Shropshire_Valiant

The spreadsheet said it was OK to go ahead with the signing! That's the same spreadsheet that said take off your best players when 2-0 up at home with 25 minutes to go so we draw 2-2 and go to ET!

Was going to say, if that's true the first half of the season ought to have told them something/rang alarm bells based on his "Aberdeen spell". At least if we replace him with someone it's something I guess but piss up and brewery spring to mind. It's comical, I have to laugh at Vale or I'd cry! I really would🤣😢

Interesting rumours, if there's anything in them is doubtful, but you have to laugh! Strikers needed desparately, first rumours of the day Vale linked with a CB and a RW🤯🤣

On this day: 1997 Signed Rogier Koordes from Telstar! I wonder if that's an omen for what to expect today 27 years on!😬

I hear his mate Win Won Soon isn't bad either but we'd have problems getting a work permit if they are North Korean!🫣

As I said on the other thread yesterday, I'll be very surprised if Crosby makes the start of next season one way or another, obviously if we went down he'd simply have to go(or he'd be dragged out along with Flitcroft as I could see some very angry fans if the worst came to the worst). Even if we stay up(limping over the line say 18th-20th by a handful of points) ST sales and fan apathy during the close season would see a change having to be made. A bit like when V2001 had to push the boat out and bring Adams in after the failure of Sinnott and then Glover. Whether any of us do or do not rate Crosby then becomes irrelevant, it comes down to running the business of PVFC and the Shanahans would be risking work done off the pitch and investment they've put in by keeping a manager too many of the fanbase don't want.

Wonder if Robbie can chuck us a cheeky 100K for a striker now it would appear Uche could be out for a month or 2!?🤔🙄 Otherwise hold onto your hats ladies and gents it's going to be a bumpy ride until the end of the season!😬

Are we trying to collect a loan signing from each of the big clubs this season?😁 If we get one from Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City will be feeling left out they've not done business with Flitcroft!

Weren't some on one of Spurs messageboards convinced we were signing another of their lads on loan? Donley wasn't it? Seems to have gone quiet on that one

Technically yes but didn't play for his parent club or anyone else in between so it's probably one of the longest you'll get by how it appears in print on his appearance record and but for injuries would probably have been a season and a half

Didn't Inniss do 18 months in theory but got injured several times so the number of appearances might seem pretty low?

Interestingly with Shrewsbury they only went to the DOF model part way through last season(it clearly peed Cotterill off and he left in the close season) but I hear and see comments from their fans on social media criticising their DOF like some of our fans do with Flitcroft. That's not to defend DF necessarily(depending on your opinion) but just shows DOFs make mistakes elsewhere and yet more clubs seem to go down that route even in the lower leagues these days. On the face of it their recruit the summer just gone was far worse than ours but Shrewsbury were a bit better than us last season(at least consistently). Now there's nothing between the 2 sides in the table and we have 3 games in hand on them.

Surely Weir proved he was good enough in League One last season with 11 goals? I wouldn't say he was totally unproven. Also they always say scoring goals in an avg-poor side is harder than a good team so I'd say he's a decent replacement for Arblaster in one sense. Maybe he won't have some of Arblaster's other qualities but if he produces something similar on the goals front he did at Morecambe that's as good as Devine and better than Arblaster for that stat alone. Evidently any signing is a gamble but I wouldn't criticise Vale or anyone specifically for that one even if Weir doesn't come off as such.

Isn't the deadline for playing tomorrow 12:00 when you sign someone before the weekend? If you want them to play, so if we let anyone go now we truly have shot ourselves in the proverbial for tomorrow!!(if the games played with the weather anyway). Unless they have and just haven't announced it!

With Gore maybe we have to hope Devine/Arblaster put a good word in if they know each other through England U20s. Could swing it Vale's way if he has 4 or 5 options.

Tbf Dunkley is a good centre half at this level, always rated him I'm a little surprised he's not done a bit more with his career i.e. played Championship for longer. Without him Shrewsbury would be firmly in the poop this season as they don't score many to start with and without him would be worse in defence.

