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I have to be honest folks. I have zero confidence in any decision being made at Port Vale FC at the moment. Where does this leave me? Probably walking way after 49 years unless there is significant response/ change. There seems to be a 'plan' that will not be deviated from, whatever circumstances prevail. It feels wrong, has done for some time and recent statements and decisions prove to me that the Club is in freefall, crashing and burning, hell-bent on destroying any foundation laid a few years back. Sad really but it will be the supporters who suffer most apart from significant financial losses incurred by the Shanahan's, which look as though they will only get worse.

I don’t set out to insult you. If you go to a restaurant and you pay 25 quid for a cold steak and burnt chips and the person serving it to you abused you, then I take it that you pay your bill and smile and go back next week? If you go to the pub and have a warm pint for 5 quid and a bag of crisps out of date, you’d thank them and go back the following night? If you went to work and those around you were on 2000 pounds a week and not putting any effort in, yet you were an up and coming lad, who puts a shift in and tries his best on 300 quid a week, you’d have no problem with that would you? If your Mrs went out for weeks on end and you knew she was having an affair. Would you not be angry? Would you not be whiny? Would you not be a miserable son of a wretch? As you put it? Probably just best to clap along and accept. You see Tony, you keep debating with me. You will end up getting personal because your debate does not stand up. There is NOTHING wrong with “happy clapping”. Why? Because it’s everybody’s choice. People have choices in life. But I merely stated in my first post to not moan when you’re freezing in the paddock, potentially pissing in a portaloo again, after going one down against Crawley in front of 2500. I would also suggest, only my opinion Tony, going off what you posted, is that if you’re just happy clapping for your health, then you aren’t truly invested in the club, have no fight, and therefore turn up, watch the football, clap good or bad and go home. Each to their own pal. I would rather be a man and stand up and be counted and fight for this club. Have a wonderful day.

I agree that being positive is much better for your health , but sticking one’s head in the sand and refusing to face reality is not good . You can be a Happy Clapper , fair enough . However , I think you’re seeing the smaller picture . This is a bad situation that we find ourselves, and I’m thinking that it may be worse next season. It’s not who’s right or wrong , it’s just sad.

It's not his fault what he gets paid. It's flitcrofts. That’s what I’ve just said.

A bit of nice news. Good to see Ollie Arblaster coming on for Sheffield United in the Prem, even if it is 6-0 down to Arsenal…

She’s been taking the p1ss all season..but you can’t!

Again, what are you going on about?

I wonder if he won the job based on a strong interview beating a selection of candidates or it was a name the chairman had heard of and thought “ I want him”

If that’s the case then maybe a little unfair to criticise over that.

The Bogs that are open that is ! Another Black Mark for the Owner, accepting Hundreds of Pounds off People and then making them use Portaloos for over half a season. It shouldn’t take that long for them to be fixed.

Uche always gave 100% not his fault the wages he's getting.

Yes, some applauded the players, others abused the players, some abused their fellow Valiants, some commiserated their fellow Valiants, some just scratched their heads in a daze, so no different than many other away games this season other than some of the anger at the situation the club have allowed to develop seems to have given way to resignation.

I went. I tell you what, when I got to the ground I actually felt positive. Not for the game, but for the fact that we have got great fans really. We can give ourselves a raw deal sometimes, slag each other off for being negative same for happy clapping etc. But to take the numbers we did yesterday (and consistently take everywhere really) on the run we're on, with the team we've got, to a fixture where the result was a formality and the club in the state its in was pretty bloody impressive. All the usual songs were out and everyone was behind the team from then pretty much until the second goal went in. The clubs bigger than anything we've got sitting in the office upstairs. It's imperative he goes sooner rather than later or I genuinely fear we could be the best supported club in the national league. But to answer your question Darren mate, I didn't notice anybody clapping. I left pretty sharpish on the full-time whistle and used the facilities before exiting. All I heard were boos, you're not fit to wear the shirt and David flitcroft get out of our club (which I wholeheartedly joined in with). Each to their own, but how even the happiest of clappers could clap that yesterday i cannot comprehend.

