Spunk Trumpet

Sorry. My bad. I was looking at the wrong season you’re right. The squad that finished 20th in league 2…… Pope. Gibbo. Whitfield. Harness. Worrall. Kay. Hannant. Even mad Gavin Gunning that season would walk into our line up now. To be fair we can go back season on season and pick out at least 8 or 9 who would walk into our starting 11 now.

I was looking at the squad that finished 18th in league 2 in 2015. Pope. Dodds. O Connor. Dicko. Duffy. Neal. Lines. Veseli. Birchall. Yates. Every one of those in that period of their career, walk into our starting side right now. And that lot finished 18th in league 2. Frightening.

I honestly believe this crop are worse than a 20th place in league 2.

Under no circumstances should he have been given this January window and under no circumstances, after he got given that dreadful window, should he have been backed and then stick two fingers up to the fans who wanted him gone. Carol Shanahans loyalty, or whatever it was, towards David Flitcroft, has put our football club back in the 4th division with an absolutely woeful set of football players, whilst she claimed these players were phenomenal and relegation wasn’t in our vocabulary. Fight her corner all you want. Shes ultimately to blame. Goodnight.

First sign of failure. I get that. January window last year. We nearly went down. Second sign of failure. August window. Still no striker. Hello. Massive red flag. That was the point he gets sacked. Third sign of failure. This January. Nothing changed. No improvement. Ridiculous recruitment. Now the blokes job is untenable. Febraury comes and she lauds the bloke like he’s the second coming!! Tell me I’m wrong. Shes <ovf censored> up.

Her mistake was indeed recognising the cause of the situation we were in. However. When fans are telling her that, months, maybe a year before, she really should have listened. It will always be unforgiveable in my eyes, that not only did she give that clown 3 transfer windows but then came out with a love letter telling fans what a chap he was. Totally unforgivable. And that’s my whole point. She should have sacked him a year earlier but even when his position was totally untenable, she <ovf censored> on her own supporters with that open letter. She basically said <ovf censored> you. He’s my man. Her mess now. It should never have come to this.

And with respect Ray, but who employed Flitcroft? And not only backed him but ultimately broke the fanbase with her love in with him? Flitcroft is a piece of <ovf censored>. I’ve no time for the guy. He’s as smarmy as they come. But I’m sorry, it was Carol who not only employed him but ditched Colin, put him in charge of “all things football” and then very very reluctantly sacked him, as her pathetic son sat in the boxes shaking his head and smiling as 5000 fans sang “David Flitcroft get out of our club” Its been an absolute shambles and we are finally getting what we deserve due to Carol Shanahans decisions in an 18 month period. You can try and convince me otherwise but she makes the decisions at the top of the tree. She is the ultimate reason we are going down. Her business. Her football club. Her mess. Her relegation. Come out Carol and own it.

The players are garbage. Worst I’ve seen in 40 years. The DOF did that. Four managers in her leadership. Shes at the top of the tree of this football club. It’s her business. She takes the brunt of the blame. She employed Flitcroft. She wouldn’t listen to fans. She then divided fans with her open letter. She is ultimately to blame when you get a judge and jury. Her decisions have put our club where we are now. Staring down the barrel. Im happy to be proved wrong. What I won’t accept is that “she saved the club”. That ship has sailed. Although should never be forgotten. Hard questions need to be asked now though because our club on the pitch is in a shambolic state. We’re relying on 16 and 17 year olds for <ovf censored> sake! That’s madness in any league! Her decisions. As the owner. Have been nothing short of catastrophic in an 18 month period. She calls herself a Vale fan. That’s crap. The likes of me and you and others will always be here. If she were to sell up tomorrow she wouldn’t go another game. Dont believe the front.

I disagree. First thing wrong was giving Flitcroft a window last August. Should never have happened. Second thing wrong was giving Flitcroft this January. Should never have happened. Third thing wrong was kicking the fans in the teeth with her “I know better than you” open letter and actually backing the man who she employed and we could all see was ruining the club!! Fourth thing wrong. You don’t openly address the Valiant suite in stating we have phenomenal players because the wags told her! Fifth thing wrong. And I’m going back a bit here, but her appointment of Andy Crosby. Yes. Flitcroft was in charge. But she came out and said she didn’t even interview anyone!! Madness! Sixth thing wrong. Letting the regular stalwarts in the paddock, pee on their own feet all season. Seventh thing wrong. Getting rid of good men in Speedie and Colin Garlick. The soul of this club. And look at the fruits of her Labour now! I could go on. And don’t get me wrong. There are many good things that she has done. But like anything in life, if you mess up, you need to be held accountable. And this is on her head. Do I think she’s a crook? No. Do I think she means well? Yes. Do I think I’m these last 18 months she’s made catastrophic mistakes, became fame oriented and taken her eye off the ball? Absolutely. Its not hatred. It isn’t another Smurthwaite. But <ovf censored> me has she messed up big time.

