w/e Saturday 30th November

[valefan16]

I think he's entitled to that opinion, but I also think Darren Moore is entitled to think Vale shaded it. It was basically pretty even - we had a good 20 minute spell of pressure without creating enough but Vale had the better chances in the first half.

Two good sides for this level, in front of a huge crowd going for it, both sides deserve big credit in my opinion and have a real shot at promotion.

 

[mozzavale]

It hits his back, you can see it in all the replays. You don't need to patronise people, it's not about playing the game. Yes it's a potentially curling shot that's hit very well, it's still deflected by Holicek. I can't believe this is something that's even being debated, you're literally the only person seeing it the way you do. I've seen bias clouding facts before, but this is a weird one.

Calm down its ok to disagree on something. You're being deceived by the curl on the ball as it passes the defender, in my opinion. He's cut across it so much that it's sliced right to left. If you disagree, I can live with you being wrong, that's fine ;-)

 

[Wootball]

Calm down its ok to disagree on something. You're being deceived by the curl on the ball as it passes the defender, in my opinion. He's cut across it so much that it's sliced right to left. If you disagree, I can live with you being wrong, that's fine ;-)

OK, I'll try once more.

That's the highlights. Put the speed to slow it down and you can see the impact on Holicek's shirt as it hits him. It's not pedantry to slow it down, it's just the camera moving at full speed makes it hard to see.

 

[valefan16]

Watching the equaliser back as was down the other end thats not great on Cover there, should be easily blocking that cross there, all he needed to do was stick a foot out!

 

[Wootball]

Watching the equaliser back as was down the other end thats not great on Cover there, should be easily blocking that cross there, all he needed to do was stick a foot out!

Probably knackered - the work rate of Vale to keep us out was extraordinary, and after 92 minutes that's going to take it's toll.

 

[Crewelad87]

For all the talk of our dark arts this season. Ripley was wasting time from about the 20th minute last night how he never got booked il never know, the ref must have warned him 5 or 6 times.

 

[mozzavale]

OK, I'll try once more.

That's the highlights. Put the speed to slow it down and you can see the impact on Holicek's shirt as it hits him. It's not pedantry to slow it down, it's just the camera moving at full speed makes it hard to see.

There's daylight between the ball and the Crewe lad. Cleared it up perfectly, thanks mate.

Let's just agree to disagree.

 

[mozzavale]

Probably knackered - the work rate of Vale to keep us out was extraordinary, and after 92 minutes that's going to take it's toll.

I'll agree here. Think he also felt the ball was slightly overhit so was heading out, but that's naivety at his age. Has to keep going and stop the ball.into the box. The Crewe lad did well keep it in.

 

[dannyc5]

Can we have a neutrals opinion on the ref please?

 

[lordofthepies]

Can we have a neutrals opinion on the ref please?

Watching on TV, I didn't think he got much wrong. There was maybe one where we were lucky to escape without a booking but I thought all of ours were pretty borderline and didn't think Vale could really complain about any of their bookings. We're all biased though, so maybe my bias is affecting my judgement!

 

[Stocky]

Can we have a neutrals opinion on the ref please?

We had him against Wrexham last week and we had the exact same gripes about him as the Port Vale fans have from last night. He seemed to just book our lads in the first half of that game but just give a free kick for the Wrexham players for the same offences which I found odd. It's almost like he's trying to put his stamp down on the home team so he seems strong.

I don't think his general decision making was bad in our game or in your game last night, I think on some things he's quite a good referee actually. He's obviously fairly highly rated in the EFL lower reaches to get Stockport vs Wrexham and Port Vale vs Crewe in back to back weeks. He's from Wilmslow apparently, which the Wrexham fans were putting pressure on before the game saying he must be a County fan (when we all know he'll be United or City and won't give a fuck about us)

But the yellow card thing is weird, it didn't cost us and in the end he was happy to start booking Wrexham players second half and our players on yellows kept their heads but it cost Vale obviously with Harper who wasn't as careful on his yellow. I thought Harper's was a second yellow personally and he had no choice but the question mark is that this ref makes a rod for his own back by booking early and not consistently.

 

[dannyc5]

I thought he was fine but like you, I'm biased. And I was also pissed as a fart so my opinion can't really be trusted.

 

[Crewelad87]

Trying to be as unbiased as I possibly can. I thought he was generally poor. 1st half I thought he gave every 50/50 to Vale. 2nd half I think he gave every 50/50 to us. He got the big decisions right though, Vale can't have any complaints with the Red.

 

[valefan16]

For all the talk of our dark arts this season. Ripley was wasting time from about the 20th minute last night how he never got booked il never know, the ref must have warned him 5 or 6 times.

To be fair to Rippers the referee was ridiculous on one, he was making him move the ball an inch back onto the line rather than letting him get on with it, but with 10 men he is going to slow it down.

