Opinion: respect for our owners but fans are angry because we care for the club
Rob Fielding says that while the open letter from Carol Shanahan should be respected, fans will continue to protest about the current Director of Football because they care for the long-term future of the club.
Rob Fielding writes…
I think the open letter from Carol Shanahan shows what committed and dedicated owners we have. It’s clear that, unlike some of our previous owners, the Shanahans want to make Port Vale a better club and are determined to do so. They deserve fans’ praise and thanks for that.
Fans firmly believe we failed to strengthen in January and that mistake could see us relegated. If we do then the goal in the letter of taking the club into League One in three years goes in the bin too because we’ll be back to League Two…
However, as Shanahan herself says in her letter, she has made mistakes and despite her strong denial, the majority of fans still believe that David Flitcroft is one of them.
Football is an oddity in that strong opinions and emotions result in people calling for people to be sacked. It wouldn’t happen in other industries but it does in football. I’ve never met David Flitcroft, in most circumstances I wouldn’t wish unemployment on anyone, let along a stranger, but I still strongly believe a change of Director of Football could be the right step for our club to be able to progress.
Why do I hold that view? Well, if you’ll pardon the pun, nothing is ever black and white and I wouldn’t say that David Flitcroft has achieved nothing. He has had success with, for example, Vale’s reputation as a temporary home for elite loan players. However, has he had more successes than failures?
Well, for me, the targets listed in the letter seem a bit back to front and with some key targets missing. I think you need to get your short-term goals sorted and ticked off before you embark on the long-term ones. Not vice versa.
Of the list of nine Flitcroft targets in the letter only one relates to the immediate term and that is “Stay in League One”. It’s the task with the most opaque answer. Wheras other tasks detail clear steps taken, under that task it just says that he and the club “will be doing everything that we can to do that again this year.”
Now hold on a minute is that true? Take Tuesday night. I would argue that doing “everything that we can” would mean, as director of football, as head of the football section, taking ultimate responsibility. Using the experience of your 300+ games as a manager and taking charge on the sidelines, not giving the job to a total rookie in Will Ryder.
And why is that the only short-term target? Surely, as head of all things football, there are other ones that should be on the list too?
What about responsibility for transfers? All that’s mentioned in the letter on that front is building a squad to get us to League One. Well, we did that but what about the seasons afterwards? The squad at the moment is one of the most unbalanced in years with one experienced left wingback and two senior strikers available. What about Flitcroft’s success or failure on that front?
The squad balance and depth is arguably the key to the club staying up. Fans firmly believe we failed to strengthen in January and that mistake could see us relegated. If we do then the goal in the letter of taking the club into League One in three years goes in the bin too because we’ll be back to League Two.
Then there’s players contracts… Was it sensible to offer Conor Grant and Dan Jones, with their injury records, two year deals? If so, why was James Wilson, another injury-prone player, only offered a short-term deal? What sort of coherent plan is this? What does it do for dressing room harmony? Again, as Director of Football surely there’s ultimate responsibility there too?
Then there’s managerial appointments. Andy Crosby was a great bloke but didn’t work out. Recruitment of managers is undertaken by the director of football. Is the club confident it will be the right decision this time around?
I personally think the fans may be more onboard if, like Carol, the Director of Football personally admitted some mistakes, vowed to learn from them and get better. So, with due respect to the club chair why has this open letter come from her and not David Flitcroft? He has clearly convinced Carol he’s the right man – now he needs to do the same with the fans. I think if Flitcroft himself met the media or issued his own statement, it would make fans feel he is more accountable and less aloof.
What would appease the fans then? Well, for some it may already be too late and while I don’t think the following approach would please everyone but it may certainly bring some fans onboard…
Issue a statement accepting responsibility as Director of Football for the current position. Explain your successes (the loan system and academy). Accept the failures (the transfer window). Be accountable for them. Explain how you will learn from those failures and what your targets for them will be. It may be too late. It won’t please everyone. But it may help.
I think the fans will always respect Carol and Kevin for their hard work and financial commitment. However, it’s a two-way street. While the owners have put millions into the club, a massive personal commitment, the club is nothing without the fans. Many fans have been going for decades, they know when something on the pitch is working or not, they love the club and will speak up and take action if they think something is wrong. So while fans will read and respect the owners’ appeal to stop, I feel right now it will fall on deaf ears because the fans care about the club and will continue to make themselves heard.
Richard Edgeley
8th February 2024 @ 11:03 am
I think that is spot on, why has Carol had to pen a letter justifying her position and that of Flitcrofts? She has admitted mistakes have been made and she has learned from them. Flickers needs to grow a pair and admit to and explain the transfere window and the American lads paperwork fiasco.
Keith Wakefield
8th February 2024 @ 11:09 am
Oh,Carol,what have you done ? The only result that I can see from your open letter is to turn fans,who previously thought that you could walk on water,against you.
As far as I can see,all that our Director of Football is guilty of is prioritising incorrectly.It appears that he prioritised the design of the Training Zone over the recruitment of players,and thought that sorting out the drainage and irrigation of the Vale Park playing surface was more important than dealing with the rubbish on the pitch.This is not a hanging offence,whether it is a sacking offence is not for me to decide.
