Should he stay or should he go darlings let me know ?

[cheshirevaliant]

I agree with Jacko earlier. If you could guarantee we would get someone better in by sacking him, I would do. So far I've only seen 3 names who I would be confident would improve us (Powell, Rosler, McDermott), none of which are realistic.

[cheshirevaliant]

You can never guarantee success though, you can only make a judgement call based on someone's record, the way they interview and their vision and philosophy for the future. As stated above Chris Powell would be an excellent appointment, whether he's be a viable option I'm not sure but his track record is decent and it was a harsh sacking from Huddersfield.....

 

True, but you stand a better chance with someone who has achieved success before. As I've mentioned before, I'd rather we rode through this storm with Page on the basis that he may improve, rather than employ from within (which I think NS will do) or employ some herbert with no track record in this division (Paul Cox).

[Shropshire_Valiant]

I was livid after the game yesterday so didn't come on here but having slept on it I'm still in the 'sack him' camp. The last 15 minutes yesterday if not the majority of the 2nd half were appalling!! Why are we playing to hold out at home and running the ball into the corner especially against a team 3 leagues below us, are we that scared they are going to come up with a moment of brilliance if we let them have the ball or that we are going to **** up(we did anyway, which is why the tactic is so laughable!)? I'm sorry but that's indefensible, we should be going for the kill and taking proper corners to try and score, I don't care if they clear it or the keeper catches it at least we had a go! We aren't good enough to fanny about with the ball and certainly not skilful enough to keep it for a period of 5 minutes! It wasn't a case of bad luck Maidenhead scoring and so what if it was deflected, it was justice for stupid tactics and nonsensical way we played the 2nd half!

 

Page's tactics are an utter utter disgrace, negativity beyond belief which simply does not work in the lower leagues as teams don't have the ability in their players to play that way. West Brom with Pulis may be able to do it but they have a better class of defender and players who can actually keep the ball. Give the twit his cards because quite frankly we are anybodies away from home and this puts pressure on us to win at home and if we don't win at home we're on a one way ticket to league two!

 

Who do we replace him with? I'd think about that when he's gone, plenty of people will apply as FL jobs are like goldust. We can say all we like that this manager and that manager are not realistic, who's to say they aren't, it's their choice whether they apply or chose to work in League One if there are no Championship jobs available. If you've perceived to have failed a couple of times in the Championship, surely you have to lower your sights as a manager and build your stock back up?

[cheshirevaliant]

Who do we replace him with? I'd think about that when he's gone, plenty of people will apply as FL jobs are like goldust. We can say all we like that this manager and that manager are not realistic, who's to say they aren't, it's their choice whether they apply or chose to work in League One if there are no Championship jobs available. If you've perceived to have failed a couple of times in the Championship, surely you have to lower your sights as a manager and build your stock back up?

 

By the same token though, Rich, those who are trying to build their stock up aren't going to come to a club where the budget is seemingly already spent (and will only decrease next year, reading Smurthwaite's comments following the publication of the accounts) and only have 1 "striker" (if you can call Ikpaezu that after his last 2 performances) in the squad.

[Jacko51]

By the same token though, Rich, those who are trying to build their stock up aren't going to come to a club where the budget is seemingly already spent (and will only decrease next year, reading Smurthwaite's comments following the publication of the accounts) and only have 1 "striker" (if you can call Ikpaezu that after his last 2 performances) in the squad.

 

And where the chairman brings in some of the players??

[werstayinup]

I have always backed Page but 8 wins in 33 makes very poor reading,so for me maybe his time is very quickly running out.

 

My big fear is that should he go my confidence in Smurf then picking the right man isn't very high at all,i really think it would be either Adams again,Bodin or Cox and i dont want any of those

[NellyTheValiant]

I was livid after the game yesterday so didn't come on here but having slept on it I'm still in the 'sack him' camp. The last 15 minutes yesterday if not the majority of the 2nd half were appalling!! Why are we playing to hold out at home and running the ball into the corner especially against a team 3 leagues below us, are we that scared they are going to come up with a moment of brilliance if we let them have the ball or that we are going to **** up(we did anyway, which is why the tactic is so laughable!)? I'm sorry but that's indefensible, we should be going for the kill and taking proper corners to try and score, I don't care if they clear it or the keeper catches it at least we had a go! We aren't good enough to fanny about with the ball and certainly not skilful enough to keep it for a period of 5 minutes! It wasn't a case of bad luck Maidenhead scoring and so what if it was deflected, it was justice for stupid tactics and nonsensical way we played the 2nd half!

 

Page's tactics are an utter utter disgrace, negativity beyond belief which simply does not work in the lower leagues as teams don't have the ability in their players to play that way. West Brom with Pulis may be able to do it but they have a better class of defender and players who can actually keep the ball. Give the twit his cards because quite frankly we are anybodies away from home and this puts pressure on us to win at home and if we don't win at home we're on a one way ticket to league two!

 

Who do we replace him with? I'd think about that when he's gone, plenty of people will apply as FL jobs are like goldust. We can say all we like that this manager and that manager are not realistic, who's to say they aren't, it's their choice whether they apply or chose to work in League One if there are no Championship jobs available. If you've perceived to have failed a couple of times in the Championship, surely you have to lower your sights as a manager and build your stock back up?

 

I agree wholeheartedly with this and for me it was the final straw when we did take the ball into the corner, I upped and left. The last thing I remember of the game was seeing their fans cheering as I left the paddock. Regarding the managers position whilst I wouldn't wish unemployment on anyone we really do need a change before it's too late.

