. Worryingly I don’t think we will face a poorer opponent in the last games so where is the wins coming from? Only hope is Yeovil and Morecambe playing like that most weeks from now on. Literally again hoping their is two sides shitter than us.

Smurthwaite can’t hide from this either... he had the chance to save us with Richards... he didn’t get it done.

Massively need a result against poor travellers on Tuesday. Essentially we have to be sat here this time next week on a minimum of 37 points so 4 from the next two... how they come I don’t care but they are essential and the lads need to start battling.

Whitfield must start. Manny hopefully will be fit.

Wozza maybe? Askey appears to simply be Aspin Mark II

 

[kieran_vale]

I do have to admit Askeys substitutions were extremely strange. The game on about 65 minutes was crying out for Whitfield and instead he leaves him on the bench until there was about 5 minutes left. What realistically did he think could be done in that time. Less said about bringing on Conlon the better.

Right now if we can’t beat Morecambe I really am struggling to see where our next win is coming from especially at home where the teams confidence is so fragile.

I also really need someone explain to me why if Howkins isn’t picked why Legge isn’t in the team in place of that shithouse Rawlinson, he is awful.