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I'll be renewing mine purely because it gives me a free pass from the Mrs every other week and a 12 hour session with no questions asked 🍻 Basically, if I was single I wouldn't be renewing 🤣 up the Vale ⚫️⚪️⚫️⚪️

I think we're leaving ourselves with too many 'must win' games, and given our form over the last year, I don't see us suddenly being the team to win 40-50% of our matches. I'm still really annoyed and frustrated with the first postponed game. We'd just come off the back of a pretty decent December and a reasonable result against Charlton.....Reading weren't in great form and we had a few more attacking options, followed by nearly 1000 fans. That postponement, followed by further postponement the week after, really knocked any slight momentum we had built. We end up playing them when they're on a really good run and we're in stinking form. Not only that, they have players like Smith and Knibbs who are likely to be on a fortune that they don't even pay. How is that fair? It's cheating, plain and simple. If it comes down to us being relegated by these 3 points tonight, I would kick off with the EFL. All this solidarity bullocks is a load of shi3te, I can guarantee that Reading and their fans didn't give a stuff about us when we were in a similar position.

Our form since September (at which point we didn't win again until December) has us 138th in the form table of the entire EFL + top 3 non-league divisions. 18 points. There's only 5 clubs and 8 points between us and being at the very bottom of 6 x 24 team divisions. Would you like to know the best bit, gents? While we're rubbing shoulders with Dover Athletic (15 points) and Bishops Stortford (10 points) they're still one up on us as both have scored more <ovf censored> goals. We're 142/144 for goals scored since September in the EFL and below. Strikers signed in the January window to correct this horrific record = none. How does she say with a straight face that he's doing a good job?

For the first time in umpteen seasons, sadly I'm seriously considering NOT renewing mine and the wife's season tickets. Not because of the fact that we may be in L2 yet again, but because I find it totally demoralising we're parting with our hard earned brass, so that a stark failure of a DoF can squander it yet again, in exactly the same fashion that his last two years track record has demonstrated, I know this isn't positively supporting the club and harms the club, but really I,like many others, can't afford to waste money for the reward of feeling utterly depressed and miserable, after watching defeat after defeat The hype, national coverage and massive over positivity which was fanfared post promotion, had me and many others hooked, as we were sold a ridiculous notion that Port Vale were on an upward trajectory, backed by the prospect of a professional, business set up and the pledge of making new memories . Well that aged well, didn't it? We now certainly have new memories, but not ones that we'll treasure. So I guess there's a part of me that feels a little embarrassed at been taken for a fool for buying in to all that, but I'm also angry at the clubs failure to address the situation that has been allowed to fester while seemingly, being in total denial of it, as demonstrated as an example, by that bizarre open letter, which was always going to back fire. Anyway,that's it.

I turned off last night after the second goal, not because I thought Vale were crap, but because I thought that the EFL have shafted us. Port Vale were and are the only losers in the abandoned game fiasco. Now I'm not saying we would have won the original game, I can't predict what may have happened, but I was fairly confident we were going to lose last night. The game should have been played to a conclusion, with those players that were there that day, either later that evening or on the Sunday both behind closed doors. As to last nights game, I'm with Hoppers and co. I thought we looked far better tactically and effort and commitment were shown in good measure. Having said that I fully understand Spunk Trumpets comments but I fully believe that we ALL KNOW full well that some of the players are not good enough, individually and collectively, we ALL KNOW recruitment has been a shambles, we ALL KNOW mistakes have been made and it's very likely we will get relegated. However, we ARE NOT down yet and although I fully agree that it's a really difficult task, it's not yet mathematically a given, the team last night for 70 odd minutes looked far better than recent and we must believe we can get the points required, keep behind the lads. It's no use keep harping on about X who's crap or Y who should never play for Vale again - for now, they are our players and we must give them all the encouragement we can, just as we are trying to do during each and every game. The players aren't going anywhere else, any time soon, neither is our DOF and it doesn't look like new blood is coming in either so we have what we have. IF we can get ourselves just one place out of the relegation zone I'm sure it will give everyone connected with the club a massive lift and who knows, maybe we can all breathe a little easier. It's not good, it's not fun, it's a downright crap state of affairs but we have to keep believing until it's mathematically impossible to stay up. What will be will be, I fully believe that Darren can turn us around, let's just hope he can do it this season, 15 games to go, 45 points on offer, let's start with 3 on Saturday.

