TJHValiant

Exactly right. In fact her letter makes it clear that being league 1 in the first place was apparently ahead of schedule. Although quite where once getting promotion, a relegation was in that schedule who knows? However as you say, Carol has hardly allowed cash to be splashed. Loft might be bad, but what about the other two or three forwards a good league 1 team needs? Wilson and Uche are only here because they were out of options. Our best player, Garrity was an unwanted Blackpool reject, signed in league 2. In fact look at where our players have come from and not a single one was a proven league 1 asset before coming to this club. That speaks of squad that has had little investment. Jeering Flitcroft is the comfortable option for fans because it keeps the warm glow of nice Auntie Carol intact. Carol is a successful businesswoman and like every single such person in history has a major love for 1.) Money 2.) herself 3.) family. These community schemes ultimately make her look good. If it was philanthropy that really mattered she’d donate anonymously. Vale are certainly below that. It’s just like unlike Smurfwaite, she won’t tell you that. She will only act if Vale make her look bad.

Fingers crossed, although repeatedly this season we have been the blessing for any team on a bad run. Or indeed just any team.

I do admit that the wins look doubtful, but by the looks of the table although it is 6 points as a gap, 3 of those points are in our hands as we have to play Cambridge. We need a run of points. Even following up last night with a draw against Oxford would add to that.

I want us to stay up. It is quite clear from Carol’s letter that she thinks we are ahead of schedule and that being in league 1 is a mere bonus we should all be thankful to Flitcroft for.

It was a very well organised and disciplined performance with a lot of effort. Trouble is, I still never saw us scoring at any point aside from a Wilson miss early on.

I thought it got played originally as it was a Billy Bell favourite too?

Ah this old chestnut. The football’s crap so let’s change the playlist. Won’t work, it’s the football that’s boring and drab, not the theme song. I love “wonder of you” so many away fans ask me if we are still playing it and find it rousing. It is part of the club’s identity.

Ripley has a lot to get annoyed with Smith about. The guy looks totally disinterested. Which to be fair has not ever really been something you could accuse him of in his career with vale.

Let’s not go nuts here! 😂

Fair to say not many in the squad have many medals to sacrifice.

Well I know for sure that Loft is on £3k and was our main man based on Flitcroft chasing him. That leaves £6,000 a week. I just can’t believe we would be paying that to a desperate, unfit Uche and a proven crocked Wilson. If we are..:well we are mugs but then you honestly won’t get better for the money. Uche, Wilson and Loft may be reasonable in league 2. Way off League 1 however.

I was at the Brentford away game and met Robbie buying a “Derek” chatting away with Andy. That was 2009…

I’ve had some good moments this season. Oxford in the sunshine, Charlton away, Mansfield, Blackpool at Christmas…however 2007-08 always felt like each week got worse and worse.

I hated watching the 2007/08 relegation “Sennheiser” strip team more than any of them. That was depressing. I remember going to Millwall away on a dreary, cold day. It was absolutely horrible. We did nothing. It was notable from memory because Marc Richards made one of his earliest appearances as a sub. That remains for me the most one sided display against Vale I have ever seen. The Chasetown shambles was a disgrace and to have Sinnott managing was embarrassing, he has never come close to league management since. Signing Chasetown players was a daft move that was never going to work.

If that’s true I agree total rip off. However I don’t think that’s the case.

No way are all three on about 3k per week. Wilson was only given half a season initially and extended after looking like our best guy. The lack of goals is also due to a complete lack of creativity in the team.

Wilson was under contract until last summer so unless paid off wasn’t going to go anywhere. That 2 year deal included brilliant memories in league 2 where he contributed to a promotion. Everyone was gutted when he left saying stuff like if it wasn’t for injuries he’d be in the Champ etc. Uche, Loft and Wilson combined probably wouldn’t cover the wages of a top league 1 man. Uche only really had two months of football And was getting better all the time. Loft is a waste, but he is not the leading league 1 striker we need. He is bench fodder, to come on for a jog for the last 20 mins when 2-0 up. However bench fodder is still 3k per week and that’s what we have. Matty Taylor has more goals than all our lads however and he looked poor for Vale. Let me tell you, name me proven, quality strikers in this league under 6k per week. I know of none.

Wilson was not a waste. He was brilliant in league 2 and has remained on little more than that as a league 2 striker. Uche isn’t on big bucks as he came a desperate man without a club and Loft is on £3k per week at most. That’s conference money. Conlon earns more at Oldham than he did at Vale! We won’t get players who are any good on poverty pay.

Yeah that’s right. The idea Flitcroft goes and we get a lot of quality league 1 standard players in seems a pipe dream. I’m pretty sure if we had the money, it would have been spent on a bit of quality.

They’ve hardly had a wonderful season either.

His attitude problem was probably something along the lines of…”I’m not ruining my career to play alongside this shower”

No club can. If Bradford City can’t and Wrexham sit third despite mega wealth in league 2, then clearly Vale need support financially. In fact, Charlton, a hugely resourced club, have struggled this season, tells you that it is the well run club with versatile revenue streams that wins the day. My biggest criticism of Carol is that the club is run like an old fashioned family business, a style of ownership that has long since died out in the football league to any great success. We need a consortium of investors who healthy hold each other to account. Sadly we get crooks like MOLD , when I am thinking more along the lines of Luton.

Carol managed that at the start of this season despite record gates the previous one.

Moore has always worked under a DOF model hasn’t he? He has no record of calling the shots on recruitment.

She won’t snap out of anything. This is a conscious decision she has made and is quite insulting to her. If she was led by any old fool Synectics would never have done anything. She, based on our budget decided to run a club on league 2 money and hope Flitcroft’s magic could do that in league 1. It has not worked but won’t blame Flitcroft because deep down, she knows he asked him for the impossible.