Post-Match Thread and Ratings Port Vale 3 - 1 Southend United.

[McNasty]

Well done to the travelling fans tonight ----- seemingly the only ones due any credit.

 

[eastling]

Feel sorry for the faithful up in Stoke this evening. Unbelievably inconsistent and yet should have ended 3-2! Oh well, Crewe Alex on Tuesday!

 

[Danshrimper]

Over 500 fans travel to Bradford and Port Vale midweek to watch us concede 5 goals and score just 1 and both convincing defeats, absolute waste of time and not good enough.

 

[Sammy Shrimper]

Over 500 fans travel to Bradford and Port Vale midweek to watch us concede 5 goals and score just 1 and both convincing defeats, absolute waste of time and not good enough.

Well done to the 286 that went. Having suffered at both Scunthorpe and Bradford, tonight was a smart move to stay at home and listen to Nick Alliker !

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

I wasn't there, but listening on the radio it was pretty obvious from the commentary, the commentators, Glenn Pennyfather and all the fans that were there that texted in, that the diamond didn't work, and we needed width on the biggest pitch in the League. We may as well have played with 2 wingers and Barnett up front, dropping Payne and Hunt to the subs bench. A few mentioned the midfield was a complete mess with Atkinson playing the ball backwards and sideways and still giving it away. They said Wordsworth was good on the ball, but useless without it. O'Neill was shocking as mentioned on here.
So onwards. Time to bring White back. Let's have another go with Loza, as he's been great when he's come on this loan spell. Let's sort this midfield out, and let Crewe feel the backlash from this defeat.

 

[rlb999]

Over 500 fans travel to Bradford and Port Vale midweek to watch us concede 5 goals and score just 1 and both convincing defeats, absolute waste of time and not good enough.

This was the sort of crap being spouted round the stadium by a few vocal fans and was the real disappointment of the evening. If it's a waste of your time don't bother coming, and if you can't handle it when your team loses a couple of games, you have a hard life ahead of you as a SUFC fan. We've gone up a league and are a work in progress at this level - results like this will happen.

As far as the match went, we lost 3-1, could have been 3-2, but 3-0 would have been a fairer reflection. We didn't get going, but frustratingly only conceded from 3 badly defended set pieces - if we could do the basics we'd have undeservedly taken some points tonight! The 4-3-3 formation suited us at home but left us very exposed here, and also too many players just had an off day - not singling them out but don't think Coker and Timlin will have had many worse games for us, as an example.

At least PB can make a load of changes for the next game - I'll have money Deegan comes back in! The first thing I'd do if he's fit is reinstate the captain.

 

[rigsby]

Just got back. Very disappointing performance after Monday.

No point in serving an ace if you double fault on the next serve. Only Barrett and Bolger deserve any credit.

 

[Ninja]

Bolger gifted them the second goal ��

 

[Benfleet Blue]

Bolger gifted them the second goal ��

It was O'Neill NOT Bolger, he headed the ball straight into the middle of the area when even leaving it would have been better

 

[jaffa1]

Two post-match comments that caught my eye ;

Phil Brown "I would hate to think we have a team of homers but the last three home games have suggested that and so have the last three away."

Noel Hunt - "I think we are best if we approach every game as an underdog. We need to stop fancy-footing it around."

Discuss.

 

[rigsby]

Bolger gifted them the second goal ��

Not sure what you mean. I haven't seen the goals yet but it was O'Neil who headed down at the far post, when he should have allowed it to run across him as there was no one behind him.

Also their announcer said the third goal was an own goal but I though it came off of Vale head. Got to say unlike us that was a very good delivery for the third, very hard to defend.

While I'm on a roll, the first goal, a near post flick on from a corner. Again would like another look but I thought Barnett could have done better as he is in that position to defend the near post. However again credit to Vale their guy came in late to attack the flick. We flicked on a couple of good JP corners in the first half, but we are to still, directly behind the flicker. Rather than attacking the six yard box as the corner is flicked.

 

[mrsblue]

Two post-match comments that caught my eye ;

Phil Brown "I would hate to think we have a team of homers but the last three home games have suggested that and so have the last three away."

Noel Hunt - "I think we are best if we approach every game as an underdog. We need to stop fancy-footing it around."

Discuss.

Good teams are IMO built on trying to play the same guys every game,Phil so far has used 28 players ,nearly 3 teams!

 

[TTS]

Good teams are IMO built on trying to play the same guys every game,Phil so far has used 28 players ,nearly 3 teams!

