Local MP: Port Vale is more than one person’s ego

Stoke North MP Ruth Smeeth has hit out at Port Vale chairman Norman Smurthwaite saying that the football club is “more than one person.”

Smurthwaite provoked near unanimous criticism when he announced he would put the club in administration if a new owner is not in place by May 5th. His controversial comments appear to be solely motivated by peaceful protests against him.

The club is much more than one person. The club’s history is more than one person’s ego. It is more than one person…

Smeeth told the Sentinel newspaper:  “There is nothing more important for everybody who lives in and around Burslem, including me, than keeping the Vale in the league.

“So, the comments from Norman are really concerning. The club is much more than one person. The club’s history is more than one person’s ego. It is more than one person and we have to do everything we can as a community to make sure that Port Vale isn’t just there but that it is thriving.”

She added: added: “I think Carol Shanahan is a brilliant woman. I think the amount she has done to invest in our community, whether in the Port Vale Foundation or the Holiday Hunger activities, the opportunity area, what she has fed back into the community, since Synectics went to that site, is extraordinary. And she is a genuine fan. I don’t think anyone could question her commitment and dedication to the club.”