Carlisle Alex MATCH PREDICTIONS & Paul Green

[Furberstreet]

I have thought for a while that the midfield badly needs an experienced head and Paul Green might be a good signing. There is no doubt that the absence of a viable midfield is one of the principal reasons we are where we are in League Two. We have a number of decent young players, but no-one to provide guidance when the going gets tough on the pitch (virtually every game these days). The big issue is how the team completely fails to manage an unbeaten run of more than one game at a time - we seem unable to turn reasonable losing performances into draws. I must admit that when the Carlisle goal was announced on the Sky teleprinter, I just shrugged and went off to make a cup of tea (in one of my Crewe Alex mugs), remarking to my wife that I was surprised we had not conceded a goal until the 76th minute. I had no idea of how we were playing, but my reaction summed up how I feel about the present predicament. I suppose I feel a bit more confident about our home form, though I had witnessed the 0-5 defeat against Carlisle, but, even there, we seem to gift goals in the first 10 minutes (Swindon anyone?). I still think we are better than our current position, but the team is short on confidence and necessary changes in tactics/substitutions during a match. A bit of a whinge, but I have moved from furious to resigned about the current state of affairs.

[alexmick]

Cannot envy David Artell's task in bringing fresh blood into the club, especially considering our position in the league. I heard on BBC RS today, that Vale are finding it difficult to attract quality players during this window, simply because of their lowly league position. It is going to be a rough ride from now until May, but luckily, I still feel that there are two teams who are considerably weaker than us. Then we start over again in the summer. I don't think I will be as optimistic next time around as I was at the start of August 2017.