Match Thread: vs Port Vale (H)

[EtoileSportiveDeDerby]

7 minutes ago, Rich3478 said:

Thought ward looked fitter than most yesterday, looked quick, sprinted often and made some great tackles. Really impressed 

The analysts will be able to tell re sprints fitness etc, that's what they do. Yes I liked him too, wing back is his best position, full back not so much.

[Srg]

45 minutes ago, G STAR RAM said:

You can yes but that would completely overlook his appearance against Bradford where he showed zero interest in being on the pitch.

So where’s the difference in that than say our performance on Tuesday where no one looked bothered either? Seems to be just picking one abject performance and using it to justify it. Many players have had shockers this season and still play the next game. 

 

40 minutes ago, Crewton said:

You can criticise his handling of Ward if you like, since that's the subject of the post I was responding to. 

"Naughty step" is just one of those lazy clichés that fans use that grind my gears whenever a player doesn't feature for a while, when in reality the manager is just picking the team and squad that he thinks is the best available to him based on form, quality etc. If fans don't like the manager, they'll criticise anything he does regardless of his motives.

Fornah has showed promise at times, but you don't need to search hard to find posters here who've written him off as "another sh*t signing by Warne" when the truth may well be that Warne has taken him out of the firing line to allow him to rebuild his form and confidence - that's just as likely as the suggestion that Warne doesn't rate him and is mistreating him.

What do you believe is going on with Fornah or what have you heard?

I haven’t heard anything, other than Warne making a comment which sounded like he wanted him to be Ebou Adams and that just wasn’t who he was. So, either that’s poor scouting or we haven’t used him in the best way.

I just judge it by what I’ve seen, and that’s that he’s shown enough to contribute a lot more than he’s being asked to. 

[Ian Buxton's Bat]

3 hours ago, baiano27 said:

There was nothing wrong with their keeper. This is a loophole in the rules that needs fixing. As its the only position that doesnt require the player to stay off the field for 30 seconds he went down so Darren Moore could make tactical changes. Their outfield players all sprinted off to the half way line immediately when the the ref stopped play and surprise surprise they are much better for the next 10 minutes.

 

Agree.

And it’s exactly what Wildsmith should have done shortly after half time against both Barnsley and Charlton to break up the game and stop the momentum. 

Anyone understand the 30 sec delay rule fully?

At one point yesterday, there was a collision where their player remained on the pitch and ours was off the pitch. Both were tended to by physios, both had to wait 30 sec to come on.

Should it have applied to the player who was off the pitch?

[Comrade 86]

7 minutes ago, Srg said:

I just judge it by what I’ve seen, and that’s that he’s shown enough to contribute a lot more than he’s being asked to. 

In place of whom?

[Srg]

6 minutes ago, Comrade 86 said:

In place of whom?

I’m not exactly asking him to playing 90 minutes every week. We’ve just had Hourihane (who’s legs have gone, let’s face it) out injured for a few games and he’s not played a minute. Seems ridiculous to me when we so often lack energy and athleticism. 

[ilkleyram]

3 hours ago, Mucker1884 said:

Having spent the first half getting a good view of all of Ward's input in that NE corner, I'd already earmarked him as MOTM... A first for me, due to a lousy attention span and lack of footy knowledge!  I just don't normally even consider a MOTM!
My smugness knew no bounds, as it was announced on the PA later.  "Wow!  I actually do know stuff", I thought to myself.  I literally skipped home!  😁
Then I come on here.  No other player gets a mention on that topic.  It's as if it was a no-brainer.  A one horse race.  Clear for all to see.  Even for the dumbest of fans. 🙄
Needless to say, my smugness has diminished somewhat, and I'm back to conceding I know f all... but it felt great for that hour or so!

Still, at least my blind faith 3-0 prediction held good.  I'm on a roll!  💪
Next week, I may even get involved in pre-match line-ups and tactics!  😲

 👀🤣

 

Well just so long as you didn’t skip home along the cycle path outside Costco. That would have been very annoying to the hundreds of bell ringers that use it. 

[Srg]

9 minutes ago, Ian Buxton's Bat said:

Agree.

And it’s exactly what Wildsmith should have done shortly after half time against both Barnsley and Charlton to break up the game and stop the momentum. 

Anyone understand the 30 sec delay rule fully?

At one point yesterday, there was a collision where their player remained on the pitch and ours was off the pitch. Both were tended to by physios, both had to wait 30 sec to come on.

Should it have applied to the player who was off the pitch?

Think the rule these days is you can stay on the pitch after treatment if it’s resulting from a bookable challenge. 

but yeah, these rules need changing. Can’t use a feigned goalkeeper injury as a team talk time out. Stop players all going over to the sideline like that. 

[kevinhectoring]

1 hour ago, Crewton said:

Naughty step?? A freak injury kept him out for a long time and since he recovered from that, he's been left out of precisely 3 matchday squads, the last two due to a groin injury. When he did get back in the team, his performances were patchy. Two clumsy challenges that gave away costly (and harsh imv) penalties got the crowd on his back at PP and on here. He's made 12 appearances in the 20 games he's been available for selection since that nasty heel injury, but it's only in his last couple of starts that he really seems to have got up to speed again. It's a welcome development which doesn't warrant the thinly-veiled criticism of Warne on a premise that you appear to have imagined.

there was nothing veiled about my criticism of Warne. IMO, if we want to watch decent effective football, Ward should be in or close to the starting XI.  And his defensive frailties need not be exposed if he is given the right role, especially now we have Adams. Been saying it for many weeks. 

[Comrade 86]

2 minutes ago, Srg said:

I’m not exactly asking him to playing 90 minutes every week. We’ve just had Hourihane (who’s legs have gone, let’s face it) out injured for a few games and he’s not played a minute. Seems ridiculous to me when we so often lack energy and athleticism. 