It’s beginning to feel like ‘right man, wrong time’. Darren Moore is used to working with better quality players and greater resources. I was excited by the appointment (but not the length of the contract), however it is already looking like a mistake. The situation we were in called for an experienced ‘fire fighter’ to come in short term and save our season by preserving L1 status. Then bring someone like Moore in to hopefully take us forward with his own players. I think our manager may be shocked by the lack of quality in the squad, but sitting on a 5.5 year, he’s not likely to be worried about getting fired any time soon. I think at this point, a large number of Vale fans would welcome Darrell Clarke back with open arms, with someone like Martin Foyle in to work on scouting to support recruitment, and David Flitcroft and his back room team gone. The academy is in safe hands with Will Ryder but those academy lads should not be near our first time yet (Plant excepted). I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say we are in genuine danger of dropping out of the league next season. That is how dire the squad is, and how limited the budget for another overhaul is. Trying times!

things could be worse then.

Not happy but still clapping.

Very well put post ST.

I'm sure there is a very good explanation and I'm sure no-one would care about it if we were top of the table. However, the issue is that it gives the impression that regular fans don't matter.

Yes the fans need an explanation and quick. Not once has Moore apologised to the Fans . Carol needs to grow a pair, admit to her mistakes and failings and do something about it and quick. HOW CAN She give a failure of a Manager who had 3 wins out of 23, a FIVE and HALF YEAR Contract. His first interview he said he wanted his Players to represent the local community and Fan base, he can’t even get most of the players to give 100% effort let alone Play Football.

Exactly mate for Lee Gregory see Loft. For Bailey Dipepa see Michael Smith. Vale and Sheffield Wednesday are so polar opposite. Wednesday had to get promoted. Moore facilitated that however he had the players at his disposal and arguably the best player in League one Bannan. Coming to Vale is a huge culture change in size of clubs. But that doesn't mean we accept this current garbage.

Agreed. What we really need is a decent accountant who can cut back on the waste. I don’t see value on or off the pitch.

Carlisle away, Wycombe away, Fleetwood away Shall I carry on?

It’s not. You’re correct. It’s a waste of a wage though. Like most. 100% is the MINIMUM any footballer should give. That’s a given. Talent wise he ain’t worth half of that. And that lies with the DOF who has sanctioned these signings and wages.

Again, they aren’t big wages for this level. They are HUGE wages for the quality of player. Colby Bishop is on £5500 a week at Pompey. So when you consider that Uche and Loft combined are on over 7k, that’s frightening.

I thought it was only Carol who loved Flicker but some of these players agents must love him even more...talk about money for old rope, bloody hell....

I don’t think you’ll find a club who operate on anything less than around 2.5 million a year in this league. So it’s not so much the money being paid, it is like you say, the quality for your buck. Thats a glaring reason why Flitcroft should be sacked.

You can’t believe everything you read on the internet but I also hear other sources close to the club. This isn’t me calling anyone out. The information is out there. Our annual wage budget is around 3.2 million. Which would be about right considering we were mainly around the 2 to 2.5 million mark in league 2. Now breaking that down individually. Again the information is out there. Per week. Uche. 4500. Ojo. 4300. Grant. 3400. Massey. 3200. Loft. 2700. Iacovitti. 2500. Garrity. 2500. Ripley. 2400. Jones. 2400. Chisnall. 2300. Wilson. 2100. Lowe. 2100. Debrah. 2100. Clarke. 1900. Smith. 1900. Leutweilwer. 810. Plant. 510. Then there’s the kids and loanees. So the next time you say “just get behind the lads” it’s time to take a step back and get some perspective when you’re going work and not earning those figures in a month. I wouldn’t pay most of that lot with washers but that’s where the money has gone. That’s what the DOF has bought. That’s where Carols and the clubs money goes. Yet she defends the indefensible. Unbelievable.

