Saturday 1st March

[womble76]

Quite a big game next week. I'd be happy with a point to be honest. A win would be arguably the result of the season if we got it.

It would be a decent result if you managed it as with our home record back to back losses should be unlikely. I expect we will draw 1 all and fuck both of our chances

 

[jacobncfc]

Maynard went out a team that should have been at least two up by half time. Whittaker should have buried his header in the first five minutes and Marta really should have scored one of his three missed chances. So, I agree not really fair to be blaming the manager for yesterday but he is over cautious and slow to make changes. Grant or Whittaker ( I'd say Grant ) should have been swapped for Traore before the equaliser to just make their defence buckle with an extra man to worry about as Grant wasn't doing a great deal.

Maynard is good at setting a team up from the start - we tend to dominate the first half, have our tactics right, and we’ve definitely not been ruthless enough with taking chances at one goal ahead to kill games off.

He’s definitely quite bad at managing in-game and reacting to the momentum changing as well, though. The equaliser yesterday was one of those things, Platt and Bass have been great for us all season but between them made a bit of a hash of a long ball, whatever, it happens. The problem was the next five minutes when we kept losing the ball in dangerous areas and had enough warning that they were going to score again. It’s not even making the subs earlier for me - someone needs to be doing a bit of game management there and breaking things up, and we needed to stop the short passes in our own half for a few minutes just while Fleetwood were having a spell and until we got the subs on. It’s happened time and time again this season - to be fair I don’t think he’s bad at changing things around when we need to chase a game and get a goal, but there’s a massive blind spot around how to play games when we’re narrowly ahead.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Maynard went out a team that should have been at least two up by half time. Whittaker should have buried his header in the first five minutes and Marta really should have scored one of his three missed chances. So, I agree not really fair to be blaming the manager for yesterday but he is over cautious and slow to make changes. Grant or Whittaker ( I'd say Grant ) should have been swapped for Traore before the equaliser to just make their defence buckle with an extra man to worry about as Grant wasn't doing a great deal.

I can't recall a time when Grant does do a great deal.

Agree Maynard is cautious with substitutions, which is common complaint of lots of managers but not surprised he didn't want to make a sub until the equaliser.

Yesterday clearly on the players we created loads for an away side and should have scored more than 2.

On a moe positive note George Abbott is some player, fantastic all-round performance, energy, tackling, neat accurate passing, an assist and a calm finish for the goal. Has to be one of the best CMs in L2.

 

[SuperHans]

Now that, was FUCKING wank. Worst performance of the season, absolutely toothless. We’re done, planning starts for next season now, 17 OOC, gonna be fun.

We are so so bad.

I said to Crewe fans before the game it would be a penalty kick for them yesterday as we are a team that just do not looking like winning - and sadly I was proved right.

Too many players available that are NL level and nothing more.

Madden proving me wrong every time he plays now - hope we shift him in the summer.

Depressing end to the season - just fast forward to May and a lower mid table finish and start afresh next season.

 

[Coalite]

We are so so bad.

I said to Crewe fans before the game it would be a penalty kick for them yesterday as we are a team that just do not looking like winning - and sadly I was proved right.

Too many players available that are NL level and nothing more.

Madden proving me wrong every time he plays now - hope we shift him in the summer.

Depressing end to the season - just fast forward to May and a lower mid table finish and start afresh next season.

Similar conversation with my bro in the morning. We feared a defeat but you turn up at the ground, the sun is shining and you’ve a couple of beers inside you and things are feeling not too bad at all. Then the game starts and you wondered why you bothered.

Crewe were always going to be up for this one. But we were poor again, and it’s becoming a concern to those fans who press the panic button easily.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Sensational headloss at the end I must admit.

 

[kieran_vale]

Sensational headloss at the end I must admit.

I will say this and this is more a general point rather than specific to this game. One of these days if players keep goading opposition fans like that after a goal (and I’ve seen it done via numerous of our opponents) sooner or later someone is going to give one of them a crack.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

I will say this and this is more a general point rather than specific to this game. One of these days if players keep goading opposition fans like that after a goal (and I’ve seen it done via numerous of our opponents) sooner or later someone is going to give one of them a crack.

I'm a firm believer of if you're getting it all game off the fans you have every right to give it back. Luke Rodgers gave us loads when we scored for you past us after we relentlessly abused him all game and in the end you have to take it. No one wants football to become a sterile sport like Rugby Union.

But fan entitlement and fans constantly playing the victim is at an all time high these days so I have to agree that it's a possibility in future...

 

[SuperHans]

Similar conversation with my bro in the morning. We feared a defeat but you turn up at the ground, the sun is shining and you’ve a couple of beers inside you and things are feeling not too bad at all. Then the game starts and you wondered why you bothered.