Has he destroyed Cheltenham yet? When he was hired they were rock bottom having not scored in 9 games. They're 16th in the form table since he came in, having accumulated over double the points we have. Over their last 10 games they're 10th in the table, so much for "he will decimate their squad in January". Pett got an assist and embarassed us didn't he? Taylor scored didn't he? Where is your evidence that "digging up the pitch", or in actual fact fixing broken and inadequate drains is an objectively bad thing? Carol was crowing about how great a job Flitters did regarding it in the open letter. Where's your evidence that changing home ends was entirely owned by Clarke? Home fans have better facilities than they did in the Bycars now don't they? "desperate signings like Hussey" in the context of what's happened since, Uche etc, is utterly desperate in itself mate. He rescued us from nailed on relegation in his first season and then his desperate signings got us promoted in his first full season. Your vendetta can't change history and facts.

A strange as it may sound, I am a tad more optimistic after last night following the switch to a back four, Moore’s post-match interview and the return of Garrity, etc. On paper, the final eight home games are winnable. They aren’t against any of the “big boys” in the division - Lincoln, Fleetwood, Shrewsbury, Oxford, Bristol Rovers, Exeter, Cambridge and Wycombe (yet to be rescheduled). If we are to stay up, we need a minimum of 15 points out of the 24 available at home. You then couple that with perhaps five points away from home and that puts us onto 51 points, which would have been enough last season. Let’s be honest, it’s an absolutely massive task. If Moore can pull it off, get that bloody statue up…

I'm more and more convinced we're going down. Our league form is horrendous, we have an unbalanced and lightweight squad with no full backs, a load of centre backs, none of whom can head a ball, and two strikers, neither of whom can score goals consistently at this level. The blame lies threefold for me. On Flitcroft, for overseeing a car crash of recruitment that will leave us with a much weaker squad than the one that got promoted, then hiding away behind Will Ryder and not being accountable to anyone beyond a cosy, rehearsed, in house podcast. Carol, for her naivety and unwillingness to see through Flitcroft's spin and ineptitude, doubling down on that with her impassioned defence of him when she knew the fan base can't stand him. The players, for not giving a toss about it. Jones continues to look like he'd rather be picking up his giro, Massey clearly can't be arsed, and so many lightweight introverts who aren't willing to stand up to be counted. I'll say this for Loft, at least he put some effort in last night and looked like he wanted to win the ball back. Next to a prolific goalscorer, he might not be too bad, which brings us back to the first culprit in all of this, Flitcroft himself. The entire club seems to be congratulating itself on being well run off the pitch, with a wonderful Director of Football, and now a manager who is visible and has Championship experience, while on the pitch, we are an absolute disaster, hurtling towards the bottom division, with no one willing to take responsibility for it. I've no doubt Carol's next public words will be at a forum or another open letter telling us stick together as Dave Flitcroft and Darren Moore put together a squad to get us back out of league two while thanking Robbie Williams for his emotional support during a difficult time.

I feel we keep saying a lot of games are "winnable". Carlisle, Fleetwood, Reading, Cheltenham were all "winnable" and we lost them all.

