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I don’t see what more she could have said in the statement to be honest. Emotions are running high, so whatever she says, people will undoubtedly find something wrong with it if they want to. yes mistakes have been made, but I don’t agree with all the Carol out talk and all that nonsense. Protests etc are there for when the club is in a catastrophic position and could disappear or the owner(s) are that much of a shyster and asset stripping the club. Neither of those scenarios ring true here. The club isn’t at risk of closing, the owner isn’t taking the club for all the money she can (in fact she’s losing money), she’s simply made some poor business decisions (Flitcroft) and we’ve had a dreadful season. There are 92 league clubs. Out of those 92, 12 clubs are relegated every season. It’s the nature of the game. If the fans of every club relegated, protested to remove their owners each year, there’d be no one left to own a football club. I think past history has made a protest the first port (no pun intended) of call for some Vale fans, when it fact it should be the final measure, the extreme if the life of the club is at risk. Carol has accepted her mistakes and vowed to support the club still. We have to now accept what has happened, enjoy the summer off (the euros etc) and come back in August and do the same. What other option is there? And no, I’m not a happy clapper by any stretch of the imagination, put calling for an owner to leave who is actually financially propping up the club rather than taking it for all it’s worth, is not the solution in my mind.

If folks are demanding she lost every mistake she’s made, chapter and verse, then you’ve gone off the deep end. She’s apologised, hurting, and has promised to put it right ASAP. Season’s done. Euro’s soon. Cricket will be on. Sun will be out. Go and do something else apart from think about Port Vale, as I think we’ve all done a bit too much of that in a completely negative sense. Scrutinising an apology statement and demanding more contrition, more apology, more justice from a woman we were worshipping two years ago as we romped home at Wembley is indicative of the negative feeling taking over. I’m not sure what ‘MORE APOLOGIES!’ would do apart from make some fans feel vindicated. She’s accepted she’s ballsed it. Relegation is disappointing and was avoidable, but it’s come and gone now. The owner and the manager will be in situ. Genuinely take 2 weeks away from PVFC and come at it again fresh.

We can go on and on and round and round with pro and anti Carol posts. It will not change a thing, Carol will still be the owner/chairwoman and Darren Moore will still be the manager, unless there is another multi millionaire ready to buy a club haemmoraging £65k a week. Accordingly I will give Carol the benefit of the doubt regarding her latest missive and watch with interest to see if it manifests into positive actions. I have had a few rants about results, performances and attitudes, but as a lifelong Vale fan I will be there next Saturday and next season supporting the team I love. Hopefully the majority of you will be right there with me.

Turn your back on your club over a few mistakes by a generous owner says more about you Have a good summer sad sacks

She’s damned if she does and damned if she doesn’t. Makes a statement and people moan, if she hadn’t made a statement people would moan that they wanted a statement and an apology. She’s done the right thing by saying something. We move on to next season now and see what happens.

Well heartfelt commiserations to you guys, you put up a good show yesterday, fortuitous at times maybe but you had your moments too. One thing I will say is a big call out to your fans who were as noisy and supportive as any we’ve had at the ToughSheet this season. It wasn’t to be but look forward not back and think of those celebrations next year when you’re back up again, which I’m sure you will be. Good luck next season. 👏😉

Bill Bratt is a dreadful, dreadful man and is despised by a good proportion of PVFC fans. They say he finally left our football club was absolutely fantastic. Awful bloke. Are you related to him/a mate?

Just dawned on me that we scored once in our last 8 away games ( Burton). Another impressive achievement to get 7 nils when " fighting " the drop.

Anybody still in on the Reading love in? Although we've been dreadful and deservedly relegated, this game was the catalyst for our downfall in my opinion. At the time we were initially meant to play them, we were in reasonable form and they weren't. We still had Devine and had started the game well, having a goal disallowed. We then had the game the week after postponed and so any momentum built up in December was vanquished. When we played the replayed game, we were in a right old state and they had picked up some form. This is a team that signed some very decent league 1 standard players but then failed to pay them. A couple of which we were believed to have been after. Why was this allowed? I'm sure all their fans will be delighted that they've stayed up but for me they should have been punished more severely. But like everything with this club, we meekly surrendered.

I am very angry at some of Carol's awful decisions because there was an air of arrogance to some of them, but, I'm trying not to be angry at her, just disappointed. However, she's fronted up, accepted responsibility, apologised, and committed to spending next season. We're already losing £65,000 a week. Given how she's been literally crying at Vale Park in recent weeks I would imagine today will have been horrendous for her, and, particularly in view of the funding she's put into the club, I do genuinely feel sorry for her despite none of us needing to be in this situation if she could 1) Be less tunnel visioned and 2) just learn to listen. It is not for me to say but I believe she's also been ill over the last year, adding to my empathy. It's a nuanced situation where she's <ovf censored> up and created expensive lessons for herself - hopefully she's learned them. There is much in her favour though. I think the anger should be directed at the horrific recruitment record and the number of dosser players who don't care. I'm actually looking forward to Cambridge as it's the last time some of them will embarass the badge.

