Dr Delgado

All fans are equal but some are more equal than others.

I certainly am not jealous, just curious, if you are a person who questions and seeks evidence then I would suggest there are several unanswered questions. An imbecile could probably predict what was discussed at this so called meeting, what I am more concerned with is what was the result of the discussions, what conclusions were drawn by the fans present? If everyone present at that meeting now agrees and concurs with the official statement then with that power of persuasion then they may as well broadcast the meeting over the tannoy on Saturday so we can all jump aboard. Things just get stranger and stranger at Vale Park. I have been appreciative of the Shanahan’s support and ownership up until late however something tells me I’m having my belly stroked.

Neil Sedaka’s words keep ringing in my ear tonight, “Oh Carol I am but a fool, darling I love you, though you treat me cruel, you hurt me and you make me cry, oh Carol I will surely die. Maybe the Shanahan’s intentions are pure and they have the best interests of the club at heart but this latest statement/press release asks more questions than it answers. 1) How come there is only one official record of the meeting, if several people were present, what are the other versions of the events? 2) I can only think that those in attendance signed confidentiality agreements. 3) surely if real and mentally sound Vale fans were in attendance they would have the answer to the question on every sane Vale fan’s lips; “What did the club believe would happen to the team once the club failed to recruit 2 essential players into positions openly identified by Flitcroft”? Until I get an answer to this question all I can envisage in my mind is a meeting chaired by Matt Hancock and Patrick Shanahan and attended by Bungle, Zippy, Postman Pat, Fireman Sam, Boomer, Metal Mickey, Chewbacka, Frank Spencer, Big Bird, Sam Plank, Mel Scholes and George Andrews. Come on Vale please.

I believe you, I’ve tried sarcasm on here before and it doesn’t transfer well to a written post. I am happy to accept he shirked one or two tackles and I am happy to change my mind as the evidence seems to be mounting with regard to his lack of tenacity. I saw Chis Lines do it once at Chesterfield away and I never forgave him despite his other talents. I’m not too proud to change my mind.

If that’s what you saw then I will have to bow down to your observation, you being a reliable and regular poster. Hopefully the head coach saw it too.

I have to disagree, we are way off where I would like us to be but I can’t say that any of this is down to lack of fight. There may be a lack of ability, experience & nous but I didn’t spot anyone who wasn’t trying. I’m sure Loft didn’t try to miss his golden chance or Debrah wasn’t bothered about his mistake. The amount of people around me in the paddock last night who seemed to be revelling in our mistakes is baffling, they seem to be almost hoping for them. The mob mentality is a very interesting thing to observe.

I take it by spineless you mean those that made a mistake?

The club having the most years in league football without ever playing in the top flight. A handful of promotions and a couple of Lower league trophies to boast after a near 150 year existence. If a salesperson knocked on my door and tried to flog me that, I’d chase them back down the path. Yet still we believe, yet still we attend. We are undoubtedly the most stoic supporters in football. It’s hard being a Vale fan, like it or not, it’s what we signed up for. I just pity my offspring who have more years of this ahead of them.

I expect there will be a few more twists and turns in the torrid tale of David Rasputin Flitcroft & Carol Romanov Shanahan.

I’ve been saying for a couple of seasons that I wouldn’t be too upset if he left. He possesses a rather narrow skill set for the level of football he plays. That aside he is a Vale player who undoubtedly gives his all, he will be gutted with regard to the “balls up” yesterday. I would never use some of the terms that are commonly spouted on here such as crap, garbage and useless. I want Nathan to play to the best of his abilities, he has had good games, he is capable of good, crucial tackles and can pop up with the odd goal. We are more likely to get the best out of Nathan and the whole team, for that matter by offering our support when they step out onto the pitch. Some of the language that people choose to use really shows them up to be populist, unintelligent bullies.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life it is that denial is a really powerful emotion. I really believe that this is where Carol is at in relation to our Director of Flufball. To sack him now would turn Carol’s Vale world upside down, as I see it, the situation way have to get a lot worse for anything to change. I can’t imagine how Carol would manage without Flitcroft, she would really want to ask him who she should replace him with, there’s no other football business brain in the club. I would only want her to sell the club if I felt we were heading out of the football league. In the meantime I think I’ll have to calm myself down as I watch Carol & David set sail to the magical Isle of Denial,

I would certainly agree with your penultimate paragraph to a point, some Vale fans are a bit lacking in intelligence when it comes to booing our own players. However most fans don’t and I would suggest that this is the case with all clubs. I would boo our Director of Flufball though. He has made watching Vale like paying to go to the cinema knowing the projector is broken, or backing a racehorse that has only got three legs. He might think he has loads of responsibilities but as far as I’m concerned HE HAD ONE JOB, JUST ONE JOB……..

