Remie Streete released

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

Sorry Bon'Ami, but the previous 'Board did not have a cloak or dagger - just ladders

 

And lots of ice-cream!

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

Sorry old boy but that is a load of tosh. Give the fans a little bit of positivity and the fans will come. Vale's fans are like every other club's the majority need to be coaxed with quality signings. One thing was clear cut price tickets to watch rubbish doesn't work the fans will pay if the players on the pitch are worth watching.

 

But the facts say they won't, we were on the verge of the play offs and still they didn't. What the fair weather fans want is a big FA Cup opposition or to be at the top of the league.

 

The chairman has overspent for three seasons running and only in the last few games of the 12/13 season did we see real growth.

 

1.7 million is competitive as a budget, at least one team proved that this season though they didn't spunk it on offering players like Williamson, Yates, Dodds, Lloyd etc contracts!

[smithie]

I'd say the majority of that is about right.

 

All this "if we sell enough tickets" etc is lost on Vale fans due to the broken promises of the past. Good players are one way but personally y getting behind Page is going to be a struggle. How he earned his chance is beyond me, Christ his losing streak was one more league game than what Adams got sacked for! The retained list was almost laughable and if the vast majority of the budget goes on ***** like Ben Williamson, then I'm sorry we are in for another year of manager merry-go rounds and a very strong possibility of relegation. That s not selling the club to the fans

 

And I'd agree with you largely...BUT Rob Page did lead us to 3 straight away wins, he did keep us up, and he did at one stage steer us closer to the top than the bottom.

 

Football fortunes ebb and flow for most clubs (look at Liverpool). I'm more worried by Rob's insistence that players like Yates, Birchy, Willo are "good enough". Even if they are good enough to keep us in this league, that's no great attraction as a spectacle. I'm even more worried that he thinks that Williamson is worth a starting place.

 

Statistically, I'm not sure how many people new to management achieve a promotion in their first full season in charge - I'm guessing not many.

 

And yet this seems to be RP's remit - quite a tall order when you put it like that.

[Mattholl]

It does seem that the retained list and in particular league 2 players like Birchall and Yates and non-league players like Williamson and Daniel were

very poor calls by the trainee manager.....signings like Streete and Inniss would build a foundation and would not O'Sullivan and Junior also be the

sort of quality the club should look to sign.....kinda brings home the double tragedy of that ridiculous retained list....the signing of quality players

with potential in order to build towards the Championship is blocked by signings that clearly are not League 1 standard and would be lucky to get a League club......perhaps like when Adams released the whole development squad it looks like another spectacular failure to build and move the club forward...perhaps the club needs a philosophy and long term signings policy such that the poorest players are not retained and the club should sign

players of real quality and potential when they become available.

 

Unfortunately what is discussed and half heartedly put forward in the media by the club (ie Championship and progression) don't match the physical hard evidence for all to see. Now lets not beat about the bush its hard for a chairman to sell season tickets and improve the commercial business if he was to tell the truth and say realistically we have about as much chance of going up as Stoke, WBA, Everton and the other mid table teams have of winning the premier league. Its a catch 22 situation where to progress the club needs investment from either large numbers of fans buying season tickets (which they wont because it looks like another season doing not much) or a chairman pouring yet more of his own funds hoping to attract fans by competing at the top (which he wont as he did it twice and its failed to achieve a top team or high crowds).

 

The retained list and contract situations for our better players shows exactly now where we will be this time next year...in exactly the same place having scraped staying in the league. Williamson, Birchall, Dodds, Yates and Dickinson are league 2 players devoid of quality but consistently available for selection and a known quantity. To a team wanting to maintain what they have an ideal recipe, no shocks, no surprises consistently average. Any side wanting to progress would be rid of consistently average players and be looking to bring in consistent performers not plodders but that cost money which we don't have. Lets be honest we all saw I the season we came up from League 2 that the difference to coming up was having players who were that bit better than the average consistently, we could afford those at that level. When you want players who can consistently out perform the likes of Sheff Utd, Bradford, Millwall, Wigan, Peterborough, Swindon, Barnsley and Doncaster who will certainly have far larger budgets than ours then realistically you need lower half Championship average performers who we just cant afford.