Crewe were always going to be up for this one. But we were poor again, and it’s becoming a concern to those fans who press the panic button easily.

The first 20 minutes was suicide and basically game over. Lots of long journey recently rewarded with 0 points. Think my next game now will be Tranmere away on Easter Monday.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

I will say this and this is more a general point rather than specific to this game. One of these days if players keep goading opposition fans like that after a goal (and I’ve seen it done via numerous of our opponents) sooner or later someone is going to give one of them a crack.

And I hope that happens.

 

[spireite]

Sensational headloss at the end I must admit.

I'm the one shouting 'boo'

 

[spireite]

The first 20 minutes was suicide and basically game over. Lots of long journey recently rewarded with 0 points. Think my next game now will be Tranmere away on Easter Monday.

I really hope this feeling doesn't run through the fanbase. There was a very good 9k crowd there yesterday and they got served up that utter dross, a lot might not bother again. We are really really poor at the moment and I think it's a bloody good job we got a few points on the board early on

 

[spireite]

Excellent performance yesterday and very nice to get one over a side who brutally and deservedly thrashed us back in August. A few of their fans thought this league would be plain sailing that day but they've since been humbled into accepting a season of consolidation, which I feel is still fine for a club who have been forced to play NL standard players week in week out owing to their bad injury list and losing a couple of key players in the window.

Jamie Grimes playing in League Two in the year of our Lord 2025 was always a recipe for disaster. He looked dodgy when he was at Cheltenham in this league years ago. Terrible defending from him for the first, just ball watching. Excellent finish from Shilow Tracey who has more than substantiated my theory that he only turns up when the Sun is out. Best performance from him since October.

Lovely finish from Conway for the second too but that defending was honking from Chesterfield again. I know Chesterfield are threadbare with their options but I also think Paul Cook just can't organise a defence these days it would seem. His expensively assembled defence at Ipswich flopped so bad he got sacked for it and they were just so open today it suited us down to the ground.

Disappointing not to get the clean sheet but third goal was some fine play from Bogle to set up the absolute cheat code at this level that is Tommy Lowery. Him staying fit could reinvigorate our season. We could and should've had more but it was a deserved, comprehensive win backed by an excellent following too.

Some were apprehensive of our March fixtures. However, I believe teams playing to win suits us down to the ground. It's teams that put everyone behind the ball like Accrington who cause us problems. Onto Fleetwood on Tuesday.

The screams I scremt when Jamie Grimes let this bounce by the way. Just ridiculous defending.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1895897091563798790

 

[dannyc5]

The screams I scremt when Jamie Grimes let this bounce by the way. Just ridiculous defending.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1895897091563798790

I've watched the extended highlights now. I didn't realise just how bad he played. He put in a pathetic attempted challenge on Tabiner for the Tracey sitter on 5 mins, he fucked up for the 1st goal, Tracey took it off him for the Tabiner 1 on 1 and he gave it away for the Bogle sitter at the end.

 

[SuperHans]

The screams I scremt when Jamie Grimes let this bounce by the way. Just ridiculous defending.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1895897091563798790

I was directly behind that in N2. As soon as he didn’t clear it first time you knew it was goal. I feel for Grimes, wouldn’t be first choice but is, throws in some mammoth performances but his confidence looks shot and for all I’ll thank him for his role as Captain in getting us out of hell - his time at the club will end this summer.

 

[dannyc5]

I will say this and this is more a general point rather than specific to this game. One of these days if players keep goading opposition fans like that after a goal (and I’ve seen it done via numerous of our opponents) sooner or later someone is going to give one of them a crack.

Good look doing that to the likes of Matty Stevens at Wimbledon.

 

[SuperHans]

I really hope this feeling doesn't run through the fanbase. There was a very good 9k crowd there yesterday and they got served up that utter dross, a lot might not bother again. We are really really poor at the moment and I think it's a bloody good job we got a few points on the board early on

I don’t think it will. In fairness the next game I could go to is Barrow away but I’m not going to Barrow ever again. The place is an absolute dive. Although I have had a couple of decent nights in Manhattans with the locals.

 

[SuperHans]

I've watched the extended highlights now. I didn't realise just how bad he played. He put in a pathetic attempted challenge on Tabiner for the Tracey sitter on 5 mins, he fucked up for the 1st goal, Tracey took it off him for the Tabiner 1 on 1 and he gave it away for the Bogle sitter at the end.

He had an absolute stinker. He just isn’t up to it in League 2. A good NL centre half.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Grimes is the reason it always makes me laugh when NL fans are always on about 3 up 3 down and how there's sod all difference between top half NL and bottom half L2.

