Big problem with only a valve near the gauge is the hose becomes air space and would act just like dropping the piston down in the cylinder or like adding a spacer under the cylinder base. That extra air space is difficult to compress and move in a small engine ,hence a lower compression reading results. No matter how many times one pulls the engine over the extra capacity cannot be compressed. If the valve is at the very end where the adapter screws into the cylinder head very little extra space is introduced so the compression is higher. It works along the same lines where a pop up piston increases compression, less space above the piston.