Smurf interview

[melv]

Of course criticism is allowed mate, perhaps I was a little harsh on Caroline last night. But yes there is times when Smurf gets it wrong. His comments about the M6 to Tim being one the other week. So yes his PR at times has been poor. Another area that needs to be improved is the marketing around fans not buying season tickets. They need to be encouraged not held to ransom.

But then there are people on here, who pick up on every little thing and use it to beat the bloke around the head with it. Some fans question Smurf for how he speaks to fans but then use childish remarks or foul language on Facebook to describe the bloke. There's an old saying "Two wrongs don't make a right". Have genuine issues with Norman and raise them if needs be through diplomatic means perhaps then the fan base and club might become more united.

 

:clap:

[Arthur]

Of course criticism is allowed mate, perhaps I was a little harsh on Caroline last night. But yes there is times when Smurf gets it wrong. His comments about the M6 to Tim being one the other week. So yes his PR at times has been poor. Another area that needs to be improved is the marketing around fans not buying season tickets. They need to be encouraged not held to ransom.

But then there are people on here, who pick up on every little thing and use it to beat the bloke around the head with it. Some fans question Smurf for how he speaks to fans but then use childish remarks or foul language on Facebook to describe the bloke. There's an old saying "Two wrongs don't make a right".

Have genuine issues with Norman and raise them if needs be through diplomatic means perhaps then the fan base and club might become more united.

 

I'm a big supporter of smurf, but we're now saying that if someone has a genuine issue they have to raise it through diplomatic means, yet the chairman is ok to continue spouting unprofessional, embarrassing ***** on Twitter and other media outlets? Surely he needs to lead by example?

 

He needs to stop getting ****** and playing around on the Internet. Not only is he embarrassing himself, but also the club.

[TJHValiant]

In fairness to Smurf, the response I had from him over an issue I had was diplomatic enough. It was not as if he was threatening to sue me like a certain owner of Blackpool. He takes part in the debates and I like that about this forum. The debates. I even put opinions on here that perhaps I am unsure of because it is good to hear what fans and indeed even Smurf thinks. I enjoy hearing views of fellow fans even if I don't agree with them

[cheshirevaliant]

If we have overspent again (for the third year since Smurthwaite has been here), the buck stops with Smurthwaite. I cannot believe that he first gave Wildes a blank chequebook, then gave Adams a blank chequebook, now has given Page a blank chequebook. The one common denominator in all of this overspending is Smurthwaite. Either sort it out, or stop ****ing moaning about it.

[TJHValiant]

If there is one thing the cheque books have been it isn't blank. The budget has been reduced from the mid 2 mils in league 2 promotion season to what £1.8 odd for this.

 

Personally I would say it is impossible to run a league 1 club adjusted for inflation on that sort of money these days. Even our relegation, Bill Bratt, we are where we are season had a budget of £1.6 million. Adjusted for inflation and rising market prices, this is our lowest squad budget in living memory from the early 1990s.

 

The Swindon Town claim is a massively misleading as they bought plays for excess of £500,000 on a similar budget, but in fairness to Smurf they also get much bigger crowds.

 

Pope has gone which is saving us thousands each week, Williamson was on around £1,000 a week. Unless Streete is on £10,000 a week, God knows where the money has gone.

 

However I saw this coming. We need a much better cup run next season. The FA cup is our biggest competition. We can earn thousands from that and a good run meeting a top prem team could total an extra million to the budget.

 

I would say that the lack of cup runs is the single biggest problem for us at the moment.

[cheshirevaliant]

If the budget is set, then that should be the figure that the recruitment staff (whoever that is, I'm still not 100% sure that it's Page alone) are working towards, be it high or low. If we are spending more than we can afford, then that will only end in disaster. If £1.7m is all we can afford, then that should be all we are spending. Unfortunately, again, NS appears to have set a figure, then blamed everyone other than himself when the figure is exceeded.

 

I agree with your point about a cup run however, albeit last season we didn't get much luck with draws.

[Rampant Zebra]

I thought the cup run thing was a V2001 initiative... lol

[Howjy04]

If there is one thing the cheque books have been it isn't blank. The budget has been reduced from the mid 2 mils in league 2 promotion season to what £1.8 odd for this.