If that’s the case then the people she has employed should all be up for the sack as they are not doing their jobs. Does being more professional involve spunking 10 million quid in 5 years? I beg to differ on that one. Port Vale Football Club cannot lose money like that unless there is another serious buyer coming in or it was a gamble to get to the championship. League 2 awaits. Our structure is way beyond league 2 BUT like we’ve seen with Bradford, you can rot and rot and rot in that league. It’s a hard road back.

Held accountable. Put things right. Pretty much the same thing. At the end of the season I would like to see the transparency back when she first took over and a clear message to supporters as to where we are going as a football club. She got so many things right and she was adored and rightly so. Shes now got so many things wrong and the buck stops with her and only she can sort this absolute shambles out. That she has ultimately caused.

I think this is a great post. I would like to state that let’s not get this topic turned into a slagging off of Carol. It’s more of massive mistakes have been made and the club has become a circus. And now is the time to address it and make sure, under her leadership, we are never in this situation again. If we lose on Tuesday we are down. Simple as that. Her negligence and stubbornness cannot ever happen again and she clearly needs help from good people. And not one or two but like TJH says, a group of people. A proper board. To make decisions. Not some dippy bloke over in the states who wants to put on a shirt when it suits him and she falls in love with him. It’s time this club started acted professionally again from the very very top. Where it clearly hasn’t for a good 18 months. And one last point. Feed the area. Be a good community club. Be nice. As fans we are all for that! But….. When we are 22nd in league 1. Hadn’t won a game in god knows how long. And you’re posting a picture of Carol and David smiling because they’ve walked a mile and raised 559 quid, or whatever, for some charity, expect the backlash from the average fan who don’t see this as an IT business. They want heart, passion, commitment and quality on the pitch. All of which were lacking today. And the majority of the season. Ultimately Carol, Port Vale Football Club fans couldn’t care less about anything other than two things. 1. To have a team that represents us and gives their all week in week out. 2. A manager and owner who will have our back and tell us the way forward and how our club is going to progress. As of the 13th of April 2024, we don’t have either. And we are a long long way from getting any of those 2 things in my opinion.

Glad you’ve admitted I was right. Thanks. We had a mediocre league 2 squad. Didn’t improve it. Gonna get relegated. With a mediocre league 2 squad. So the players we have aren’t good enough for league 2 despite you saying they are. Youre welcome. Goodnight.

You actually stated we had a mediocre league 2 squad! Just <ovf censored> off. Youre on a windup up or very very special. Right now I’m praying you aren’t Patrick because if you are, and you are employed by this club, we are more <ovf censored> than I thought we were.

You are thick. My point is that you stated we had a mediocre league 2 squad when were in that league and didn’t build on it in league 1! That’s what you said. So by that analysis, of yours, when we go down we will have, at best, a mediocre league 2 squad. Comprende?

“I think the players we have are good enough for league 2”. That’s what you said minutes ago. Read your own <ovf censored> posts. Bell. End.

Last time I’m replying to you tonight you dumb <ovf censored> as you’ve just done it again. We had an average league 2 side that just got promoted and didn’t build on it and also state we good league 2 players????!!!!! Oh <ovf censored> off. Seriously. Youre a picnic short of a picnic.

I’ll get my tin hat on for this one. It’s time she kopped the majority of blame here. She bought the club debt free. And as Vale fans we were overjoyed after the last crook. However the last 18 months have been shambolic. As fans I hear, yeah the academy are doing good. We will get millions for him and him. We have sold this lad to Man City for hundreds of thousands. Etc. Etc. Bearing in mind as supporters we don’t see that money. So isn’t it right to question why we are almost 10 million in debt when she bought it debt free? The bread and butter. The football. It’s garbage. With garbage footballers. Shes also had 4 managers now in her short tenure. And I dare say the latest one won’t last long. Shes divided a fanbase with her cringeworthy backing of a man who was intent on ruining Port Vale. David Flitcroft. And only sacked him after a group of fans had to give her head a wobble. The laughs and jokes and arrogance as Flitcroft announced that relegation wasn’t in his vocabulary. Followed by the cringe distraction of “El Presidente”. Probably for her and his ego. The Valiant Suite talk about how people she met 5 minutes ago told her our players are phenomenal and we won’t go down. She was very quick to go on radio and tv across the country when it went good. Then sunk back into her shell, apart from the most pathetic open letter I’ve ever read, when she more or less slagged off her fanbase. Those that loved her. In support for one crook. Sorry Carol. The time has come to break your silence. The last 18 months has been an absolute disaster. And the repercussions will carry on because that debt isn’t good, the players are garbage, the manager is looking like a dear in the headlights, and the fans are well and truly demoralized with the whole debacle. The buck stops at the top. Before any idiot says “Who do you want to buy us”, I’m not saying she should sell. My point is that her decisions, as owner of this football club, have got us into this financial mess and on the pitch it’s an absolute disgrace. The worst Vale team I’ve seen in 40 plus years. And if it was Smurthwaite at the helm, going through all of this, you’d all be raging. She needs to be accountable for her actions.

