onevalefan.co.ukonevalefan.co.uk
  • Home
  • Forum
  • News
    • Headlines
    • Published elsewhere
    • Former Valiants
    • Rumours
    • Interviews
    • The administration months
    • Reference & special features
  • Blogs
    • Rob Fielding
    • Malcolm Hirst
    • Ray Williams
    • Barry Edge
    • Barry Edge poetry
    • Kitman confessions
    • All blogs
  • Nostalgia
    • Club History
    • Club Legends
    • Cult heroes
    • Legends of 1954
    • The Sprosons
    • Classic matches
    • Vintage Vale Park
    • Centrefold interviews
    • Nearly Men
    • Programme covers
    • Programme reviews
    • Video vault
    • All-time appearances
    • All-time scorers
    • Kit database
    • Port Vale Managers
    • Player Database
    • Vale Vaults
    • Scrapbooks & clippings
    • Tributes & obituaries
    • 1000s of pictures
  • About
    • About the site
    • Contact us
    • What they say about OVF
  • Site Map
doug-loft-portrait
13 June 2014

No need for panic but lessons can be learnt

Rob Rob Fielding blog billy knott, contracts, doug loft, gavin tomlin, jennison myrie-williams, jordan hugill, micky adams

Rob Fielding says he is not panicking about the exit of several players from the Valiants squad but he does feel that the club can learn some valuable lessons.

Rob Fielding writes…

If you read the comments from some fans, you’d think relegation was a near certainty next season. Following the departures of Doug Loft, Billy Knott and Jennison Myrie-Williams plus three backroom staff and with squad members Gavin Tomlin and Jordan Hugill presumably soon to join them, there is talk of a “mass exodus” as gloom and doom sets in for some fans.

There’s a simple equation in football – you can take losing any player as long as the replacement is as good (or hopefully better)

I personally don’t see it that way. There’s a simple equation in football – you can take losing any player as long as the replacement is as good (or hopefully better). If Micky Adams is able to bring in two or three “high calibre” replacements then I’m sure the “relegation” doommongers will soon be replaced with talk of “promotion.”

However, I do think that there can be lessons to be learnt from this situation and here are three for the club:

Start at the top and work your way down

The club has rightly treated the manager’s contract as top priority with the players’ deals secondary. That’s the right approach but, my goodness me, didn’t it take a long time!

Adams is a fine manager and an early settlement to his contract would have done more good than harm…

We’ll probably never know if the stalling over Micky Adams’ contract had an effect on the Vale players and caused (directly or indirectly) any of these moves. I personally doubt it – Loft clearly and correctly put his family first, while Knott and Myrie-Williams have moved because they felt it was best for their careers.

However, two things are for sure – firstly, Adams is a fine manager and an early settlement to his contract (which OVF had been urging since October) would have done more good than harm (helping season ticket sales, for instance). Secondly, it would have been a statement of intent which the players (and fans) may have picked up on.

You can negotiate new deals before the old ones run out

I wonder if the club will now take this to heart and look at Tom Pope’s contract?

If, for example, Adams and the club had hammered out a contract in January then negotiations with key players could have started soon afterwards. One of the (very) few things that impressed me about the Bill Bratt board was that they didn’t wait until contracts expired to arrange new deals. For instance, key players Gareth Owen, Adam Yates and Doug Loft were all offered and agreed new deals in April 2011.

I wonder if the club will now take this to heart and look at Tom Pope’s contract? If the striker continues strongly next season, why not start speaking to him about extending the deal in the New Year rather than waiting until the summer?

Don’t take your eye off the smaller details

It’s a small detail but the club need to look at how this has arisen and plan to prevent it reoccurring…

Bad publicity never helps the club and the news that both physios have left has resulted in the club lacking the skills to conduct medicals on new signings and arrange fitness plans for the pre-season training. It’s a small detail but the club need to look at how this has arisen and plan to prevent it reoccurring.

For instance, did the physios have notice periods? If so, why were the club not already recruiting? If they didn’t, will adequate notice periods be drawn up for the next physios’ contracts?

