It’s the Cowleys for me – three thoughts on Port Vale’s next manager
Rob Fielding shares his thoughts on the exit of John Askey and says he would pick the Cowley brothers to take over.
Rob Fielding writes…
Agree or disagree? Post a comment at the end of the article
The right time, sadly…
The right time, sadly…I am sure John Askey is a good, decent man. I am sure he will leave with a lot of good will from Vale fans. However, this is a paid job and his results simply weren’t good enough in recent games. It was the right time for the club to make a move. Askey himself came in after the transfer window had shut and had to cope with Neil Aspin’s squad. Removing Askey early in the transfer window at least gives the new man a chance to make some changes to the side.
It’s the Cowleys for me
If wages aren’t an issue (after all their last job was in the Championship) I would agree with Port Vale historian Phil Sherwin and opt for the Cowley brothers to take over from John Askey. The pair are still relatively young and ambitious and did great work at Lincoln City. Imagine what they could achieve if given a few years in Burslem? If the Cowleys aren’t possible then I’d definitely want an experienced lower league campaigner in there – my second choices would be someone such as Phil Parkinson, Simon Grayson and Derek Adams. I think opting for an unproven option like Frank Sinclair or Emile Heskey would represent far too much of a risk.
No need for talk, just walk the walk
No need for talk, just walk the walkPort Vale captain Leon Legge has denied there was any split between the squad and John Askey. However, it’s all very well saying that now. The simple fact is the team have performed dreadfully in recent games and let the manager down. No-one can blame John Askey now so it’s up to them to step up. As some fans have pointed out, if internal issues weren’t causing problems then we have a really poor squad of players if they perform at that level without off-pitch distractions. This group has to prove their worth otherwise I am sure the new man will have no hesitation in shipping them out.
Danny Cowley image: YouTube
Agree or disagree? Post a comment at the end of the article
Kenneth Longmore
6th January 2021 @ 1:25 pm
I agree if we can afford them the Cowley brothers would seem a good fit. Another name I would like to add is Gary Johnson, currently doing a good job with Torquay and with all the experience in the world not to mention an excellent record wherever he’s been
amoulder
6th January 2021 @ 3:28 pm
Cowley brothers all day
Howard Dexter
6th January 2021 @ 5:31 pm
Hi. Rob. Definitely Cowleys for me. However get the feeling they will be out of our wage bracket. Disappointed with Legge. Far better to say nothing that pretend everything has been fine the last two months! I know it happens at other clubs but I hate this modern day culture of players not giving I00% when they fall out with the manager. Feel so Sorry for Carol who still has to pay them. Liked Askey but maybe too weak with some of them. A tougher manager needed. H.
Darren Holdcroft
6th January 2021 @ 5:42 pm
I sent exactly the same message to Legge to his Twitter account. He replied by saying a few consecutive wins would see Vale pushing up the league. I can’t see where our next win is coming from. Its nailed on for a Grimsby win on Saturday. Hopefully Lockdown will save the season
Darren Holdcroft
6th January 2021 @ 5:45 pm
21 signings by Askey in two full seasons. 8 have left,2 on the transfer list. He’s been trusted way too much and leaves us in a precarious league position 5 points off oblivion. The squad is very topsy turvy..too many players 33 and over. Injury plagued players such as Cullen,Manny and Monty are depriving the club of any consistency.
What worries me most is the lack of communication from our board
Tony Gittins
6th January 2021 @ 5:48 pm
Totally agree with this, and I think…hope…that the wages may not be such an issue for the Cowleys, having, presumably, had a payoff from Huddersfield? They showed, with Lincoln, that they are not only ambitious but have a definite football philosophy, which brought them success with a small club.
Michael quinn
6th January 2021 @ 5:51 pm
LEGGE should walk the walk and go hes a liability,and as a new manager,any body that has had nothing to do with the vale,
John
6th January 2021 @ 7:03 pm
I agree . They would transform the fortunes of the Vale in so many ways.
Malcolm Marcisz
6th January 2021 @ 7:24 pm
A good shout but can Vale afford them. I would like to have someone who has no connection with Vale. Some of the players need a kick up the backside after recent results.
Mr NEVILLE a BEAN
7th January 2021 @ 6:10 am
They did a great job at Lincoln bringing them from obscurity to were we are now with help from our current manager we are top of table going the right way to promotion hopefully but I believe they still live in Lincoln so hope they are not out of work to long were you get two for the price of one so they can be Choosey on their next job.
David Wright
7th January 2021 @ 3:57 pm
I concur that it must be the Cowley..they have proved that they can do the job..with Lincoln especially and I think unlucky at Huddersfield..
They are a perfect fit if we can afford them.
Vale till I die
7th January 2021 @ 6:34 pm
Can we afford the Cowley Brothers YES if we get shut of around 8 to 10 players smaller squad of 23 players offer them promotion bonus we could afford it if we were in first division hopefully get fans back bigger gates more season tickets