 

Personally I would say it is impossible to run a league 1 club adjusted for inflation on that sort of money these days. Even our relegation, Bill Bratt, we are where we are season had a budget of £1.6 million. Adjusted for inflation and rising market prices, this is our lowest squad budget in living memory from the early 1990s.

 

The Swindon Town claim is a massively misleading as they bought plays for excess of £500,000 on a similar budget, but in fairness to Smurf they also get much bigger crowds.

 

Pope has gone which is saving us thousands each week, Williamson was on around £1,000 a week. Unless Streete is on £10,000 a week, God knows where the money has gone.

 

However I saw this coming. We need a much better cup run next season. The FA cup is our biggest competition. We can earn thousands from that and a good run meeting a top prem team could total an extra million to the budget.

 

I would say that the lack of cup runs is the single biggest problem for us at the moment.

 

The budget in 2009 was £1.1 million under Lord Bratt.

[Conrad]

I think we'll start to see budgets at a lot of clubs being reduced, it's about time clubs stuck together and started to reduce such obscene amounts of money to players.

If just one club refused then the better players would just go elsewhere, if they all refused then the players have little choice, take it or leave it.

[fraggle]

Thank You l have learnt a lot over the last 3 seasons

Let me be clear

To support a budget of 1.7M l need ST at circa 3300

The budget currently stands at 1.85M

There will be some player movement next week but that will still leave the budget over 1.7M

If we only sell 2500 that 800 represents a reduction of circa £233,000

What would you have me do ?

 

Norman, please forgive me, I've not read the proceeding 15 pages of this thread after your post here.

 

I salute you Sir for your honesty, please don't get me wrong I think you are doing a sterling job. Sometimes though, when you are riding on the crest of a wave (all the new signings during the last 10 days and good ones at that!) fans are just starting to feel really positive again about what we might do next season, especially after some of the players that were offered contracts by Mr Page, but that's history now!

 

I'd sometimes like you to back up that positivity, by talking up the players we've brought in and also talk about finding a few good strikers too, to help us push on.. Instead you rolled out that comment, which for many as you know now, killed that wave we were all riding on at the time.

 

We all know you are being honest about the situation, but sales of football as a product, is all about living in the belief from the club and it's players performing, belief gets people out to buy season tickets and the like. I can't wait for the season to start, 2 ST's brought, 4 Vale tops purchased already for myself and family members... Can't wait, let's all stay positive and stay on that wave for as long as possible :)

 

Gd luck over the next week with new signings!

[Jacko51]

Smurf,would you say that the 2 strikers you are going to talk to are PROVEN goalscorers in this League??

 

I still think JJ Hooper is worth a look and someone we might be able to cash in on in the future although i guess we would have to pay a fee so i think we would be ruled out there.

 

 

Hopper is currently on trial at Inverness Cally.

[smithie]

I think there could be a bit of fun being had with phrasing here.

 

It may be that the budget SO FAR has been spent - but that there would be "Phase 2" of outlay if it was known that Lines would be going. So if the £1.7 million has gone, it doesn't matter nearly so much if we know that we are going to be freeing up Lines' pay-packet.

[Andyregs]

I thought the cup run thing was a V2001 initiative... lol

 

Difference is, now we need them to boost our budget (like it would every single team in the league), where as your mates relied on it to stay afloat. Big difference.

[Yukon]

Difference is, now we need them to boost our budget (like it would every single team in the league), where as your mates relied on it to stay afloat. Big difference.

 

V2001- hand to mouth football club ownership in its purest form

[Burslem Academicals]

Hopper is currently on trial at Inverness Cally.

 

Scored a goal first game on trial......could be the one that got way.......Inverness Cali have one of those micro-stadiums they have in Scotland at around 7,000 capacity and average 3,500 gates....SPL is said to be League 1/League 2 standard.....considered as a possible replacement for Pope

and the imminent saving on Lines wage can not Port Vale compete on wages with a much smaller club for an out of contract player.

Had hoped it would be the plan after all to take two on loan from Palace with Keshi Anderson joining with Inniss on a season long loan and the permanent signing to replace Pope would be JJ Hooper from the same Newcastle youth team as Remie Streete.

Just have to see what kind of striker the club can afford next week.