OVF founder Rob Fielding says that the the club needs to be sold to a new owner and for that reason he is backing the Black and Gold protests.
Rob Fielding writes…
Can things get any worse for Vale fans? For many disillusioned fans it seems the answer is – yes, they can. With year-on-year decline, I can only concur with the fan who told the Sentinel that “at some point there won’t be two sides worse than us in the Football League.”
I add my voice to the appeals for Norman Smurthwaite to set a reasonable price for the sale of the club and to stand aside…
The bizarre timing of Neil Aspin’s departure at the apex of the transfer window along with the arrival of a bunch of young, unproven and presumably cheap January additions shows that the club has no clear long-term plans or ambitions.
Surely no Vale fan can be happy with the direction in which the club is heading? Under this owner we have had multiple managers, many of whom were unproven in the League, we have had several terrible January transfer windows and we have seen no sign of transfer and cup revenue being reinvested into the club.
Football may not be like Stoke Audi but it is like a lot of other businesses in that ultimately the buck stops at the top.
For what it is worth, I give my own support to the Black and Gold movement and I add my voice to the appeals for Norman Smurthwaite to set a reasonable price for the sale of the club and to stand aside for a new owner.
I would add that I have no personal grievance with Norman himself. In the time he has been at the club he has always been pleasant to deal with whether on the phone, email or in person and for that reason, I would hope that protesters continue to follow the wise words of Supporters Chief Mark Porter who has asked that the protests should be peaceful ones. I may disagree with how Mr Smurthwaite is running the club but I certainly would not wish him or his family to abused. Real Port Vale fans would never resort to such behaviour.
However, the club is teetering on the precipice and for the good of Port Vale FC, I believe there needs to be new ownership.
I totally agree with your comments. Regardless of everthing else and no matter how badly the players play we must support them totally on the field. We must not drop out of the league. Look what has happened to Scarborough, Darlington, York, Southport, Stockport, and look how difficult it is to get back – ask fans of Lincoln, Wrexham, and Grimsby. 15 points from 13 games and we should be safe. Norman, sellup now while there is still the possibility of a buyer while we are still in the league.