Finally, I reckon there is another lesson to be learnt and this one isn’t for the club, it’s for the fans:

Don’t panic!

There are plenty of positives. We have stability with the manager (phew!) and owner and compared with recent seasons that should not be underestimated.

It’s also only mid-June. We’ve got enough time to act…

It’s also only mid-June. We’ve got enough time to act. Vale’s pre-season training doesn’t begin until the 1st July so the club still has time to bring in replacements. There’s still a strong and experienced spine to the team in Chris Neal, Carl Dickinson, Chris Lines and Tom Pope, we just need to hope that the newcomers fit in quickly and well.

Up the Vale!

Print

I’m no conspiracy theorist, but why the delay? OVF launches #backthelifers

Related Posts

entrance-2018

Rob Fielding blog

Opinion: despite the Q&A, Port Vale’s finances don’t add up

Rob Fielding says that one conclusion that many fans will draw from the Q&A meeting with Norman Smurthwaite on Thursday is that the club’s finances just don’t seem to add up.

2017-turnstiles

Rob Fielding blog

Vale need clear long-term plans and if not, a change of ownership

Rob Fielding says the club need to either produce a long-term, coherent vision or sell to new owners who can deliver that vision.

2017-vale-park-clouds2

Rob Fielding blog

Opinion: Hugill fee shows that having a clear transfer policy works

Rob Fielding says that the Jordan Hugill fee justifies the creation of a development squad and that fans and owner should now show some patience with the club’s focus on developing non-league talent.

2017-turnstiles

Rob Fielding blog

Opinion: Struggling Vale cannot afford another deadline disaster

Rob Fielding says that a second successive appalling transfer window could send the club spiralling into danger.

aspin-alt3

Rob Fielding blog

Aspin is taking Vale in right direction but he is no miracle worker

OVF editor Rob Fielding says some fans have unrealistic expectations of the Port Vale manager.

fred-pitch

Rob Fielding blog

A few words of praise for Port Vale’s unsung stars

Rob Fielding would like to praise some unsung members of the Port Vale FC’s backroom team.

Search

Local sponsors

BODEN ROOFING LTD
all roofing work undertaken

bodenroofingltd.co.uk
10% discount for Vale season ticket holders
VALIANT WINDOW CLEANING SERVICE
Contract/domestic work undertaken. Can clean upto 60ft
Call/text Adam 0774 2916 242 adamfozzer@hotmail.co.uk

Advert

Advert

Help with our costs

Advert

Your login

register or login

Latest posts

  • If you are betting on Vale get a free bet first at www.thebookiesoffers.co.uk

Advert

Next up…

Results

This day in history…

  • 1955 Port Vale's highest official league attendance of 40,066 is recorded for a game against Stoke City.
  • 1955 Port Vale record their highest league attendance of 40,066 for a game against Stoke City.
  • 1980 Tony Sealy scores the winner as Port Vale beat Stockport County 1-0.
  • 1988 Gary Ford and Ray Walker score as Port Vale beat Wigan Athletic 2-1.
  • 2015 Tom Pope scores his final Port Vale goal as Vale beat Yeovil 2-1.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Advert

Featured on

As featured on NewsNow: Port Vale news
Port Vale News 24/7 

Get email alerts of new posts

Thanks for subscribing!

  • Media bookings
  • Contact us
  • About this website
  • About cookies

Fixtures and tickets

About this site

We aim to be a responsible website. There are occasional gambling promotions on here and we encourage all users to gamble responsibly and know your limits. Find more help here.

This website opposes racism, homophobia and bigotry of all kinds. We accept no responsibility for views posted in the forum. We will respond as quickly as possible if you report a post to help@onevalefan.co.uk.

We support two chosen charities - the Donna Louise Trust and the Douglas MacMillan Hospice and donate to both.

All images and text (c) onevalefan.co.uk unless stated. Please ask us before using our content. We use cookies to enhance your enjoyment of this site | Cookie and privacy policy