Weekly digest: Port Vale the loan arrangers…
Our weekly magazine article rounds up stories from the last week and also a few favourites from further back in time.
This week…
The Loan Arrangers…
Rob Fielding writes…
It may seem strange to write this – but I’m really pleased to see so many players hit the Port Vale exit doors.
I’m talking about the flurry of loan moves out of Vale Park of course, a move that I think can only benefit the club.
Let’s start with the most senior player, Adam Yates, his move to Northampton allows him to play regular football and gives Vale a match-hardened veteran to call upon if injuries or suspensions bite.
I think they will benefit the club in the future and for that reason I applaud Port Vale, the loan arrangers…
The other loans are very much about developing players for the future and I can’t argue with Rob Page’s assessment (in this case on the loans of Kapend and Steele to Stafford Rangers) that “I’ve stressed how important it can be for young players to experience men’s football and that’s exactly what these two need. They’re both players with bright futures and we’re looking forward to developing them as much as we can to benefit the football club…”
I think there’s clear thinking about loaning out youngsters at the club and that is to be applauded. First, the club tries to loan a young professional to a local junior club such as Stafford Rangers, Newcastle Town or so on. There’s no travelling involved for the player and he can develop with first-team football. The following season (as is happening now with Nathan Smith, pictured above) the club tries to get the player regular football at a higher level, often involving a move to join a club in another part of the country. If Smith can follow Jordan Hugill (who progressed with a loan spell at Gateshead) into the first-team picture it will be worth it.
I’m sure it take a lot of hard work behind the scenes to organise these moves but I think they will benefit the club in the future and for that reason I applaud Port Vale, the loan arrangers…
This week’s editorial – best defence in years?
Yes, the record was ended by a late Bradford goal on Saturday, but in case you missed it, here’s an editorial from earlier this week. It begins as follows:
At the start of the summer, many Vale fans felt that a defence containing Remie Streete and Ryan Inniss would be great – but was likely to be a pipedream.
Now, six games into the season and with not only Inniss and Streete part of the Vale defence but new signings Jak Alnwick and Ben Purkiss proving their worth and old stagers Richard Duffy and Carl Dickinson bang on form, it could be argued that Vale’s mean backline has been the star of the season so far.
Quick quiz of the week…
A number of players have scored their first goals for the club, but looking back a little further, against which clubs did the following players break their Vale scoring duck?
- Richard Duffy?
- Michael O’Connor?
- Chris Birchall?
Loanwatch
A string of Vale players have exited for temporary spells elsewhere this week. It takes the total of Valiants on loan to six. Here’s a list:
- Nathan Smith (Torquay United)
- Aziz Deen-Conteh (Boston United)
- Adam Yates (Northampton Town)
- Lewis Bergin (Kidsgrove Athletic)
- Jonny Kapend (Stafford Rangers)
- Chekaine Steele (Stafford Rangers)
Weekly awards…
Man of the match results…
Anthony Grant won his first MOTM award for his performance against Gillingham. The results were:
- Anthony Grant (45%)
- Ryan Inniss (10%)
- Enoch Andoh (10%)
And lo and behold, Grant won his second MOTM award for the game against Swindon Town. Results:
- Anthony Grant (38%)
- Louis Dodds (28%)
- Uche Ikpeazu (10%)
Quote of the week…
Vale skipper Carl Dickinson on Anthony Grant’s form:
“Granty has been on fire. I think anyone coming here would wonder why Crewe let him go…”
Tweets of the week…
A number of Vale players reacted to the West Brom game…
Thanks for all the messages. Gutted we are out but what a team performance again. Fans were unbelievable!!! #pvfc
— Jak Alnwick (@alnwick42) August 26, 2015
Unlucky to loose on penalties, after we played so well against a tough opposition. But we go again, big game Saturday. #PVFC #GIG
— UI (@UcheIkpeazu) August 25, 2015
Great effort by the lads last night lets go again Saturday!#pvfc
— Carl Dickinson (@carldickinson_3) August 26, 2015
Well done lads! Unlucky on penaltys last night, but we showed a great team performance against a good Side! #PVFC… http://t.co/I3SnTcHhEY
— Enoch Ebo Andoh (@EnochAndoh27) August 26, 2015
Blasts from the past
Strikers special
All the vintage features this week are about strikers, so answer these questions…
- From which club did Vale sign Marc Richards?
- And from which club did Nathan Lowndes join?
- Which club did Luke Rodgers join after leaving Vale?
- Which club is Billy Paynter playing for this season?
Epic Vale Fails: Alex Nimely
Epic Fail Ratings
Cost: Free transfer
Impact: Negligible
Highpoint: Playing against former club Coventry
Lowpoint: Two disciplinary issues
Vale had high hopes when Vale announced the signing of the former Manchester City striker. Nimely had impressed Coventry fans the previous season and Valiants hoped that the club had picked up a “rough diamond”. Nimely’s spell lived up to the first word if not the second.
Valiants hoped that the club had picked up a “rough diamond”. Nimely’s spell lived up to the first word if not the second…
He made his debut as a sub against Coventry but then drifted out of the first-team picture. Then word emerged he was training with Bolton Wanderers. The Vale, with whom he had a contract until the end of the season, were not best pleased and he was “disciplined” by the club. Nimely then said he would love to play for former club Coventry, even for free, and once again he was fined by Vale for missing training.
It was to no great surprise when he was released at the end of the season. To the best of our knowledge he is currently without a club.
One hit wonder… Kristian Cox
We briefly celebrate the brief careers of players who made a solitary appearance for the club.
Jim Gannon never failed to disappoint with some bizarre decisions during his “Damned United” spell with Vale. One was to promote Cox, a pretty much unknown youngster into the first-team squad for a game against Crewe. Cox came on as a 75th minute substitute but sadly that was to be the end of his Vale career. He was released at the end of the season and has now played for a number of non-league clubs including Ilkeston, New Mills, Hyde and Gresley.
Video Vault: Cup victory over Baggies…
To compensate for Vale’s loss to West Brom, here’s a cup win over the Baggies thanks to our YouTube channel:
Quick quiz of the week answers:
- Richard Duffy (Scunthorpe, April 2015)
- Michael O’Connor (Cardiff, August 2014)
- Chris Birchall (Swindon, October 2004)
Strikers quiz… answers
- From which club did Vale sign Marc Richards? Barnsley
- And from which club did Nathan Lowndes join? Plymouth Argyle
- Which club did Luke Rodgers join after leaving Vale? Yeovil Town
- Which club is Billy Paynter playing for this season? Hartlepool United