NW9Valiant

I absolutely lost my mind when that went in and screamed the place down. 😄

<ovf censored> hell what a goal 😄

I get the point, but it's a bit 'backward' to the way many modern clubs recruit now. Because of manager turnover in particular, generally the best run sides have an 'identity' and recruit towards that (managers and players included). Of course that's what DF was supposed to do but somehow managed to dictate a wingback system and provide us with no wingbacks, and some of our best youth prospects being wingers. So DM running the show might not be great if he didn't work out, because of the turnover needed when a new manager comes in who has a different approach. Saying that, Moore's shown himself to be more flexible than I imagined with team shape and set up, he doesn't seem to have an identity at all. So I'm really not sure whether to be convinced DM would be the right person to drive recruitment or not.

100% this. I'd entertain Foyle as a candidate for DOF (why not), but think we should be doing due diligence anyway and considering others too. He wouldn't be my first choice (I don't have a first choice), as I'm not particularly won over by the past connection link. That alone is reason enough for me to run 100 miles in the other direction. Will say holding his time as manager in recruitment against him, is particularly harsh though. This is almost 20 years ago now. I just hope though that Carol's spent her time networking well over the past few years, there should be people in mind already based on her connections built in that time. If we're still at square one in that regard then it's more than a bit worrying. I just hope whatever structure and plan going forward, that the club are confident in it, and it works.

Love it, especially for Lofty as well. Get in! Table is looking much better. Starting to believe. Crazy feeling 😄

Sure. Carol apparently used this exact phrasing talking about the club hasn’t she?

I mean he really couldn’t though. Once you’re out of the football grind for even a season the knowledge drops. The game moves by so fast. I’m sure Rudge knows people in the game still as he’s respected but he’ll have no where near the capacity to do any kind of role. If we ever want the club to do better than we have done, we need to not look at the past.

Well. Wasn't expecting this news 😄 For the best for the club, for Flitcroft, and Carol. What I hope this means is a post season, post-mortem of the structure at the club. And hopefully it means that Carol is nowhere near the club comms again in the future either, to keep her out of the firing line. That open letter was just awful. Just get a structure of people in, follow it, keep it. Don't change the structure if it's not broken - why did Garlic et al not get replaced? Recruitment in football is always gonna be tough bringing in players. Whoever comes in to help with that I really hope they have connections and are not just local or 'former' PVFC connected people. Let's show some ambition with where we want to go, even if we do go down this season as is very likely. UTV, roll on summer because next season can't come quick enough. I just want to write this season off.

As I'm moving back into the Stoke area I'm in a position to come to more games and a season ticket is on my agenda for the first time since I lived in Stoke over 12 years ago. The thing is, and I bet a lot of people renewing will feel the same way, is they won't want to be taken for mugs. We know the club will do a drive for pre season ticket sales, and it looks increasingly likely we are going to be forced into a us vs them situation in terms of getting Flitcroft out. For us, we want to see some cause for optimism and also being able to get behind the manager. Right now, the DoF seems to relegate the manager to a head coach and the head coach has been set up to fail. I'd agree a lot of us saw this coming - my scepticism started when AC was appointed. In part for me I wanted a manager, not a coach. And to a lesser extent it had the whiff of the club tightening its belt with budgeting. The successive transfer windows, the last 3 now, beg the question of whether the club is being set up to fail. That the financial tightening led to lay offs, compromises in recruitment that affected even DF. Ultimately somebody is accountable, and I'd like to know what the club will do to set this right. Promises of renewed optimism and enticing deals to get a ST won't cut it for me. I'd be optimistic and want to get a ST regardless. So: Why have we failed in the last 3 transfer windows? Why do we have a disruptive loan policy for team cohesion? We simply can't operate in half seasons if we want to progress Why have coaches (even DM right now) failed to get much out of the players? Has the investment into non-footballing areas shown any return on investment? Unfortunately the answer to all three for me is David Flitcroft. So Carol needs to then answer why has DF done so poorly. If it is an issue of budget, and she can't solve it, then she needs to ditch the DOF model and go for manager + recruitment team. If the answer is something else, then I'd like to know what senior leadership think this is, and what they plan to do to address it. Values, being nice and friendliness doesn't put food on the table or points on the board. Football is a results business and if Carol wants the club to do well then she needs to be willing to make difficult decisions. It's not nice for somebody to lose their job but ultimately if they can't do the job, or the job is not a right fit for the organisation, then you reorganise and find something that works. David Flitcroft owes nothing to this club and Port Vale Football Club owes nothing to David Flitcroft.