Just checking and hoping one of you eagle eyed Valiants can confirm this. Have I seen a Vale player actually meg an opponent in that first half. I think that’s what I saw, I did didn’t I? Did I ?

I couldn’t disagree with your observations and maybe it’s time for more pressure to be put on the FA & Football League from the rest of football, we have clearly allowed the bigger clubs to monopolise the game. I’m under no illusions that money controls everything but it did make a difference when fans reacted to the European Super League.

What has happened to professional football? When I first started to watch Vale in the early 70’s there was the same number of clubs in the professional leagues, thus meaning the same number of centre forwards existed then as they do now. During these times we have always been able to pick up journeymen strikers who would stay with us for about a year or two and move on to ply their trade at another club before they hung up their boots. The likes of (in no particular order) Ally Brown, Ron Futcher, Jimmy Greenhough, Bernie Slaven, Brett Angel, Bernie Wright, Ron Futcher, Ernie Moss, Lee Hughes and I’m sure the list could be longer. Maybe these type of players have been locked away in a secure cupboard with all the white crumbly dog turds never to be seen in Burslem again. I just cannot see this type of player putting on a Vale shirt whilst Flitcroft has his grip on power, his position really threatens a fan’s relationship with the club. All the decent prospects we have will be sold on before they can become our heroes thus diluting the player-fan bond. I really do not want us to be a Crewe type of club, a stepping stone for players on their way to bigger and better things. There might be some money and sustainability in this model but zero identity or connection with the fans.

The trouble here is that Flitcroft has created a job so unique to him self that Carol will be thinking how she could possibly replace him. The mumbojumbo that comes out of his mouth is mesmerising, the fact is no one else could do his job because he has created it in his image. He doesn’t care about us fans, in fact he only has to carry on and impress one person, that being Carol. There is no other person in the club she could turn to, certainly not Rudgie, nearing 80, for any football club advice. I was amused by his almost Kremlinesque interview, with the media lad reiterating how busy Flitcroft is etc. Campus, football services, latitudinal progression, foo foo dust.

I can only imagine that the first meeting between Carol and Flitcroft was something akin to Mowgli meeting the snake in “Jungle Book” It would appear he has given her the “trust in me” lines, Carol went all swivel eyed and the rest, as they say, is history. It concerns me that with the exception of Rudgie, who is nearly 80 and somewhat out of touch, there is no other permanent fixture within in the club who could offer Carol a different perspective. I believe for us to progress as a proper football club someone will have to break the Svengali spell that DF has cast over Carol. Could we perhaps arrange some form of exorcism, does anyone know a willing priest?

I have been quite vitriolic towards our director of football due to my belief that he has underperformed in the most important aspect of his role. I think it is only to be expected that Vale fans are able to watch a team befitting of our League 1 status ie fielding a team with proper strikers, wing backs etc. Our position in the league doesn’t lie, we are clearly deficient in important areas, put simply we concede too many goals and don’t score enough at the other end. Out of respect for Carol and her family I won’t be taking part in any demonstrations against Flitcroft at this point in time. There is no doubt in my mind that her and Kevin’s investment has guaranteed our survival as a club and for that I am grateful. Whilst Carol eloquently presented her views which were valid and compelling, her response was deficient in actually addressing the reason why so many of us are up in arms at present. Whilst I cannot speak for all fans, I think most would like an explanation as to: why we continue to fail in the transfer market? and why we have to suffer the unproductive style of play that has been foisted upon us.? Two simple questions really. Whilst I welcome Carol’s response, I think we should make sure that she has the opportunity to read some of the responses that Vale fan’s have posted on here in order for her to get a feel for why we feel as we do. Not sure if Rob or anyone else could select a few varied (non abusive)posts and pass them on to the club.?