 

This status quo really can only be changed by three possible scenarios- firstly absolute wizardry in the commercial dept to bring in almost double the current revenue,secondly development of the youth players to a high level and bring through pros good enough for the championship at 18-19 years old, under the radar of other local clubs or thirdly and lastly large numbers of fans gambling on buying a season ticket for the next 3 seasons knowing and accepting that it will take time for their funds to bare fruit and the club to progress.

 

Im afraid all 3 are equally unlikely...... just as us retaining Pope, Marshall, O'Connor and adding Innis and Streete are to this squad

[Shropshire_Valiant]

I'm no fan of Williamson, Daniel, Yates and Birchall as players in League One as frankly they aren't up to it 90% of the time, however I'm not sure where this belief comes from that they are 'non-league' standard?

3 out of the 4 have been decent servants to the club(by modern standards) and were steady in League Two and did a good job in our promotion season. Who is to say they couldn't perform at that level again?(maybe the better players at Vale that season propped them up but we don't know and they contributed to a successful side so for that alone I for one will always have some respect for them!!) Last time I checked League Two wasn't 'non-league'.

 

However football and life moves on and yes we should now be looking for better, time will tell on whether Page's decision to offer them deals(if they sign?) is the right one!!(personally I'm not sure it's the correct one but what do I know, maybe as 'squad players' there is a place for them but does the budget support that?)

[ancient mariner]

And this is where l fail

I am a great believer in the cold hard facts do not like and will not give hype without substance

 

The cold hard facts,are that the majority of last seasons football was dire,the majority of last seasons players were not up to standard and have still been offered contracts,quality will beat quantity over a season.People will attend in decent numbers to watch decent football.The facts do'nt get much clearer than that.

I have purchased my first ever season ticket after following the Vale for over 50 years,not on the back of last seasons offering but due to your excellent early ticket offer to have the chance of paying over 5 months and in the hope of a decent season,the diehards will always be there its new blood and the casuals we need through the gates and without the carrots we are not going to get them.

[PVTony]

Innis and Streete plus a striker who can score = a busy ticket office.

 

Alternatively, retain last seasons squad and prepare for season 2016/17 in league two.

[Rich Farrell]

My season ticket money is sitting waiting for some exciting news so that I can any pay over my £345 with a smile on my face and some anticipation for next season rather than just handing it over already resigned to same old same old. I will be buying one either way but I would prefer to be excited about it.

[Santa]

Norman said on another thread a few weeks ago that the wage budget is for "all associated costs for professional players over the age of 21".

 

Does it make any difference that Streete is still 20? :-)

[Rampant Zebra]

I doubt it, he still gets paid in pounds sterling....

[Burslem Academicals]

Norman said on another thread a few weeks ago that the wage budget is for "all associated costs for professional players over the age of 21".

 

Does it make any difference that Streete is still 20? :-)

 

Good point as don't U21 players count as development players and are not counted in the playing budget.

[cheshirevaliant]

Somebody still has to pay him though!

[Burslem Academicals]

Somebody still has to pay him though!

 

Smurf can pay Streete with the money saved from letting Marshall/O'Connor/Pope go.....so that's Williamson upfront and Birchall on the wing....good luck with that.

[cheshirevaliant]

IF NS is going to pay for one defender out of his own pocket, I'd rather he signed Inniss.

[werstayinup]

IF NS is going to pay for one defender out of his own pocket, I'd rather he signed Inniss.

 

Innis is in the budget as he would be a loan player,Streete would be signing a permanent deal if smurf was to pay his wages out of his own pocket as he says we couldn't afford his wage out of the budget