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Also we have a manager in Askey, that against the odds got us pushing for promotion. Had it not been for the virus and the benevolence of our superb owners, we may well have been putting a league one squad together now! Let's trust Askey and support whoever he deems worthy of wearing our shirt.

Team styles make strikers. Stick Pope in a team that play balls in behind for him to run onto and he won't score many. Stick Aguero in a team that fires 100's of far post crosses in and he (probably) won't score many. This is the reason so many strikers do it at one club and not at others - they often try and shoehorn a square peg into round holes. It's not as easy as saying "he scored 20 last season at another club, so let's sign him and he'll score 20 with us". Askey knows his system and will sign players that fit his mould.

The vast majority of the time, I tend to read social media following on from the arrival of a mew signing, and I’m absolutely baffled at the negativity that gets thrown around given the fact 99% of Vale supporters couldn’t tell you a single thing about him or what type of player he is. I’ve just read well over 100 comments on Twitter, and was pleasantly surprised. Apart from the odd WUM, literally every comment from Stockport and Halifax supporters was full of praise, disappointment not to have resigned him and generally wishing him well. It’s rare to see that, normally. A three year deal shows Askey and the club must have a lot of faith in him to develop and flourish at this football club. A positive first signing and being versatile is a huge plus for us. Excited to see how this one unfolds.

Very sensible; after all, they're a well-run club with good, stable finances and long-term vision.

I bet they are the same fans who bemoaned the signing of "Bury reject" Scott Burgess last summer!

Do you think they'll have a meltdown in a good or a bad way? I do find it funny how some fans judge a player before they even put on a Vale shirt.

If he signs and misses any sitters will we be able to shout "Rodney, you plonker!" ?

Mentioned 24 hours ago. Do keep up at the back there!!

Rob Fielding is bemused why some Port Vale fans feel that defender Nathan Smith has somehow “let the club down” by wanting to leave. Rob Fielding writes… I can’t understand some fans who are criticising Nathan Smith for having the temerity to want to leave Port Vale and play at a higher level. I was about to use the phrase he’s been a “magnificent servant” and then I realised how loaded that phrase is. Continue reading Opinion: good bye Nathan Smith and good luck at onevalefan.co.uk.

Football is a short career . Gave his all for us and cannot complain if he moves for more money to a higher league. One who if he ever returned as an opponent I would happily rise to my feet to applaud.

Can we have another OVF vote please? Based on the photograph, Phil Bowers, guilty or not guilty? .

I remember them balking at me a few years ago on this site when I said that racism was alive and well on the left. It genuinely is getting to the point now where if someone has those politics and tells me something, I may as well just believe the opposite. The levels of hypocrisy are staggering. I've done this a few times but I can't quite believe that this is where we're at: -All Lives Matter = Racism -White Lives Matter = Racism -Black Lives Matter - Brilliant, anti-racism, pro every oppressed group including all lives. -black lives matter (no caps) = Semantics, you need to grow up as you are probably a racist -Saying nothing at all = Racism, silence is violence -Saying you don't want to dismantle capitalism = "part of the problem" you are probably a racist -Saying you don't want to abolish the police = semantics, you are probably a racist -Talking about the stated goals of BLM = semantics, you are probably a racist Insanity. It's about time we had someone in our mainstream politics actually stand up to this garbage. It's very funny how the people who refuse to acknowledge the far left extremism of BLM as a movement also are the ones that are desperate to shut down every other opinion. There's one acceptable opinion - We must abolish capitalism and the police force and the nuclear family, and if you don't agree, you hate black lives.

That’s Dave.

What baffles me, and someone on twitter said it yesterday, is that people will berate a signing a being useless on his announcement thread. There is a high chance that the young lad will read the tweets on his own announcement thread... reading negative things based on the 'opinions' pf armchair pundits isn't going to do the mental health of the lad any good. All it will do is knock his confidence and build the pressure in him. These comments literally are damaging the the success of port vale, and yet these fans who "Love the Vales so much" feel the need to do it. I have asked numerous people why they do.... "Because I can" is the only answer I get back.... but whats the point, how does it help the player or the club!!

Episode 7 is out now! Bezza's played a blinder and managed to get Carol Shanahan, Port Vale Chairwoman to come on for an extended chat! We cover many topics including: - How she got hooked on the Vale - Culture of the club - The financial situation at Vale and in football as a whole - The future of the club - The fantastic work the club and foundation have done during the pandemic It's downloadable from the usual places (Apple, Google, Spotify Podcasts). You can also listen at https://aleandthevale.podbean.com Please subscribe on your podcast platform and pass on to your mates.

Our fourth choice striker last year was Jordan Archer, a lad who had barely scored above the 7th tier, was 25, and couldn't play out wide. I'd say this lad would be an upgrade, on ability (scored in the 5th tier), potential, and versatility.

So that's everyone signed up except for Smith which was expected. First time in a while we've had a strong squad before pre season kicks in. Just need a few strong signings and hopefully we can carry on where we left off Feels so refreshing to actually talk about the team and what's happening on the pitch instead of whats going on behind the scenes and a barmy chairman.