 

[Stocky]

To be fair to Rippers the referee was ridiculous on one, he was making him move the ball an inch back onto the line rather than letting him get on with it, but with 10 men he is going to slow it down.

That's another thing about him, very hot on people taking free kicks/throw ins etc from the correct spot, which I quite liked about him actually.

 

[valefan16]

Trying to be as unbiased as I possibly can. I thought he was generally poor. 1st half I thought he gave every 50/50 to Vale. 2nd half I think he gave every 50/50 to us. He got the big decisions right though, Vale can't have any complaints with the Red.

No complaints with the second yellow but the issue was he wasn't booking your players for the same thing! Cooney should of walked if he applied the same booking tolerance as he did on Harper by the 70th minute. Early doors you were going through the back of Stockley and Chislett got hacked down two or three times and he gave a warning which is fair enough in a local game with maybe some added spice but then apply that to both teams. Hart got booked seconds after an identical tackle on Chissy saw a warning given.

He was wildly inconsistent which was the issue.

Did like the Croasdale booking late on though, last season we let teams break and score on us by not doing that so was chuffed he took one for the team there mind.

He was generally crap and if Cooney goes or can't risk that tackle on Chis maybe its a different outcome but in the end if you wing back doesn't make a standard block from an injury time cross and your midfielder knowing the referee does seem to be card happy towards us makes that tackle then that cost us more and then the referee decisions become irrelevant.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Absolutely nothing strange about going mad after a 92nd minute equaliser

Or a 94th minute equaliser.

Always amusing when away fans are criticised for over celebrating?!

Scoring that late to equalise is like scoring a winner. The thought of winning the game when a goal behind and the injury time minutes have been shown are long gone. Best you can usually do is snatch a very late point.

 

[Wootball]

Or a 94th minute equaliser.

Always amusing when away fans are criticised for over celebrating?!

Scoring that late to equalise is like scoring a winner. The thought of winning the game when a goal behind and the injury time minutes have been shown are long gone. Best you can usually do is snatch a very late point.

Yeah this one confused me. We pressured Vale the entire half, felt like it might be one of those days, freezing our balls off and hoping to get the point we can see we deserve, and then we get a 93rd minute equaliser against local rivals, who happen to be top of the league, away at their ground. Had the shoe been on the other foot, would Vale have just say quietly or would they have gone mad too?

Of all the criticisms, celebrating a last minute equaliser shouldn't be one of them.

 

[Agombar stool]

I watched some of the second half, basically after the red card. Obviously Vale having 10 men changed the game, but it was a fascinating game between a clearly decent Crewe side and a Vale team defending brilliantly. Given the garbage I've watched this season, it was pleasant to see a hard fought league 2 game.

 

[leedsvaliant]

Yeah this one confused me. We pressured Vale the entire half, felt like it might be one of those days, freezing our balls off and hoping to get the point we can see we deserve, and then we get a 93rd minute equaliser against local rivals, who happen to be top of the league, away at their ground. Had the shoe been on the other foot, would Vale have just say quietly or would they have gone mad too?

Of all the criticisms, celebrating a last minute equaliser shouldn't be one of them.

I didn't criticise the celebration for the goal. It was the celebration at the end of the game like you'd won the league. Like I said, each to their own but I would have been disappointed. Massive opportunity to beat top of the league on their own patch missed.

 

[Wootball]

I didn't criticise the celebration for the goal. It was the celebration at the end of the game like you'd won the league. Like I said, each to their own but I would have been disappointed. Massive opportunity to beat top of the league on their own patch missed.

In a game we thoroughly expected to get a kicking in, it may be biased but I think we've got every right to celebrate the way we did at that point considering how the game panned out.

We haven't won the league, and didn't celebrate like we had. We celebrated, in a large part with relief, that we worked to get something we deserved and went away to the top of the league and got a point.

Vale defended brilliantly, and while especially in the second half we were the better side, we still have to get through the defense. Vale's defense is really, really good - so to say it was a massive chance to beat the top of the league is disingenuous. We were too wasteful for that, but we've seen Crewe huff and puff and lose too many times to not celebrate when we actually get something we deserve.

Let's be realistic here, Vale celebrations would have been the same the other way round. Local rivals and relatively recent scuffle between both sets of fans mean that we were celebrating denying you three points as much as we were celebrating getting one of our own, and I think that's completely fair.

 

[valefan16]

I didn't criticise the celebration for the goal. It was the celebration at the end of the game like you'd won the league. Like I said, each to their own but I would have been disappointed. Massive opportunity to beat tip of the league on their own patch missed.

I don't mind that, they were 2-3 minutes from losing against a side with 10 men so imagine a lot of relief especially being one of it not their biggest rivals.

If we'd thrown it away with 11 men I would have been furious but quite content in the situation so imagine both sets are happy enough with the outcome in the end.

