[League Two Title]

2 hours ago, TJHValiant said:

An interesting point for me is, is our relegated league 1 squad better than our promoted league 2 side? 
 

I think it might be if you include the strengths of Garrity, Chislett and a far better keeper. I miss Worrall but otherwise despite the rose tinted glasses of the playoff campaign, this was still a limited squad. Wilson was still injured for periods as was Proctor. Harratt was not around for long. 
 

Remember despite the decent league 1 run under Clarke early on, the squad at the end of the season was nearly relegated too! 

I’d say our promotion team was miles better as a team, we had good characters who worked hard but also worked as a team, I’d have taken the likes of Gibbons, Worrall, Pett, Benning, Hall, Proctor, Harratt, Edmondson over most of the current lot, even some of the fringe players like Jake Taylor or Brad Walker offered more than some of this seasons squad players, as I’ve said previously I hope only the likes of Garrity, Chislett, Ripley, Plant, Dipepa, Shorrock and Maybe Mitch Clark and Iacovitti are part of the squad next season I don’t really fancy watching the others again!

[Summer transfer rumours and speculation]

I’d definitely have Gibbons back, he offered a bit of fight and steel aswell as being good going forward, Gibbo & Clark as full backs would be an improvement on this seasons wing backs! Wouldn’t be surprised to see him end back at Cambridge though.

[Summer transfer rumours and speculation]

13 minutes ago, Valiiant said:

 

And do you think League Two sides will have all bases covered?

To get in the top 7 you probably have to score over 70 goals and around 85 in the top 3, whilst not conceding more than 50-65 there is no way that team would achieve both of them in my opinion. Remember also these players now have a losing mentality that will probably take some time to get out of them.

[Summer transfer rumours and speculation]

56 minutes ago, Valiiant said:

 

As of right now, without again coming or goings, this would surely be at least a play-off chasing side in League Two.

 

Ripley

Clark

Debrah

Smith

Iacovitti

Wynne

Ojo

Garrity

Chislett

Ikpeazu

Dipepa

 

It's a big if, but if we can keep Chislett, Garrity and Ojo I don't think there would be many better players in League Two. Add a goal-scorer to that side and a decent centre-back and you're laughing.

That side wouldn’t get close to top 7 for me, there is no pace or width in midfield, no proven goal scorer, no tacking ball winning midfielder, no height in defence and not enough proven leaders/winners.

[Moore out]

I’m not one for changing managers so soon and you really want to back Moore, but at the moment I’m struggling to see how anyone can say he has shown anything to deserve it? He has been a disaster, yes it’s a shocking unbalanced squad but he just hasn’t given us anything to say he is the right fit for us, his tactics are poor, his subs are usually woeful and he just comes across a bit boring and negative, I have not seen one thing to say yes he will improve? I’d really like to know what Carol has seen to be so sure he is the right person to take us forward because if she is wrong it could be a very costly mistake that sees us drop out of the league next season!

[Players I never want to see in a Vale shirt again]

Think it’s time to get rid of this nice club mentality and do a Micky Adams by placing the whole lot on the transfer list and just hope we find some clubs as daft as us to take some of them of our hands!

Next season I want to see some winners who are hard as nails, they don’t have to be nice lads, just lads that show they care and want to win!

[Carol statement]

The problem is it’s all becoming a bit repetitive, we were told last year we would learn the lessons from the poor January transfer window but then we proceeded to do exactly the same again this January, we also appear to have made the same mistakes with the managerial changes. 
The most annoying thing is the majority of fans saw this coming a long long time ago and have now been proved right yet those who make the decisions didn’t, let’s hope they don’t repeat these mistakes again or we’ll be looking over our shoulders again next season.

[League 2 preparation]

9 hours ago, valiant steve said:

Straight choice:

Option A: Put trust in DM to build a squad capable of top 7 in L2 or

Option B: Get rid of DM and put someone else in place to do the squad rebuild.

If it was my decision, I'd get rid of DM and put someone else in. My target would be Ainsworth. He must be missing football by now!

I'll renew our season tickets and back the team, whoever is in charge. I hope Carol starts listening to better advice than she has for the past few years. 

UTV! 

 

Unfortunately Moore hasn’t shown anything to give encouragement that things will be any better with his own players, if he fails to win any of the first four or five games next season people will be calling for his head and another season will be wasted again, whoever thought giving him a 5 year contract was a good idea? I suspect this will mean he’ll stay unless he wants to leave?

[League 2 preparation]

This squad has a losing mentality so the fewer we have stay the better in my opinion, only ones I’d like to keep would be Garrity, Chislett & Dipepa but suspect these may all get offers from other clubs,  the likes of Ripley, Smith, Cass, Plant, Shorrock I’d be okay with at Lg2 level as part of the squad, as for the majority of the rest can’t say I’d want to see any of them again as they either lack any of the following qualities : fitness/fight/ability

Maybe we should just rebuild our last lg2 side back again, let’s give Worrall, Benning, Pett, Hall, Proctor & Gibbons a call, at least these guys had some of what the above lack!

[Sports Science]

Considering all the injuries we seem to keep getting still some may ask if it’s actually working following the sports science

[Ale and the Vale Podcast]

1 hour ago, The Kalamazoo Kid said:

Askey was in charge for 23 months.

Aspin for 16 months (as good as).

What is the average tenure for managers in League 2?

How long, on average, do other clubs fans go before "the pitch forks and lit torches are out in force"? Are we particularly different to other clubs?

Longest serving managers

The above link shows all the current managers in the top 92, in the current climate I think you are probably doing well as a manager if you manage to last 3-4 seasons.

[Ale and the Vale Podcast]

My Three Would be:-

 

Derek Adams - Good win ratio and has an average Morecambe side overachieving

Nigel Adkins - Might be unrealistic but strikes me as similar to Micky Adams in that he might want have something to prove also experienced and seems a decent bloke who is always very positive in his approach.

Stephen Robinson - Bit of a left field one, did well with Motherwell also brought some young players through so might fit with Carols plans.

 

Have excluded Paul Cook & Danny Cowley as don’t think we would tempt them, also wouldn’t object to David Flitcroft if he was chosen.