Rob Fielding says that it’s bizarre that after a run of ten League games without a win and with a side ten points adrift of safety that the Port Vale owners are not considering a change of manager.
Rob Fielding writes…
Let’s make one thing clear. This isn’t personal. Darren Moore seems a nice man but football managers don’t stay in jobs because they are nice, they stay in jobs because they are successful…
Let’s make one thing clear. This isn’t personal. Darren Moore seems a nice man but football managers don’t stay in jobs because they are nice, they stay in jobs because they are successful.
And surely no-one can claim this season is a success. To most of the fans it’s pretty clear – if we stick with Darren Moore then this side is definitely going down. The tactics are baffling, the endless rotation counter-productive and the summer signings underwhelming.
It could very well be that they are going down even if a change of manager is made but even if that’s were to be the case, surely a change has to be made? After the 5-0 loss to Huddersfield Town surely Moore’s position is untenable? Surely it’s better to get a new face in and (even if the club goes down) give them the rest of the season to settle in and mould the side in their image.
After all, isn’t that exactly what they did when appointing Darren Moore (with one caveat). Moore was brought in when Andy Crosby was dismissed and even though he couldn’t save the club from relegation, his feet were firmly under the table enabling him to re-shape the squad in the summer. What about that caveat? Well, that time the club acted too late – the window was shut by the time Moore came in which meant he could not make any changes. This time, the owners have a chance to make a change and give the new man a chance to make some initial changes in the January window.
Who knows – the new appointment may even be able to do enough to save our League One status. It’s very long odds admittedly, but surely it’s a better option than sticking with the current manager and sleepwalking to relegation?
How do you kill a circus? Cut em off at the juggler
Spot on! Change needed weeks ago. Other clubs in this and other divisions are sacking managers left right and centre and the improvement in results almost immediate. However we are a acting in an amateurish way and by continuing to brush it under the carpet other fans must look at port vale and think WTF is going on. If the shanahans continue to be more bothered about the community than the football club which I’m not sure carol understands should be the main priority, then perhaps she should go along with Hancock and the clownin charge of picking the team! Us fans have paid a lot of money to go to the game today and what we got was that load of sh1t. Having left it this long even Houdini couldn’t stop this ship from sinking into league 2 .Time was up a long time ago for Mr Moore and as for his interview with DAN , was he watching the same game as the few fans who stayed to the end . Straight down the tunnel and left it to the players to get both barrels, arrogant, pathetic self centred, egotistical and greedy man are a few phrases that come to mind. DARREN MOORE Get out of club!!
I agree with Rob’s points made in his blog. Despite the recent “vote of confidence” it seems inevitable that there must be a manager change. We don’t know the precise terms and financial costs of terminating Moore’s 5 year contract. Whatever it is must be balanced against the costs of relegation, the 2026-27 season ticket sales, and the longer term goodwill of supporters who sense their views are being disregarded. It’s possible the that the £120K prize money for winning the upcoming 3rd Round FA Cup tie against Fleetwood might be factored into the timing of any manager change. Alternatively it could be the Board will stick with Moore, like the club once did with the great John Rudge after he oversaw a relegation. But, Moore is no John Rudge in his broader football vision, tactics, or goal oriented open playing style. Without the benefit of a new Board statement, the best supporters can hope for is that work is actually in progress to source Moore’s replacement.
So let’s be clear Carol you have the power to get rid of this so called manager BUT YOU DONT, this leads me to believe you have an ulterior motive at Vale park.You and you alone are to blame at the moment for the trouble at PORT VALE FC, Moore should of been gone weeks ago but you and YOUR associates keep him in a job.You are as bad as Smurthwaite, if not worse.At least talk to the fans they may be able to help,but then again you did give Moore a 5 year contract, so who knows what you have planned for the VALE.
Oh dear but all our fans new what was coming no plan no tactics Mr Moore &woeful coaching staff need to go ASAP along with Byers Stockley &whole raft of deadbeat non league (sorry non league)they have no fight spirit or talent to even think of turning things around not even jaysoos chris could sort these deadbeats into a team to many to name all the flops in this rant but boy oh boy Walters has really blown his chance passes sideways backwards &sideways again &Byers for all the hype (by DM ) is an absolute disgrace but they are not on their own the above have no effect on the game at all infact look totally disinterested oh my oh my anyway UTV
Well said cookie am with you on that 1 sausage !! GET THE **** OUT OF OUR CLUB DARREN!! and you Hancock
He should have gone after Plymouth from a footballing sense. Agreed that it isnt personal. I think hes a genuinely good bloke who is doing what he thinks is best…but there is absolutely no justification that can be now made for him to keep his job. The performances and results are shocking. I said at the time, anything that occurs after Plymouth I dont blame him for because its clear he wasnt the man to turn the ship around. At this point, every result since Plymouth and every result to come until he goes is ENTIRELY the responsibility of the board for not doing the right thing and letting him go.
