Port Vale fans panel on the Burton game – “there is a simple solution for the club and it involves a P45”

The questions

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What Port Vale starting eleven would you select and why?

Jean: Ripley, Sang, Debrah, Smith, Iacovitti (not Jones or Grant), Massey, Ono, Garrity, Chislett, Wilson, Loft.

Pete: I honestly have no confidence in any players apart from Ripley and Garrity, who must start every game. We may as well play Plant and Shorrock as wing backs. It’s the final throw of the dice for Jones at left centre-back with Smith and Debrah beside him. Chislett starts the game for me, Garrity is joined by Ojo in the three. Uptop Wilson with Mighten (just try him there) or Dipepa instead of Mighten.

Ian: It’s not until you come to pick a team that it really comes home how poor and disjointed the squad of players is. Here goes… Ripley (five at the back) Massey, Smith, Lopata, Debrah, Jones. Four in midfield –  Chislett Lowe Ojo Garrity. One up front in Wilson with subs Dipepa, Loft, Mighten, Sang, Leutwiler, Plant and Shorrock.

I’m going 5-4-1 as I just think we need to stop conceding goals to stand any chance of winning a match. It’s something I would have thought Moore would have done from the off, just to steady the ship and build some confidence.

We have no wide defenders and no forwards who can score –  it’s plain ridiculous. I wouldn’t entertain Debrah nor Wilson (but who else do we have?) and I wouldn’t play Jones until he’s fully fit. But there’s just no choice there and it’s totally unfair to keep throwing in young lads into a team this poor.

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What do you think the final score will be?

Jean: 2-1 to Vale (I’m drunk)

Pete: I’m not confident, but as I’ve said before “a clock is right twice a day” – 2-2.

Ian: The score will hopefully be 0-1, but your heart tells you 2-0.

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Is it another “must win” game or are Vale already effectively down?

Jean: If we win we will be fourth bottom three points behind Burton with a game in hand. But will we win? The fat lady isn’t signing yet but she is have a pre-match gargle.

Pete: The last eight games have been “must win”, this is the worst team I have seen in my 48 years attending (that is really saying something), relegation is a certainty sadly. The games and points are still there but we are lethargic, lack belief and threat.

Ian: As professional footballers all games should be looked upon as must win games (or not to lose at least). But from a fan’s perspective it’s too late, when teams below you in the league who had hardly won a game all season, (like Cheltenham and Fleetwood) comfortably do the double over you, it says it all.

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The away ticket sales for this game appear to be down – are Vale fans starting to lose interest in this side? If so, what can the club do to address it?

Jean: Last year we took 1,700 to Burton with tickets selling out before the game. In November we took over 1,000 for a midweek cup replay. As of now (Tuesday afternoon) we’ve sold 760. Many folk have decided they don’t want to waste their money any more. There is a simple solution for the club and it involves a P45.

Pete: There are going to be 40/ 50% fewer Valiants attending the Burton game and this is likely to be reflected in 2024/ 2025 Season ticket sales as things stand. The club can only address this with ‘root and branch’ change throughout the football side of the business. This won’t happen, although pressure may force Carol’s hand regarding David Flitcroft. Who will take the majority of these players still under contract in League Two? We are in danger of spiralling out of the Football League, as the better players such as Ripley, Garrity and Chislett will be sold. We need answers and action quickly to avert complete implosion.

Ian: Forrester, Harrison, Benning and  Conlon have left, plus three youngsters have moved onto bigger and better things while gates have averaged around 7,000, so there has been no lack of money coming into the club. However, what has been invested INTO the playing squad? Is this because the owners have no money or are they recouping their investment back?  With the playing squad made up of injury prone players, teenage loanees and academy kids, one has to ask, is this due to the owners lack of investment and/or Flitcroft’s poor transfer business?

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Any other business?

Jean: I’m just hoping a visit to McDonalds before the game isn’t the highlight of the day.

Ian: For me, this team is worse than the one that went down under Smurthwaite. The season-long toilet situation on the Railway Paddock side is nothing short of disgraceful, the ticket office closure was ludicrous, and we still have an owner unwilling to listen to the supporters. Fears grow for next season.

Crosby was doing a very good job early in the season and it wasn’t until he lost his entire midfield in Ojo Garrity Arblaster then finally Devine that the wheels finally came off. Even then we managed to beat Blackpool, we were unlucky not to beat Charlton and pushed Barnsley right to the wire with a wonderful second-half performance. To then dismiss Crosby for an unacceptable run of results, and replace him with a man who had an even worse record beggars belief.

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