Quick contract recap for any who want to know... Under contract to 2021 * Manny Oyeleke * Alex Hurst * Dan Tricket-Smith * Ryan Campbell-Gordon * Adam Crookes * Tom Pope * Leon Legge * Scott Brown * Luke Joyce * Mark Cullen * Cristian Montano * Shaun Brisley Under contract to 2022 * Tom Conlon * David Amoo * David Worrall * James Gibbons * Scott Burgess Not yet announced/no deal reached * Rhys Browne * Nathan Smith

You are Dan Turner's mother and I claim my five pounds reward.

So we made the correct decision to let him go

Another positive news story on Port Vale here - https://www.efltrust.com/behind-every-door-is-a-story-and-maybe-a-struggle-you-cant-see/ The way the owners and staff have reacted to the pandemic has been truly inspiring. A credit to the club, the area and themselves.

Stoke could finish third in that league

The greatest square peg is no use in a round hole. Lets give JA & the player chance to see what they can do together and by the way, give credit to Dave Kevan for his coaching with these young prospects. Nobody was getting excited last year with JA's signings, in fact he was slaughtered by some for signing Macc cast-offs. He has proved he is willing to give youth a chance with Scott Burgess (22) & Jake Taylor (22).

I think that's pretty unfair. I don't see if as "unacceptable" at all. He has given many years to the club, he's been a model professional he's made 199 appearances - those things are also the "thanks" Vale got. John Askey and Carol Shanahan both think it's amicable. Do you really think he's been treading water waiting for the chance to leave? I saw a player who has put everything on the line until his contract was up. In all careers there's an element of looking after yourself. He's more attractive as a free transfer yes but were there been any takers in previous years when he was under 24? I don't think any other club was there to pay the money to earn Vale a transfer fee? If there wasn't then the fact he's going now for free is a totally moot point as we haven't lost out on any fee and we got another year's service from him.

With all due respect to your mate, that’s just one solitary opinion amongst several thousand Stockport County supporters. The beauty of football is exactly that, opinions. We all have them. One end of the spectrum to the other. You’ll never get everybody to agree. Unless you’re asked if David Worrall has iron lungs. That’s pretty hard to dispute, naturally. I recall Darlington fans wetting themselves with laughter when we took Akpo Sodje from them. He wasn’t even worthy of playing for their reserves, apparently. I think we all know how that one turned out. Players can find it hard to adapt in certain environments. It may be the coaching or tactical approach doesn’t suit their game whatsoever. They may have a poor working relationship with the manager. There may be unrest in the dressing room, or it could be down purely to them not enjoying their football there. Then, the same player moves to another club and they fit in perfectly. Some of our players would probably give you that summary from their time here given the philosophies of Aspin and Askey are like chalk and cheese. Dressing room harmony, togetherness, a solid unit. All attributes of a team that can sometimes take them up a level, regardless of ability. Accrington Stanley being a prime example of that. One of the lowest budgets ever seen at this level and one of the lowest average home attendances too. Yet they romped to the League Two title, finishing above big spending Luton Town. All because of the unity John Coleman has stamped on that club. A truly fantastic achievement in itself. I have a lot of faith in John Askey. I think he’s doing a sterling job thus far. I never judge a player until he’s had a fair crack of the whip. Most importantly, in a Port Vale shirt. I wish Devante all the best and hope he turns out to be a diamond.

I’m going to start off with a bit of rant here... I’ve just had a read through the reaction of some Vale fans after we announced Rodney on Facebook. A fairly large amount decided to knock the lad, call it an unambitious signing, claim his goal scoring record isn’t up to suit and one bloke even suggest we should have re-signed Quigley instead. It truly is laughable how some people base their own opinion off of a few stats from Wikipedia. This isn’t just the case with Rodney, I’d say 60% of the players we sign instantly aren’t good enough for some people. It really does wind me up. Give the lads a chance and don’t be so quick to judge! Now onto the signing... Admittedly, I was took back by the length of the contract but at the same time pleasantly surprised. A three-year deal is a statement of intent from the owners, and long may it continue. When was the last time we signed a player on a three-year deal? Rodney looks a decent prospect. Stockport and Halifax fans are raving about him. 15 in 32 in the past two years in the National League is a good return for a player who has played a fair percentage of that out wide. He’s still only a young lad and I’m sure he can only improve in the next three years. I’m certainly excited by this signing.

For sure. I think the next striker needs to be someone who can challenge Cullen this season for the starting berth. At present we have Pope who is still doing a job, but is in the twilight of his career and Rodney who is an unknown quantity. Cullen struggled with his fitness last year and we did have to rely on Pope and Bennett quite a lot, the next signing up top could be integral to a successful season.

Really pleased with this signing. 15 goals in 32 games over the last 2 seasons in the league below - just starting to find his goal scoring groove 22 years old so has development in him + 109 total competitive appearances in L2 + NL + 3 year deal Stockport fans disappointed he didn't sign for them Will work hard for the team, quote: "Rodney has given Halifax an extra dimension in attack, offering pace, energy and high work-rate" (https://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/sport/football/halifax-town/fc-halifax-town-rodney-happy-stay-if-loan-stay-extended-991819) I think he will suit our system and improve us.

ah, literally who opened the door. I thought he was asking who had scouted him or who his agent was!

