We’re Vale, we’re united, let’s finish the job
OVF editor Rob Fielding says the club is united once more and that he’s hoping to see the Valiants in League One by 5pm on Saturday.
Rob Fielding writes…
Take a step back to August 2012:
- The club was owner-less and needed 5,000 gates just to survive.
- The Supporters Club, one of the protagonists in the successful campaign to get rid of the discredited board were getting stick because those actions were seen to have put the very future of the club in doubt.
- The administrators were under fire because of the Keith Ryder takeover fiasco and their poor communication skills.
- The club was being criticised because it had failed to undertake essential safety work and pre-season friendlies were set to be played behind closed doors.
- The players had not even agreed contracts and were seriously considering their options with the PFA.
- The manager was disheartened and saying that the club “has hit rock-bottom.”
It’s been a regular stream of good news for the fans. And boy, haven’t we supporters responded…
Even as recently as March there were rumblings of discontent following Burge-gate and the manager’s criticism of some supporters as “idiotic”.
Well, that’s all changed now!
As results picked up in recent months, the tension on the terraces has eased, while there has been an outpouring of praise for the fans (perhaps in light of the furore that Micky Adams’ comments made in March) from the club. Those events and actions helped things calm down once more.
And so, in recent weeks, we’ve seen the real merit of the club’s owners (thank goodness that Keith Ryder didn’t take over) with co-ordinated, sophisticated press releases, exciting plans for the future and properly thought-out ticket initiatives.
It’s been a regular stream of good news for the fans. And boy, haven’t we supporters responded!
Vale fans, no doubt fed up of failure on the pitch and political fighting off it have streamed back to the club under the simple premise of cheering the players on to glory. They’ve responded in such numbers that we are now set to record our biggest attendance since 1994.
What’s more, it will be a united crowd – united in its support of Micky Adams and the players, united in its support of the owners, their professionalism and vision for the future – and united in hoping that the club can finally seal one of the most extraordinary seasons in Port Vale’s history with promotion.
We’re Vale.
We’re united.
By 5pm on Saturday, let’s hope… we’re in League One