A frustrated Tom Pope.
I hope no-one’s panicking just yet. I’m certainly not.
Although we’ve yet to record our first win of this campaign, it’s still very early days.
Granted, we’ve scored only one goal and have only one point out of a possible six in the league.
We’ve also crashed out of a potentially money-spinning cup competition.
However, to play devil’s advocate, I’d say we earned a good point on the first day of season against a decent Brentford side and, although we didn’t play particularly well, were rather unlucky against Walsall when the officials rather let us down.
In contrast, against Colchester we were clearly second best and created very little in the way of chances.
In fact, the only danger was to our own supporters – and Doreen Robbins’s plaster cast is testament to this.
The gaffer simply chose the wrong formation, and perhaps picked a couple of players he shouldn’t have, and has admitted as much.
After all, you can’t really blame the forwards for not scoring if they’re not getting any service from a sluggish midfield.
What we’re experiencing now is perhaps something of a reality check and, frankly, I’d rather we have it now than at Christmas.
We’ve stepped up a league, the opponents are better and they move the ball around more quickly.
It will take time for Micky Adams’s teams to adjust, to get used to their positions, and learn to play off lads who signed over the summer.
Being positive, the back four (and I think it should be a four) and the ‘keeper look solid.
Chris Neal and Adam Yates are playing well, in particular, and Robertson, Dickinson and Lines already look good signings.
I’d like to see Doddsy in the team, personally – playing behind the Pontiff. But perhaps that’s just me.
Let’s not lose perspective here. Ambition and aspiration is fine but it must be tempered with honest expectation.
I’d love us to repeat last season’s promotion heroics but I’m not going to kick the cat, so to speak, if we don’t.
Vale Park is looking terrific and will continue to improve. Meanwhile gates are bigger because the clubs we are up against – some of whom have infinitely bigger playing budgets – have larger followings.
It’s an exciting time to be a Vale fan and I, for one, am enjoying the stability and putting my trust in the new owner and Micky’s squad to continue to do us proud.
