Highlights v Port Vale

[url]http://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/competitions/league-two/11071436/port-vale-1-2-grimsby[/url]

Well taken header by Jones, and the pass for Dembele is sublime.  He nearly didn't get the ball out of his feet, probably not expecting it.

Sam Jones is a good goal scorer, true gem found by Bignot, didn't Jones play under Aspin at Gateshead? Amazing goal by Dembele, Summerfield also was excellent there, glorious goal.

Love the way Dembele points to where he wants the ball before Summerfield releases it. UTM

I did not understand the concern of the fans in the 1st half,

We were lulling them into a false sense of security,

Slade's cunning plan.  

there may have been one already this season but if there has i cant remember it........a goal from a weighted through ball onto a striker !!!
At last !!

I didn't go today but looks like good football in the build up to the second.

Great header by Jones. Great pass through for Dembele.

Definite bump on Macca to stop him from getting that high ball. Whether intentional or not I wouldn't like to say.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Great header by Jones. Great pass through for Dembele.

Definite bump on Macca to stop him from getting that high ball. Whether intentional or not I wouldn't like to say.

[url=https://postimg.org/image/6as530wkvv/][img]https://s1.postimg.org/6as530wkvv/you_wouldnt_let_it_lie.png[/img][/url]

Is that Iniesta or Summerfield playing the ball through for Dembele?

Quoted from moosey_club

there may have been one already this season but if there has i cant remember it........a goal from a weighted through ball onto a striker !!!
At last !!

First game of the season away at Chesterfield - Dembele plays a peach of a through ball for Jones to score.

I think, the question a lot of us are asking is - why don't we try to play this way more often? A little bit of football, and we can look good.

I get a strong feeling that us fans feel these players are all capable of playing good football on the ground for League 2 standards, but for whatever reason Slade seems to want them to play more direct (at least that's the impression).

We know how much Slade values set pieces. I wouldn't disagree with him - I just think this team could attempt to keep the ball on the floor more during open play and still take advantage at set pieces.

Not sure how everyone else is feeling tonight but, for me at least, it feels like we've turned a bit of a corner. Vale were poor, for sure, but we saw a fightback from the players and they went about their business in the right way.

Out of interest when was the last time we won after being behind!?

Quoted from Mariner Timsky

Out of interest when was the last time we won after being behind!?

Carlisle away last season according to the radio.

Quoted from Mariner Timsky

Out of interest when was the last time we won after being behind!?

Carlisle away last season?

Quoted from RichMariner

I get a strong feeling that us fans feel these players are all capable of playing good football on the ground for League 2 standards, but for whatever reason Slade seems to want them to play more direct (at least that's the impression).

We know how much Slade values set pieces. I wouldn't disagree with him - I just think this team could attempt to keep the ball on the floor more during open play and still take advantage at set pieces.

Not sure how everyone else is feeling tonight but, for me at least, it feels like we've turned a bit of a corner. Vale were poor, for sure, but we saw a fightback from the players and they went about their business in the right way.

But sometimes you have to battle to earn the right to play. Vale are a big side and were going to come at us at a 100 miles an hour. In those circumstances, often the only way is to clear your lines with a big boot. League 2 football is a bit agricultural at times but i do think we have the players to cause problems once the game settles down and we have a bit more space and time to play. The same happened at Newport, when we were better second half but didn't get a goal back.

I haven't seen many (any?) silky teams in this league and i think most teams play the same way in League 2. Play football when circumstances allow, but battle when you have to. If that means getting the ball up the other end and out of arms way quickly, then that is how it will be. As long as we keep moving in the right direction, that's the important thing and we are already opening up a big gap between us and the bottom end. I still think there is more to come from this side and i say that as someone who isn't a big fan of Slade.

Exeter play the ball on the deck when they get the opportunity and look how they're doing. Just missed out on promotion last year now right up their this year.

Can see both sides of this luckily Slade has players that can mix it and should be able to cover both tactics. Sometimes route one seems the best option but with wide men and a decent midfield e have the best of both worlds. With our defence this maybe our saviour.

Quoted from Mrs Doyle

Can see both sides of this luckily Slade has players that can mix it and should be able to cover both tactics. Sometimes route one seems the best option but with wide men and a decent midfield e have the best of both worlds. With our defence this maybe our saviour.

Do we though, we looked absolute cack in the first half and later on with Matt on his own up front we started hoofing it and it came right back putting us under pressure.

Quoted from lukeo

Exeter play the ball on the deck when they get the opportunity and look how they're doing. Just missed out on promotion last year now right up their this year.

They've also got the luxury of a manager who has been there for nearly 12 years.

Quoted from mariner91

They've also got the luxury of a manager who has been there for nearly 12 years.

Well 12 year’s ago Russell Slade was our manager, whatever happened to him ?
😂

Quoted from Mrs Doyle

Can see both sides of this luckily Slade has players that can mix it and should be able to cover both tactics. Sometimes route one seems the best option but with wide men and a decent midfield e have the best of both worlds. With our defence this maybe our saviour.