Very much from the heart. We’re all feeling the pain and frustration. Frustration that relegation could so easily have been avoided. Onto next season and its not just up to Carol, the staff and the players, it’s also up to the fans to stick with the club through the bad times as well as the good.

Which would have cost less: Signing someone like Johnson Clarke Harris in a bid to retain league 1 status. Signing nobody, sacking and paying off Crosby & Dunn, and bringing in Moore & his 4 assistants, with relegation a very distinct possibility, with the catastrophic financial implications that relegation brings. Sometimes, we have to accept that progress costs money. If someone tells you there’s a better way, they are bullshitting.

How anyone could say smith is worst player of the season is a joke. He was crap when being played on the right of the back 3 by Crosby. At the time numerous fans said he couldn’t play there, why Crosby didn’t see this I don’t know. Wouldn’t make sense to get rid of smith imo. We have far greater problems. Maybe focus on getting rid of and replacing the yak, Jones, Debrah and Lowe first.

How many times does she have to tell you that they will be rebuilt over the closed season. Doh!

Sorry m8. Have to call this out as bollox. The club has been left in a pitiful state by Smurf and others. It is ramshackle and falling apart at the seems with many parts of the ground in a condemned state. Carol has had ZERO choice but to put in much needed funds to get the stadium in a fit state - even then we get his with unforeseen things like the paddock bogs that need doing. It's never ending. Shes done wonders for this club since being here. Has she made some big mistakes - absolutely and admits that. But it's never ever good enough for some people. They're just going to hate. If you don't want to go and watch the Vale that's your choice. I will continue and be a supporter. You could always turn left or right on the 500 if you prefer. Many have done so in the past. UTV

And exactly who do you want to take over. How many multi millionaires do you know in north Stoke on Trent...?? I've read some dumb messages on here in my time but this comes close to the best ever. She's made mistakes - including on Flitcroft (the guy who helped recruit DC and some of the players that gave us one of best days ever at Wembley, and recruited Alfie and Ollie, but hey ho) - she's admitted mistakes. It's time to move on. As others have said, actions are what's needed - there are some quite poor players that need to be hot rid of, one way or another. Like Wrexham and Stockport, a new DoF needs a good budget and bring in some good players. Moore needs a good squad - not the shower of <ovf censored> he's got right now. If we can retain the key players and ask them to fight at least one season in EFL2 that will help. Lots to do. She's did it before - I'm happy to give her the time and space to do it again. UTV and KTF

Only those with a committed desire to give her a kicking would have an issue with this. As others have said - just do your best to get it right. She’s made a load of mistakes but made a load of good decisions before that. I still think we’re in an overall, long-term good position with Carol Shanahan. Fingers crossed this was a step back that she learns from.

Definitely not Darren’s fault. He is desperately unlucky and it is nothing to do with him whatsoever that he has presided over 5 wins in 39 matches. He should not in any way, shape or form have any accountability for what is probably an unprecedented bad run in English football management. It’s all the owners and Players fault. Poor Darren, I feel sorry for him.

Much of the past 18 months is absolutely worthy of criticism, again I have never said otherwise. But for one thing, such criticism should have a constructive point, to suggest how the club could and should be better, and not just venting mindless "everything's ****" posts. And for another, more important thing, I'm not talking about criticism, I'm talking about outright hostility. Take a look through this thread, for instance, to see some of the foul comments which have been directed towards Carol by cowardly keyboard warriors hiding behind their aliases. I'm not going to dignify them by quoting them here. But some of those comments are well beyond the acceptable, are not something which should be directed at any woman, and if those offensive posters don't have the basic decency and courtesy to understand that fact, then it's to be hoped that the OVF admins would have a quiet word with them. Once again, Carol is a genuine person who has only ever tried hard to help and restore our club. The minimum to which she is entitled is respect and courtesy, even when directing justified criticism her way.

Some of the toilet obsession is a bit sad now 😆 yes it’s not ideal but jeez. Only one more game to piss in your pants & a bucket!

A ‘Vale fan’ who allowed crooks into Vale Park and then ****ed off with his shares money.Some fan.

I thought her latest statement was OK. It would not be wise for her to publicly name check David Flitcroft or anyone else in a negative fashion. NDA agreements work both ways.