Amazing what a good nights sleep can do 😴 Not angry like I was at full time just really worried now. We were slightly better at some parts of the game last night which is a good sign & personally I would stick with that same formation for the next 2 home games especially. A clean sheet would have been huge last night but you could see after 60 mins what was coming. At the end of the day we are 2 points from safety with 15 games left. Whether we have been poor for months or not the facts are there’s still 45 points to play for. Including 2 games in hand which we all know are meaningless if we don’t win them or pick up points. It’s hard to see where the next clean sheet or win is coming from at the moment but with quite a few games & 1/3 of the season to go I have to remain hopeful. We have to believe Vale! Huge ask that’s for sure 💙

I'll renew mine. Football is my release. Vale are my club. I've no interest in removing Carol from the club and she isn't monetarily profiting from the club, so withholding funds will only hurt the club and the team further. I held money from Smurthwaite and MOLD, but this is a completely different battle imo.

Having listened to the DM post match interview it gives me a bit of hope. They had 1 day and 2 classroom sessions to prep that performance. Think we looked more assured on the ball. Also thought it was interesting in a DM pre matcher that he said trying new formations can suddenly breath life into different players. Not everything came off for Weir but it was the best I have seen him recently. Would also say the same for Mighten and Loft. Chislett can still be frustrating. My only concern with 4 at the back is that we are even less will stocked at RB & LB. As others said the game turned when Jones came off. Anyway a few green shoots. The three up top gives us more options for subs. Hopefully when Gore is fit he has an impact.

Flipping heck - im beginning to think I am back in happy clapper mode here - Dunna shout at me, but...................................I thought we played as well as we have done for months tonight. More solid at the back - well done on changing the system Pretty quick on the attack - these players are without a doubt trying (yes, I know, very trying 🤣🤣) Midfield - mmmmmmmm, still seem to get by-passed easily, but thought Jenson Wier offered a lot going forward Ryan Loft - ran his socks off again - get off his back you lot The match was lost when DJ went off - Connor Grant is no full back, and until DJ went off, he had Azizz (whatever his name was) pretty much under control Two massive home games Sat/Tues and I can well see us getting 4 out of 6 points And no, this isn't even an alcohol induced wave of hysteria Well done to all the Beautiful Bouncing Valiants, hope you have all got home safe (and gone to bed in a sulk) Dont want to comment on off the field, as its beyond a Benny Hill sketch, but well done on the bring a mate for free👍👍👍 but equally a deal for the two matches as well would have been ace for those of us without any mates - 2 matches for 30 spunky spondulas would have been mucho appreciated - might go down the ticket office and put a cheeky bid in

I’ve only seen the Vale live twice this season away at Exeter - won 1-0 home v Blackpool- won 3-0 don’t know what you lot are moaning about 😄 ( ps - I am going on Saturday - get your money on 😂)

I honestly think Carol's letter is amongst the maddest things ever to happen to us. It absolutely defies belief. I don't even think Smurthwaite would have the balls to say it. There's serious delusion in that boardroom. Not a single critical voice. Yes-men and family everywhere.

I bet your looking forward to coming back down to League One next season

We've lost 30 out of 53 in the League. Over the course of the last 53 games, we've picked up 10 fewer points than anyone else in League 1. Carol's letter ticking off a bunch of made-up, retrospective targets conspicuously didn't mention wins, losses, and points. I wonder why.

Herein lies the problem she cannot see. She can have all the infrastructure she wants but without a competitive football team, there will simply be no football club. The fans are the lifeblood and she’s turning them away. The plan of bringing through kids is naive at very best. At our level this can only be done IF you have a minority of them with quality operators around them. The fans are making their voices heard and her pathetic open letter just put more coal on the fire. The question Carol Shanahan has to ask herself is this……. Does she value David Flitcroft MORE than she values the fanbase? If that answer is yes then I will suggest that her agenda is not good for Port Vale Football Club and only good for Carol Shanahan.