Ohhhhhh. I’ll break that down for you Patrick. Even if you aren’t Patrick, you’re pretty <ovf censored> delusional. 1. Financially bad? You’re damn right. Because in a league higher we have debts of 9 million quid even though Carol bought it not long ago, debt free!! 2. We have a good enough manager. Do we? These lads 4 days have made me question that. Not only did we throw in the towel before a ball was kicked against Peterborough but I’ve just witnessed the worst ever half of football I’ve ever seen at Vale park, having been 2 up, and in a huge relegation fight. Disgusting. 3. DOF. You want one. But you want Moore to have a good amount of control over recruitment? Seriously? Why waste a wage?! 4. The academy is coming along well. Whoopee do. What does that do for the first team apart from virtue signaling look at us?! Dipepa has stepped up. As for the rest. Nope. They aren’t good enough. Period. 5. AND FINALLY. Number <ovf censored> 5. Good <ovf censored> lord above youth. (If you are Patrick Shanahan then pack your bags and <ovf censored> off) Because here we go, let’s break down your absolute stupid statement. “I think the players we have are good enough for league 2”. Ok. I don’t. But that’s your opinion. But. Your next statement…. “If we want to get back up we need a very strong squad” Yes. I agree. And you finish with….. And this is the best bit…. ”The reason we failed in league 1 was because we didn’t build on the mediocre league 2 squad we had” Laughable. You’re an absolute clown. In a matter of a few seconds you state we have enough quality in the side for league 2 and then you say we haven’t built on our mediocre league 2 squad! I don’t know who you are. If you’re a normal fan then fair enough. You’re probably just a bit thick. But if you are actually Patrick Shanahan, like most claim, then pack up your pencils in your office you absolute dimwit and get out of our club. Because with that summary, you are absolutely <ovf censored> clueless and should be nowhere near a football club.

I’m not having that. The we’re not ready to go up yet narrative. And the it’s best we go down to come back up when we are equipped narrative, just doesn’t wash. In our lifetimes we will most definitely see more bad times at Port Vale than good times. So staying up is always crucial and getting promoted from any league is an absolute joy. With this shower on the pitch though, if we go down we will be in a relegation battle again next year unless something drastic happens.

This “load of crap” to get to a quarter final of a cup beat Fleetwood, just. Ripley pulled off a superb late save. Beat Crewe. Just. On penalties. Beat bottom of the entire league Sutton, just. A late Ojo wonder hit. Beat Mansfield. Just. And then waved the white flag against anyone half decent. Let’s not rewrite history. Andy Crosby was never a football manager and will never make a football manager.

Gutless. Cowards. Pathetic. And I’m not just on about the shameful players on that pitch. If we win together and lose together then the whole club should hang their heads tonight. In my 44 years on this planet, I’ve never seen a worse 45 minutes on a football pitch. Disgusted. We deserve to go down. Carol needs to hang her head in shame with her decisions throughout the last 18 months. Those players, who go crying to her because some podcast is slating them, need to get some thick skin because as a collective they are absolutely pathetic. Bez on his podcast is right. Bottlejobs. The lot of them. That 2nd half was disgusting. Darren Moore. What the <ovf censored> have you said at half time?!!!!! I’ve had the mans back but that is criminal to defend a 2-0 lead. League 2 next season. 9 million in debt. Dogshit players. Signed a lad from the USA 2nd division for the remainder of the season who can’t get in the squad with 4 games to go! Seriously. If this was under Smurthwaite we would be raging! The buck stops at the top. The decisions that have been made have been nothing short of a disgrace. Owner. Manager. Coaching Staff. Players. Today. As representatives of Port Vale Football Club, you’re an absolute disgrace.

I would agree with that. The biggest problem from last night is we didn’t engage higher up the pitch. And I don’t mean engaging in a press up to the halfway line as a team, but engage somewhere around 35 yards from your own goal, instead of setting up tents 20 yards out. It was an embarrassing watch for a professional football club against same league opposition.

About 20 minutes into it. Im not having that we did everything Moore wanted in the first half. Watch that first half back. They missed at least 2 absolute sitters. We could easily have been 3 or 4 down at half time. There was no need to go toe to toe with them. However there was no need at just inviting pressure like we did. If they had their shooting boots on it would have easily been 7.

Just getting some clarity on your thirdly comment. Without 11 million investment the club wouldn’t have a stadium to play in?