Opinion: poor transfer window recruitment could well be the reason Port Vale go down this season
Rob Fielding says that while performances on the pitch don’t help, the root of Vale’s relegation woes lie in an awful January transfer window.
Rob Fielding writes…
Arguably the problems stretch back further than one window and therein lies the complaint from many fans ergo – to get it wrong once is perhaps excusable, but to get it wrong time and again is not…
It wasn’t quite the worst start possible for new Port Vale manager Darren Moore but it was pretty close. The Valiants were outfought and outscored by a team below them, containing a sprinkling of former Valiants and managed by a former Port Vale boss. It was a chastening defeat and one which plunges Vale even deeper into relegation trouble.
The people at the top clearly think that Moore is the long-term future as manager. They’ve handed him a five and half year deal after all. But while Moore’s appointment was widely welcomed, the club’s troubles arguably are bigger than the man in the dugout.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the current situation cannot be laid solely at the feet of the manager and the players. In my view, one factor has played a huge part namely… a terrible January transfer window
Let’s make no bones about it, the window was rubbish for Vale. They lost loanees Alfie Devine and Ollie Arblaster and although they were replaced (the jury’s out on whether Jenson Weir and Dan Gore will prove as good) other key positions were not. To this fan it seems absolutely ludicrous that the club did not add a striker. Never mind listing the reasons why the club missed out in a podcast – the fans want results not excuses.
I find it truly breath-taking that the club didn’t move early in the window for a striker. Not only would that have got around any issues of a move collapsing on deadline day, but the club would also have the chance to play that new player during January rather than his spell beginning when the window closed.
What makes it worse is that a number of clubs around Vale have clearly strengthened upfront. Not only does that potentially hurt Vale when the two sides meet but begs the question – if the transfer window was so bad how come multiple forwards joined clubs in the bottom third of League One? (to name names – Matty Taylor and Joe Nuttall (Cheltenham), Antwoine Hackford and Kyle Hudlin (Burton), Lyle Taylor (Cambridge), Mo Eisa and Millenic Alli (Exeter City)… Port Vale? None… not even a teenaged loanee).
It’s truly bizarre that Vale didn’t even gamble on a loan striker. As the window drew to a close they had an injured Uche Ikpeazu, an injured (stand-in striker) Ben Garrity, an injury-prone James Wilson and an out-of-form Ryan Loft as senior striking options. When the window closes, it closes – so to not add another face when the club only had four loanees as it was (clubs can field five loan signings in a match) seems an awful mistake.
Arguably the problems stretch back further than one window and therein lies the complaint from many fans ergo – to get it wrong once is perhaps excusable, but to get it wrong time and again is not. It seems an age ago but remember that at the start of this season, Vale were on the verge of having one striker (Ellis Harrison) under contract when the summer window closed. On that occasion they were able to add a contract to James Wilson, sign Ryan Loft on deadline day and then add free agent Uche Ikpeazu. The Loft signing was part of long-term planning we are told – in which case why leave it to the final day? The contracts to Wilson and Ikpeazu don’t seem to be part of any long-term plan – after all didn’t Vale ditch Wilson just weeks earlier?
I’m sorry to say that it smacks, despite all the explanations and excuses, of no long-term, thought-through transfer plan. The fact that the Valiants still only have one left-footed wingback in Conor Grant, with a poor injury history, on their books can only add to fans’ worries about the thinking of the recruitment team. It gets even more concerning when you come to contract terms. Where is the consistency in offering injury-prone Grant and Dan Jones two-year deals yet Wilson gets a deal till January? Surely one year deals with options to extend if they hit agreed appearance numbers would have been more sensible for the likes of Grant and Jones? I doubt that, with their injury records, they would have been able to play hard-ball for a longer deal elsewhere, so I can’t believe that if the club had to give them long-term deals to stop them going to a rival. Perhaps it’s no surprise the new manager was handed a five and a half year deal after all!
It’s also no surprise that with such a unbalanced squad, Moore’s hands are tied somewhat in what he can do during games. On Saturday he was reduced to bringing on teenage rookie Baylee Dipepa and wideman Alex Mighten to try and add some fresh legs upfront. How Moore must have wished for an experienced striker on the bench.
Now before this gets labelled under the “always moaning” category let me say that I don’t think I’m alone in wishing the owners and the manager the very best. We do want them to succeed. We are all so grateful for the Shanahans taking over the club and their commitment to take the Vale forward. We criticise because we want things to be better in the future and because we care about the club.
It seems an odd time to introduce a multi-billionaire to this feature but let’s see what George Soros has to say on the subject. Soros, you may recall, is one of the richest people in the world with a personal fortune of £7 billion. He said:
“Once we realize that imperfect understanding is the human condition there is no shame in being wrong, only in failing to correct our mistakes.”
To apply Soros’ words to Port Vale FC. The fans want the club to succeed. In our eyes, failing in one transfer window is fair enough, but to continue to make the same mistakes over and over is not. A club can’t progress if it keeps making the same mistakes. It HAS to learn from them. Regardless of where the club end up at the season’s close, the Vale need to make sure the next transfer window is a positive, not a repeat of previous failings…
Ken from North Wales
19th February 2024 @ 2:50 pm
The comments seem to sum up everything and it all falls back to Flitcroft.
