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VALE 3 oxford burton 1 1 Brizzle Northampton 1 0 Exeter wigan 1 3 Wycombe peterborough 0 3 Cambridge bolton 0 46 CAMBRIDGE 3 wigan reading 1 1 charlton barnsley 0 0 derby blackpool 0 3 wycombe brizzle 1 vale 0 48 By those predictions they still finish above. We could do with beating Burton to drag them right in.

^ This is assuming we are in League 2, but obviously I hope we're in League 1 and there's still an outside chance!

We don’t have to be decent, we have to be the 5th worst, and at the moment Cheltenham, Burton and Cambridge are at least as shaky as us.

Hopefully can against the other teams playing for nothing coming up: Northampton, Rovers, Cambridge (though hopefully they’ll be dragged back in)

Suddenly things look a bit better… Oxford dropped off a cliff, next to Vale Park. Followed up by Burton in touching distance, all with games in hand. Green shoots.

Love how the match thread has dropped off the main page 10 mins before kick off.

Give pro experience to the academy players and haul the so-called leaders and experienced players up and down the country for a few months to watch and get the water bottles. Make it productive in terms of preparing for next season.

This is the most irrelevant game of the season, eclipsed by the next, and so forth.

It won’t shake out like this but we’re looking at something along these lines: Vale Cheltenham Carlisle Fleetwood Crewe Barrow Gillingham Wimbledon walsall morecambe Crawley Bradford Newport Harrogate Notts county Accy Tranmere Swindon Doncaster Salford Grimsby Colchester Chesterfield Barnet That to me looks like an easier league than the one we got promoted out of. Some teams with bigger budgets, but if we can get ourselves out of the in-fighting, kamikaze downward spiral we have inflicted on ourselves with repeated mistakes and naivety, we should do well.

Darren Moore, the backbone of the team staying, no mistakes and shortcuts on the strikers and we look in decent shape, even with the deadwood that might cling on. Everyone who is out of contract can leave now, they have no future here and we should be playing Shorrock et al to get them ready for the bounce back. The bones are there, the budget will be competitive I’m sure. Only go to loans as a last resort, as having them recalled is a nightmare (reference Port Vale 23-24 season.)

We need a properly organised protest against Flitcroft. I hate to single out one person but he’s made his own rope by stating plainly he is responsible for “all things football”. Well the football is dire, we’ve hired mentally weak, uninterested and untalented players with an total imbalance positionally, and I am confident the squad is quite expensive ironically.

All the young players to start every game for now on. Let Lowe, Ojo, Massey, Grant watch from the bench. You have to earn the right to play and they’re curdled cream now.

Gore is obviously looking to preserve his rep at this point. We won’t see him again.

The majority wanted him, most were surprised and happy when he joined. I remain that way but he can’t do anything with this shower.

It’s not so much the terrible playing, it’s the attitude that gets to me more. They do not give a damn.

Can’t be bothered to go through every player, but look at the players we’ve got who are used to losing: Ripley - relegated Chislett- relegated Smith - relegated League 2 players, Players on their first pro club who have let them play more than 5 games cast offs, injury proners, literally a player from non-league plucked to start games. What a joke.

I wonder what NLV, B&G, SC etc. feel about a peaceful protest asking for flitcroft to be removed - taking place before the next home game.

Exactly. Put Messi up front, who’s going to give him the ball? Lowe, Ojo, Weir? It would be like putting a candle under a bowl and wondering why it’s still dark.

I was thinking ok we’re in good shape for this one: Clark, Mighten, Chislett, Lopata, Plant etc. attacking in a must-win game. Then the team sheet comes out. Massey, Jones, Sang. It just immediately makes you think it’s pointless playing the remaining games. I think if OVF didn’t exist and I looked at the team / club I would feel totally out of touch and lost with the decisions being made.

The establishment don’t care about your wellbeing, otherwise they would make the changes we are all crying out for. Not going doesn’t make anyone any less of a fan, it lets the club know we can’t be mugged off.

So it’s time to start preparing for next season in League 2. Plant, Dipepa, Shorrock, Lomax and Walters (?) will develop more quickly, as they could be legitimate starters that are not being bedded in, they are active contributors getting better and better. Obviously getting ride of players who are not up to it who are under contract will be preferable - but if we can’t do that at least they’ll do less damage and be more useful and productive, which may lead to better confidence. I strongly think that although Darren has probably made mistakes, he will turn the team around with his own players gradually being recruited and the trash removed over time. Both he and Carol must have known his first full season could have realistically been in league 2, and now that’s the case he’ll have a rebuild that makes the fans feel comfortable again. I think he can do it and we can’t judge based on what he’s trying to do with the current team. I hope he doesn’t walk. Obviously the fans and the club will be caught in a divisive stand off until Flitcroft is gone. That will never ever change and Carol seems happy for that to be the case. That is a bigger stumbling block than any other, as the toxic atmosphere and the failed recruitment both stem from that role. Fail to sort that and we cannot rebuild fully, properly or durably. Apart from that, we need / need to: Retain key players: Ensure that crucial players remain with the club to maintain team cohesion and talent. Garrity, Chislett, Clark, Ripley will be cheat codes in L2. Strengthen squad balance: Acquire new players that don’t use this ‘utility’ model. Just get players who play where they are supposed to play, and others to cover that same position. Simple. Review coaching staff: Assess the coaching team and consider changes if necessary to improve tactics and player development. The injuries, tactics and inability to change have been terrible for years and it needs to be addressed. Financial stability: Manage finances carefully to avoid further setbacks and ensure the club's long-term sustainability. Engage with supporters: Maintain positive communication with fans to boost morale and retain support during challenging times especially. Stop improving facilities: Nobody cares about new training facilities and stadium infrastructure if the results are not shown on the pitch. Develop a clear short term strategy: Define short-term goals for the club and implement a coherent plan to achieve them. Long term plans mean nothing. We can have a general vision, but talking about the Championship at the bottom of L1 is somewhere between criminally ignorant and laughable. Foster a winning mentality: Instil confidence and determination within the team to strive for success and bounce back from relegation. This team has no character, few big personalities and no meanness. I don’t care about them being mates, I want them to win as a team and sometimes you need to embrace the dark arts to achieve that.

How many points for safety? Last 3 seasons: 22/23: 46 21/22: 40 (wow) 20/21: 48 44/45 points average

I’d say park the bus, but we’re not even taking them down now.

I’m going, but I need help from 33 others. I have a message written out on individual placards to hold up. I’ll do F, but I need: UCK OFF FLITCROFT YOU BRAZEN CHARLATAN I suppose 15 helpers would do at a push.

Moore must have known relegation was a distinct possibility, surely he can't walk if we do go down as: His career will be on the downslide and he'll need to restore it to get a decent job He'll look insincere if he signs a really long deal then walks away (as I don't think he'll be sacked.) So what are people's thoughts on the chances that he will be our manager should we go down? I am not personally going to judge his performance until he's had a significant number of games under his belt having had the chance to shape his own team. I hope he gets the chance to do that whatever league we are in. I don't think we can even look at his tactics / formations / subs too much at this stage as in all seriousness, what can he do? It'll only change when he brings players in to play the style he wants and he is responsible for managing them having had direct input.