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Few managers place as much emphasis on homework than Phil Parkinson – but even the meticulous Wanderers boss admits he had his work cut out with his next opponents Port Vale.
No fewer than 18 new players have walked through the doors at Vale Park since the summer, when Portuguese coach Bruno Ribeiro was appointed.
The latest – a former Wanderers target, full-back Ryan Taylor – made and scored on his debut in last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Oxford United.
In the stand, making notes, was Parkinson and his assistant Steve Parkin. But the Whites boss concedes that there is an unknown element about the Valiants which makes them a particular difficult prospect.
“Myself and Steve saw them on Saturday because we didn’t have a game and first half they were disappointing but second half they really got going,” he said. “They have a lot of unknown quantities within the team and have signed a lot of players from abroad because the manager has a good knowledge of that market.
“We’ve probably had to do more homework than normal over the last few days because some of them were very unfamiliar to us.
“They might have had an indifferent run recently but they have been near the top of the league for most of the season, so they can’t be too bad.”
Vale changed their system after going 2-0 down last week, which further muddies the water for Parkinson on how to set his side up.
But the manager remains confident that his own team – buoyant after five consecutive wins without conceding a goal – can cope with anything the Staffordshire men can throw at them.
“Sometimes you go into games and you are quite clear about how they are going to play,” he said.
“I couldn’t honestly say how Port Vale are going to set up.
“If I were to guess, I’d say it would be how they played in the second half because they really improved. But, as with anyone, it’s 80 per cent about how we go about the game and 20 per cent knowing your opponent, their strengths and weaknesses.”
Ribeiro – a close friend of Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho – arrived in the summer with a squad of just seven contracted players. But after calling in favours from all four corners of Europe, the former Leeds full-back has assembled a squad which has been among the surprise packages of the season so far.
“They played with an intensity in the second half last weekend which you have to train pretty hard for, particularly at the back end of the game,” Parkinson said.
“They are a fit team. He’s looking to make his mark over here as a manager having played over here.”
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No fewer than 18 new players have walked through the doors at Vale Park since the summer, when Portuguese coach Bruno Ribeiro was appointed.
The latest – a former Wanderers target, full-back Ryan Taylor – made and scored on his debut in last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Oxford United.
In the stand, making notes, was Parkinson and his assistant Steve Parkin. But the Whites boss concedes that there is an unknown element about the Valiants which makes them a particular difficult prospect.
“Myself and Steve saw them on Saturday because we didn’t have a game and first half they were disappointing but second half they really got going,” he said. “They have a lot of unknown quantities within the team and have signed a lot of players from abroad because the manager has a good knowledge of that market.
“We’ve probably had to do more homework than normal over the last few days because some of them were very unfamiliar to us.
“They might have had an indifferent run recently but they have been near the top of the league for most of the season, so they can’t be too bad.”
Vale changed their system after going 2-0 down last week, which further muddies the water for Parkinson on how to set his side up.
But the manager remains confident that his own team – buoyant after five consecutive wins without conceding a goal – can cope with anything the Staffordshire men can throw at them.
“Sometimes you go into games and you are quite clear about how they are going to play,” he said.
“I couldn’t honestly say how Port Vale are going to set up.
“If I were to guess, I’d say it would be how they played in the second half because they really improved. But, as with anyone, it’s 80 per cent about how we go about the game and 20 per cent knowing your opponent, their strengths and weaknesses.”
Ribeiro – a close friend of Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho – arrived in the summer with a squad of just seven contracted players. But after calling in favours from all four corners of Europe, the former Leeds full-back has assembled a squad which has been among the surprise packages of the season so far.
“They played with an intensity in the second half last weekend which you have to train pretty hard for, particularly at the back end of the game,” Parkinson said.
“They are a fit team. He’s looking to make his mark over here as a manager having played over here.”
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