pete vale

It's awful and she feels what we feel plus the £15M and time she has invested. It can't and won't continue. The whole lot is a mess bought about by 'pie-in -the -sky infrastructure investment at the cost of recruitment. I hope we have a go but do not even have the confidence that we can beat Fleetwood. Gonna get a big beating somewhere soon, probably Derby.

All very sad. I had heard that the events of the last x3 weeks or so had taken their toll. The longer the situation continues and results stay dire the more pressure will intensify on Carol and the board. We are grateful to the Shanahans but as many have tried to say, it's a mess and that mess is/ has largely been attributable to some of the poorest recruitment decisions seen at Port Vale in my lifetime. We can't all be wrong. Many are now contemplating not renewing season tickets next season. We don't look like creating anything from midfield or in wide positions and even if we did we do not have the required standard of striker to finish the chances. Today looked like Reading, don't fool yourself, this is poor, very poor. Football is 95% all about the product on the pitch.

The problem is we don't have anyone better. None are any good.

I think we have enough nous to get by should DF go. A Mr J Rudge is at hand along with DM and the learnings to date that carol surely has.

I moan but still renew our x2 ST's. However, this current situation is different. It feels as though as a fan base that we are being overlooked whilst DF has carte blanche to do as he sees fit. There are major concerns with the first team, recruitment has been abysmal but this appears to be insignificant to Carol and the board. There is an arrogance about the place where we as knowledgable fans go unheard to a large degree (we don't own the club and are not £12/ 15M light I guess?) It simply is not good enough, in the past we were fighting owners and were unified in that goal for the good of the club. Now, we have superb owners who we now begin to 'question'. The key is why do I and many others feel this way? We are still protective of the club and appreciate the Shanahan's - but what we see now is a threat to the club from a different direction. "It's all smoke and mirrors" with DF imo and will not end well for any of us, more so the owners financially. To be continually overlooked and ignored when pointing out obvious issues leads me to question my attendance.

I'm struggling to believe that Carol and the board are willing to sacrifice so much for what are at the end of the day speculative points on academy success and team structure thereof. What matters most is maintaining the product on the pitch, the rest runs alongside or follows accordingly. I feel a kind of 'cheated'. It's like being ripped off but they are doing it in a nice way with all the positve 'spin' - some may say bulls*it. Either way being taken for fools with bluster and the carte blanche backing of someone who simply has not overseen the first team recruitment to an adequate level is suicidal in terms of growing the business. There will be limited numbers taking up places within the new 'Campus' and the endearing RW suite. My £800-£1K may not be ,missed. See you in League 2 (or maybe not) - easier said than done. So deflated and indeed angry to watch as the good ship HMS Port Vale (formerly HMS P*ss this tinpot League) disappears beneath the EFL waves.

YES. It will all end in tears for Carol, Kevin and the lot of us sadly.

You would hope DM has contacts and things are in motion friend? Maybe even a left wing back? To do nothing is not an option with these players....

The numbers are there, we aren't Exeter and 6 wins in 53 games suggest the path in which we are following sadly. Massive ask to get 20 points with this squad.

One thing that I have noticed of late is that after 60 mins we run out of steam. It was inevitable that Reading would score. We offered nothing really. Just looked a 'tired' below average outfit going through the motions as best thay can. Where is the data on all this Dave. More KPI required on the football pitch required, Is there an out of contract player out there who at least looks like being able to find the net at some point? Disappointed, disillusioned and feel hood-winked based around the 'feel-good'/ 'do good' HMS Port Vale FC ship that is going down faster than the Titanic.

I can't see where the next win is coming from, never mind 20 points. Unless Garrity gets the goals we've no chance.

If what I witnessed last night is anything to go by then DF and the owners have a lot to answer for. I've had enough for sure. Poor, very poor.

Vale nearly stayed in League 2

Agree totally. Grant just not up to it for whatever reason.