Darren has one week to do something here. He has experienced coaches who can hopefully turn this <ovf censored> heap into something good. Better see some effort on Saturday. The teams moral looked <ovf censored> yesterday. We didn't compete at any point with Derby. This season I've seen us really put a shift in against teams just as good. I've not seen such a bad effort since Middlesbrough. Derby didn't even have to try. I predict the game on sat will be a win, loss or draw. Utv

Also rated the safe standing

never mind happy clappers !! the players are what counts !! they are letting us/themselves/ this wonderful club down terrible mess we are in come on vale get a grip

Scraped a win at Mansfield? I thought it was the best performance of the season looked a league above them. Unfortunately they will more than likely be a league above us.I agree with the rest of what you said [emoji106] Sent from my SM-A505FN using onevalefan mobile app

we deserved everything we got in those games under crosby. after the barnsley debacle we had an unbelievably lucky run of sendings off and penalties . then when that dried up we were watching the real vale. as for the cup run that was another fluke as we played the lowest ranked side in every round and only just scraped a win at mansfield. the boro game was an absolute disaster and then soon as we lost arblaster and devine the team fell apart. crosby was and is no manager and we now have to get behind DM who is PROVEN at this level. if we are struggling its not because of him its down to the pi55 poor recruitment over the last 4 transfer windows and that is solely down to fraudcroft.

You cant just fire players under contract. unless we can have them under trade descriptions act?

The fans are the ones that pay the wages . There is a lot that they can do. If Carol Shanahan , with all due respect, is on her high horse and stands by Flitcroft next season , there’s a problem. She’s a smart business woman , and fair play to her for achieving what she has , but if she talks down to the fans / community like a schoolteacher, there’s a problem. It seems that there is already a divide there. I don’t expect the club to tell us everything , but right now the fans are being treated badly, and it’s going to get worse next season. When we get relegated , Vale won’t be back in League One for a good few years , in my opinion. Darren Moore and Flitcroft are joined at the hip , and Carol Shanahan thinks Flitcroft can do no wrong. That kind of stubbornness , and not wanting to be proved wrong, can only lead to disaster. I’m a long way from Burslem, and my opinion doesn’t hold as much water as many on here , particularly those who go home and away for years, but I can see this ending very badly for Port Vale. It’s toxic both on and off the pitch at the moment , and if something isn’t done , we’ll find ourselves in the National League before long. That may seem impossible , but no club has a divine right to say where they should be . They have to earn it. The work ethic of this current side wouldn’t earn them a job in a butchers shop , yet alone another club. It’s disgraceful, and a slap in the face to the fans. How they can go home with a wage packet and hold their heads up is beyond me. I wonder what Roy Sproson would think ? A true servant , like many others. Sorry for the long ramble , but I’ve never seen the club like this in my 55 years following the Vale. Sometimes it only takes one bad apple , and that’s Flitcroft. Spunk Trumpet is spot on in his posts . Flitcroft is a narcissist, and I fear he will take the club down with him . Then he’ll go back to the family business, and we’ll be left with the crumbs of a football club. I sincerely hope that I’m proved wrong. VTID

seem to remember back in the 60s and 70s occasionally if dross was being served the crowd would start a slow hand clap, It always seemed a more damning critic than booing, rather more posh than that.

And will my stopping clapping bring that about? The club will do what the club does. When change comes, if I think it's for the better then I'll applaud that as well. Until then, there is <ovf censored> all either you or I can do.

Exactly how I feel, the performances under Crosby were not as bad as these last few games. Moore has had players coming back from Injury as well, but he just seems at a loss with the whole situation. Last week our owner stated after the Lincoln Match that the Players are Phenomenal and We will be fine. How can any Fan explain that, Please Tell Me ! At least under Michael Brown, we showed some Fight but this Current Lot don’t even seem to be bothered.

So far this season we've had a run of 11 without a win between Northampton and Exeter and are currently on 11 between Blackpool and Derby. Takes some doing that .

More points and put a fight with Crosby? Crosby is one of the main reasons why we are in a relegation battle. He should never have have been given the job in the first place and he should 100% of gone in October.

Those that stayed and clapped off the team yesterday did it to thank the players for turning up for the coach on time, getting themselves dressed and running on the pitch for the warm up. It cannot be for anything that happened once the match started !! To a man the performance was shocking.

