Opinion: six things we (may) have learnt about Port Vale this week…
Rob Fielding sums up some thoughts about things both on and off the pitch following the away win over Charlton Athletic… they include some encouraging performances, transfer rumours, a stunning statue and even some Bob Ross…
On the pitch:
- Tom Sang doesn’t look suited to the right wingback position. Perhaps he needs more time to adapt but at the moment, Tom Sang looks out of place in the right wingback role. Typically, for a player struggling, the ball followed him around quite a bit in the first-half and in the process showed up his positioning issues. In contrast, Mitch Clark has looked a class act and Vale fans will be hoping he is fit enough to resume there with Sang perhaps reverting to a more central role.
- There were many positives from the Charlton performance. Funso Ojo and Oliver Arblaster looked class acts in central midfield. Josh Thomas gave an energetic display as a sub (and set up the winner) while James Wilson was fit to start (and scored). However, arguably the stand-out positive was another great performance from summer signing Ethan Chislett. Perhaps Andy Crosby was right when he told the summer fans forum he would be one to watch. Let’s just hope the injury picked up against Charlton isn’t too serious!
- Vale appear no closer to announcing any forward additions. Let’s hope that last sentence has the right effect and is rapidly proven to be nonsense as Vale add to their squad. However, at time of writing, it’s clear to everyone that we really need some reinforcements upfront. In recent days, the club have been linked to Ryan Loft (Bristol Rovers), a loan for Kian Harratt (Huddersfield) and a possible move for Doncaster Rovers’ George Miller. Whoever comes in will no doubt be a welcome boost to the forward resources.
Off the pitch:
- Vale ticketing issues still need sorting out. There’s been multiple posts on the forum noting difficulties with the Vale’s online ticketing system. We (thankfully) have proactive and fan-focussed owners but nevertheless these problems have been around for some time and it’s vital that any fans wishing to go to games can do so easily. Let’s hope the club notes the issues and acts upon them swiftly.
- The John Rudge statue looks great. On a positive note, congratulations to the Supporters Club for their work on a statue of Vale Park legend John Rudge. The model certainly looks impressive and we can’t wait to see the real thing outside the Vale Park stadium soon. If you want to donate to the fund you can do so here.
📸 Today the design of the planned John Rudge statue has been revealed at the @ValeSupporters AGM.
Rudgie was in attendance and unveiled the maquette to the fans.#PVFC pic.twitter.com/yjThr5B5nN
— Port Vale FC (@OfficialPVFC) August 17, 2023
On social media:
- We couldn’t ignore this stunning tweet. Josh_pvfc has really outdone himself with this effort combining the artist efforts of Vale youngster James Plant with the soothing sounds of painting legend Bob Ross… (editor’s note – the audio appears not to work on the embedded tweet so go here to watch it on Twitter).
Hang @ripley_connor in the Louvre 🎨pic.twitter.com/n3rT5a3NKR
— Josh Green (@Josh_pvfc) August 9, 2023