Troy Deeney would be massive for us, really can't see it. Smacks of a Lee Hughes 'vibe' (that's the in-word these days is it not?)😀

Just listened to the latest DF Podcast, confirmed my thoughts from the fans forum. DF speaks with confidence and conviction and could easily "talk the hind legs off a donkey" so to speak. However, having met many people in industry over the last 40 years who spoke in a similar vain when promising the earth and trying to re-invent the wheel, I am left feeling very sceptical indeed. This could be due to my lack of self belief or could be due to many years experience of similar characteristics and living in the real world. He talks of Crosby being set targets and not meeting them. Who set DF's targets - Carol? If so it seems that these were of a financial (profit based) nature rather than success in terms of recruitment and success on the pitch (as per Crosby). He again talked of 6/7 scenarios in the January window regarding striker recruitment, mentioning on many occasions that we were "close". If this was the case and the previous 3 windows followed a similar trend, then from around 24-28 attempted signings we made x2 (Thomas/ Taylor). If Crosby failed to deliver on his target which I assume was points by December (say 25 games) then DF has obviously not been set recruitment targets 'on the pitch', merely to maximise current profit via youth on/ off the pitch. Profit from the 'Campus' must be high on his checklist too. I still can't get it out of my head to not recruit a striker of any note in two years - IS FAILURE in anyone's book. Fundamental errors (or a plan to cut costs) have resulted in us having a considerably weaker sqaud in key positions imo. If I'm honest, Ripley, Chislett and OJo have been an improvement but there has been a decline in wing-back positions for sure. I hope I'm wrong and yes, I so want to be but I am yet to be convinced. Darren Moore is a proven manager but he surely will struggle with this squad. Moan over. You reap what you sow in football.

Wow! Was not expecting this!! Perhaps the disgruntled fanbase have been heard to a degree. Credit to Carol and all who made this happen. Lets get out of this mess on the pitch this season now. Has the governor got his boots? UTV

We can't but your question really needs directing at our DOF and owner. Perhaps they will 'bite-the-bullet' with Moore and a striker?

How would we afford Gale?

Would love it but can we afford him?

Moving a lot quicker than they have on the Striker front!!!

Perhaps someone should bring this to the attention of our beloved leaders?

Let's not beat about the bush - recruitment has been poor beyond belief. On that basis DF deserves to be removed from situ. However, if the agenda is the fact that we are skint and focussing on other areas of the business to make money then that's the way they are going. It is false economy as losing League 1 status will destroy the much misaligned Premier League loan strategy. What is the cost of losing revenue from 2K supporters and the EFL money? It is difficult to be critical of the Shanahan's but what we are doing on the pitch recruitment wise is wrong - so wrong. I also have a feeling budget will restrict any new manager appointment.

Pretty much sums it up

It tells us what we need to know. Many times in business I have witnessed organisations 'chasing the dream' and status via plans laid out by sales persons effectively. All sense of perspective and common sense goes out of the window and employees and customers go beside the wayside. Carol was very dominant at the forum, a change since the early days where she was gathering support. I do recall even Smurthwaite not 'being comfortable' with her for some reason? Maybe more than met his match! There is a big danger of alienating the fanbase, she won't care as she's transfixed on 'the plan/ the process'. For me, I find it astonishing that it looks like "my way or the highway" but that is the owners prerogative. What worries me and I don't wish to undermine the intelligence of Carol/ Kevin and the board but it could be a bit like an addiction - say gambling - You have a system and stick to it, when you begin to lose you still chase your tail believing the plan (system) will all come good in the end, particularly if you know of no alternative and are constantly being sold the dream with a few 'cash incentive sweetners' like the sale of youth along the way. DF is a skilled talker and has a vast knowledge of the game, it doesn't mean he's right. If he was so good then why did he/ need to 'rock-up' at "Poor Old Port Vale" in the 1st place? I'll be staggered if we survive in League 1 this season. Perhaps a few likely beatings against Stevenage and Peterboro can awaken the real world in which we live? Never thought I'd see this, so sad. I do hope the plan/ process works but I for one will not be betting on it!