Agree with Rob here. The solution for me in the short term is one of two options: (a) keep Moore in his contract but tell him to just to leave the club, and install a player/manager – perhaps Garrity for the rest of the season (b) sack Moore and replace with a manager. Fans will forgive the owners if they try with a) or b). Fans will be baffled with no change and understandably so. Let me be clear, these owners are essential for Port Vale and not for one second should we be calling for them to leave but they do need to accept when change is essential. One last point, Moore being a nice bloke? A nice bloke would leave and do the honourable thing. He’s just like the rest of us, he ain’t giving up on a lucrative 5 year contract. So let’s not labour the nice narrative too much.
Looks to me that Carol is more than happy to compete in league two and her ambitions are to see saw between League one and two throughout her ownership of the club. If she had any hihher ambitions she would not allow this poor run of form to continue without a change of management or at least looking for a new manager.
So the fans must make their choice to go or not based on them facts and either go along on that ride or not.
All the fantastic work the owners have done is totally down the drain with yet another ludicrous decision to trust a useless manager and just as useless CEO. Clearly they will not act so there seems little option for the fans other than to stop going and that should be out next move boycott the games.
Darren Moore has been given much respect in the past because it was always thought that he was a nice man, a decent man. He has now lost that respect because the decent thing to do for the sake of the clubs future is to resign and walk away without wanting the fulfilment of his contract.
One small correction to the above article. Moore did make a change to Crosby’s side: He made a poor side worse, and is still doing that today.
Shanahan should find the dignity to address this with the fan base, the longer she leaves this in silence creates a counter culture against her tenure.
DM in an office somewhere for his player connections. DC as caretaker until the end of the season please.
He won’t leave. Why should he. He was given a 5 year contract when any manager in league 1 or 2 would be over the moon with 3. He has to be pushed.
I have so much respect for the Shanahan’s, and their work in the community is admirable but football is a results game. Football managers, even the best, which I’m afraid Mr Moore isn’t, have a sell by date. When he was sacked by Huddersfield their fans were so relieved as the results but also the play was so poor.
I won’t even say anything new, sack Moore and eff off Carol, get rid of them both. Especially that Matt Hancock (not the tory, even though I’m sure he’d do a better job). We need a new owner and manager. Simple as. Same words every week and same results. It’s like deja vu.
DM maybe a nice man but as Manager of Port Vale that is not what he is being judged on its results. We are on a shocking run of form that has us anchored to the bottom of our division and getting more and more adrift from safety. DM has shown he can do nothing to stem this decline and inevitable plunge back into League 2. There may still be time to change this despite the total mess of a situation DM has gotten us into but that change does not involve DM. This is on DM it’s his squad of players he largely recruited playing his tactics and formation . He has proven he has no solution to our current league position , that solution lies with another Manager. DM has proven when he took us down previously, something he looks certain to repeat again given the chance, that he is not the man to manage Port Vale in League 1.
I realise emotions on high at the moment but I think we stick with what we have and try to claw our way out of the relegation zone. I don’t think a change of manager will make a jot of difference.
We have a decent squad and hopefully Darren will get a better tune out of them. Let’s see how we get on at Bradford, I hope for a result otherwise the Blackpool game will be a bit of a flash point.
Keep the faith and battle on I do think communications from the club on the footballing side need to improve, there is a disconnect with the fans at the moment.
So, in summary stick with him, we have players who can respond, enough money has been spent on this squad and Darren needs to put an attacking formation out, take the brakes off, Cole up top on his own is not the right tactic.
Cluster Fook!!!!!!!! In game management non existent or confusing, starting 11 totally confusing many times, no consistency. A manager who continually gets the worst out of good players who end up looking despondent and lost. Lets all of your young talent go out on loan to gain experience, why? I am sure they would give 100% if given a chance. Will not put youth onto the field when on the bench after everything else you have attempted is a total failure, what have you got to loose????? Consistently under performing as a manager without the worry of loosing your job when all that are external of the club can see this is appointment has been beyond your remit.
Keep him till the end of the season,dump him,search for a new mr nice guy,give him five years,then when we end up in the conference,start all over again,SIMPLES
Oh my …..the guy that just compared Carol to Smurthwaite ,what a sicko or a Stokie.
No brain short memory ……..dont need fans like you.
You are a coward Carol Shanahan a tell you what why don’t you leave at the same time as this low league manager he is unless tactics out the window he is out of his depth in this league and you Shanahan are nothing but a coward get the f out of our club
What happened to championship ready,at this rate we’ll be lucky to be national league ready,get rid of DM now before we sink into the abyss
Ok poeple let’s look at this from a different angle and look what’s on the pitch in my 57 years of watching the vale I’ve never seen a pvfc side with such a soft underbelly no aggression not putting the right balls through for the strikers defence is been pulled all over the place and players dragged out of position so perhaps the coaching methods are inadequate and after all, once they are on the pitch it’s up to those eleven players to show some guts and I’m sure carol is just as frustrated as we are . I’m not a dm fan, but you would think after all these years in the game he would have a bit of knowledge.
Burnt toast you had a brain you would be dangerous Carol is as bad as Smurthwaite and you are brain dead if you don’t see it, What has she done this season HIDE that’s all she had done she has ballooned the problem beyond belief, the coaching staff and duff players that entered the club under her direction, have got to be sorted out yet bumped.You know as much as Mr Moore about football,NOWT