It's what the fans were asking for...an apology and we have got that so fair play,sadly we cant turn the clock back so have to move forward from now... I am 100% certain although many dont think so that she will back DM with some decent funds this summer,so lets give her and DM the chance to rebuild and try and give it a go in what is a tough league to get out of(as we know)

Unfortunately, it simply doesn’t work like that. When Norman was in control, myself and Mark Porter approached Carol at the time when she had failed to publicly buy the club from Norman and had therefore withdrawn her interest from buying the club. I’ll reveal no more than that, other than to say we built up a dialogue based on trust. Months later, Carol buys the club. Latterly, that same group of people had grave concerns for the club’s future and approached the club with their concerns. That former trust led to some forthright discussions. The intention was to minute everything and release all to the fans. However, a very large chunk of information was incredibly sensitive and private, which provided background to explanations behind certain decisions, and was therefore simply not sensible to publicly reveal, so we respected the wish to not minute the information. We could have destroyed that trust and revealed lots of sensitive information, or we could have just walked out due to us not being allowed to relay much back to the fanbase, but either of those scenarios would not have facilitated the discussions that we had that, for one led to the dismissal of Flitcroft, and secondly will now lead to greater fan engagement with the club going forward. I’m entitled, as a fan, to counter someone stating something as fact, when I believe it not to be a fact. Unfortunately, if I’m told something in confidence then that confidence will remain, because I uphold integrity. However, I do agree with some of your points, and this will be my fear with how the club get it right in relation to fan engagement. Having been involved with fans’ groups for over 20 years, off and on, I’ve seen no shortage of people get involved for the wrong reasons. And worse than that, a very large percentage can’t resist temptation to sound off to folk. It’s a tough balance, hinging on blind faith.

It’s pretty <ovf censored> obvious she knows she has made mistakes Some of u seriously need have a look at yourselves keep bangin on and beating her about a letter who really gives a <ovf censored> about it it made absolutely no difference to anything

He may be the right horse with his own squad of players. The least we should do is give Moore a couple of transfer windows.

For me there’s one gaping hole in her statement that leaves me some way short of getting back on board. Nowhere does she say backing Flitcroft was a mistake and nowhere does she apologise specifically for her previous ‘open letter’ where she had a really good go at belittling Vale fans. Her ‘mistakes’ have had too big a consequence for a generic apology to suffice.

Unless your name is Carol Shanahan

She's backing DM and trusting him with the rebuild. I'll be renewing our season tickets and watching closely how the squad rebuild takes place. DM has a lot to prove. I'm sure everyone will back him and, let's face it, we all want him to be a success and have us challenging at the top end of the division. UTV!

Sorry doctor

The statement “we got promoted earlier than planned” is the one that gets missed for me. Shouldn’t we be planning for that every year otherwise what’s the point. Also for me proves what we have all witnessed over the last 2 seasons in league one in a scaling back of investment in the first team. The bit that actually matters. Worry is that they all had a plan and didn’t deviate when things were going wrong…. Twice! Each year we have heard we will learn from these mistakes. But then they made the same ones again. Yesterday is on everyone at the club. Fans and to an extent the players have been completely let down and hung out to dry by trying to penny pinch on the one thing that actually matters. It’s going to cost mega now to put right over a number of years because of the stupid contracts we hand out.

You've defined perfectly what being a PV fan is all about! 😯

"As for my absence - it has nothing to do with not being paid by Flitcroft - which is very nearly libellous - but more to do with my recovering from having half a leg amputated!" To LancyTony - good luck with the recuperation. That's a pretty solid reason for not being on here so much! Your health, both physical and mental, is the important thing. Hope you are ready to go again next August.

Regardless of players, I just want us to scrap this wingback bullshìt formation. Play with proper wingers and attack and be positive, instead of this dull boring crap and not having a clue what to do when we hit the half way line because we have zero options going forward. Oh and sign players for those actual positions, instead of signing players and playing them out of position for the entire season. It's suicide.

I do really like the 2 or 3 weeks after the season finishes when clubs are announcing retained lists,that's when we start to say who we would like take from other clubs and then some moan saying they are cast offs etc...... love it

For me it's a clean slate next season But I want to see carol backing the manager to the hilt because at the end of the day actions speak louder than words imo anyway let's see what happens, Keep the faith and Up the Vale 👍😬

At the moment to some fans Carol is damned if she does and damned if she doesn't no matter what she says or does. What do some fans want, Carol in the "Stocks" outside the main entrance to Vale Park on Monday morning at 10 00am? Relegation has happened and it hurts and it's obvious to everyone connected with the club why it has happened and as long as lessons are learned and these mistakes not repeated then the Vale will bounce back. PVFC is in much safer hands than it was the last time it was relegated from Lge 1. Although I'm gutted about relegation, it isn't gonna change my allegiance and commitment to PVFC.

