Santa

I assume he went away on the sauce with the rest of the Stockport lot after promotion. You'd think he'd be back now.

So far these are the ones I've seen that have been released: Ryan Bowman Shrewsbury Town Aiden O'Brien Shrewsbury Town Danny Hylton Northampton Town Sean Maguire Carlisle United Harvey Greenslade Bristol Rovers John Marquis Bristol Rovers Josh Martin Portsmouth D'Mani Mellor Wycombe Wanderers Kazenga LuaLua Charlton Athletic Connor Wickham Charlton Athletic Saleem Akanbi Cambridge United Saikou Janneh Cambridge United Fejiri Okenabirhie Cambridge United Lyle Taylor Cambridge United Brad Holmes Blackpool Shayne Lavery Blackpool James Scott Exeter City Theo Alexandrou Stevenage Quaine Bartley AFC Wimbledon Zach Robinson AFC Wimbledon Lee Angol Sutton United Craig Dundas Sutton United Tope Fadahunsi Sutton United Scott Kashket Sutton United Luther Munakandafa Notts County Jordan Garrick Forest Green Rovers Nathan Holland Forest Green Rovers Mathew Stevens Forest Green Rovers Edwin Essel Grimsby Town Harvey Tomlinson Grimsby Town Leslie Adekoya Accrington Stanley Matt Lowe Accrington Stanley Jack Massey Accrington Stanley Charlie Jolley Tranmere Rovers Sam Bellis Barrow Courtney Duffus Barrow Jamie Proctor Barrow Charlie Austin Swindon Town Tomi Adeloye Swindon Town Matt Derbyshire Bradford City Isaac Robinson Bradford City Dylan Youmbi Bradford City Paddy Madden Stockport County

Funnily enough I've been going through my old cheque books and I found a stub from 19 years ago for my season ticket. 22/04/2005 Port Vale Football Club £272.00 Relative to back then, £335 isn't that bad I suppose.

Do we?

I had a good chat with an Ipswich fan on a rail replacement bus on the way to Fleetwood a few months ago when they were away at PNE. He was sound and very complimentary of us based on the two games last season. They’ve always a well run progressive club since the days before football was fashionable. Bobby Robson would have won the league in 1975 instead of Clough if it had been 3 points for a win back then.

Got away with one against Oxford live on the telly. Wasn’t so lucky a few weeks later against Rochdale. Was it Grew who called him a coward on the radio?

Under V2001 the following kits only lasted one season: 03/04 third 04/05 away 05/06 home and away 06/07 home and away 07/08 home and away 11/12 away They were also made by Vandanel and the quality was horrendous.

He was under contract at Signal Radio and was never going to come.

Yes Rory, that shirt was worn during the 99/2000 relegation season & the 2000/01 LDV Vans Trophy season. It was mentioned in the press during the second season that we were choosing to wear our away kit for almost every away game to save on wear and tear because we were running out of white shirts. That, I believe, was also why we chose to wear the away kit at the Millennium Stadium.

He said he wasn't keen on their early stuff but Quiet Life was a great album.

In addition to his £50k salary over several years, Bill Bratt was the only V2001 member to get his share money back out of the club. After his resignation as chairman in 2011, he sold his shareholding to Mike Lloyd. Not long after, the club went into administration and the shares all became worthless pieces of paper. Every other shareholder lost out. Some ordinary fans lost 5 figure sums.

I thought that at first but now the away kit has disappeared from the online shop so maybe it just sold out completely. Not many Puma kits have been released yet (the ones that are made by the UK licensee of Puma anyway). Fleetwood away was revealed last week. Sometimes manufacturers get a bit lazy and have the same design or features across all their clubs. Puma however tend to make bespoke kits for each club. We could end up with a kit with a similar V neck collar or side panels though.

Derby pulled out of signing Smith on loan from Wednesday in January because they wanted a loan fee and his wages paying in full. He's supposed to have been on five figures a week.

It's funny how Bill Bratt appears to be using Vale being rubbish again as an opportunity to rewrite history. Did anyone go to the 'talk' he gave in a pub in Burslem on Valentine's Day?

He's the only bloke who ever came back from Turkey with a hairline that was worse than when he went.

I think Tall Paul was Paul H, former V2001 director. The bloke you're on about is Paul T (paultvale?) - I haven't seen him at the games for a couple of years TBH. He was a Mod on here I think.

Uche Mk II is one of the strangest footballers I’ve ever seen. Too slow and no stamina for the amount of running required for a centre forward. Disproportionate amount of upper body strength, shields the ball well but wins very few headers. Can’t hit a barn door and his all round play isn’t good enough to overlook that. He's been the second most disastrous centre forward signing we’ve made this season. I’m not falling into the trap of thinking some of our players might be better next year simply because they’re in a lower league. Sitters like the one on Saturday don’t get any easier in League Two.

PJ isn’t very fussy these days since the paintballing accident.

Spoiler alert: we get relegated at the end

At the end of the day Cheltenham need a favour from one of two relegated sides to stay up. Feel a bit sorry for Cambridge fans, the timing of the Bonner sacking was odd as they let him carry on for 2022/23 despite him having a poor run. Like with us, changing managers doesn't seem to have done a thing for them. They also have the best GK shirt in the whole division.

I was at the McAlpine for Warnock’s last game in charge of Town and it was clear that the manager they already had was wringing every last drop from a very limited group of players, to put it politely. I’m not surprised Moore wasn’t able to get a tune out of them, as he hasn’t done with us. Considering where he was in the summer after Wednesday’s promotion, Moore and his agent picked his next two roles extremely poorly. Whether or not this is Moore’s fault, and whether Moore is the right man for us going forward, are two separate issues. I still have my doubts about the latter and whether both us and him are the right fit for each other.

Our best chance of a win is if Cambridge rest a few players and play Jack Stevens in goal. My Prediction: Port Vale 1-0 Cambridge Utd Stevens OG

It was a statement. it fulfilled the purpose of needing to make a statement. It didn’t say an awful lot. Actions will always speak louder than words.

You can’t have been for a wee this season

Are we League Two Ready?