Our best players who we'd all keep will have suitors and be gone in the summer. Leaving us with Plant, Shorrock, etc to build around and the rest of the players we are stuck with but don't want. Really need Carol to make a commitment to review the footballing structure and make wide sweeping changes in order to turn around ours and hers, fortunes, My prediction next season is between 16th and 22nd if DF is still in charge of transfers. I'd not be surprised if Moore resigns so he can take a different job.

Fans have every right to boo and vent frustration when it calls for it. Like now. The players are (mostly) grown adults who should understand that, and channel their own frustration and ours into something more productive. Being a soft touch because you’re low on confidence and things not going well, perhaps it’s not for you. If it can’t be recognised the fans intentions are actually in the right place, then they should move on. Support comes in many forms. Would it better if supporters just walk away because they are a bit soft? They should be more worried people will not turn up to pay their wages, or react at all. Silence is deafening and all that.

I wonder what the age of these fans are she is speaking to. I grew up supporting the club in the height of the Rudge years, so to me, our place is in the Championship. But I recognise that historically, we've usually been lower than that. So if she's speaking to people much older than me, they might just want a Vale to exist and probably don't mind so much about where we are. At the very least though we should be an established League 1 side, and we have been miles away from that for many years now.

I don't mind loan signings really but I think we need to be saying no if the players are simply to be recalled after 6 months. If we take on a player it should be our prerogative whether they stay or not. If that means we miss out on certain talent, then so be it. A season is too long to risk destabilizing because a player has been recalled and we have built around that player. I still think Flitcroft and Carol are still looking at the season (and the longer term) in the abstract so are not worrying at this stage. They will worry but probably when it is too late. Same with why Crosby was given far too much time and was probably hired to begin with.

League 1 I would think. Given the tendency to loan players as we will probably need to, the quality drop off will be big if we are League 2. If we go down, I fear revenues will and the money that Carol may be thinking about investing becomes what is needed just to repair the situation. Whereas, if we are in League 1 we might be able to kick on. I wouldn't want Darrell back, personally. We have Moore, and he deserves backing. Though I am starting to have reservations with him already trying different systems in every game, with no clear plan how to attack teams and score goals, which we need. Foyle as head of scouting I'm ambivalent about, personally I want the club to show ambition beyond people that have previous links to the club. Flitcroft should go or move into a technical role away from Footballing Duties. I'd really like some clarity from Carol / Dave what the contingencies and plans are for when we go down, because that is extremely likely at the moment.

It's the small time thinking of only considering what's and who in our catchment area why we were so stagnant for 20 years before Carol came into the club. We need somebody well travelled, experienced as well as having a good eye and negotiating skills.

Believe me, not my first choice 😄 but it's the best choice given the reasons for moving. And buying the club wouldn't be an option, sadly. I'd be mad enough to if I had the money.

I'm moving back to Stoke this year (selling my flat in London) and would want to get a ST for next year, but the way things are, I am thinking twice about getting one. I just want the club to be forward thinking, forever challenging itself. Even if that means moving the likes of Flitcroft on after a few years. Surely an ambitious club should always be looking to do that? He has done some good in non footballing stuff, but we are heading to the abyss with him in charge of recruitment.

Relegation to L2 with DF’s recruitment has to make Carol’s hairs stand on end. If she is adding to the budget to make us 18th budget in L1, this team would be required to go up first time of asking and even mid table would be a big ask in L2 with the squad we have and players that we will lose. Eventually Carol will learn but the ‘this is fine’ sipping her tea while our club burns thanks to DF will only last for so long before she’s either reaching for the fire extinguisher or the fire exit.

I wouldn't blame her for going on the pitch screaming "Where am I", now. What a mess.

I saw something like that lurking on the oatcake this morning. I wouldn't blame them, would be very funny to see their supposed great owners take them to the third tier for the third time.

Most teams in this formation do this, not a chance I'd want to risk a single DM covering all that ground. The most worrying aspect is Lowe in midfield for me, if we can't get the midfield right then the entire team falls apart. No progression on the pitch, and so pedestrian in the middle the defence are served up for a slaughter. The problem with Moore's crap subs isn't that the subs he is making are crap, it's the subs themselves are crap. We lack options and they are basically downgrades every time a sub is made. It's hard to blame him for what he has to work with.

This is just dumb. Wasting time listening to manager comment as if you're ever going to hear anything insightful when it's always, always going to be the same old tired things. Yawn. Also don't see any alternatives that would apparently do better either. Yes, lets blame DF (and he should go) but it's not going to change absolutely anything at this point. We have a poor squad who can't score at present, Moore's been appointed and has made some changes to his credit even if things don't look good. It's the best, and only chance we have now of saving the season. Let's just take it game to game, eh?

What the fresh hell is this? 3 Games man. Get out.

Hoping that we get a big win and survive while we are still in the 200 club.

Not a nice thing to say to your granddad mate.