I try to remain positive but how anybody could clap that embaressment of a performance is beyond me. I'm not someone who is going to get angry and aggressive at our own players but i did boo the performance as it was completely unacceptable on every level. But surely you cant applaud it. That assumes there was plenty of effort there which there just wasnt today. First time under Darren Moore I have said that too. You just leave quietly. I mean what were you actually applauding the few who did. That they turned up for the coach on time and managed to put their kit on correctly? Genuinely would like to know.

How you applaud that week in week out, is beyond belief. Some of those players are picking up 8 thousand pound a month. So sadly, that is the definition of a “happy clapper”. Nobody claps angrily. And if you clap even though you’re not happy then you’re robotic and accept the utter crap you’re given week in week out. By clapping these robbing useless clowns on the pitch, and the club in general, you will never get the change we so desperately need. These performances are not acceptable.

Two fks given 'big' Brian. People don't dance to your merry tune, you resort to ridicule, just like to 10 year old lads crying at games when Vale lose. You literally can't handle it. Bless ya [emoji1787]

I think we are down. Players not good enough. No balance to the side and no identity. Some players have thrown the towel in. I'm hoping we see quite a bit of 'Contract Terminated by Mutual Consent' going on in the summer so we can try and recruit players that are decent and actually fit into what we will be trying to do 'football wise'.

My prediction for what it's worth. We're relegated with games to spare this season. Moore does a DC & completely overhauls the squad in the summer. We have money to spend & manage to sign a decent squad. We are in & around the playoffs next season, but don't go up. Takes us 2 x seasons to get back to L1. I don't think Moore comes to Port Vale without getting a decent pay packet & the promise of funds to build his own team. I think a massive part of us bringing him in was that bagging a well known manager with a proven track record puts you in a much stronger position when you're trying to attract players & get signings over the line. I think that probably played a part in January. Players were probably looking at us & thinking... bottom half League 1 with Andy who in charge? I think Moore is a piece of the puzzle we were missing. A "big" name who can get signings over the line. Signings who would normally be out of our reach. We will find out in the summer. I think DF & Carol were banking on us being a League 1 side, because the calibre of player we may have been able to attract with Moore as manager & Carol's new found wealth would've put us in a different bracket. It doesn't look like that will materialise & he's going to have to work much harder to get some good signings through the door. There isn't many quality players who want to play League 2 football. I believe stopping up this season would've been transformational for us as a club. I think Carol knows this. Her interview on Saturday said it all. She knows we're within touching distance of a new era, but relegation is going to put us back by 2/3 years. She must be just as frustrated as ourselves, you can tell by how emotional she was in such a public setting.

What a stupid statement- you haven't got 11 other chefs & 3 officials in your way of cooking the best steak & chips!!!

Do you really think I like what's happened to the team that was challenging for 2nd place, not so long ago? If you think I like that, because I declare myself to be a Happy Clapper is stupidity itself! But I keep looking for the positives because I don't want to turn into one of the toxic gobshites on here, who regularly hurl insults, and patronising and sexist comments towards our owner - forgetting that she is a successful and award-winning businesswoman who has just sold her business (or, one of them?) for more money then the yappies on here will ever see in their lives? I refuse to become one of the idiots who think nothing of defaming a person's character, and slandering them based upon rumour, hearsay, imaginary events and a complete lack of knowledge of events, or evidence of wrongdoing, or any other reason than they take a dislike to that person, or believe that a League 1 club shouldn't have the setup that we have, because Rudgie didn't - all those decades ago! I refuse to lower myself to the name-calling, and personal sleights against people they don't even know, in person. Don't expect me to think it's ever a good thing to boo an individual player - are you really so stupid that you think it might help? Or that such a mean-spirited creature that you don't even care what effect you may have on another human being? Don't tell me I only see the small picture - I actually do see the larger picture...and, for some of you, it's very ugly indeed. UTV KTF VTID and keep Happy Clapping - because the alternative is bloody awful!!!!!