Ribeiro: joint-captains have been fantastic
In a lengthy interview with the Guardian, manager Bruno Ribeiro has heaped praise on joint captains Anthony Grant, Jak Alnwick, Ben Purkiss and Jerome Thomas.
Ribeiro told the newspaper: “To have one captain for 18 new players would have been very difficult. A few people were surprised at first – ‘that never happens here’ – but they’ve seen how important it is. Three captains is easier; it makes sure everyone gets the level of help and attention he needs and makes the dressing room strong. Those guys know what I want on and off the pitch and they’ve been fantastic – it’s brought everyone together.”
Those guys know what I want on and off the pitch and they’ve been fantastic – it’s brought everyone together…
The manager has also praised the rest of the Vale squad saying: “From the first day they understood what I wanted and that made it easier for me. Things have changed since I played in England; back then it was just long balls in the lower divisions but now in League One you can see six, seven teams starting to play football. Peterborough, Swindon, they try and play. We pass from the back, we aim to play good football for our fans and by the end of this season I want to see this stadium full.”
He also had praise for chairman Norman Smurthwaite commenting: “The chairman can’t be any more ambitious than me. Our budget isn’t big compared to others like United, who I think have £11m, but I’m working to that and we’re looking to move forwards. For me this is a Championship club.”
You can read the full article here – https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/oct/06/bruno-ribeiro-port-vale-jose-mourinho-leeds-ludogorets