I am a Vale fan because of Tommy McClaren and his tenacious tackling and 100% commitment. I am a Vale fan because we beat Burnley at home in the FA cup in 1977. I am a Vale fan because Ally Brown scored a last minute goal at Macclesfield when we really needed it. I am a Vale fan because of the wonder goal Jimmy Greenhoff scored against York. I am a Vale fan because of the header Van Der Lan scored at Anfield. I am a Vale fan because of the goal Foyle scored in the FA cup to knock Stoke out. I could go on, all these reasons have one thing in common, that being, they all happened out on the pitch. People won’t want to be Vale fans because we’ve got a good training pitch, the best exec boxes or the best scoreboard. If we the fan base know what matters how come the powers that be don’t. ? If nothing good happens on the pitch then nothing good will happen on the terraces.

I wonder if Carol has ever seen that documentary on Waco?

Our only hope this season is to rid the club of this shadow skulking chancer. Sometimes it can be hard to admit we are wrong however that is what Carol has to do to move the club forward. If and only if, Flitcroft is relieved of his duties ASAP, do we have a chance of surviving in this league. The so called “system” needs to be abandoned in order to allow a new manager to take over and do whatever is necessary for us to survive. Unfortunately without the likes of Garlick whose counsel does she seek? I think Rudgie is so out of touch these days, although I’m sure he would help to the best of his abilities. We’re in a bit of a situation.

Vale fans! I’m not questioning the altruistic endeavours of Carol and the community wide work. I'm talking about looking after Vale fans, you know, the ones that made the club.

It’s quite interesting to read the opinions with regard to Bratt, Smurthwaite et al. It makes me laugh really, people were seduced by Smurthwaite’s knitted scarf believing him to be a fan, I wonder where that scarf is now? Perhaps resting in the bottom of a dog crate. If Bratt was such a committed Vale fan why haven’t we seen him at Vale Park since his calamitous exit? And finally, I was never convinced by the antics of Mo Chauhdry and his involvement in the Black n Gold period, turning up at Vale Park pretending to be a fan. I’m pleased we have our current owners, we seem relatively stable from a financial point of view, however financial stability doesn’t get me off my seat on a Saturday afternoon. I’ve been patient whilst we have implemented this new playing style with questionable results. I’m just getting a little bit concerned with regard to a disconnect between the running of the club, the players and the fans. The Paddock toilet fiasco highlights this, it is inexcusable for facilities to be out of action for so long. Last season on a number of occasions the tea bar had run out of food prior to half time. I take my 13 year old lad, if he wants to get a half time pie, he has to take my credit card with him, cashless was a crap decision. We might be a club that looks after its players and their families but are we a club that looks after it’s own, the real fans who have been turning up for an untold number of years?

But the player’s families have been made to feel ever so welcome.

What is the point of being a fan of any club without the hope of progress, the odd promotion push, a good cup run, the scalp of a bigger & higher placed team. I am a Vale fan, I was before Carol owned the club, or before Robbie Williams was making his annual gesture visits. It is frustrating when the ambition, hope and progress would appear to be avoiding relegation from league 1. Make no mistake, whilst knowing what our lane is, a Port Vale fan’s hope’s and dreams are no different to that of a Chelsea of Man City fan. I’m a little bit concerned that we are becoming a play thing for other clubs, as soon as Spurs & Sheff U realised how good their players are they have snatched them back. Likewise the lad from Liverpool whose name I can’t be arsed to learn, he’s probably been sent to us with a bus load of baggage, he was clearly a big issue in Scotland. Evidently Carol and her family have done untold good with their investment. I am grateful for that but has she taken us as far as WE want her to? If we are to be a club that is stocked with developing youngsters and loan players the fan base will dwindle. Aiming to finish 14th in league 1 isn’t my idea of supporting a football team even if it is solvent. We need players who are committed to our club, real signings who we can identify with and who are prepared to put their bodies on the line. If any of our loan signings do well we will never see them again. Im not sure Carol realises how important it is for at least half of the team to have a true connection with the fans, we love them and at the very least they have got to pretend to love us. I am prepared to offer a degree of patience and hope my pessimism is unfounded. Knowing Vale fans as I do, there certainly isn’t a groundswell of patience and understanding emanating from the terraces, in fact a couple of defeats down the line and I can envisage a few more “Super Ted’s” invading the pitch. Will someone please cheer me up and tell me that it isn’t as bad as I think.