What are you even doing on here you sad case. Do one 🖕🏻

Not really true is it? Got to maintain a relationship with the people he's interviewing, and he does ask those questions that people want asking, for instance when Crosby went through his period of not playing strikers he asked him. He asked him if he was under pressure in his job. Sorry, but I know Phil and he puts a lot of time and effort into striking a balance between asking questions and being fair. He can't just go in and ask "why is Ryan Loft <ovf censored>?" because he'll be told not to come back again. If you think he's bad, listen to the bloke who covers Stoke or McGarry at Crewe who want to be their manager's best mate.

17 players left the club that summer when he came in. You keep going on about this player turnover thing and it's just another stick for you to hit Clarke with, as per below. Those "yes man" players got us promoted in their first season. The "soul" ripped out included Brisley, Mills and Guthrie. The quotes below tell us what we need to know about your judgement. I note you couldn't bring yourself to comment after the Cheltenham result, remind me were they and us were in the league when he joined and where they and us are now?

I think we'll need another 30 mins of work on it at least before Saturday.

Love the optimism. Call you out on one point. Serious question….. You can see us getting 4/6 points from the next two games. We have only managed two points from our last 8 games and in our last two games we have lost both and the opposition goalkeeper hasn’t had a save to make. By all means have optimism but don’t let the obvious facts delude your delusion. Jones off injured means it will probably be Grant at left back on Saturday. One of the worst players I’ve seen up here who is robbing a living. Then we will all get to see Loft “run around” for a good 70 minutes at least, only to see him not trap a ball, pass a ball or score for another week. Rinse and repeat. The Reading commentators at times tonight said how we were keeping the ball. And it’s fans like you that get deluded in that aspect because we do absolutely nothing with it!!! Each to their own mate but we are an absolute shower of garbage. This sounds mad but I’d rather have a 38 year old Tom Pope for the last 15 games than that clown Loft. And Uche. I know it would never ever have happened but I’d take Popey now, playing for Witton Albion is he????…. On a two month contract of 1k a week with huge bonuses over Loft and Uche that we are forking 7k a week plus for. Said it before. Will continue to say it until Carol wakes the <ovf censored> up and that’s why I’ve come back on this site, but what a <ovf censored> disgraceful mess the DOF has left us with. Let alone the amount of Carols money he has spunked along the way.

My reaction was one of surprise at a 5 and a half year contract. But ultimately I was thinking it was too little too late for a proper manager to come in. The cynic in me would say they got him in to take the heat off Flitcroft. Because if we had appointed Mark Kennedy for example then there is no honeymoon period. Do I think he’s a good manager? Yes I do. Do I think he’s walked into a <ovf censored> show of a football club who haven’t the foggiest idea what to do in footballing terms? Yes I do. Do I think he will damage his reputation here under Flitcroft? Yea I do. Look at the hand Crosby was dealt. And I’m not saying he was anywhere near good enough. Do I think he will keep us up? It’s the wrong question to ask and an unfair one. Do I think David Flitcroft will take us down? Yes I do. The buck stops with him and the mess he’s made. In all of my years going from the 80s, to not go into a season and a half with at least two goalscoring strikers is absolutely criminal. I don’t like arguing with my fellow vale fans but Christ almighty, it’s there for all to see. Blind faith and getting behind the lads isn’t going to get us out of this mess! We are beyond saving. Bar an absolute miracle. That’s my head talking. You’re going with your heart and that’s a bad disappointment to have to deal with.

What a state of affairs has it come to...a long term fan like yourself and others feel so alienated from the club...sign Brian's petition, hopefully that will show Carol the depth of true supporters feelings....it would be tragic if flitcroft is allowed to take this club into the abyss, but he surely will...

From the Reading forum: Thought the 250 Port Vale fans tonight were an absolute credit to their club. Having to come back down here after the abandonment, backed another protest despite their tough position in the league themselves. I thought we were lucky not to be a goal down. I think they'll be alright if they can win their first game in hand Vs Fleetwood at home. Darren Moore is a great manager he'll turn them around.

You chat some crap you do pal 😅 the gaffers had 2 games in charge it’s not going go happen overnight!

