Vale v Swindon

[Indian Dan]

Got a lot of time for Vale as a club. Now Smurf-less they should be on the rise.

Going to be a toughie for us, I reckon, but we are playing so well at the moment I expect to win every game.

I’ll go for a 2-2 ding dong game to warm everyone up. Everybody bangs on about Doyle - and rightly so - but Anthony Grant is virtually MOM every game for me. Immense. Last couple of games opposition players have tried to rile him and he’s on a bit of a short fuse at the moment.

 

[kieran_vale]

Doesn’t get any harder than this particularly as Swindon have a very good record against us. The one thing that gives me some confidence is this season we have saved our best performances for the top sides in the league.

Would take a draw. Though we haven’t won for a couple our last two performances have been decent enough. Just need to cut out the silly individual errors. If we don’t then Swindon will punish us with the quality they have.

Hopefully our fans resist the urge to boo Grant. I know he didn’t leave under the happiest of circumstances but let’s be honest it was Smurthwaite he was dealing with so can understand things from his perspective. Also I think it will only have the effect of making him play better. Not surprised in the least he’s been a key part of Swindon’s success this year.

 

[darren gregory]

Well we welcome our bogey side.
Luckily we play better against the better sides and have some good victories over a good number of the top 7 or 8.
Last season Swindon were horrible, I expect a totally different team this time.
A big welcome ( from me ) to Grant. One of the best midfield players at Vale in the last decade. His sale along with Alnwick was solely responsible for relegation from League one.
Strangely a lot of Vale fans were critical of him during his time with us. No idea why as he was class and ran the show on umpteen occasions.
Play how we did against Cheltenham and we will get something.
I'll go for a 1-1 draw .
Then after tomorrow we play the current bottom 3 , so all Vale fans know what that means .

 

[valefan16]

You could argue we should be more confident against Swindon than Morecambe such has our results been this season! Beaten Crewe, FGR, Cheltenham (Cup), Plymouth and Bradford yet two wins against the bottom ten sides!

Tough though, even when Swindon are shit they always seem to beat us let alone when they are top!

Two years ago we faced Luton at home who were flying and had just hit 5 (May have been Swindon) the game before and we battered them 4-0... a repeat would be nice! Think we will do well to get a point though and may just fall short 1-2.

 

[Indian Dan]

Be a cracker, I reckon. Looking forward to it.

We’ve sold 500+ so with PotD should be a decent following

 

[Andy Proctor]

527 is the figure I saw Swindon had pre sold. I cant attend this game as I'm going the hospital for a back scan. I'm quite pleased to be missing this game as we always lose against Swindon I dont think I've ever seen us beat them the one time we did beat them I didnt go the game.
I can see this being a easy away win something like 2 nil or 3 1 all you got do is target our full backs who are crap defensively and your in everytime.

 

[denzel ecfc]

The one thing that gives me some confidence is this season we have saved our best performances for the top sides in the league.

Cough

 

[Randolph Haggerty]

Swindon have decided they no longer want to play in this division, which is good news for us.
In the last 20 years we can’t have been apart more than 3 seasons.
That’s a complete guess, it just seems that way.
We’re certainly not the finished article, but we’re getting there.
We did well against Cheltenham, and could’ve won.
If that’s the case at the end of this game I think i’ll be happy.
They just seem to winning comfortably though at the minute, and I think they’ll win this, I just hope we give them a game.
Grant comes across as a bit of knob, but I thought he was a great player.
I never boo ex players, just winds them up to perform better.
Looking forward to leaving the house for the first time in what seems like forever

 

[valefan16]

Cough

To be fair we had to play a pretty much EFL trophy XI for that!

 

[LS Bantam]

Hope you all stay to clap Doyle off in his last game...
*shifty eyes emoji*

 

[E10rifle]

I cant attend this game as I'm going the hospital for a back scan.

Well, the doctor did say this would happen if you kept punching your laptop every time you offered out a keyboard warrior.

 

[Indian Dan]

Hope you all stay to clap Doyle off in his last game...
*shifty eyes emoji*

Surely he can play until you decide to recall him - or not. He’s on a season long loan so he’ll play at Plymouth New Years Day.

 

[LS Bantam]

Surely he can play until you decide to recall him - or not. He’s on a season long loan so he’ll play at Plymouth New Years Day.

I’m hoping the phone call to bring him back is made whilst Jools Holland is still on just after midnight.

 

[Indian Dan]

I’m hoping the phone call to bring him back is made whilst Jools Holland is still on just after midnight.

Make sure you’re full of ale - it’ll numb your disappointment!

 

[Chris FGR]

Swindon losing Doyle would end their promotion challenge on the spot. They'll pay whatever it takes to keep him I reckon.

 

[Indian Dan]

Swindon losing Doyle would end their promotion challenge on the spot. They'll pay whatever it takes to keep him I reckon.

What bollocks

 

[Chris FGR]

Is it? Prove it then.

 

[Indian Dan]

You don’t think Doyle creates all his own chances, do you? Any competent striker would score - not 1 in 1 admittedly - with the chances we create.

