TJHValiant

Donaldson seems to be a bit of a Mo Chaudry figure. Likes a bit of positive publicity, but I doubt will put the big money in. Personally, I hope we can find an investor to take Carol’s work to the next level. Despite all the aggro over Flitcroft, I simply don’t think anyone could see anything more than mid table league 1 football on our current resources, even if they were used as effectively as possible.

Bell from memory was always derided for being mean with money and lining his own pockets at the expense of the club. However Rudgie seems to praise him quite a bit in the book for making funds available and doing his best to support players being brought in that he sold. There was always progressive investment for years at Vale from about 87 post Spurs cup win to 97/98. After that, we just seemed to keep having to sell anyone decent to survive.

Carol is worth £180m after selling Synectics. If she wants to spend, she certainly could. Robbie loves Robbie and has enough adoration from his fans. When he is about 70 and he wants a bit of glory again or a legacy before he dies off, he might fancy a go. Can’t see it myself .

Robbie has been sucked into nothing. He is the one getting all the plaudits and love. Can’t say Carol has got much time or money out of him

So it’s not the talent or the ability of the team that will see the club through, but the fact that they are good mates?? Dear god, that might be what wins you matches in a pub team with your mates but if players think that’s enough in league 1 to make a difference, they are deluded.

Indeed and lest we forget the most number of seasons at 2nd tier level without being promoted to the top one of any other club.

It’s quite an achievement to have managed that. I bet Carol is really pleased what Flitcroft has helped to achieve. I mean, even Smurfwaire and MOLD asset strippers couldn’t plumb such depths of misery over a whole season.

My biggest gripe with Carol is that many of her comments about the club create the impression that she has bought a small, minor division club with no history like Stevenage or something. I genuinely think she believes the current situation isn’t that bad and we are somehow punching above our weight being in league 1 in the first place. That’s certainly the flavour of things I get from the letter.

I think that was Bono from U2. Our next President as President Robbie has been dreadful, not overseen a win yet. I hear he is keen to invest as he shares Carol’s vision for helping the poor and needy.

1.) I hate Smurfwaite, but a simple yardstick if a business has been a success is what you sell it for. Smurfwaite made big money out of Vale, regardless of the cost to the club, so yes I would say he was more ruthless. Carol could have waited to see Smurfwaite stick it into admin and it would have been much cheaper, it wasn’t going to be simply wound up, Smurfwaite would have got nothing. A buyer would have to be found. 2.) Flitcroft made self deterimined decisions on recruitment so regardless of if he intended to stuff up recruitment, there is no doubt his decisions were made with intent. The only argument in can make in mitigation is that he was working under a league 2 budget with no room for mistakes like Loft..

Not necessarily. You can be pretty hopeless at business but have an excellent product. That may be her genius, not actual management of a business. Bill Gates openly admits he never managed Microsoft, he was not a great manager but a great designer and executer of ideas. Most ruthless businessman we had was Smurfwaite who didn’t hang on to anyone. Willingly would let the club fold if his pockets were not being filled. He was rewarded by selling the club for a big profit.

As things stand we are 6 points off safety still and we play Cambridge, last game of season who are 5th bottom. We play Burton next, 6th bottom on the same points as Cambridge. It really wouldn’t actually such a serious upturn to stay up, but today kills off a real belief that that is even remotely possible. It was miles off being a competitive football game. It was like watching a non league team play a Prem team in the FA cup.

Carol sell up love. Let someone who cares about the football club have a go. Preferably willing to spend more than 50p on players.

Absolutely, Crosby knew the players were awful but at least knew their limitations and set the team up to limit them. Crosby as a coach was an asset to the club. He wasn’t a great manager, but certainly had been part of our previous success. Moore is doing nothing. He has come in and made no notable change. I see no new ideas, formations, strategies or anything that makes me think he is worth the money.

This is appalling. If Carol really cared about the club she would be doing more than just sitting back. The fact the only time we heard from her was an open letter when people dared criticise Flitcroft says it all. This is a dreadful game of football. After 10 mins you knew it would be an Oxford win. We just can’t compete.

Realistically I can’t see a win. My optimism though does see another draw. 1-1.

To an extent you need to make a stand and show a contract means something. If you keep applying the let them go approach every time a bid comes in, clubs will just make low offers knowing 9/10 a players wish will be granted.

Bids for our best players? Most of the players except Garrity and possibly Chislett would be lucky to stay at Vale. If released most would never see league football again.

We will sell anyone going when money comes calling. We needed Harrison this season, but the MK Dons offer a few quid and out the door he goes!

What’s he up to now? Unemployed post non league Hartlepool isn’t he?

He is going to be disappointed. There will be no takers for a man in League 1 who manages to make a club worse than a novice predecessor like Askey.

Well if you look at the cold, hard figures there is a legitimate, sensible business argument to that. The money for being in league 1 does not reward the investment required over being in league 2. You can see that with the top players on £9000 plus a week, that you never see in league 2. Won’t get the money back either. So you either need a lot of surplus money from fans through big gates or the EFL need to make the money in league 1 much greater than league 2 in their new distribution deal for promotion to make business sense. As it stands, league 1 is a no man’s land of aspirational big fallen champ clubs and those clubs too big for league 1 but unlikely to sustain a champ charge.

Biggest issue was, the window had shut when we signed Uche. There was nobody else really around. The big issue for me is that we were unable, with Flitcroft’s “talents” to find someone in budget who was more effective in summer..

I love Rudgey, but really he was always an obvious choice as a DOF and if he was youthful enough to do it, I’m sure he would, but he is pushing 80! Replace the word Fraudcroft with Carol and you’d be equally right. She recruited Flitcroft and doesn’t understand football

Certainly yes.