And so the yo-yo reputation looks set to finish
Supporting one of the “smaller” teams in football is a thankless task at the best of times, especially as the rise of internet fans who have never attended a game widens the gap even further. Every fan of the small club hates when their team is lumped into the expression “teams like”, but for teams like Port Vale, what is the blueprint? What should the fans truly be hoping for.
Realistically the Premier League is never going to happen unless you’re an avid player of Football Manager, while the constant relegation battle does also wear you down after a while too. Ten years ago the Vale were an established League One side and a late playoff run could’ve been possible, but really any hope of Championship football is limited at best.
The most realistic chance of rising through the divisions comes through riding momentum, coming back up from League Two and hopefully keeping a solid core together and keeping that winning feeling alive and sneaking up in that maiden League One season. Once you survive, it becomes the norm, the momentum dies and attracting genuine quality players is harder than ever, so it constantly feels like an eventual sink back towards League Two.
Perhaps it is too soon to write the obituary of this season as a late escape is still possible, but a trip to Bolton on the penultimate matchday is never going to be easy when they still have automatic promotion on the line, and the reality is that relegation could be secured before the final day comes around.
In football the hope will often kill you, but looking at the logical side of things doesn’t provide much inspiration either. The betting sites rarely get it wrong, and when you consider the football betting sites listed by offshoresportsbooks.com seem to be unanimous in their opinion that Vale are doomed to the drop, it really does illustrate the size of the task that Darren Moore has on his hands to prevent the inevitable.
His future may also come into question as well, of course he deserves some kudos for guiding Sheffield United to promotion and that does demonstrate some managerial ability, but the stark reality is that he took Huddersfield backwards and they are on the brink of relegation from the Championship, so he could have the unwanted record of being in charge of two relegated teams in one season if it all plays out the way the betting sites seem to expect.
It’s already been such a bizarre season after a 7-0 tonking to kick things off, Vale won five of their next six to spark potential promotion hopes, but the overall record is of a team who deserves to go down. They followed up that incredible start by going winless in 11 league games, a return of two wins in twenty-one games since the turn of the year is the mark of a team doomed for relegation, and a major turnaround may be needed.
The fans may want to see a sizeable turnaround in the playing staff and possibly in the dugout as well, and it’s hard to argue against the logic of it all. This is a team that’s in a severe slump and just as the momentum following promotion can be incredible, Forest Green have also demonstrated that it can have a reverse effect.