For me it was a thoroughly deserved draw. Vale largely dominated the first half as the half time stats on the scoreboard indicated though Ripley did push one around the post for their ONLY corner of the game. Lowe came desperately close to scoring just before we did. I’m not going to pretend I shouted ‘pen’ before the Asst Ref flagged vigorously. Butler reacted as though no pen but for a player to do that is hardly unknown!
Is there something in the nature of Potteries folk (I am one, born and bred) which produces a pessimistic character and accentuates the negative? I am obviously generalising here but it is as a result of reading comments on messageboards and listening to Praise and Grumble (especially one caller who shall be nameless). For some if we win (as in early season) it is because Vale were lucky and if we lose it is fully deserved because we were rubbish. I have also noticed in some a wish to be correct in their dire forecasts. I might predict a 3-0 defeat at Peterborough on Tuesday but I want to be wrong. I am very odd perhaps in wanting Vale to win, however lucky we are. Some thoughts on this tendency to be half-empty all the time please? Surely I am not alone in detecting this. Anyone fancy doing their PhD on this subject including analysing if it is a national or merely local tendency?
My afternoon started in exciting fashion. My season tkt for the Railway Stand allowed me access in the usual way but immediately shut me in, unable to go back or forward! The Steward was unsure how to release me. He tried to use my season tkt again but it said it had already been used, unsurprisingly. I thought they’d have to fetch a hoist or the Fire Brigade. Then I remembered I also had with me the season tkt belonging our great mate Dave Picken, passed it to the Steward who let me in! Why wasn’t Dave there. Pathetic excuse I know but Dave just happens to live near Melbourne, not Derbyshire but Australia. Yes, Middleport born Dave still loyally buys a Vale season tkt as he wants to contribute from afar. My loving wife took a picture of me locked in the turnstile. Signed copies will be available shortly!
After yesterday I have attended 42.2 Vale games. 0.2? Well, I did see the 16 mins at Reading so I count that as 0.2 of a game! Frighteningly, had I been locked inside that turnstile for the whole game it would only have been 41.2 games. Relief!
Thanks Kevin. I agree with all that but, talking about defending, I think Kacper Lopata looks a good signing already. Hopefully his injury is not too serious.
For probably the only time in my life I’ve got to agree with Steve Evans.
They really should’ve scored again, and the penalty was soft.
But….. there was much more endeavour, and it’s as easy as putting a ball into the box to create ( the pen and the chance near the end) something we’ve barely done this season.
Posh away feels like a write off already, 3 big games after.
Cheers Alastair. I know what you mean about Posh away but they have lost their last three so a good time to play them/ we’ll be on the end of a backlash depending on how you look at it.
Vale should have had a penalty before they did, as Baylee was pushed to the ground as the ball came through to Lowe who then had a shot saved. Better performance but that is twice that we have outplayed Stevenage in the first half only for them to make changes and outplay us second half, they did it in the FA Cup replay.
Defo a get out of jail moment at the end. All in all I think we probably deserved a point. You can tell the players have worked on different things in training. And at times it seemed to work, but we had the same frailties at the back again. Poor defending for both their goals. You know what you’re going to get from an Evans team, and when they changed at half time we seemed to get bullied by them at times. But for the first time in weeks we showed some resilience as a team. It seemed to me that a lot of the teams around us had the thing we lacked, some fight in them to escape the drop, but maybe just maybe we do have some battle in us. It’s going to be a tough game on Tuesday, but they got hammered on Saturday, so who knows.
We need to sort the manager out quickly, and Darren Moore would be a great fit.
I don’t know if he’d be interested in the job James but he’s certainly been complimentary about Vale lately. I half expected him to ring Praise and Grumble.
Before they made the 3 subs at half time it was like a busy logistics office around their dugout. Laptops out Evans his assistant and others pointing out on their screens what they had spotted and what they wanted of their 3 subs. I just wished we reacted a bit quicker to their changes.
Great to see Lopata waving his crutches in celebration at the equaliser, considering he's only been with us for a couple of weeks. And I thought Dan Jones did well when he came on. An encouraging game after all the doom and gloom of the past few weeks.