Most NL teams, and that includes the top ones, simply can't defend and play a simple style of attempting to outscore opponents. Those who are successful in that division appear to sign tons of attacking players and score their way out the division. Stockport did it, Notts did it, Wrexham did it and Chesterfield did it. Many like Crawley and Luton did it before them too. I would argue L2 is the lowest level where you see competent defensive organisation at more than half the clubs in the league. Even last season though Chesterfield conceded 65 in a very poor division and then kept faith with most those players. It's not going to end well in a better standard of division.

However, one season back at this level and it appears the penny has dropped for Chesterfield and they've almost got a blank canvas next season to rebuild into a side that'll compete for promotion next year. It can go both ways of course but I back them to sort out the defence and recruit astutely in Summer. They're probably a year behind Notts who were going through the same motions with an awful defence last season.

 

[SuperHans]

Grimes is the reason it always makes me laugh when NL fans are always on about 3 up 3 down and how there's sod all difference between top half NL and bottom half L2.

Most NL teams, and that includes the top ones, simply can't defend and play a simple style of attempting to outscore opponents. Those who are successful in that division appear to sign tons of attacking players and score their way out the division. Stockport did it, Notts did it, Wrexham did it and Chesterfield did it. Many like Crawley and Luton did it before them too. I would argue L2 is the lowest level where you see competent defensive organisation at more than half the clubs in the league. Even last season though Chesterfield conceded 65 in a very poor division and then kept faith with most those players. It's not going to end well in a better standard of division.

However, one season back at this level and it appears the penny has dropped for Chesterfield and they've almost got a blank canvas next season to rebuild into a side that'll compete for promotion next year. It can go both ways of course but I back them to sort out the defence and recruit astutely in Summer. They're probably a year behind Notts who were going through the same motions with an awful defence last season.

In fairness - we signed a back 4 of:

Tanton Dunkley Araujo Gordon

They were going to be first choice. All of them are injured.

 

[WilsdenBantam]

Alternate angle of the winner and scenes yesterday

https://twitter.com/x/status/1896142882945565115

 

[spireite]

Grimes is the reason it always makes me laugh when NL fans are always on about 3 up 3 down and how there's sod all difference between top half NL and bottom half L2.

Most NL teams, and that includes the top ones, simply can't defend and play a simple style of attempting to outscore opponents. Those who are successful in that division appear to sign tons of attacking players and score their way out the division. Stockport did it, Notts did it, Wrexham did it and Chesterfield did it. Many like Crawley and Luton did it before them too. I would argue L2 is the lowest level where you see competent defensive organisation at more than half the clubs in the league. Even last season though Chesterfield conceded 65 in a very poor division and then kept faith with most those players. It's not going to end well in a better standard of division.

However, one season back at this level and it appears the penny has dropped for Chesterfield and they've almost got a blank canvas next season to rebuild into a side that'll compete for promotion next year. It can go both ways of course but I back them to sort out the defence and recruit astutely in Summer. They're probably a year behind Notts who were going through the same motions with an awful defence last season.

We didn't keep faith with most of the players, that's just an incorrect observation. We signed a whole new back 4, twice. Was the recruitment absolutely bang on? In hindsight, probably not, but it's not correct to say we just kept faith with the same group, attempts were made to fix the GA column.

 

[Scum.]

Colchester United at home. Loss.

Called it. Zero shots on target too. Wonderful.

9 points from the last 48. 2 wins from the last 16.

How we were 3rd in only December fuck knows.

Lindsey out. Or in. Dunno anymore.

 

[gary]

Bromley fully deserved their win yesterday. It's a result that's been coming for weeks. We are far too passive home or away . Jackson is loathe to change the starting line up despite the fact that we haven't been playing well for weeks. Yes we haven't lost but the performances have been poor. We have player's that can come in to change it up and that's what's required. 4 or 5 changes should happen on Tuesday night against Morecambe to freshen it up. If Jackson just makes 1 or 2 changes the outcome will be the same. He's a very conservative manager.

 

[Spireitelass97]

Grimes is the reason it always makes me laugh when NL fans are always on about 3 up 3 down and how there's sod all difference between top half NL and bottom half L2.

Most NL teams, and that includes the top ones, simply can't defend and play a simple style of attempting to outscore opponents. Those who are successful in that division appear to sign tons of attacking players and score their way out the division. Stockport did it, Notts did it, Wrexham did it and Chesterfield did it. Many like Crawley and Luton did it before them too. I would argue L2 is the lowest level where you see competent defensive organisation at more than half the clubs in the league. Even last season though Chesterfield conceded 65 in a very poor division and then kept faith with most those players. It's not going to end well in a better standard of division.

However, one season back at this level and it appears the penny has dropped for Chesterfield and they've almost got a blank canvas next season to rebuild into a side that'll compete for promotion next year. It can go both ways of course but I back them to sort out the defence and recruit astutely in Summer. They're probably a year behind Notts who were going through the same motions with an awful defence last season.

I wouldn’t say we kept faith with such as Grimes. He was only supposed to be a squad player.