Totally agree I think a striker and left back/wing back were the 2 positions we needed before we had loanees go back and injuries in midfield.

Personnally I think Crosby needs a good 2nd half to the season, I'm not saying go and get us into or on the verge of the playoffs with a brilliant run(although it would be nice😁) but limping over the line 18th-20th and staying up by 3-6 points whilst it's OK doesn't really show much progress or cut it in someways(imo at least). Particularly in terms of changing the opinion of those who are on the fence re his ability as a manager. Fans will then seemingly "vote with their feet" in terms of ST sales for next season during the summer and a change would potentially have to be made. On the other hand finish with a bit of a flourish(10th-14th) and playing some good stuff might inspire a bit of confidence in the fanbase. Yes replace the loan signings by all means(I like the sound of the two lads linked Donley and Gore) but we were a couple of bodies short in certain positions anyway, we have seen Conlon vacant the premise, I assume that frees up a wage to get a permanent signing or two as well?

A blow re Devine obviously he is and will be a very good player best of luck to him. Arguably he just seemed to be getting into his best form as well but hey ho. Not to belittle his ability or be flippant but I suspect we'll replace him in some capacity, as we appear to have made a good name for the club with a view to signing Premier youngsters on loan. They'll be someone out there who a Spurs, Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea et al think needs a loan spell in league one so that doesn't worry me. That's not to say it's easy and they will all be of the quality of Arblaster and Devine, but if we can get someone in at least to help until Ojo and Garrity are fit it will help. It's more our ability to compete for permanent signings that worries me as we were already short in a couple of areas before the departures.

TJH makes a good point, I think when we were more successful in this division at the start of the 2000s most of our better players came from being released by or signed from 'bigger' clubs. Brooker(Watford), Cummins(Middlesborough), Bridgey(was he Derby or is my memory failing?), McPhee(Coventry?). But then a bit later we had Constantine and Sodje from Torquay and Darlington(although both had been around the houses a bit previously in the lower leagues). Like Rob says though it's swings and roundabouts, no harm having your finger on the pulse of the non league scene.

Exactly both of those did 'ok' for us in the sense they weren't utter rubbish but neither every looked good enough to be someone we'd sell for a profit. Depends as a club what we see as a success for such signings? Peterborough probably realised that with Miller hence why they sold him to us(had ability but bad attitude and probably too old to develop to any better than League Two). Angus hasn't really played much above National League level although done a decent job for teams at that level. I agree most are definately worth a gamble even at 25(like this lad at Warrington, if the rumour is true?) if at the very least they can help the team and not necessarily earn us a profit in the long run it's something.

I guess Ian Taylor was probably the last one we had from a very low level to 'make it' big as such. Although it depends what we deem as making it? He'd be the exception rather than the rule generally as he went on to play Premier league level with Villa. Rob Taylor for example was a steady League Two player for us and came from Nuneaton who I think we're NLN level(or equivalent at the time) I think most of us would be happy if we could get someone who'd "do a job" at league one level to a degree. Particularly if they came from levels below the 2 NL tiers, I'd imagine it's rare to find someone from the Northern Premier/North West Counties who would go on to be good enough for the championship or even better. Although Debrah came from non league for example he came through the youth ranks at Millwall so isn't alien to a bigger (pro)club environment. Depends whether we are always after developing someone for a profit a year or 2 down the line or someone to help the team who may become just a squad player in time? But isn't necessarily rubbish at League One level(just a steady eddie) then perhaps moves on to League Two or NL after us and gets a decent lower league career out of it.

Good luck to Conlon, lost it badly after his injury during the promotion season(confidence seemed to go) but was excellent the season we were all locked up and couldn't go. Just sadly no one was there in person to see his 10 goal haul from midfield, his one at Barrow inparticular was a stunner! He should do well for Oldham at NL level if he rediscovers his confidence but needs to learn how to use his right foot again! Nice signing in Weir to replace Arblaster seems a good move.

Maybe not permanently but loan would be a possibility. If we can't trump Morecambe with their gates and a league below it's time to give up!

The sad thing is Mipo looked more likely to score than Loft