manc_vale

I can't say I am at all happy we are relegated, but overall I feel relief that this is over. I'm glad we are down, it's deserved. I hope we a unemotional and clinical in having a proper clear out, to remove the battle-scarred, the weak, the feeble and the perennially injured. I'm glad we have not taken it to the last game. Had we taken it to the last game, had we put up a better fight, it might have encouraged the club to keep hold some. I hope they don't I do feel sorry for some of the backroom staff who no doubt have been trying their best to do well for the club, based on a steer from the recently departed. No doubt the new L2 regime and limited funds will mean many will be shown the door. We have dropped through one trap door. Next season there is no safety net, a repeat of the mistakes of this season and the unthinkable could happen.

Not me. No previous evidence of building a squad on a shoe string budget - not that it means that he can't but unlike Clarke, for example, who managed to improve a poor Cheltenham squad, there is no evidence that he has improved this squad from what he inherited. Anyway, I doubt and hope he isn't here next season.

Another poor night in what is a memorable season for all the wrong reasons. Can we just stop it all now and say we are down. What a god awful season this has been. Terrible recruitment Poor pre-season - and this is despite the club being stable. This is usually an indicator of chaos behind the scenes - but no, this was the result of the 'pruhcess' Started with a massive wake up call with an absolute hammering by Barnsley Couple of fortunate results early on flattered to deceive Got found out Lost all talent from the side at Christmas No recruitment in January Injuries to the only decent outfield players No squad depth No wing backs Poor defence No attackers Hate the team and I hate the strip. Hopefully both are gone by next season. Please DM give me some hope for next season by saying how you cannot wait to get rid of the dead wood.. Lets get some new talentless cast offs and bully boy defenders ready for a season in the lump it league. Hopefully we avoid the double dip that has befallen Forest Green...

Not wanting to judge but I hope those special undergarments have plenty of life left in them.

What a relief, sadly quite a bit of damage has been done both in the stands and on the pitch. That is going to take time, energy and resources to resolve I would love to hear DM say "I cannot wait to get rid of the dead wood" in about a months time - but I feel he is not a man given to public statements of this type. We shall see...

If this approach works and Vale snatch a very unlikely win - does that mean you do not have to suffer watching Vale for the rest of the season, in order to give the team the best chance of avoiding the drop? What a bind that would be..

she can always follow the team from afar on OVF!!

I think he could spare 3 hours yesterday in his otherwise busy day ringing agents and reading applications and talking to the board, to help out with the primary concern, running the club. It was his decision to sack AC the day before the game that lead to this. Sacking AC should not have been something that was completely off radar. I would hope that DF had a couple of irons in the fire.

I've tried to keep that faith with DF, despite the evidence being against him. Last night was the turning point for me. In a time of crisis you rally round, roll your sleeves up and get involved. He didn't. He didn't front up to the press, he wasn't involved in the bench. As the man in charge of all footballing matters it's completely clear that the man with the vision was needed last night. He provides the continuity to the players in the training, selection and how they approach the game. The squad and approach are the result of his procurement. There was no evidence of him stepping in, or taking charge, or being visible. That really did not sit well. Where are the comms? The vision is not being communicated and is not clear. If the January transfer window fitted in with his strategy, then he is not on the same page as the fans. If it did not fit in with the strategy, come out and say how it failed. Be brave. Now is not the time to hide, the fans want answers. I think I have been seduced in the past by his vision for the club, and it's a vision I share. However, it's easy to have a vision, putting it into action is the hard part. His failure to recruit to cover positions in the team that have been lacking for over a season is criminal. As someone who prides themselves on having a process to recruit talent, we have clearly failed. There is something rotten in the club, it may be a coincidence that both star loanees were recalled, whilst another refused to play. Could be co-incidence or is there something else? What are the club going to lose by getting rid now? If he stays he compromises the choice of the manager the club wish to bring in. The manager will have to buy in to his vision, which any manager worth their salt would question given the patchy recruitment since promotion, and especially given the abject failure to plug the gaps in January. There is something rotting in the club. It's time to root it out, it's time for DF to go.

Might have failed the medical.

Didn’t happen. Which in a way is pleasing.