Carol's letter is rightly apologetic but the one area where - in due course - we need to see more explanation is the need for restructuring within the club. On the playing side, this is going to be difficult, given the number of underperforming players still under contract, and expensive. To start with, we have to put right the glaring deficiencies we know about from this season including two full/wing backs, two strikers who can actually put the ball in the net, and at least one dominant centre half and one dominant midfield player. It's possible, even likely, that three or four of our better players will be leaving for other clubs, so they too will need to be replaced along with, I would say, four or five other first choice players so that we can relegate the dross we've seen this season to the bench. That's possibly as many as fourteen or fifteen new players so I hope that Carol has deep pockets because the thought of the majority taking the field now turning out in League 2 would be a recipe for disaster. Players aside, the one restructuring issue that Carol does not address in her latest letter is the most important (the elephant in the room you might say): how she intends to hold the manager accountable for results on the pitch. In our previous structure, she naively delegated all footballing matters to a single individual - with disastrous results. Aside from being too close to the DoF, she was, it appears, letting him mark his own homework for the lack of any depth of understanding and independent advice within the club. The Board (apart from Rudgie) appears to lack any depth of footballing experience or football strategy and without a strategic core of Non-Executive Directors who can fulfil this role (for example, experienced former players or coaches with management experience) she has no independent source of advice on the Board to help her steer the club through choppy waters. If we don't strengthen this aspect of the club, we are going to find that history will repeat itself. Lot to do then - and the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.

Don't get the love in with Clark TBH. He's got just as much of an injury record as Wilson and Jones - don't see why he should be exempt.

Andy Crosby: Port Vale manager says his side must be fittest team in League One - BBC Sport WWW.GOOGLE.COM

Bratt was a Vale fan unlike Smurf and Carol!

I think the statement is fair enough. i also think that two major things need to be done soonest. 1. Publish a retained list 2. Make 2 or 3 (maybe 4 or 5) key signings as early as possible. If the club do that, they have a chance of stopping the awful negativity surrounding the club at the moment. Like many others, I am keeping my season ticket money in my pocket until I see some sign that there is a plan beyond ‘working hard’ to put right the wrongs of the last 18 months.

Agreed. By so publicly saying Flitcroft was NOT a mistake last time for this latest statement to mean anything it had to be covered, as well as the condescending tone of the last one. It’s like receiving a letter of complaint but then totally ignoring what the complaint was about in your response! This statement was not knocked up after the final whistle, it would have been typed and ready to go after much consideration as to the wording. It does not admit to mistakes not covered in the last statement, which for me makes this a ‘save face without backing down’ response. It only adds apologies for the results, which in themselves I do not blame Carol for - but does not address the issues that we were all warning her about that led to these poor results and ultimately surrendering our League 1 statues without a whimper. in summary, a Corporate rather than heartfelt apology for me - CS probably still thinks she was right in her initial response, and has not backtracked from it one iota with this latest missive - which in turn raises concerns regarding future strategy setting!

Not a dig,so you ditch a manager with like it or not a proven track record(not given time at Huddersfield to rebuild,they are still bottom 3 without him) after 16/17 games with NONE of his own players at all? Totally agree with everyone that the football has been very very poor maybe even worse and sadly for him he isn't the Adams type manager at interviews that some demand(it's what happens behind closed doors thats important to me). We all have differing views on managers that come to Vale BUT one thing i will always do is give them a chance with their OWN squad and see where we go from there. only my opinion of course and again we all differ so i respect your views also Onwards and Upwards me owd fruits

A bludy good shout, up the vale lassies!

A well-thought out and considered solution.

Mr sensible with his posts Another year of losing games with serial losers Great . Get them moved on Sack them Gross misconduct Making out there footballers is a crime to football

I've got huge reservation about next year. 1) A bloated squad full of national league players who have another year left on their contract. 2) A manager who's shown very little in the time he's been here being given total control over football operations (if my understanding of the wording in carols statement is correct). 3) An owner who has openly admitted she knows nothing about football operations and doesn't seem to learn from mistakes. Hopefully we'll have a decent budget for that level, but little room to maneuver given the number of awful players tethered to us for another year. We were already shopping in random markets like new Zealand because we can't afford to keep up with top end league 2 teams (in flickwanks own words) so God knows where Moore is going to be looking for players in the summer. Luckily with Mansfield, Wrexham and Stockport going up, L2 looks pretty weak. That being said, I'd be absolutely gobsmacked if we even make the playoffs next year.

You say you’ve lost confidence in DM, then go on to say we have an abysmal squad, given that the transfer window is closed so he couldn’t change the squad even if he wanted to, what is he supposed to do.

I’ll say it now….. If the academy lads stay and we go into next season with Dipepa, Lomax, Shorrock, Plant, Walters etc, as regular starters, we will be in for a long hard season battling for our league status. Those lads, maybe not Dipepa, need to be on loan to national league north teams. To gamble on those kids will be just that. A huge gamble. We need a proper football team of men next season to fight at the right end of the table.