Port Vale manager Darrell Clarke – we haven’t grown in this second-half of the season
The Port Vale manager admits club did not have a successful January transfer window but says that it is not the sole reason for the club’s poor recent form.
In January, the Valiants saw Harry Charsley, Brad Walker and perhaps most significantly Connor Hall depart the club, while bringing in Matty Taylor and Aaron Donnelly, both on loan.
Vale’s results in 2023 have been poor with the club currently on a run of four games without a win including two defeats at home.
Certainly we didn’t have the strongest window either to be honest with you…
Speaking ahead of the Accrington game, Clarke told the media: “We have to keep growing. We haven’t grown in this second-half of the season and there are a lot of reasons, in my opinion, why.
“Certainly we didn’t have the strongest window either to be honest with you. I think we can look with positivity at where we are heading.
“It was nobody’s fault. It is just the way it works. It is probably the first time I have been at the football club where I have felt we have regressed in a window if I am honest with you.
“But that is football. Not every window is going to be a positive one, we understand that. I appreciate that. But we have to make sure that this summer we are growing in the right direction.”
However, Clarke says poor results are not just down to the window adding: “We look at everything and I think we have probably chucked away a good nine points in this second half of the season within performances that have been good.
“Our last two home performances have been shockers, really bad, and we have to do a lot better. That is the message to the players but also to myself and my staff – we have to do better than we have performed in our last two home games.”