Match Thread: Oxford United v Port Vale

[valeparklife]

The worry is yet again we collapse one Pett goes off. Within 6 minutes of him going off games done.

Happened last week and against Cheltenham I think it was. We need Ojo or Walker back asap if Pett can’t go the 90 at the moment.

Pett is first choice in midfield for me, people don't appreciate what he does so you are spot on.

We seem to have altered our formation to more of a 343, with 2 CM and someone "in behind" the two strikers.

I think if we're doing 2 in CM then they both need to be defensive minded. Pett is. But Conlon isn't, so the balance just isn't there for me.

[philpvfc]

9 hours ago, smithie said:

I thought Robinson offered very little and rarely got round his man/men (he was double marked on occasions). For me he's too raw to be starting.

I thought he was a lot more threatening than Benning and defended well. Forrester had a poor game but they looked a lot more dangerous down our left against Benning and Jones and I think this was partly down to Robinson covering well as Forrester just didn’t perform too well.

[valefan79]

5 minutes ago, valeparklife said:

Pett is first choice in midfield for me, people don't appreciate what he does so you are spot on.

We seem to have altered our formation to more of a 343, with 2 CM and someone "in behind" the two strikers.

I think if we're doing 2 in CM then they both need to be defensive minded. Pett is. But Conlon isn't, so the balance just isn't there for me.

For me it is not a 343 he has altered to, it's 3412 with yesterday Butterworth behind Massey and Harrison.  Everyone saying need go back to 352, this will mean the only player who can create from a central position Butterworth having to be dropped.  Butterworth is not a striker so can't play in any other formation.  We seem to have problem in that we can only play one formation which is the problem Clarke mentioned when he took over from Askey.  We do not have the players who could play 4 at the back so we are stuck with having to play the wing-back system. 

[philpvfc]

9 hours ago, Warren said:

Oxford played midweek and we didn't. He's brought back rested players. We ain't got excuses for today. But we were not physically up to it for sure. 

I have earned a couple of pints of Mad Goose for going today. I even walked to the stadium and back from the station. 

Walking to the stadium was as quick as catching the bus, cyclists were going past us.

[philpvfc]

7 hours ago, Warren said:

This is taking it a bit too far. But the demise of Stoke City in the 1980s primarily arose from the sale of Paul Bracewell to Sunderland. He was the defensive midfield player. Sometimes you don't know how good a player of that type is until you don't have them. 

Message for PV. We must have an effective defensive midfield player. Also Bracewell wasn't a big dude and so someone like Pett and Conlon can do this role.

Pett is hopeless at defending, weak in the tackle and very slow to get back and I do like Pett as a player but never for a defensive midfielder. Conlon could do the role well but my concern is he gets caught on the ball too often and far too risky if playing just in front of our defence.

[TJHValiant]

Biggest issue with the match overall is that we did nothing in the middle of the pitch. It was a barren no man’s land that they could simply wander through to attack when they liked. 

[For Us All]

15 hours ago, blackdog said:

I should know the answer to this but does anyone remember us beating a Carl Robinson team ?

He'd certainly done his homework on us,perhaps he had some inside information off his pals at Kidsgrove Athletic?

[onestepatatime]

Totally destroyed again in midfield and our defenders collectively had an off day. Coupled with the fact that nearly every decision went their way and the run of the ball was against us then otherwise it was OK!🤣

[philmpv]

Given that this is a completely different set of players to the ones that DC inherited (and which necessitated the chance to 352), how do we know that we can't play 4 at the back? Trust DC on this but given that people have been saying for 12 months that Benning is a LB and not LWB, and now we've got Forrester, surely RB may be the only issue in playing 4 at the back? Still would have the 2 in midfield though unless we played 451 which maybe makes it all pointless, and suggests to me that it's our CM that's the issue regardless of formation.

The switch to 3412 has, in my opinion, come about as DC has realised that our perceived playmaker, TC, isn't up to it, hence the need for Butterworth or Wilson to play that role.

[Rockape99]

Stevens 

Smith Forrester Jones 

Robinson Pett Conlon Ben G Wozza 

Buttercup 

Massey 

 

Wozza played LWB before plus he is 2 footed,  

No Wilson or Harrison again think this best we have on offer 

 

[philmpv]

Stevens 
Smith Forrester Jones 
Robinson Pett Conlon Ben G Wozza 
Buttercup 
Massey 
 
Wozza played LWB before plus he is 2 footed,  
No Wilson or Harrison again think this best we have on offer 
 

I'd play McDermott up front before I would ever play Massey there again. Guy is awful in that position from what I've witnessed

[philpvfc]

Looking at the highlights again, both the second and fourth were offside. Pathetic from Harrison for their first, the ref was not giving us anything so why dive?, poor from Stone for the first as well.

[ValeForever.]

Turned off at 4 but such a strange game to watch. Even at 2 nil down I felt we were in the game. We started the 2nd half well but then got done with the sucker punch of their 3rd.

We were wasteful first half. Ellis should score despite the great save, Gav should bundle it in on the line & then Mal has to hit the target from that position. To not score from that was criminal. We also should've scored from a Conlon delivery into the box straight after their 1st goal. Then with more composure, Butterworth threads someone in clean through or shoots but does neither & instead holds on to the ball & loses it.

Felt like they scored with every attack they had. Just one of those days & although we were well under par, I don't think we were as bad as some ppl have suggested. 4 nil obviously looks awful & it was a golden chance for us to really close the gap on the playoff places. Oxford weren't great, just finished their chances.

[Mellor!]

55 minutes ago, Rockape99 said:

Stevens 

Smith Forrester Jones 

Robinson Pett Conlon Ben G Wozza 

Buttercup 

Massey 

 

Wozza played LWB before plus he is 2 footed,  

No Wilson or Harrison again think this best we have on offer 

 

Might as well put a cone upfront if you're going to start Massey there

[darren1810]

1 hour ago, philmpv said:

1 hour ago, Rockape99 said:

Stevens 
Smith Forrester Jones 
Robinson Pett Conlon Ben G Wozza 
Buttercup 
Massey 
 
Wozza played LWB before plus he is 2 footed,  
No Wilson or Harrison again think this best we have on offer 
 

I'd play McDermott up front before I would ever play Massey there again. Guy is awful in that position from what I've witnessed

Don't fathom why not been on the bench . Particularly at home. Offers drive and vision. Something we lack.

Massey has done very little after appearing an excellent signing. Yesterday he was abysmal.