Rudgies Flat Cap

You’re right, he doesn’t. But he’s a young lad who has achieved nothing in the game yet. If he thinks he’ll do better elsewhere then good luck to him. I like him and think he’s got potential. I hope he stays.

‘Hate’ is a bit strong. If you disagree with what I’m saying that’s fine, but football is a game of opinions and this is mine. I think it’s bad advice for him not to sign and stay with the club that has brought him through the academy and given him a chance at L1 football at a very young age. He can stay with us, show he’s good enough for men’s football, and then the money will come. Advising young players of his age not to sign is bad advice in my view but if you can offer an actual constructive criticism of what I’m saying then feel free.

Bad advice from his agent. Vale is the best place for him for next season. He’ll be a regular starter if he stays. Or he can go elsewhere for a few hundred quid more and never play.

Smith is the same player he always was. Crosby exposed his flaws by playing him on the right side of a 3. He’s a man marker, in there to rough the opposing forwards up. He needs better players alongside him than he has. In a 4 man defence, with proper fullbacks, and a decent, mobile, ball playing CB, he’s good enough. I’d keep him and get rid of any of the other CBs on our books before him. Especially in L2. I actually think Debrah will benefit from a season in L2. But Yak, Jones, and Lowe need to depart. We never replaced Hall, Worrall, or Benning (who was unfairly maligned in my view).

He’s top quality. Whether he makes it as a genuine EPL player remains to be seen but I suspect in a few years times we’ll be amazed that the lad played for us. Devine didn’t impress me a great deal. Talented but destined for lower championship or top end L1. I hope Arblaster doesn’t go to Liverpool as he won’t play, same as Carvalho but Newcastle might be a good move for him. Player of the season for me is Garrity. He’s far and away our best player and the only one whose commitment is never in doubt. I hope he stays with us but I suspect a top half L1 side will be in for him.

It would be quicker to say who we do want to see in a Vale shirt again. Ripley, Garrity, Chislett, Plant, Shorrock and Dipepa. I guess we’ll lose at least 3 of them, maybe 4.

We’ll be lucky to stay in the league unless we have a major overhaul using the cash Utd are about to throw our way for Dipepa.

I doubt it. We were dire under Crosby. Him and Clarke together as AM and Manager were a great combo. But Crosby was never manager material, and we should have stuck with Clarke. I’d take him back tomorrow, especially in L2. Moore looks like he thought he could come in, save us from relegation. Boost his stock, then get a bigger job. It’s backfired if that was the plan because he’s made himself look clueless. But we were a free hit and he’ll get another L1 job next season. I’ll be amazed if he’s still with us for the Cambridge game. I think he’ll walk away.

If we aren’t careful, that ‘season’ back in L2 will be the one before we drop out of the league. This side isn’t even fit for L2.

How can we be far and away the better side in the 1st half, and deservedly 2 nil up at half-time and on course for a much needed 3 points, but come out for the 2nd looking like a half-cut Sunday League pub side, who’ve just had a doner kebab each in the dressing room, instead of an orange and a spray of ralgex? What do they do all week in training? The mind boggles.

He won’t need to get onto his agent. There’ll be plenty of offers for him from L1 sides. Ripley too. The rest we are stuck with. Dipepa will be gone in the summer, Plant is being held back by playing in an awful side, and Shorrock is likely to follow BD into an EPL U-23 set-up. Leaving us with Loft, Lowe, Iacovitti, Jones et al. FFS!

Never mind Tuesday, that’s already curtains. With the goal difference in favour of Burton, we essentially need to win 2 of the last 3, and hope they lose all 3.

I agree, unless serious work is done on the squad between now and August.

A strike force of Wickham and Gayle might have been enough to keep us up. Granted neither might have fancied us but given Flitcroft seems able to convince Carol that’s he’s Michael Edward’s incarnate, then I’m sure he could have persuaded two out of contract lads needing games that we’d be a good shop window for them to secure a deal at L1 or above for next season.

The fact that our season is essentially done with so many games left is a disgrace. People at the club need to be accountable, namely Flitcroft and the owner for her continued support of him. This squad will struggle in L2 and no way Ripley or Garrity will stay if we go down. We have no forwards yet in the last couple of weeks free agents such as forwards Gayle, Wickham, Tulloch, Hiwula have all been available. And free agent players like Liam Moore and Lee Evan’s could have strengthened us for no fee until the end of the season. Football is a results business and DF should be judged on that. He said himself that what’s on the pitch is down to him. Everything else is irrelevant. He needs to go. It’s DF or the fans. And it looks like Carol has picked her side. I suspect both may go in the not too distant future. And I can’t see Moore fancying L2 either. 5.5 year deal or not.

I think it’s a positive to bring some ex-players back, only so long as they have something to offer. I think Foyle does but hear what you are saying. It definitely didn’t work with ex-Vale favourites as manager, Foyle included. I definitely agree that Flitcroft should move away from anything to do with the first team. Most fans would agree there have been improvements in the non-playing side. However, the first team should be the remit of the manager. You can’t manage a football team by committee. Clarke should still be with the Club but we can disagree on that. But I absolutely agree that there needs to be clarity about what happens if we go down. Are there relegation releases clauses? Are there reductions in salaries for relegation etc., and, what do we do about lost revenue, because if Flitcroft stays as DoF, and we go down, we’ll be looking at 3500-4000 gates next season.

It’s beginning to feel like ‘right man, wrong time’. Darren Moore is used to working with better quality players and greater resources. I was excited by the appointment (but not the length of the contract), however it is already looking like a mistake. The situation we were in called for an experienced ‘fire fighter’ to come in short term and save our season by preserving L1 status. Then bring someone like Moore in to hopefully take us forward with his own players. I think our manager may be shocked by the lack of quality in the squad, but sitting on a 5.5 year, he’s not likely to be worried about getting fired any time soon. I think at this point, a large number of Vale fans would welcome Darrell Clarke back with open arms, with someone like Martin Foyle in to work on scouting to support recruitment, and David Flitcroft and his back room team gone. The academy is in safe hands with Will Ryder but those academy lads should not be near our first time yet (Plant excepted). I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say we are in genuine danger of dropping out of the league next season. That is how dire the squad is, and how limited the budget for another overhaul is. Trying times!

I expect, given the timing of bringing him in, that he knows the team is awful. Maybe worse than he thought but he also likely thinks that digging players out in public isn’t going to help their confidence either, which is rock bottom. Hopefully in the dressing room he is telling them some truths. However, I do agree that treating fans like mugs and not being honest about what we can all see is going to cause huge frustration. It raises questions about his judgement which I think are unfair. He’s managed at a decent level so given that none of these players are his it is unfair to judge him. I think we will see some improvement but doubt it will keep us up. And what can he do about silly mistakes like the one Smith made? I have no doubt if he sticks with us, he’ll oversee a massive clear out and bring in players he rates. If we go down, I think he’ll quit and then we are in massive trouble as this squad isnt even good enough for L2. It would be a full rebuild with any half decent players like Ripley, Garrity, Shorrock, Ojo and Plant moving on to stay in L1. Also, no way Conlon wouldn’t have been an asset for us at this point. Lowe in midfield is like Anthony Kay all over again (Kay was actually far better) but the point is that he’s not an upgrade on Conlon. Arblaster and Devine would have been the bit of quality needed to keep us up but I expect their clubs too at look at where we were heading and pulled them out. Liverpool apparently looking at Arblaster which is an indication of what we had. Moore has no options so what can he do? However, I’d still give anything to have Darrell back where he belongs.