I think it was Nathan Clarke yesterday in interview that was challenged by Radio (not) Hull to..." are you a long ball side ?" ... his response was along the lines of ;
NO ! ...we have ball players but first 15 mins or so the game plan is we hoof the ball (he said a different word but cant recall the actual word he used) into areas, channels etc ( ermmmm thats hoofing it Nathan ..) and then later into the game we start to play it,,but we definatley dont just hoof ( or other word) it, !!

Got the impression that half the camp want to play and half the camp will follow orders.

Hoof it into the space behind the defence will drop them back a few yards and give you space in middle BUT the opposition will have the ball and have plenty of room to move into.
Jesus just play football, he have the players to do so. Knock it about, get it out wide, whip in a cross.

Tactics like that and Guardiolla better start looking for a new job!!

Quoted from lukeo

Hoof it into the space behind the defence will drop them back a few yards and give you space in middle BUT the opposition will have the ball and have plenty of room to move into.
Jesus just play football, he have the players to do so. Knock it about, get it out wide, whip in a cross.

Which is what we did well yesterday!

Personally I don't want to see us over playing at the back and prefer to see us play in the final third. Only lost once in the last 6 games yet to listen to Pep sonofmadeley you certainly wouldn't think so!

Further to my earlier comment that it looked like we’d convinced Andres Iniesta reject a lifetime contract at Barcelona and join Town - I see Andrea Pirlo has announced his retirement today. Coincidence? I think not.

I remember listening to Sam Allardyce.

He said its not just hoof ball, its hitting it forward into space, so you can clear your lines and get forward and out of danger.

Passing around in your own half is achieving nothing and just putting you in danger incase of a small simple mistake, like a slip.. (gerrard for example)

We don't have the luxury of ball playing defenders like you see on the TV...

Thats the problem, too many people see football on TV, and these are played by players that earn 100k a week and are world class.

Our players are not world class, they are not millionaires...

Reality check is needed at times to remember we are in the 4th tier of english football

I'm always quite pleased when we play a team who are confident to try and pass it around at the back. At our level, you're invariably going to be given one or two chances by these teams given the limitations of the players.

Obviously, this wasn't quite the case against, say, Portsmouth last season, but they were paying higher division wages and therefore had higher division players who are more capable.

Ultimately, pass the ball if you've got the time and the space, but don't end up going side to side for the sake of it if it means you're just going to end up passing it back for the keeper to whack upfield. You'd be better off chipping the ball up the line or into one of the corners in this situation. Too often, we try to pass the ball when there isn't really the opportunity to do so (considering the ability of our players) and end up slicing attempted clearances into touch when hurried.

Ok so it’s hoofball when we lose and clever long passes when we win right? 🤔😉

Exactly.  

Obviously, we'd all like to see more passing, especially when we get the ball in midfield, but longer balls forward are sometimes necessary and I'd like us to see us be a bit better with this. In particular, we know Macca isn't the most accurate kicker of the ball so I'd much rather see the full-back or central defender knock the ball forwards (assuming they have the time and opportunity to do so) instead of passing it back another 20 or 30 yards for Macca to whack forwards.

It shouldn't need to be said, but hitting a long ball towards Dembele should only be attempted if it can be put over the defender's head in to space or into Dembele's feet. He's game and will attempt to win the aerial challenges but he's on a hiding to nothing given his diminutive size!

Quoted from RichMariner

I get a strong feeling that us fans feel these players are all capable of playing good football on the ground for League 2 standards, but for whatever reason Slade seems to want them to play more direct (at least that's the impression).

We know how much Slade values set pieces. I wouldn't disagree with him - I just think this team could attempt to keep the ball on the floor more during open play and still take advantage at set pieces.

Not sure how everyone else is feeling tonight but, for me at least, it feels like we've turned a bit of a corner. Vale were poor, for sure, but we saw a fightback from the players and they went about their business in the right way.

Danny Collins mentioned this in his interview with Matt Dean- Said something about playing a long ball for the first 15 to tire the opposition then moving it to the floor...

Quoted from Maringer

I'm always quite pleased when we play a team who are confident to try and pass it around at the back. At our level, you're invariably going to be given one or two chances by these teams given the limitations of the players.

Obviously, this wasn't quite the case against, say, Portsmouth last season, but they were paying higher division wages and therefore had higher division players who are more capable.

Ultimately, pass the ball if you've got the time and the space, but don't end up going side to side for the sake of it if it means you're just going to end up passing it back for the keeper to whack upfield. You'd be better off chipping the ball up the line or into one of the corners in this situation. Too often, we try to pass the ball when there isn't really the opportunity to do so (considering the ability of our players) and end up slicing attempted clearances into touch when hurried.

Accrington play this game, of passing it out to defenders. When we played them their keeper was always looking for a short channel to pass to. The problem is that there is so little time on the ball in League 2 that as you say there are limitations and chances go to the opposition. I watched the channel 5 highlights from the League the other day and many teams in L1 and L2 are fairly direct in terms of boosting (or hoofing) into the channels, so maybe theres something in it??

I am sure that during 90 minutes of the game a professional footballer can make a few passes to feet but, the majority of the time you will get a hoof as that is what they are comfortable with.

I was particularly happy for Summerfield pass. He's had some right stick off the fans this season. Out of order.