I awoke on the morning of February 1st. this year knowing,not expecting but knowing,that by the time I returned to bed that evening we would have signed at least one striker.I was wrong,we signed none,but this was not a problem just for February 1st. this was a problem that had been there for over twelve months and had not been resolved.Why ?
After another dismal display at Fleetwood,the decision was made to sack Andy Crosby.Was this the correct decision ? I have no idea.Without being privy to how much he was involved in the recruitment of players,and I do not have that knowledge,I don’t know if this was the right thing to do.However I am of the opinion that you can’t fire the gun if you’ve been given the wrong bullets.
However,once Andy Crosby and his coaching staff had left the club,there was only one man remaining with any managerial experience and it was his duty to step up and take over.Ducking the issue was unforgivable,and in my opinion shows cowardice and an unwillingness to be associated with the mess that he had created.
Carol,I fear that we are going to be relegated,but whether we are or if by some miracle we manage to stay up,the playing squad is going to need a complete and total rebuild.The question is,do you want to entrust this task to David Flitcroft ?
I have a friend,a Stoke supporter,who loves to taunt me by saying,’At least you’ll have the best stadium in the National League’.Please don’t let him be right.
Philip Landon
8th February 2024 @ 11:10 am
Hi, If David Flitcroft wants to win over the fan base he needs to give an interview and explain why after promising a striker and a wing back at the fans forum they never materialised.
Under this new management structure at the club communication with the fans just doesn’t happen.
Before Carol was always on the radio, television or in the press.
They are all faceless individuals that have lost the ability to communicate.
Sandra Lawton
8th February 2024 @ 11:26 am
Very well balanced response. However perhaps we didn’t strengthen because any players better than our current squad didn’t want to move to North Staffordshire. It would be good to hear from the DoF if this is the case. No use bringing in players if they’re just as bad as those we already have!
David raftery
8th February 2024 @ 11:49 am
Always respect the owners if they think David flitcroft is essential to the club then alter his role in the club make the role of director of football redundant and give him the role of director of youth development and have the new manager responsible for first team affairs including the signings of New players
Ian mountford
8th February 2024 @ 11:52 am
Flitcroft has selected then sacked 2 managers, Steve Speed was forced out presumably by Flitcroft, his poor choice or obsession of signing injury prone players is disbelieved. Any money which Carol thinks flitcroft has brought into the club has been taken up in redundancy payments. Either the managers were not up to the task or the players aren’t good enough (or both) and Flitcroft chose all of them !
Melvyn Finnemore
8th February 2024 @ 11:53 am
Ref: – “ I personally think the fans may be more onboard if, like Carol, the Director of Football personally admitted some mistakes, vowed to learn from them and get better.”
At the end of last season it was admitted that mistakes had been made and would learn from them.
January transfer window ends and we have a weaker squad.Still waiting for a striker.The general feeling amongst the fan base was this might be due to no funds being available.This is perfectly understandable and believable in the current financial climate.Nothing is mentioned about lack of funds in the letter.It mentions “Generated his wages many times over.We have had a good run in the cup.Which would have made more money for the club.Not a massive amount.Money that wasn’t budgeted for so a little bit extra money.Season ticket sales were good.All the boxes at the club sold.Nothing is mentioned in the letter about no money available during the transfer window.(Maybe a good,genuine reason why nothing was mentioned about finances during the transfer window)By informing fans that no funds were available then that would have given fans more understanding and eased some of the pressure on DF? So was the reason for the poor transfer window a lack of funds?
Mike Rennie
8th February 2024 @ 11:54 am
Absolutely spot on from Rob.l have felt an inevitable drift to relegation for months,our lack of cohesion and strike power is dreadful we need an immediate uplift from a new manager and not a mate or a yes man.
William Beevers
8th February 2024 @ 12:12 pm
The problem is Flitcroft will come out with the same old story,good strikers are hard to come by and cost a lot of money. Well what’s happened with the money they got from selling graduate players,Tommy McDermott and why was he sold in the first place,why did they sell Harrison.