It all has the Bruno Ribeiro season feel about it now. Started really well, played some lovely football at times, home form was great, didn't concede at home the first few matches, replace the loss to Burton with the loss to Coventry at home that season which then started the wheels coming away from the axel, Loft - Martin Patterson, the loss of Arblaster and Devine to the loss of Grant and Alnwick and you could go on...

The fact that DF is ACTIVELY avoiding doing an interview with Radio Stoke says a lot. He’s avoiding because he knows they will ask awkward questions that he won’t have rehearsed podcast answers to.

Pope scored significantly (8, 35%) more league goals in one season, 12/13, than Loft has scored in his entire 200 game career. Nathan Smith, a centre half, has scored more career league goals than Loft. As have Chislett and Garrity from midfield. Even Grant, another defender, isn’t far behind. 23 goals since 2014. WTF was Flitcroft thinking?

Don't get to go away games these days Brian, so it's good to hear that. I suspect we are going to have to get the wins at home games if at all. So it's just a plea really to continue supporting the team at home (as with Stevenage) and not be anything other than 100% behind the team. Without doubt Flitcroft has been good at getting transfer fees for players leaving the club. Without doubt his failure to bring the right players in has been catastrophic. But his biggest failure has been to tie the club to a system, that doesn't work for us, just to give young premier players game time in a system that suits their parent club but doesn't suit the Vale. Hopefully DM is strong enough to override Flitcroft's wishes and change the formation. I am grasping at straws mate.

I never said or thought Moore could save us. I saw the recruitment in the summer, didn’t get carried away by nicking 5 wins early on and always maintained that to have a decent season we need striking options. When we still didn’t get that in January it didn’t surprise me and put the nail in the coffin. It’s totally unforgivable what Flitcroft has done. Totally and interlay unforgivable. Read my post the other day on the “average fan”. We couldn’t care less about anything other than a match day. And the squad has deteriorated ridiculously fast since that play off final. Another thing. Isn’t Moore now Carols 4th manager since taking over in 5 years? Askey. Clarke. Crosby. Moore. Those last three got around 13 years contracts between them? Look mate. If something doesn’t look right it invariably isn’t. This club is an absolute basket case right now and quite frankly I wouldn’t trust Carol Shanahan as far as I can throw her. For all the good she has done, something does not add up and the red flags are flying for me.

30 defeats in 53. Dear me! There isn't really anything else to discuss.

The fans will keep turning up, mate. The diehards will be there Saturday and will back the players. They want to see a bit of fight. The fans will also get very annoyed on forums post-game - not directing their frustration at the players, but venting on a website with other Vale fans.

If your Mrs reads this you could well be single next season 😉👍

I Patrick you might be Fraudcrofts chief arse kisser but the rest of us see him for what he is a conman who hoodwinked carol and she can't see it through her rose tinted spectacles,enough is enough bin him off or she's going to be getting 3,000 gates next season ,# The fans are Pi##### Off with it

Is there any point when he just gives them the answers anyway? Don't think the fella has ever learned what an open question is. Always asks the same old tripe like "You must be disappointed with that performance" which is of course not even a question.

Look on the bright side there will only be 3500 fans queuing up at the portaloos for a dump at half time next year 💩😁🤣

All opinions are good. All facts are damning. Its beyond a joke now where Flitcroft has left us. Carols next “open letter” should be a teary one as she realises the mess she has caused and the gaslighting she has had by this man. David. For the the love of the club. Clear your desk. You are not wanted by THOUSANDS of long time supporters.

30 defeats in 53. 142nd out of 144 for goals scored since September. All targets - ticked. Good night all. We go again Saturday.

Feel marginally more optimistic after that tonight. Obviously disappointing to lose but we looked far more like a professional football team tonight than we have for a long while imo. Decent structure, played some ok stuff at times and on another day probably take a point but they’ve scored a worldie and then finished us when the game got stretched. With more time training and playing that system you would hope we improve but we still look short going forward no matter what training ground work we do. No complaints on the effort levels tonight but the reality is that 4 or 5 just aren’t good enough. That’s not their fault, it is what it is. There is only one man I hold responsible for the mess that we are in.