Simonstores
19th February 2024 @ 3:13 pm
Excellent summary of the situation the club find themselves in. Just isn’t good enough. Relegation will be on their heads.
Manc_Vale
19th February 2024 @ 3:26 pm
The seeds of the January transfer window disaster were sown last summer. The forward recruitment over the close season was a failure. As a result we have been almost completely reliant on the goals of Gary and Chizzy, without which we would be dead and buried.
Vale fan
19th February 2024 @ 3:57 pm
Get shut of Flitcroft and some of the darkness will be lifted from Vale park, as for you Carol you have let us down badly, a club run by amateurs, the fans kicked in the teeth again
Gwynn Davies
19th February 2024 @ 4:48 pm
Bang on pal never a truer word spoken, I think it’s about time williams showed a bit of interest and put a a it of money in if he cares about the club.
Jacko51
19th February 2024 @ 4:50 pm
Excellent article, Rob. Why have Ryan Loft, a non-scoring striker, as a long-term target yet let the fit and available Matty Taylor go to Cheltenham in the window??? He was good enough fr us las January when unfit but not this apparently. Makes no sense.
Lyndon Eyre
19th February 2024 @ 5:19 pm
Very true words, I may be in the minority but Crosby should of stayed dealt a rubbish hand to play with. Fantastic coach learning as a manager maybe the wrong tactics sometimes. No money that’s the issue weather it be transfer fee’s or wages there is no money available. Which unfortunately sits with the owners. They saved the club love the club and we as fans are eternally grateful. A investment from anywhere is what’s needed.
mark colin cooper
19th February 2024 @ 8:50 pm
brilliant post , sums up everything us Vale fans are seeing and thinking , for me I have never liked or trusted Flitcroft (i have a few friends who are Bury fans , and they warned me about Flitcroft , and its all coming true) .Its just a pity that Carol cant see the wood for the trees
Barry
19th February 2024 @ 9:42 pm
Excellent article..brilliantly put. Our troubles lie at Flitcrofts feet and our trust in him will see us relegated. Carol and family have been fantastic for our club but she has put all her trust in the wrong man. The appearance of Moore is an attempt to apease the fans but he cannot save this bunch of players. Very sad for all concerned as it could and shpuld have been avoided.
Anthony Cheetham
20th February 2024 @ 7:06 am
It’s poor recruitment when DC was here & that’s down to Flitcroft & the sooner Carol finds that out & give him the push the better Vale will be, but it’s too late for this season so guys & girls div 2 next season.
Neil
20th February 2024 @ 9:33 am
It all boils down to Flitcroft inability to see past his own agenda whatever that is because I’m baffled by his transfer errors time and time again.
Man in the Pub
20th February 2024 @ 11:47 am
Yes we are desperate for a striker and of course they are expensive. The mantra we were fed was that goals would be spread around the team but those goals are the icing on the cake a goalscoring striker is the cake.
Mr G Fowler
20th February 2024 @ 2:18 pm
Perhaps time to take of rose coloured glass’s carol DF certainly doesn’t seem to have a good CV for setting up a div 1 football team
Craig Wesley
20th February 2024 @ 2:32 pm
Excellent summary of the current situation and the historic failures that have led to us finding ourselves in this position. In terms of performances on the pitch, other than an upturn in form & confidence of the current players or a return to fitness of several influential injured players Darren Moore is severely hamstrung. These next few “winnable fixtures” are vitally important to take points from in order to get us out of the relegation places. Personally though I can’t see how we can win a game when we regularly concede 1 or 2 goals a game
Ian Buckley
20th February 2024 @ 4:19 pm
Club’s predicament well summarised by Rob. Yet another example of a free agent striker opportunity missed is that Dwight Gayle has gone to Derby. Why didn’t the owners and recruitment team try harder and bring him in? With our current inability to score goals, chances are we will go down with all eyes looking at failures in recruitment. But…… maybe Darren Moore can work some miracles where the recruitment team have not
Kirk Thomasson
20th February 2024 @ 4:34 pm
Spot on! What I don’t get is that if the fans can see it why not an experienced ex-pro footballer turned DoF or even a football loving Chair? Or even anyone in the backroom staff up to the presidents?
The whole situation is bizarre and to have no comment made about it from management is really concerning .
William
20th February 2024 @ 8:07 pm
We are just going round and round, we all know what (actually who) the problem is, it is unfortunately for the club something that our chairwoman point blank refuses to acknowledge. In other words, Carol has become part of the problem, not the solution. Something like 84% of fans who voted want flitcroft gone. The ones who want flitcroft gone want him gone for the good of the club, as it is obvious he has taken us backwards. Will someone please take Carol aside and give her both barrels.
David Brown
21st February 2024 @ 12:46 am
No arguing with this report, and Moore has inherited a squad without players in absolutely key positions. But, the Vale aren’t down yet and there’s still time to steer clear of relegation. It will need consistency with selection and tactics, luck to avoid injuries, and Moore to instill morale and work rate. The odds seem against it, but with 15 games left and 45 points to play for, there’s time yet for an escape. The DOF conundrum remains for now, but possibly not if relegation is the final outcome.
Allen Eardley
10th March 2024 @ 6:28 pm
if it want for carolwe would not have a club