No we don't. Frustrating though it is we have to keep within the budget. Otherwise we end up like Reading, or some other club who are desperate for their moneybags chairperson to keep them afloat when the club is a financial mess.. We are being sensibly run, that means we have limits. How those limits are applied within the squad is the DF's job. Lets imagine a we did sign a trumped up superstar striker yesterday. And let's say they agree to blow the limit and pay double what anyone else in the club is being paid. What would the existing players think - what would Garrity, Loft!, Chizzy, Smith think? They would want the same, or they would expect the new striker to be way better than them. It may get a result but it ends up with wages spiralling. On that note I would be very interested to know how things are with Loft if he is the current top earner. It's an incredibly hard job running Port Vale - it always has been. We are the second club in a comparatively poor part of the country. It's a tough sell, and it's really hard to generate revenue. There is some money in the countryside around Stoke, but that doesn't make any of them football fans or people willing to risk their cash by investing in the club. I look at a club like Macclesfield struggling along and yet with masses of rich folk all around the immediate area. Is there a queue of Rolls Royces outside their ground spilling £50 notes all over the reception area? So tough and frustrating as it is, for me we have to 'cut our coat according to our cloth'. The other way results in potential oblivion.

Really want to quote this tomorrow morning after something decent shows up late tonight...

Interesting take - and makes some sense. People like to watch a winning team. Hopefully we can see a few more and draw away from our current position. This reminds me of one of my old friends who was a Wigan fan. Season ticket holder for years - even in the lowly Springfield Park days. He was happy when Wigan were finally relegated from the Premier league. It was great initially being in the Premier league with great players, prestige, high gates, matches on TV. But after a few seasons of watching backs to the wall games, where some of the crowd come to watch the talent on the other side, with the matches constantly moved for TV reasons (to fit in with the TV companies desire to maximise revenues based on the big clubs). After a few seasons of watching them scrape over the line, winning the occasional game, getting a few unexpected draws, the shine had truly gone. He was glad to the step down into a league where they could be competitive. I think we can compete in this league. This should be our level when the club is performing well at all levels. Hopefully we can show we are more middle of the table.

It's significant that the ground work for this and for the recruitment was done whilst a part time DOF. This will have saved us a few quid whilst getting us out of league 2, bringing through talent from the academy, putting in place a better brand of football, working with Carol to improve the facilities, promoting the club etc. If this makes me a happy clapper, DF lover I'll wear it. There are limited better options than DF at the price we are likely paying and there are certainly many worse.

The championship is a busted flush cash wise.. Absolute pit of debt ridden clubs mortgaging their future for a shot at the supposed promised land whilst desperately hoping they avoid the trap door to oblivion and financial ruin that comes via relegation. It's a mess.

Well spotted. It's funny how this transfer forum has become a haven of bickering to the extent that this nugget which is reported in multiple sources has gone overlooked.. See also Man Utd to offload star who had furious Anthony Martial bust-up in eighth January exit - Mirror Online WWW.MIRROR.CO.UK

Reading Wiki more... Jensen is part of a talented family, bit like the Nevilles "As of 2011, Weir and his wife Fiona had four children: Lucas, Jensen, Kenzie and Ruben.[57] Lucas, Jensen and Kenzie are also footballers. Lucas and Jensen play as midfielders, while Kenzie plays as a defender. They were all born in Warrington. Lucas plays for semi-professional club 1874 Northwich.[58] Jensen is currently at Brighton & Hove Albion and has played for both Scotland and England since under-17 level.[59] Kenzie made her senior team debut for Everton in January 2022, in the fourth round of the 2021–22 Women's FA Cup.[60]"

Hopefully a good signing. Certainly lots of talent coming off the Brighton conveyor belt in recent years. According to wiki he is a local lad. Came through at Wigan and parents are from Warrington, could be a loan with a view to a move back up North?

Doh! Sorry still wearing up from Christmas! It did all go wrong for Stoke whilst he was there. Anyone remember some of his excellent signings like Kevin Wimmer?

not awful, but average. Had reasonable success with Wales, some success at club level, but his last stint at Bradford showed he isn't up to much.

Fair enough he has had more success than most of the others on the list, although that success was backed by cash... Other than a promotion with Middlesbrough, where he also took the expensively assembled squad down, his other appointments have been suitably rank.

Possibly harsh... Shipped in to rescue his hometown club... But to be fair did nothing to turn the club around in 8 games in charge and was the man that took Newcastle down... Never touched management since...

Excellent additions, disastrous spells from both.

Without being a complete shambles the Blues have been a money pit and a mess for years. Another sjoke like club who think a big name manager will solve all problems. Here's an idea for a very short thread - Successful top level player who becomes successful manager - Pep Guardiola, Ancelotti, Zidane (maybe) Add him to the pile of successful players who failed at management Steve Bruce (whilst we has had some success, never rated him) Bryan Robson Wayne Rooney Steven Gerrard Frank Lampard