We'd have celebrated the same if we'd got out of jail at the end lets be honest and if you can't celebrate a last minute goal when can you?

 

[Wootball]

I don't mind that, they were 2-3 minutes from losing against a side with 10 men so imagine a lot of relief especially being one of it not their biggest rivals.

If we'd thrown it away with 11 men I would have been furious but quite content in the situation so imagine both sets are happy enough with the outcome in the end.

We'd have celebrated the same if we'd got out of jail at the end lets be honest and if you can't celebrate a last minute goal when can you?

Well said.

 

[lordofthepies]

I didn't criticise the celebration for the goal. It was the celebration at the end of the game like you'd won the league. Like I said, each to their own but I would have been disappointed. Massive opportunity to beat top of the league on their own patch missed.

I think it's partly about trying to keep the positive feeling going. In the cold light of day, they'll look at it as a bit of a missed opportunity mixed with the relief of getting a point. But we're on a good run and the fans and players are all enjoying themselves and we're coming in to it on the back of some good results, I think you just want to keep that good feeling going and focus on the positive of getting a point (which is a good point, even if it could have been three).

 

[valefan16]

Well said.

Both sides can be very pleased, both sides now 1 loss in 13 and in the mixer, you got a point at the death, we held on valiantly and against a good side with 6 or 7 key players missing so in the end a good nights work, can shake hands on it and we will do it all again in March.

Not to mention great support on a Monday night on TV from both sets of fans with 8000 Vale and 2100 Crewe and a decent atmosphere (even if it doesn't travel as well).

 

[mozzavale]

Not neutral but trying to be as reasonable on the ref as I can. It's the inconsistency that infuriates me. Both Harpers bookings looked bang on for me, no complaints, but at least one of the challenges on Chislett first half were identical to Harpers bookings. Just a millisecond late getting to the ball. No difference whatsoever yet we end up with 2 bookings 1st half, they get none. Even if Harper doesn't fly in for the 2nd booking like a knob, him and Hart were playing with that booking hanging over them, whereas Crewe's lads weren't.

He just struck me as a bit of an egotistical prick who thought the 10k, Sky, everyone was there to see him.

On the celebrations, for the goal, no issue at all (don't think anyone has had an issue though to be fair so not sure where that's even come from) after the game I just take it as a compliment. In truth, that's an opportunity wasted for Crewe, but at the same time they're just relieved get a point away at top of the league. Losing to 10 men would have been awful.

For us, before the game I said it's mustn't lose, and we didn't. The character shown from the players was immense. Just a tiny lapse in concentration from Cover, and Harper being thick, cost us the 2 points.

 

[Bottega Don]

Can we have a neutrals opinion on the ref please?

I thought he was absolutely fine. All the bookings seemed right, red card was correct.

He might have gave a few soft fouls but nothing out of the ordinary for a L2 referee

 

[mozzavale]

A point gained all round I think. I thought it was a great advert for league 2 football. Not sure how it looked or sounded on the TV, but from the stands loads of effort, with some sprinkles of real quality. Might just be the acoustics of the ground but couldn't really hear the home support, but again might be the acoustics of the stand but thought the Crewe fans were loud throughout, even when behind.

Watched the game back a bit today, great noise from both sets of fans. Vale Park is weird for that. I was sat in the Lorne St close to the Crewe fans who were loud at times, could hear the Hamil End loud and clear, yet we'll see Vale fans in the Railway side, closer to the Hamil as me say they never heard the Hamil End.

 

[dannyc5]

I just watched the extended highlights. I thought Harper's 1st yellow card was actually slightly harsh. The 2nd was obviously stonewall. I laughed at the co commentator, who said he got a slight touch on the ball. Ridiculous comment.

Some of Vale's defending was absolutely outstanding. We only created 2 golden chances despite the man advantage, which is a credit to them.

I also didn't realise we hit the outside of the post with Holicek's hugely deflected shot (which was somehow given as a goal kick).

Talking of deflections, the Vale goal was deflected. For some reason it's a lot clearer on the extended highlights. The clip put on this thread was a bit unclear. It was a great connection, but the deflection completely took it away from the keeper.

I also think Vale should have done better with the chance Richards put wide after they pressed and dispossessed Sanders. That was probably their best opening of the game. If that had gone in, it's almost certainly game over.

 

[mozzavale]

You'll get used to it, this is what some Vale fans do when they don't beat us.

I don't get that logic, so if we don't win its not a rivalry but if we win it is?

We've not lost to you the last 8 times we've met, before last night we won the last 3 league meetings on the bounce, with 2 Cup victories in there too.

As I've said elsewhere it's a topic you'll get different answers from depending on who you ask. For me though, I've been into work today and the only people who've tried give me shit about the late equaliser, are all Stoke fans...which speaks volumes.