Sadly little point in criticising any more. Carol has nailed her colours to the mast of her choice. Sadly it flies against what most Vale fans are seeing on and off the pitch. Vale fans are not fickle, they are hard-working, honest and true to themselves. Nothing like the product being offered to them on the pitch. The little we've seen so far proves that the issue was never the manager. It's higher up than that, but no one there will acknowledge it.

The cheap option in hiring AC instead of conducting any external interviews was the start of the penny wise pound foolish domino chain. The club are pouring money into vanity projects like having the players change in a different set of changing rooms on matchdays to make it 'special'. A new office overlooking the training pitches. Meanwhile on the pitch, you know the bit that actually matters for a football club, we've won 3 in 27, over 5 months worth of games. I won't be surprised if we hit 6 months without winning a 4th. It must be some kind of global football record, other than San Marino. We went the whole summer being the only club in the entire league, it may even be the entire EFL if I remember right, with one fit striker on the books, before Thomas came in 2 days before the 0-7 masterclass at Barnsley. The owner has an opportunity to address the fans valid concerns through the 1800 word open letter she wrote. She ignores each and every one of them, I would imagine because they're inconvenient to acknowledge, never mind explain. The 1800 word open letter is instead a party political broadcast for how great Flitters is. She meant well in a difficult position but she only made things worse by ignoring reality. There is an unpleasant and ever widening gap between the administration and the fans. This circus will get relegated. We will lose many off the ST and walk up figures. We will lose a lot of income from Portsmouth, Derby, Bolton, Barnsley, Reading, Blackpool, Wigan, Charlton etc when we instead have Barrow, Salford, Crawley and Morecambe et al on a Tuesday night in League 2. We will no doubt lose those games. Vale will still not have any strikers of voting age on the bench. She needs an intervention. David Flitcroft is not the only person the world capable of being PVFC's director of football, Carol.

Pssst, between you and me, that ain't Osh.

Actually starting to hope Stoke stay up because throw Stockport Wrexham and Crewe into league 1 next season and we can watch it all unfold from the duffers league 2. I said after Wycombe away we were nailed on to go down when we were 12/1 with the bookies and even the morning of the Fleetwood game the other week were 7/1. Some people will have robbed them blind at those prices. We are now odds on! 3 wins from 27 games and we have to win probably 6 is promotion form. Unless we win both the next 2 games we can start budgeting for next season. It's March next week and we haven't won a game this year !!

Reggie was head and shoulders better than loft

Two huge losses against sides right down there with us. Last chance saloon Saturday. Anything but a win I think we are gone

So 2 games later all hope is gone? Tell me how much time he has been able to spend on the training pitch and BEGIN to implement his ideas? To expect that all a new manager has to do is pitch up, pick the team and give a rousing team talk is pretty naive.

The problem is that the manager at that time had accumulated 96 points with a quality outfit. We have a dog <ovf censored> squad. Full of kids or utter guff. None who are good enough, apart from the odd 2 or 3. We have just accumulated 2 points from our last 8 games and 12 points from our last 15. Dont have a go for mocking your post. They are using their head and have their eyes wide open. We can’t defend. We don’t make the opposition keeper make a save, never mind score! We’ve still got to go to Peterborough and Derby and you’re knocking the fans for disagreeing with you? Good lord. Youre living in cuckoo land on blind faith. The majority of us can see it for what it is. Don’t start crying for Flitcroft to go at the end of the season when we’re down. Blind faith. And “getting behind the lads” ain’t gonna wash and it certainly isn’t gonna save us. We are garbage and the owner has screwed it up with her blind faith in a DOF whose position has been untenable for almost a year.

Two games in hand. 2 very winnable home games. All is not lost folks.