On the Ale podcast, Carol said they decided that with strikers it was best to sign them up as soon as possible so they don't go elsewhere.

Highlights from his time at Halifax, I think these may have already been posted. Can play anywhere across the front 3 providing cover and freeing Monty up to focus on becoming the best left back in league 2. Looks like he has an eye for a good pass too. All he has to do is better Archers Contribution to be an improvement to the squad... In Askey we trust.

Where Rodney has an advantage he will compete with 3 other players for one spot in the middle ... but 3 other players for the wide roles. Add in Worrall may well play some games in midfield and he'll always feel he's close to getting a run. Askey's strength is he is seen as fair. It was an unfortunate reality for Archer that the players ahead of him were both better and didn't pick up many injuries. We ended up with 4 specialists for one role and really it was one too many.

I agree with this but there's no doubt that if a player has the shirt then Askey is loyal to them. He had the opportunity to recall Pope, Smith and Amoo on the odd occasion, but because replacements played well he rightly stuck with them. Archer wasn't helped by dislocating his shoulder at Newport and it never really happened for him at Vale, this happens in football. If Rodney gets a shirt and performs then JA will pick him. The squad from a fans point of view looks tight and all pulling in the right direction.

Following on from the April 1995 Potteries derby (shown last Monday here) is the August 1995 Potteries Derby game. Build-Up: It's the third game of the 1995-96 season and Vale travel to the Victoria Ground in search of their first win of the season. In the Valiants squad is summer signing Jon McCarthy while new signing Andy Hill makes his debut. The game starts at 7.30pm on Monday evening. Visit the URL below to set a reminder -

I'd be more than happy with Rodney although I've never really seen him play. I did watch that Hartlepool game where he scored twice and nearly kept them up a few years ago. A completely sensible low risk gamble to take. Burgess was exactly the same last summer and look how that one turned out.

I think he'd be seen as 4th choice - Askey has said he wishes to sign two strikers. If that is the case, you've got a young lad with a different skillset than Pope and Cullen, who can also cover the right wing (Browne + Monty seem to be left wing players). Versatility, workrate, and age seem to be big for Askey, and he delivers on all three. His record is reasonable in the league below, so I think its a risk worth taking, should he get a run in the event that Pope/Cullen struggle with fitness.

The problem is, as in March, the virus is still circulating and we haven't got a grip on it. But it'll be our fault when it goes wrong. We should be trying to eradicate this and not live with it and hope for the best. We did not lock down soon enough. We did not have a strict lock down compared to some other countries. Hence Cummings and Jenrick [and Johnson Snr] got away with it. We are now lifting measures before the numbers are safe and before we have an efficient test, trace and isolate system in place, never mind the promised world beating app. It's a massive risk and a massive gamble.

It wasn't 3 in 7 starts really though, was it? He scored 1 in those 7 starts - his other 2 goals came during 27 sub appearances (which you "forgot" to include!), along with 0 in 4 Cup starts and 4 Cup subs. He was similar to Danny Glover, in that neither was good enough for the Football League, hence they ended up 1 or 2 levels below the Conference.

The message is clear, but opponents look for dead cats and squirrels.

Dan Turner sadly was nowhere near good enough. Wasn't a big queue to sign him upon release

Three divisions below us?

It's probably because of his injuries that he seems to suffer from a lot but hopefully we have an appearance clause where we can extend if he plays more next season

I thought he was desperately keen on controlling borders and not allowing people in who shouldn't be here. He entered the USA against the rules and has returned to the UK against the rules. So much for patrolling borders to keep out undesirables.

Thought this racist should be quarantining. One rule for the elite and another for everyone else.

Well done to Carol and all the staff and volunteers at the hub. Work like this will win us many friends and enhance the reputation of the club. And not spin, either - just real community effort. Thanks to everyone involved for putting the pride back into our club - on and off the pitch. Can't wait for the new season!

4 losses in his 29 appearances, one against Man City. That's a pretty large sample size and suggests its less to do with luck/chance and more to do with the stability he provides with good ball retention, good positional intelligence, and excellent workrate.

I really, really like Conlon. Superb technical ability, one of our best crossers, and covers every blade of grass. He tends to tire 60ish minutes in so maybe needs to learn to be more efficient with his energy, but just before lockdown he had 2 goals and 2 assists in the recent games, from memory. Free from injury I think he's going to be very useful next year.

Said similar myself JRC, Manny in particular has an opportunity ( again fitness permitting ) to get forward lots with Joyce sitting. Manny himself ought to be setting a target of at least 6 ,,, that's goals , not appearances

I despair at how football has been ruined by global interests, in the so called bad old days clubs were mainly run by a board of directors whose only interest was that there home town club did well, now Sky has come along and in my humble opinion ruined the game. Coates said that the Premier league would improve the national side, well that ended up well. It's all greed by the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham, stuff the rest of the football league. Personally the sooner they sod off and form a European league the better for the rest of us.