Fair enough, but I'd call that a significant overstatement and if comments around his attitude are even partially true, perhaps a large portion of the blame belongs at his feet, rather than exclusively at Warne's. 

[Sparkle]

15 hours ago, Anag Ram said:

Is Sibley claiming that first goal? Was going wide til their defender knocked it in.

His second was nice 

It was swerving in honest 👍

[On the Ram Page]

43 minutes ago, EranioIsGod said:

A solid, comfortable performance. 

On a side note, impressed yet again with Sunny Singh Gill, let the game flow and not made it about him. He's welcome to ref at Pride Park any time. 

Agreed on Referee. Compare and contrast with Jeremy Simpson! Yesterday was composed, not fussy, and got nearly everything right (despit couple of iffy Lino’s) Well done ref.

[Sparkle]

14 hours ago, Topram said:

Played well today and going 1-0 up so early we carried on going for them which was good too see, could of been a cricket score if we kept going, not sure who was worse them or Exeter 

Northampton on the day were rubbish 👍

[G STAR RAM]

29 minutes ago, Srg said:

So where’s the difference in that than say our performance on Tuesday where no one looked bothered either? Seems to be just picking one abject performance and using it to justify it. Many players have had shockers this season and still play the next game. 

I didn't see Tuesday being down to lack of effort, just very sloppy play.

Fornahs performance against was Bradford was just complete lack of effort.

[Crewton]

5 minutes ago, kevinhectoring said:

there was nothing veiled about my criticism of Warne. IMO, if we want to watch decent effective football, Ward should be in or close to the starting XI.  And his defensive frailties need not be exposed if he is given the right role, especially now we have Adams. Been saying it for many weeks. 

Like I said, he's only been missing from 3 of our matchday squads since returning from his heel injury, and two of those were because he had a groin strain. So he's been either in the team or in the squad every time he's not been injured.

[Sparkle]

Another problem for Ward is that NML should be starting ahead of him as the attacking midfielder and Wilson has done well at times when he has had a chance but defensively at right back it should be Nyambe all day long which is 4 players who should be looking to occupy 2 spots in a balanced side whilst we have looked ropey on the left hand side to frequently this season 

[kevinhectoring]

4 hours ago, Comrade 86 said:

Only a suggested as a starter by two posters yesterday. You weren't either of them. Of those who did pick him in their suggested line ups before the game, at least one of them (yours truly), did so only because Nyambe is injured.

Two questions; do you suppose that Nyambe's form might also have had something to do with Joe's limited starts? And in regards to your 'we've paid the price' comment, what is this 'price/ you claim we've paid?

Don’t blame you for not reading my posts ( I should thank you for not having me on ignore.) But if you’d seen my posts you’d see I’ve been saying for ages Ward should be used more (including after the two dropped bollicks). Most recent was a recent reply to ghostofclough who was saying the same thing in the Charlton match day thread.  
 

I like Nyambe and yes team selection is difficult because we’ve got a good squad now.  But that’s exacerbated by the flip flop approach to formation which imo is difficult for the players.
 

The price we’ve paid is that we’re not going into the last stretch with an established set up and the ability to play consistently good football. And possibly we’ve paid in points as well but who knows. 
 

I fear team selection rests too much on issues of personality and not enough on good analysis of football- based criteria. Indeed Warne has in the past boasted that his recruitment follows the same approach 
 

 

Edited March 3 by kevinhectoring

[Addingham Ram]

37 minutes ago, Srg said:

Think the rule these days is you can stay on the pitch after treatment if it’s resulting from a bookable challenge. 

but yeah, these rules need changing. Can’t use a feigned goalkeeper injury as a team talk time out. Stop players all going over to the sideline like that. 

I've long thought that perhaps the management team should be based away from the touchline, like you sometimes see in Rugby League (I think).

It would stop a lot of the current shenanigans involving managers and indeed the fourth official.

Surely a manager / head coach would also benefit from a decent view up in the stands somewhere.

[Comrade 86]

6 minutes ago, kevinhectoring said:

Don’t blame you for not reading my posts ( I should thank you for not having me on ignore.) But if you’d seen my posts you’d see I’ve been saying for ages Ward should be used more (including after the two dropped bollicks). Most recent was a recent reply to ghostofclough who was saying the same thing in the Charlton match day thread.  
 

I like Nyambe and yes team selection is difficult because we’ve got a good squad now.  But that’s exacerbated by the flip flop approach to formation which imo is difficult for the players.
 

The price we’ve paid is that we’re not going into the last stretch with an established set up and the ability to play consistently good football. And possibly we’ve paid in points as well but who knows. 
 

I fear team selection rests too much on issues of personality and not enough on good analysis of football- based criteria. Indeed Warne has in the past boasted that his recruitment follows the same approach 
 

 

Fair enough mate, though we're miles apart on the last two paragraphs. I remain hopeful irrespective and ultimately Warne will be judged on what he achieves, or fails to, nothing else. Ii seems to me that opinions at either extreme are fairly entrenched now and whatever happens, I think it's clear that rightly or wrongly, Warne will always polarise opinion.

[Mucker1884]

46 minutes ago, ilkleyram said:

Well just so long as you didn’t skip home along the cycle path outside Costco. That would have been very annoying to the hundreds of bell ringers that use it. 

No chance!  I was that skippety, I went straight down the middle of the road (Chequers Road, not the A52!).
It all got a bit parpy, but feckem!    🤣

[angieram]

The Ward v Nyambe debate is a bit superfluous while Nyambe is injured, but for me it's about Warne making the right choices.

In games where we need to be on the offensive then Ward is perfect. Backs against the wall, I'd want Nyambe there every time.