What are the odds for Port Vale’s success in 2021?
It’s been a weird old season in football. It started energised by the promise of an international football tournament but was put on pause by a global pandemic.
Port Vale have had a pretty good 2020, sitting one point and one place outside of the playoffs when the season was suspended.
It’s put filled Vale Park with good vibes and given fans credible cause to believe that real success is achievable.
But what are the odds of that happening? As I explain, it’s hard to know right know.
What odds did Port Vale start 2019/20 with?
Being a football fan is about dreaming big while accepting reality when you live through it. This means that Port Vale fans should have begun the 2019/20 season with the hope that it when end with promotion to League Two.
However, odds are the business of the best betting sites.
If you’d checked the chances of Port Vale starting the 2020/21 season at any of the UK’s top rated sports betting sites then you’d have got long odds on this happening.
Indeed, bookies thought The Valiants were more likely to go down than up. How wonderful then that we’re halfway through 2020 and the team has already proved the bookies wrong.
It depends on what league Port Vale are in
Coronavirus suspended the 2019/20 season and the immediate question on every Port Vale fan’s lips was “what happens now?”
It seemed like the league had found an answer to this.
The teams would finish in the positions the were at the point of suspension, with the top three going up and following four competing in a playoff behind closed doors.
But that’s been thrown into question by the submission of alternative proposals by league clubs, including one that could see Port Vale in with a chance of making the playoffs.
Until we know for certain what the outcome is, we don’t know what success looks like for Port Vale in 2021 – is it hoping to move League One, or secure a double promotion and finish in the Championship?
Port Vale should dream big so these are the odds for success
Circling back to my earlier point about dreaming big, I’m going to say that Port Vale will have a chance of competing in the playoffs this season and that it will end in promotion.
So, what does success look like in League One?
While it’s insanely hard to get a double promotion, many teams have gone close.
This means that success for Port Vale in 2021 looks like a promotion push – even for a dreamer like me, finishing as champions or in the automatic places feels far fetched.
What are the odds of Port Vale having a promotion push? I’m not going to put a number on it but if John Askey remains at the helm then I’d certainly be willing to put £10 on finishing above mid-table.
I guess then that this means the odds of success for Port Vale are pretty good in 2021.
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I’ve given my prediction of Port Vale’s odds for success in 2021. The problem is that until we have clarity on how the 2019/20 season ends we just don’t know what success looks like in 2021.
My advice to you is to keep up to speed with how the decision to finish this season ends and then dream big accordingly.