Geoff Meadowcroft
8th February 2024 @ 12:18 pm
I am not surprised but very disappointed in the response of the Chair and co~Owner
This letter is not a defense of the DoF ,but a CV of only part of his present career with this Club
There is no mention of
1.the unacceptable way in which he is demanding our game should be played
2,the manners of which is a dictate to any incoming Manager
3,the current position and lack of resources on the pitch ,and lack of financial backing with which to improve them
4,the lack of technical support due to sackings and resignations ,forced or otherwise
5,the atrocious relationship and lack of respect and trust that seemingly the majority of the fan base have for the DoF
There are many mistakes being made in the running of this Club with more attention being paid to Community rather than Team and the DoF appears to be the only one who controls what happens at the Club according to the statement….this reflects poorly on Claire and Matt who must feel significantly less worthwhile as he appears to overlap in many of the duties and benefits he has brought to the Club
This statement is overblown ,devisive and has probably sealed her fate with that of Flitcroft
I thought Carol was more worthy than that ,but I am mistaken
This statement will prove to be her downfall ,and as thankful as I was for her intervention to save the Club….that was then and she can no longer dine out on what she did.but what she has currently done is to alienate a good proportion of the Club
What Manager worth his salt will consider this Club as a place to earn a good reputation…we will end up ,as with our DoF , a man who has been sacked by each club he has worked at …brought one club into liquidation and was out of football until the Chair appointed him without recognition of his potentially atrocious employment history
Dave Smith
8th February 2024 @ 1:17 pm
The new manager should be allowed to manage all aspects of the playing staff, after all it’s his head on the block when things go wrong
Vale fan
8th February 2024 @ 2:49 pm
Yep I was going to say all this I was I was, honest, Carol just admit when you are really WRONG, believe me if the Vale go down, a lot of fans will not come back, we are a yo yo club, we need a manger that knows his job, Crosby is a great coach but he’s no manager, who wants to report to Flitcroft Nobody, get us a good manager not a scapegoat for Flitcroft, with the right man this could be interesting
David Hutt
8th February 2024 @ 3:09 pm
As a Reading supporter of 55 years I have no need to tell Port Vale supporters of the mess an uncaring owner can get a club into. We hear absolutely nothing from our owner on what he plans to do with our club. Our game with Port Vale was not something we wanted to do and it has to be said that the Port Vale fans were brilliant in their support for our plight. The one thing I would say in support of your owners is they have the team and club close to there hearts and the guts to stand up and talk to their fan base.
I so wish we had someone similar owning us.
I look forward to seeing Port Vale fans at Reading again in a few weeks and hope that both of our teams can avoid the trap door to league 2
Richard
8th February 2024 @ 3:25 pm
I can’t understand why we always leave it to the last minute in the transfer window to get what no one else wants all the best players get snapped up while the Vale wait & bring in crap players
Vale Fan
8th February 2024 @ 3:35 pm
Well Carol you are still not listening, we are not going to get a manager who can pick his own team just the one Flitcroft picks,A DoF who left us in the lurch against Orient, he has not got a clue about loyalty.
Kirk Thomasson
8th February 2024 @ 6:41 pm
This is spot on. Not sure what point the open letter was trying to make. No doubt in their commitment and dedication to improving the club. Yes both Carol and DoF will have made mistakes and had successes … No question.
However we continue to go back to the same issue we’ve had this season and last… not enough goals! Football is about goals. If you don’t score – you will struggle. Even when we’d made the defense stronger and had arguably the best midfield in L1 (Ojo, Garrity, Arblaster, Divine, Chislett) we weren’t scoring goals.
I feel Crosby wasn’t given a fair chance expecting him to win games without personnel to score goals especially strikers . You might as well ask a builder to build a wall without a trowel .
My issue is that if the DoF can’t see that short term and long term aim… Why is the DoF?
I’d be more interested in an open letter explaining this issue for the last 2 seasons .
Mark
8th February 2024 @ 8:33 pm
This is spot on. Flitcroft is hiding behind Carole and she is taking all the flack as a result. He really does need to hold his hands up and take accountability for his role. It’s not now just a Manager that we need but the whole first team coaching set up too. Don’t forget that. And if they’re going to be told how they have to play I don’t see any improvement anytime soon and it will see us slip back into Lg 2, making Carole’s dreams [and ours] all the more difficult to achieve.
David Brown
8th February 2024 @ 9:54 pm
The one thing to take heat away from the owners and Flitcroft is winning matches. The club still has 18 games remaining to steer clear of relegation, and then reset for next season.
The appointment of an experienced and competent EFL Manager might well secure League 1 safety. But, if the club is still relegated, then all bets might be off for Flitcroft’s DOF security. After all, his original mandate on joining the Vale will have totally collapsed – back to square one in League 2. For the time being, the owners support and loyalty to Flitcroft has been made clear.
Overall I think the owners have done a tremendous job since taking over the club, and Flitcroft has had successes. But, now the going has got tough especially with the spotlight on his transfer mistakes, and he should be open and transparent with supporters. As DOF that’s his responsibility. He owes supporters that at the very least.
Steve Jordan
9th February 2024 @ 9:28 am
No one could move from one workplace to an another without help. From going to a league football from her computer company must seem like swimming the channel after getting your 50m swimming badge the week before you took over. Options are divided on Dave Flitcrots appointment, but who would anyone have gone for without knowing some background of him. It seems Carol appointed him on what she over the phone, maybe she should have delved a little deeper. Transparency, Championship ready, we’re all things spoken about when she bought the club,as a club we may be championship ready, the team has been forgotten and neglected, we may just about be Division 2 ready
Ken from North Wales
9th February 2024 @ 12:47 pm
It’s obvious that Flitcroft is not man enough to face either the media or the supporters. Totally spineless and doesn’t give a toss about the club.
Sam Brotherton
11th February 2024 @ 3:26 pm
There should be one voice at vale regarding players and picking the team
And that’s the manager any this parties should concentrate on their own responsibilities at the club.
But first and fore most we need the right person to get vale back up the league.come on vale
Tony Gittins
14th February 2024 @ 7:38 pm
It’s very sad that the best comment on here was from a Reading fan!