Take Doyle out and we still have L2’s top scorer in Jerry Yates.

You’re clutching at straws.

 

[Chris FGR]

Prolific strikers don't grow on trees, it's amazing the difference one can make. It's like Liverpool when they had Suarez, with him they were unlucky not to win the league, without him they finished 8th and got beat 6-1 at Stoke.

Yates is on loan too isn't he? Maybe Rovram will recall him as well? Would make sense given how well he's doing.

Then all you'd have up front is Woolery. You can have McCoulsky if you ask nicely though. He'd be an excellent Doyle replacement imo.

 

[Di Phelpsio]

FGR fans are so salty. You should probably be focusing more on ending your winless run rather than trying to appear knowledgeable about our striking options.

Truth be told, it's all mere speculation until deadline day. Doyle and Yates could both no longer be at Swindon, I highly doubt any Doyle replacement will reach anywhere near the numbers he's posted so far this season. But to conclude that our promotion challenge ends instantly the moment Doyle goes? Just a bit silly isn't it... It's not like we will witness both depart and decide well that's just Kaiyne up top for the rest of the season....

 

[valefan16]

Although I’m sure they will put a brave face on it Bradford colossally messed up loaning Doyle to Swindon... imagine if they finish 4th and Swindon make the top 3 knocking you’d give them a huge leg up. I’d be seething if Vale did that!

Swindon seem to have goals from everywhere so although they may not post the level of points in the first half of the season I’m sure with the gap they’ve opened up they’d see it through.

Smith has been excellent of late and we best hope he is again today!

 

[Indian Dan]

Prolific strikers don't grow on trees, it's amazing the difference one can make. It's like Liverpool when they had Suarez, with him they were unlucky not to win the league, without him they finished 8th and got beat 6-1 at Stoke.

Yates is on loan too isn't he? Maybe Rovram will recall him as well? Would make sense given how well he's doing.

Then all you'd have up front is Woolery. You can have McCoulsky if you ask nicely though. He'd be an excellent Doyle replacement imo.

Well, according to Power, we’ve sorted Grant (best player by a mile), Yates and made an offer to Bradford re Doyle. It’s up to them now.

I presume both clubs know exactly what the outcome is by now. If he goes back, no doubt we’ve a replacement lined up.

I’m relaxed about either outcome.

 

[kieran_vale]

Doyle is a great finisher but am more concerned about how we cut out the supply to him. If Swindon have scouted us it won’t take long to realise we are very vulnerable to teams attacking us down our left, we need to have a way to counter it.

Just hope if we do manage to get our noses in front we play a bit smarter in terms of our game management. Not advocating the Westley time-out or anything like that but getting caught out like we did at Mansfield can’t be allowed to happen again.

If Jake Taylor is fit to play today that will be a huge help.

 

[valefan16]

Doyle is a great finisher but am more concerned about how we cut out the supply to him. If Swindon have scouted us it won’t take long to realise we are very vulnerable to teams attacking us down our left, we need to have a way to counter it.

Just hope if we do manage to get our noses in front we play a bit smarter in terms of our game management. Not advocating the Westley time-out or anything like that but getting caught out like we did at Mansfield can’t be allowed to happen again.

If Jake Taylor is fit to play today that will be a huge help.

Swindon down the years have been masters at seeing out an away lead with the arts, said many times before we moan about teams doing it but are too nice and have been since Micky Adams left. Get no advantage for being honest so have to join in. Mansfield were a disgrace at Vale Park (all be it the same happened to them as us Boxing Day in the end) but we should of started killing the game.

Against a far superior side today to Mansfield lessons have to be learnt if we do get in front.

 

[Indian Dan]

As you lot will well know, Grant is the master of the timely foul-against art.

Honest, it’ll be a great game today - win or lose.

 

[valefan16]

As you lot will well know, Grant is the master of the timely foul-against art.

Honest, it’ll be a great game today - win or lose.

For you lot maybe... for us I’m not so sure. Defensively we haven’t been as solid and playing a winger at left back has been difficult.

From a Vale POV assuming Macc turn up NYD we might have to think about rotation too as some of the older lads like Pope might need a rest. 24 days and 8 games is a big turnaround with Man City having us chasing for 90 minutes in between!

 

[Randolph Haggerty]

We’re playing as well as we have for some years.
But, we give every team at least 2 good chances on a plate.
Every game.

 

[valefan16]

We’re playing as well as we have for some years.
But, we give every team at least 2 good chances on a plate.
Every game.

We are probably where Swindon where 12 months ago in our rebuild so will be interesting to see how we progress from here.

 

[valefan16]

Jake Taylor is fit so a big boost and proves he’s not already left like some conspiracy theorists!

Good to have a few bodies back with Brisley and Conlon also returning from injury and suspension to give us more options on the bench and a return to the squad for Bennett who I believe missed the Mansfield game due to his wife/partner giving birth so four players returning from Boxing Day.

Surprised we are not making a change or two more to keep things fresh with Macc and Man City in the following six days!

 

[valefan16]

Robbie Williams has also returned to watch another Vale game!