Cheers Phil. Rhys was on the bench but he does seem to have dropped down the pecking order a bit. I don’t know if that’s related to his contract but more likely they have just gone with experience. I thought Jason Lowe did pretty well in midfield. Yes, good to see Dan Jones back. Looks like he’s ahead of Alex Iacovitti for that spot on the left of the back three now.
Their commentators were adamant that both booked fouls on Chis were dives. Generally they gave off a lot of ##teamslikeportvale action, at one point not knowing which town they were in. Talk about delusions of grandeur.
On the pitch much better effort and fight. Still don't think the back 3 works, we're too easy to get at down the wings. Clark hopefully back soon would help.
Cheers Rob. I can see why Chis would wind up opposition fans...and I mean that as a compliment. I thought he had a good game. Agree about the performance. More of the same would give us a chance at Peterborough and then next Saturday at Cheltenham looks massive doesn't it?
Did enough to win that again poor defending cost us , next Saturday could well define our season . We need to work on sloppy defensive errors that cost us week in week out , but the owners chose not to back the previous manager in the window and our league one status will hang by a thread no matter who is manager, and the supporters have voted with there feet
Cheltenham away looks a huge game doesn’t it Gary? Their win yesterday gives them a chance of staying up after having no chance before Darrell Clarke was appointed. Better news is Charlton are on an awful run so well within range for us.
For me it was a thoroughly deserved draw. Vale largely dominated the first half as the half time stats on the scoreboard indicated though Ripley did push one around the post for their ONLY corner of the game. Lowe came desperately close to scoring just before we did. I’m not going to pretend I shouted ‘pen’ before the Asst Ref flagged vigorously. Butler reacted as though no pen but for a player to do that is hardly unknown!
Is there something in the nature of Potteries folk (I am one, born and bred) which produces a pessimistic character and accentuates the negative? I am obviously generalising here but it is as a result of reading comments on messageboards and listening to Praise and Grumble (especially one caller who shall be nameless). For some if we win (as in early season) it is because Vale were lucky and if we lose it is fully deserved because we were rubbish. I have also noticed in some a wish to be correct in their dire forecasts. I might predict a 3-0 defeat at Peterborough on Tuesday but I want to be wrong. I am very odd perhaps in wanting Vale to win, however lucky we are. Some thoughts on this tendency to be half-empty all the time please? Surely I am not alone in detecting this. Anyone fancy doing their PhD on this subject including analysing if it is a national or merely local tendency?
My afternoon started in exciting fashion. My season tkt for the Railway Stand allowed me access in the usual way but immediately shut me in, unable to go back or forward! The Steward was unsure how to release me. He tried to use my season tkt again but it said it had already been used, unsurprisingly. I thought they’d have to fetch a hoist or the Fire Brigade. Then I remembered I also had with me the season tkt belonging our great mate Dave Picken, passed it to the Steward who let me in! Why wasn’t Dave there. Pathetic excuse I know but Dave just happens to live near Melbourne, not Derbyshire but Australia. Yes, Middleport born Dave still loyally buys a Vale season tkt as he wants to contribute from afar. My loving wife took a picture of me locked in the turnstile. Signed copies will be available shortly!
Eddie
I’m glad they let you out Eddie, although a ‘free Eddie Jackson’ campaign would have been a nice feature for the newsletter.
After yesterday I have attended 42.2 Vale games. 0.2? Well, I did see the 16 mins at Reading so I count that as 0.2 of a game! Frighteningly, had I been locked inside that turnstile for the whole game it would only have been 41.2 games. Relief!
Eddie
A good gritty performance and a deserved draw but once again the achilles heal of defending poorly could come to haunt us🤔
So who ever the new manager is needs to put a plan in place to try and rectify this on going problem
Thanks Kevin. I agree with all that but, talking about defending, I think Kacper Lopata looks a good signing already. Hopefully his injury is not too serious.
Yes he was outstanding Mike I put him down for my MOTM
We got out of jail there.
For probably the only time in my life I’ve got to agree with Steve Evans.
They really should’ve scored again, and the penalty was soft.