Agree with what you’re saying about defences, I think it’s biggest difference to NL. Last year we could stroll about doing fancy passes & it mostly worked out. This year, defenders are all over the slightest error & don’t give you the time/space they’ve been used to in division below. After one lazy pass forward yesterday I commented to my mate ‘have they forgotten we’re not in NL anymore!’

 

[OneDecentLester]

Am I seriously reading people claim we ‘kept faith’ with last seasons back 4!!!???

Ffs where have you been all season on here, we’ve told you 1000 times that we’ve had 2728483 injuries the vast majority being all our new bloody defenders signed as upgrades to the utter dross we’re now having to play again because we’ve got no one else left!!

I said it on here yesterday, but i’ll say it again as it may have got missed… three starters yesterday started in the game at Crewe back in August… THREE, and one was the keeper! I’d be surprised if anyone’s used as many players as we have this season, it’s just been an absolute mess since Christmas.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Too many elder statesmen signed doesn't help matters.

 

[lordofthepies]

I've watched the extended highlights now. I didn't realise just how bad he played. He put in a pathetic attempted challenge on Tabiner for the Tracey sitter on 5 mins, he fucked up for the 1st goal, Tracey took it off him for the Tabiner 1 on 1 and he gave it away for the Bogle sitter at the end.

It was actually the number 28 for the Bogle chance at the end

 

[Boz]

The game went exactly as I thought it would really. Although Tranmere are down near the bottom, they've actually got one or two decent players, it's just their confidence must be shot to pieces. A new manager was always going to give teams a bit of a boost and they came out like a team possessed. They didn't give us a second on the ball and it seemed like we were surprised at this. If we'd have played them last weekend, we'd have most probably won but in typical Vale fashion, we don't seem to catch teams when at their lowest ebb....I'm fully expecting Carlisle to be flying when we play them on good Friday.

Once we got back into it, we settled down and they stopped pressing so hard. Second half turned into a very scrappy, stop/start affair, which helped them more than us.

Some of our fans have lost their shit but what they seem to forget is that there are 2 teams trying to win a game and both desperate for the points. Always take a point away from home as long as we can follow it up with a win on Tuesday.

I thought Vale started very slowly and it took the shock of our early goal to jolt you into action. After that it was a decent game, end to end and both sides having some decent chances, although the refereeing from David Rock was a bit random. You seemed to pick up a few injuries during the course of the game too.

I was impressed by Crosby's post-match interview, showing that he isn't just an Adkins puppet and explaining some adjustments made during the game. I would expect him to get the next couple of games and so long as we continue to make progress, longer.

 

[OneDecentLester]

Too many elder statesmen signed doesn't help matters.

Okay so in my post I specifically mentioned defensive recruits, so let’s take a look at who we’ve brought in this season, their age, and the injury (injuries) they’ve picked up this year and assess the relevance of their age from there:

Devan Tanton (21) - x3 separate hamstring issues, the third resulted in him being sent back to Fulham

Harvey Araujo (20) - x2 seperate calf issues, the latter he picked up just after Xmas has ruled him out for another month or so from now.

Chey Dunkley (32) - First choice CB at beginning of season, picked up a Fractured cervical vertabrae picked up in training in October. Has since had surgery and likely to be out for rest of season.

Vontae Daley Campbell (23) - x1 Hamstring issue that’s kept him out for much of the season since he picked it up at Morecambe in October. Back now but still building fitness.

Lewis Gordon (24) - x1 Calf issue to our first choice LB picked up at Carlisle in December. Hasn’t returned yet.

Kyle McFadzean (38) - x1 knee ligaments injury picked up in his 2nd game against Bromley from an innocuous challenge that’s going to keep him out for atleast a few weeks from now.

Janoi Donacien (31) - x1 Groin issue that is an ongoing issue he’s had since Ipswich and what kept him out of action there for over a year.

Jack Sparkes (24) - No injury picked up since joining (yet).

So, assessing all of those separate injuries picked up to our defensive recruits this year (A grand total of EIGHT recruits for those claiming we failed to prepare for the step up of this league), and the nature of those injuries, I’d say a huge ONE injury is possibly linked to the players age/injury history, and that would be Janoi Donacien who we signed in January but probably wouldn’t have even touched if it had not been for our ongoing injury issues anyway.

In actual fact, the muscular injuries that you might link to a players older age, have actually been picked up by our younger recruits, as you can see above!! So as I keep telling you, stop with the lazy comments about our ‘elder statesman’ contributing to the injury issues, because that’s quite clearly bollocks. Instead I would put it down to a mixture of bad luck in the way some of those injuries have been picked up, and also a potential question mark around our S&C department preparation for games given the sheer amount of muscular injuries picked up by many of our younger players, that just simply shouldn’t happen.