Exeter City Vs Port Vale Sept 19th Match Day Thread

[Banksy]

We didn’t take our chances full stop. Just looking at pens given in Prem league maybe we should of had one also second half let alone tackle on M J so not our day we move on to Mansfield. But we do need a striker

Doubt somehow we’ll get one. I think Taylor is making himself do penance for making the mistake of signing Ajose and has difficulty facing up to things in that direction.He’ll muddle along with what we’ve got until things get desperate I reckon.Tell me , who can you see scoring a hatful this season? If no one , ask yourself how the defence is going to keep the opposition out because we’ll need it to be watertight in that event.

 

[Sexton Blake]

Doubt somehow we’ll get one. I think Taylor is making himself do penance for making the mistake of signing Ajose and has difficulty facing up to things in that direction.He’ll muddle along with what we’ve got until things get desperate I reckon.Tell me , who can you see scoring a hatful this season? If no one , ask yourself how the defence is going to keep the opposition out because we’ll need it to be watertight in that event.

Agree with everything you have written. It is still early days but the weaknesses of previous seasons are still there and particularly on the evidence of yesterday’s game slightly worsened. Previously we had a fairly secure defence so that as long as we could score a goal we had a chance of getting the points although even then on a number occasions we really needed to score a second which we were not always successful in doing.

Currently with the defence regularly shipping goals one goal is no longer enough and it needs to be more like three. Unfortunately there is no way playing as we do and with the current players that are likely to meet that criterion very often.

Unless MT can rectify this we are likely to be spending an uncomfortable amount of time hovering around the relegation area. I sincerely hope I am proved wrong but the signs are not good at present.

 

[grecIAN Harris]

I assume he is suggesting Law and Williams as the wide players and Jay the furthest forward of the midfield 3.

There are lots of things we could do with formation and players and I think it is fair to say it might take Matty T a bit of time to work out his strongest 11.

I'd like to see Sparkes play wide left but I'm not sure how well that fits in reality with what the manager wants to do and it is clear that Randall has been (rightly in my opinion) identified as another we could sell on.

Yesterday wasn't a bad performance, but it wasn't a great one either. Port Vale likely to be there or thereabouts this season.

Which is just as mental as playing Matt Jay out there. Both players need to be played where they can influence the game most. Law in a left central position and Jay in behind the striker where he should have been playing instead of Lee Martin last season.

 

[Banksy]

Yes , agree SB. I really want to be proved wrong on this one but can’t see it happening.If he does sign anyone new up front he also has to be very careful now after Fortune and particularly Ajose , he has to really get it right. Maybe that will hold him back a bit from making a signing before the window closes too.
It means that barring a miracle , if we go on as before we won’t be challenging , just hanging around the bottom half.Taylor must surely see the reasons we failed last season , just a dozen more goals probably would have sent us up as champions.Now with the defence leaking it’s going to be even more important to have a reliable goalscorer.

 

[andrew p long]

Two delicious balls Joel Randall put across for Seymour there.

it was Joel who put in the superb ball for the header; he fully deserved an assist for that.

perhaps astonishingly the cross for the Seymour close range shot was put in by Bowman not Randall. I couldn’t quite believe it when that’s what the commentator said, but he was right!

 

[ChardGrecian]

i thought we were poor with midfield over run, wasteful up front and slow at the back. Felt for Archie having to carry to useless teammates in Atangana and Taylor so was inevitable he would make mistakes but take look at highlights to see his contribution. Had high hopes for Atangana but he is a gangly waste of space who gets his foot or head in but has no control or idea what to do with it - little example everytime he takes the ball from a throw in he kicks it back to the thrower and more often than not miss that results in throw to opposition - variation and control are basics. Taylor always gives his all but unfortunately seems to do only that now and fouls more in tackles. These two should be dropped and have to prove themselves before they get anywhere near the team again - we have Law, Kite, Sparkes, Dean and Key who can all do much better jobs. Matt needs to be strong with these two as he is with Ajose.

 

[IndoMike]

Our current midfield and attack is not very different from last season, so it's a big jump to say that we might dice with relegation. And I think Key/Caprice + Page/Sparkes will be better than the backs we had last season.
We're a bit dodgy at centre back (I still think Martin is better than what we have now), we need a hassler in midfield and somehow we need a winning combination upfront. Any combination of Fisher, Jay, Seymour and Bowman doesn't do it for me : all just average Div 2 players who won't take us to the autos.
Think we have to take a bullet this season : give the kids a lot of experience , get rid of s little bit of deadwood end of season and start spending some of the money if all is well covid-wise.
But, if we can get that CB, midfield terrier and sort out an attack, we can hope for more

 

[Hants_red]

The 360 version

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1307713757410451459

 

[Red Devon]

it was Joel who put in the superb ball for the header; he fully deserved an assist for that.

perhaps astonishingly the cross for the Seymour close range shot was put in by Bowman not Randall. I couldn’t quite believe it when that’s what the commentator said, but he was right!

I must of watched it ten times and thought it was Randall, but you’re right a very uncharacteristic pacy run from Bow.

 

[grecianstew]

One win in the last 10 EFL games. Just saying.
Does MT allow personal relationships to cloud his judgement? Taylor and Bowman are finding it as hard to get out of the team as Ajose is to get in it.