But….. there was much more endeavour, and it’s as easy as putting a ball into the box to create ( the pen and the chance near the end) something we’ve barely done this season.
Posh away feels like a write off already, 3 big games after.
Cheers Alastair. I know what you mean about Posh away but they have lost their last three so a good time to play them/ we’ll be on the end of a backlash depending on how you look at it.
Vale should have had a penalty before they did, as Baylee was pushed to the ground as the ball came through to Lowe who then had a shot saved. Better performance but that is twice that we have outplayed Stevenage in the first half only for them to make changes and outplay us second half, they did it in the FA Cup replay.
Defo a get out of jail moment at the end. All in all I think we probably deserved a point. You can tell the players have worked on different things in training. And at times it seemed to work, but we had the same frailties at the back again. Poor defending for both their goals. You know what you’re going to get from an Evans team, and when they changed at half time we seemed to get bullied by them at times. But for the first time in weeks we showed some resilience as a team. It seemed to me that a lot of the teams around us had the thing we lacked, some fight in them to escape the drop, but maybe just maybe we do have some battle in us. It’s going to be a tough game on Tuesday, but they got hammered on Saturday, so who knows.
We need to sort the manager out quickly, and Darren Moore would be a great fit.
Great summary Scott.
Unexpected ‘kindly’ comments from Mr Evans. Does he fancy the job? 🤷🏻♂️
I don’t know if he’d be interested in the job James but he’s certainly been complimentary about Vale lately. I half expected him to ring Praise and Grumble.
Mike
Before they made the 3 subs at half time it was like a busy logistics office around their dugout. Laptops out Evans his assistant and others pointing out on their screens what they had spotted and what they wanted of their 3 subs. I just wished we reacted a bit quicker to their changes.
If fans and players stick together like throughout this match we have every chance of staying up.
Simple target ... match the results of the three below us and better Charlton by just one point.
Doesn't sound difficult when you say it like that.
Spot on Dave. Five wins and four draws from the last 17 games should do it.
Great to see Lopata waving his crutches in celebration at the equaliser, considering he's only been with us for a couple of weeks. And I thought Dan Jones did well when he came on. An encouraging game after all the doom and gloom of the past few weeks.
Completely agree Steph. Hopefully Lopata’s injury isn’t too serious.
Hi Mike, what has happened to Rhys Walters, he seems to have dropped down the pecking order.
I thought Dan Jones played well when he came on ,he seems to be able to play decent balls to the forwards and his long throw is a bonus.
The Polish lad looks a good signing,just hope is injury is not to bad.
Cheers Phil. Rhys was on the bench but he does seem to have dropped down the pecking order a bit. I don’t know if that’s related to his contract but more likely they have just gone with experience. I thought Jason Lowe did pretty well in midfield. Yes, good to see Dan Jones back. Looks like he’s ahead of Alex Iacovitti for that spot on the left of the back three now.
Their commentators were adamant that both booked fouls on Chis were dives. Generally they gave off a lot of ##teamslikeportvale action, at one point not knowing which town they were in. Talk about delusions of grandeur.
On the pitch much better effort and fight. Still don't think the back 3 works, we're too easy to get at down the wings. Clark hopefully back soon would help.
Cheers Rob. I can see why Chis would wind up opposition fans...and I mean that as a compliment. I thought he had a good game. Agree about the performance. More of the same would give us a chance at Peterborough and then next Saturday at Cheltenham looks massive doesn't it?
Good day for some ex vale lads not Procter, charsley, class scored benning assist UTV
Thanks Glenn, much appreciated. I'll look those up for tomorrow's round up!
Did enough to win that again poor defending cost us , next Saturday could well define our season . We need to work on sloppy defensive errors that cost us week in week out , but the owners chose not to back the previous manager in the window and our league one status will hang by a thread no matter who is manager, and the supporters have voted with there feet
Cheltenham away looks a huge game doesn’t it Gary? Their win yesterday gives them a chance of staying up after having no chance before Darrell Clarke was appointed. Better news is Charlton are on an awful run so well within range for us.
Never a good word to say about Vale diabolical man