JoeB2

Mitch Clark is a better full-back than James Gibbons - and I am a massive Gibbons fan who would welcome him back tomorrow.

Doncaster lost 1 of their last 18 ,winning 10 in succession, and climbing from 22nd to 5th. This was a squad McCann have created having been appointed in May. They lost 16 of their first 30. The recruitment they did in January of Matthew Craig, Hakeeb Adelakun, and Timothee LO-Tutala transformed a very bad squad into a very good one. Perhaps a lesson that sometimes good managers with proven track records go through poor spells (even with a full summer) but sacking them at the first instance isn’t the best response, and 3-4 good signings can reorient the ship. We have the evidence base that Moore can win a lot of games when he has good players. I think it’s a foolish move to get rid of him before we’ve at least had the chance to give him decent players, and not “the worst squad in our history”.

Based on the repeater comments about ‘structure’ and adding personnel from Moore, combined with Martin Foyle’s repeated attendance at Vale games, I’d imagine he’ll be our Head of Recruitment/Chief Scout at some point this summer.

Huddersfield have also won 1 of 11. Perhaps the issue wasn’t Moore.

Very interesting comments from the current Huddersfield management about the state of the squad and club. Maybe Moore’s record there has deeper reasons than first appear - which could also apply to us?

We’ve seen enough of Smith to know his qualities and his level. He’s been a model of consistency for almost a decade at this point. We know exactly what he can and can’t do. His poor form this season can be attributed, in my view, to a very poor defensive structure around him. I don’t think it can be seriously argued he’s physically declining at 28. He’s had a poor year but I imagine better defenders would struggle being flanked by Debrah, Yak, Grant et al. As a player with recent ish experience of League 2 promotion he’s a no-brainer to retain. We’ve got the evidence that he’s a good centre half.

Rhys Walters doesn’t owe us anything for bringing him through. We didn’t do it out of altruism.

It’s done lads! Go to the pub!

I played it at Uni at it’s an absolutely crackers sport. Superb to watch and play - though did provide me with my sole experience of being knocked out.

I just think they’re really, really bad at football relative to the other teams at the level. Lot of comments about cowardice, hiding, lack of bottle, lack of fight, which is true in a sense - but we’ve gone down because the vast majority of this squad isn’t very good at football. Giving them hellfire isn’t going to change that.

No I think it’s sensible and the correct decision as it would bring no good. I’m not sure forcing a group of grown men to slowly walk in front other grown adults hurling abuse at them for being bad at their job is supposed to do. Most of these players will be here next year. What will be achieved? They’ve been poor but abuse is pointless. We’re down. Go home and enjoy the summer.

The best thing to do is not react to or photograph the plane. Ignore it and do not engage. We can’t exactly give anything back this season. Laughing at Stoke for having billionaire owners and surviving in a division we aspire to reach is weak. The moron who did it for Stoke’s relegation on the wrong day really set us up.

I think it’s quite normal for folk not to bother today. It has the relative importance of a pre-season friendly, and some are rightly furious by how poor it’s been. I went through a similar feeling after derby. Absolute despair by how bad it was - and took a few weeks off as I knew it wasn’t good for me. Also fine if people want to go. A pre-match pint, the routine for the last time till August, seeing a few pals - it’s good for you after a long week regardless of the football. Just let people do what they want, imo. Most of us will be trudging back in August.

Well, the difference in mine and your view is that you think Leutweiler and Wynne will be gone and I’ll think they’ll stick around. The cold reality is that Loft, Grant, Sang, Debrah, and others that have underperformed will most probably be here next season. I hope we make some big changes but fear it may take 12 months to undo such a sorry mess.

Think people will be disappointed by the retained list. There just isn’t much room for manoeuvre. I can see absolute hell up on Monday morning. I don’t think we will ‘pay off’ anyone - a potential waste of money if someone is willing to loan them/take on most of their wages later on. It’s hundreds of thousands of pounds up front, to pay off the number of players some are calling for. I think Massey and Wilson will be released, the loanees sent back, Uche and Wynne offered terms (which Uche will reject), and maybe 3-4 put on a transfer list. I’m not for one second saying I’m happy with any of this, just a prediction. Like it or lump it, I think 15ish of this squad will be here next season, including Sang, Loft, and the other maligned lads.

There are very few people happy to write off a million a year minimum. Even less with the desire and means to lose 5m a year to finish in the top 6 of League 1. Virtually no one who would spend 15m to keep us in the Championship. Lower league football is a circus and a financial black hole - hence why it attracts unsavoury characters, as good people without ulterior motives (and retain sanity) want nothing to do with it.

Not many people would want to buy PVFC - or have the money to keep us going. You are virtually guaranteed to lose a million a year, and there’s a ceiling on the club’s revenue which would require losses of 5m+ a year to even compete in the top 6. If you deliver the fans’ dreams of the championship, kiss goodbye to 15m a year unless it’s immediate relegation. PVFC is a financial black hole with a very narrow route to success. The ground is an archaic tip. We’re still lucky to have a local owner willing to support the losses.

A truly abhorrent man. Deary, deary me. Incompetent too!

I think folk get too caught up in demanding a certain ‘type’ of signing. Experience. Proven. Winners. Tough men. Just sign good players. Restricting ourselves by chasing niche profiles arbitrarily selected by Flitcroft is what for us into this mess. If a player is good and experienced, sign him. If he’s good and young, sign him. Sign good footballers who make us better imo, not to fit a narrative about ‘who we are’.

Yes, the signing of one player around 8 years ago who had a litany of personal problems means we should write off any players at the same level in 2024. I’m sure Posh adopt the same approach with Mason-Clark and Edwards. Tolaj would be an absolutely outstanding signing - as anyone who has watched him can attest to

To pay off the remaining year contracts of the 8-10 players that people want to see gone on here, assuming they’re earning around 100k a year (2k a week) you’re talking probably 500k up front to ‘sack them’. That’s on the basis that they’re only paid up about 50% of their contract. We simply can’t afford it. It’s fantasy land. Paying three of them off would cost 150k - probably a good striker’s wages. We also can’t label them ‘the worst squad ever’ and expect other clubs to take the contracts on. We’ll have to pay a substantial % of their salary to convince, say, Tranmere to take Conor Grant’s contract.

*the day he finally left

What an awful man he was. Dear me!

Bill Bratt is a dreadful, dreadful man and is despised by a good proportion of PVFC fans. They say he finally left our football club was absolutely fantastic. Awful bloke. Are you related to him/a mate?

It’s not only not the solution, it’s an absolutely mental suggestion with no appreciation for the state of lower league football at the minute - considering we’ve removed 2 sets of owners in the last 12 years, too.