Damned if you do damned if you don't. PB was criticised for not making changes after the Col U game in Boxing Day and now being criticised for too many changes. Also, to be fair, our injuries in November where horrific and some players have let us down with very poor discipline .

 

[mrsblue]

Damned if you do damned if you don't. PB was criticised for not making changes after the Col U game in Boxing Day and now being criticised for too many changes. Also, to be fair, our injuries in November where horrific and some players have let us down with very poor discipline .

Take Deeg,

This guy is contracted,Phil told the press he chased and chased him because Deeg was dithering over signing here,Deeg plays then gets dropped,goes on the bench,omitted from the squad,plays then gets dropped and so on,this IMO will never aid team spirit.

Most of the squad suffers the same scenario.

Deeg could have played the maximum minutes which are 3420 , he has actually played 1136.

 

[rigsby]

Two post-match comments that caught my eye ;

Phil Brown "I would hate to think we have a team of homers but the last three home games have suggested that and so have the last three away."

Noel Hunt - "I think we are best if we approach every game as an underdog. We need to stop fancy-footing it around."

Discuss.

We were at half pace compared to Monday. Moved the ball far to slowly. Yet again looked poor when we had to chase a game.

Agree with Hunt. He actually gave Coker a right bollocking a couple of times in the first half. Sorry to upset the Coker fan club but Hunt made two good early runs into the left hand channel and Coker, who in my opinion plays for his percentages, chose not to deliver. Instead he done that annoying cut back onto his weaker right foot and passed a difficult square ball on a bobbly pitch. All our player could do is quickly hoof in the air over Hunts head.

I know we will have the usual out cry this weekend about no width. Remember on Monday we scored 3 good goals by attacking down the middle. Last night we did not use Barnett or Hunt no where near enough. If we are going to have JP pushing on at the top of the diamond we must knock some decent balls in to our front two.

Felt sorry for Hunt, the delivery up to him was shockingly poor first half, mostly over his head when he was showing in loads of space for an easy feet ball. Barnett made some good diagonal runs in the second but we took so long to pass he ran off-side.

 

[geoffmundo]

Expectations are high, but reality is another thing! I can understand after Monday nights game, but until Barnett's second it could easily have ended differently. In all my years I can only really think of one period where I expected we would turn up and win and that was our League Championship winning season 1980/81.

 

[rigsby]

Take Deeg,

This guy is contracted,Phil told the press he chased and chased him because Deeg was dithering over signing here,Deeg plays then gets dropped,goes on the bench,omitted from the squad,plays then gets dropped and so on,this IMO will never aid team spirit.

Most of the squad suffers the same scenario.

Deeg could have played the maximum minutes which are 3420 , he has actually played 1136.

Please not this early...I'm not in the mood after last night, especially as they had closed the 127 on the way home.

 

[Jay_SUFC]

Take Deeg,

This guy is contracted,Phil told the press he chased and chased him because Deeg was dithering over signing here,Deeg plays then gets dropped,goes on the bench,omitted from the squad,plays then gets dropped and so on,this IMO will never aid team spirit.

Most of the squad suffers the same scenario.

Deeg could have played the maximum minutes which are 3420 , he has actually played 1136.

Sorry, I think you'll find Deegan wasn't dropped, he was suspended TWICE and if you check, you're not allowed to play suspended players!!!

We've also had injuries which haven't helped so it's not like PB has been tinkering week in and week out

 

[TTS]

Take Deeg,

This guy is contracted,Phil told the press he chased and chased him because Deeg was dithering over signing here,Deeg plays then gets dropped,goes on the bench,omitted from the squad,plays then gets dropped and so on,this IMO will never aid team spirit.

Most of the squad suffers the same scenario.

Deeg could have played the maximum minutes which are 3420 , he has actually played 1136.

Disagree with everything here. PB has hardly "dropped" anyone this season. I would like suggest that 75% of the changes have been enforced due to injures , suspensions and end of loans. He's hardly the tinkerman. He is very vocal about players playing for the retention of the shirt and I'd say he is actually very fair with this target he sets players ! Deegan was suspended and couldn't get back in, same with Timlin , hardly helps your stats does it !

 

[mrsblue]

Sorry, I think you'll find Deegan wasn't dropped, he was suspended TWICE and if you check, you're not allowed to play suspended players!!!

We've also had injuries which haven't helped so it's not like PB has been tinkering week in and week out

So Deeg has missed 22 games through injury or suspension,never knew that,ta:winking: