(OVF) Smurthwaite “can’t keep throwing money” at Port Vale

[Guest OVF Feature]

Port Vale chairman Norman Smurthwaite has told the Sentinel newspaper that “the club has to find its own level” as...

 

Read more

 

This is an automated feed from the OVF front page

[Row L]

You can't really blame the bloke. He has a fair point IMO. It really is time for the more transient and stay away supporters to get down to Vale Park al ittle more frequently if they want the club to progress.

[PVTony]

His input to the club are, I am sure, very much appreciated by the vast majority of Port Vale Fans, as are these comments that are also understood.

 

The so called mentioned 'own level' could be estimated by the next few results. Without a striker who can score frequently from chances and half chances the clubs level could be the lower half of league one.

 

If the manager can 'wangle' to off load some dead wood by e.g. loaning them out and find in their place a prolific goal scorer that is evidently and sadly missing the clubs 'own level' could well be top half of L1 and possibly the Championship which is where Port Vale should be.

[raywalkersbananakick]

Well that will encourage fans back ...

[stan the man]

I was wondering if he could not get a couple of club directors with a bit of clout and spread the cost, it always seemed he wanted to be the soul owner of the club, it can be to much for one person, I appreciate all he has done, and the money he's invested, but he always seems to blame the supporters, there only a few clubs in this league that get more than we do,we let the best goal scorer go in Popey, if we can get into the top five the fans would flock back,it was the same when we got to Wembley where did all those supporters come from, they will always follow winners, goal scorers are a must.

[blackdog]

Every Chairman in living history has urged more fans to get through the gates,I wonder what the Chairman thought he was getting into when he joined forces with Wildes ?

[Phil]

Didn't he say exactly the same thing last season and said that this season's budget would be drastically reduced? Then he changed his mind and we kept signing players! The original premise is right though, he can't keep putting money in, but that is the story with virtually every club in the lower divisions. If you want to make a small fortune out of football then you start with a large one.

[Birches Head Fred]

Goals win games.

Strikers Score goals.

Wins put bums on seats.

 

We have :

4 Keepers

8 Defenders

10 Midfielders

4 Strikers.

 

No team above us in this league has scored less goals than us.

 

Norman - the facts speak for themselves.

 

I applaud what you have done and continue to do for this club, I hope you continue for some time as I know we can move forward under your leadership.

 

I like what Page is trying to do, the football I have seen so far is a joy to behold, even if results in the league are not going exactly our way.

 

However almost every Vale fan pre-season could see the glaring shortage of goals in the squad and yet here we are with squad size of 26 players with enough keepers/midfielders for 2 teams !

 

I'm no footballing genius, merely a fan of some years - enough years to know that our strikers simply don't have enough goals in them to lead a promotion challenge. How can this scenario have been allowed to happen I don't know, but our results are now echoing the pre-season fears I mentioned above.

 

It's not rocket science is it.

[rayzer]

Didn't the Chairman say that it will be easy to replace Pope with better and at less money. We are still waiting. I wonder how much Swindon's Andy Williams want. He is the only striker the Chairman has admitted we were after. Before people mention Uche, I would expect to sign a striker that belongs to Port Vale, not a loanee who could be going back to his parent club in January.

[Santa]

I don't doubt he's put as much money as he says he has into the club but if he said he'd put £5 million in we'd be none the wiser. The club hasn't published a set of accounts (for one reason or another) since the ones relating to the 2009/10 financial year. That isn't a criticism of anybody by the way.

[smithie]

It's a smaller issue, but I notice that not all advertising space around the ground is taken.

 

I also notice that the signage for advertising on the Lorne St stand is barely legible from the Paddock (the one home stand where it should be clearly visible).

 

These are two areas which are maybe not yielding what they maybe could do.

 

Also, I thought the whole point of the "free" matchday programmes was to drive up their readership and thus drive up revenue from adverts in the programme.

 

I'm guessing either this has happened and we are still struggling, or it's not resulted in bigger and better income from advertisers.

 

One more idea (which is being used by more and more clubs) is attracting fans to do their pre-match drinking at the club. Semi-permanent marquees that can remain erected and can be located adjacent to clubs' bars (i.e Tommy Cheadles in our case) allow for a much larger drinking area. They usually come with side panels so can soon warm up with enough people in there. I appreciate that the club is by the away entrances, but surely this can be handled for most games?

[Jacko51]

I don't doubt he's put as much money as he says he has into the club but if he said he'd put £5 million in we'd be none the wiser. The club hasn't published a set of accounts (for one reason or another) since the ones relating to the 2009/10 financial year. That isn't a criticism of anybody by the way.

 

Next accounts due by 5th November.

[Ben]

Think Norman is disappointed that we are not hitting the heights that his mate at Burton is being top on a lesser budget.

[fairportnick]

Think Norman is disappointed that we are not hitting the heights that his mate at Burton is being top on a lesser budget.

 

But with a decent manager.

[SMURF]

But with a decent manager.

 

That is really below the belt

I had the chance to sign Hasselbaink last Season but felt the challenges of PVFC would overwhelm him

He is doing a fab job with a Club smaller than ours but a Chairman who l have known for 30 years who has achieved a lot more than l ever will