[werstayinup]

There are plenty of ex managers out there who would do an excellent job Mark Cooper who has consistently had a team sniffing around the top 6 in this league for years only to see his best players continually moved on, uwe rosler has also done well at the top end of this league, there are Championship managers who are currently out of work

 

Do you really think Cooper was the manager at Swindon??? Why cant we go for a young up and coming currently employed manager and not one who has been sacked or left for not doing well.

[Santa]

I’ve defended Rob Page up to recently but things are really beginning to wear thin now. The lack of presence in the forward line has escalated from simply being mildly annoying is undermining the things he’s made elsewhere on the pitch. Page is losing goodwill rapidly with supporters and he has to address this as a matter of urgency.

 

It’s not just the lack of goals, it’s the inability to hold the ball up and take pressure off the rest of the team. Add to this the loss of Andoh as our ‘out ball’ and the ball keeps coming back at us like one of those ‘defence and attack’ training sessions where you only play in one half of the pitch.

 

Also, we’ve stopped doing the things which we were doing well earlier in the season. Ball retention has disappeared, so has our pressing game. Moving Foley first wide and then out of the team to accommodate O’Connor hasn’t worked at all; MOC isn’t at the races and we miss Foley’s legs in the middle of the park. If we started doing those things again and added some presence up top, we could look decent. At the moment I feel we’re similar the LDV 2001 side earlier in the season, before we signed Brooker as a replacement for the hapless Viljanen.

 

At the moment you watch Vale in hope that something will break for us rather than in expectation that we’ll create clearcut chances. It’s frustrating for those who will continue to pay to watch it. Selling this to the fans as ‘entertainment’ will become an issue in the longer term if things are allowed to carry on. Either Page signs a striker or his replacement will have to.

[JRC]

Fact 1 our away form this season has been awful. Surprisingly there are only 7 teams with a better defensive record than we have away - the problem is only 1 team has scored less.

 

Fact 2 we have the 7th best home record, are the 8th leading scorers at home in the league and have the 6th best home defensive record in the league.

 

It must be assumed that the majority of posters are basing their opinions on the away form, or have unrealistic expectations of what a team with a limited budget should be able to achieve. Yes the away form does need to improve, but there are a lot of home fans from other teams in this league with more room to complain than we have, many with a bigger budget - with some pretty awful managers. We need to find a way to score away from home, because that's what is holding us back from a playoff challenge. At this point in time, based on a one off game in the FA Cup we shouldn't sack Page. We are currently mid table and beat a Championship team and lost on penalties to WBA in one cup. Very short-term sacking a manager gets a positive response from players, but generally that tails off after 10 or so games. The reality is that anyone who has managed in the Championship won't come to Vale Park for what we can afford - their payoff for being sacked means they don't need to work again. So the alternatives are journeymen lower league managers, or someone untried who might come off and then might not. The season so far has neither been an unbridled success, or the disaster some clearly believe it has been. We've also been unlucky with bad injuries to key players. If things get worse between now and January I think fair enough but to sack a manager off the back of a poor result in the FA Cup (when we didn't actually lose) is madness, particularly when their are no obvious candidates to replace him and no money to spend on new players.

[JRC]

I’ve defended Rob Page up to recently but things are really beginning to wear thin now. The lack of presence in the forward line has escalated from simply being mildly annoying is undermining the things he’s made elsewhere on the pitch. Page is losing goodwill rapidly with supporters and he has to address this as a matter of urgency.

 

It’s not just the lack of goals, it’s the inability to hold the ball up and take pressure off the rest of the team. Add to this the loss of Andoh as our ‘out ball’ and the ball keeps coming back at us like one of those ‘defence and attack’ training sessions where you only play in one half of the pitch.

 

Also, we’ve stopped doing the things which we were doing well earlier in the season. Ball retention has disappeared, so has our pressing game. Moving Foley first wide and then out of the team to accommodate O’Connor hasn’t worked at all; MOC isn’t at the races and we miss Foley’s legs in the middle of the park. If we started doing those things again and added some presence up top, we could look decent. At the moment I feel we’re similar the LDV 2001 side earlier in the season, before we signed Brooker as a replacement for the hapless Viljanen.

 

At the moment you watch Vale in hope that something will break for us rather than in expectation that we’ll create clearcut chances. It’s frustrating for those who will continue to pay to watch it. Selling this to the fans as ‘entertainment’ will become an issue in the longer term if things are allowed to carry on. Either Page signs a striker or his replacement will have to.

 

Agree about Foley - didn't realise how important he was until he got dropped.

 

If there's no money in the kitty neither Page or his replacement is going to sign one. I can't see Norman putting in more money and I can't see who we can sell to raise the funds, so either Page or someone else has to find a striker from the current squad.

[werstayinup]

I don't think any of them have won anything.

 

Chirs Powell is free, at least he's gotten promotion out of this League as a manager

 

These managers that are being mentioned i doubt going of what he says about players and managers that smurf will of heard of them,that's why i worry on who he would appoint next,as the next one will be a massive decision for him

[davidatpreston]

This really doesn't help anyone. The club desperately need to win that replay and adding pressure before the match does no good. Results and events will unfold anyway, for now we need to support Port Vale to get through the replay with a win, and leave the speculation until after that match.

[Yukon]

These managers that are being mentioned i doubt going of what he says about players and managers that smurf will of heard of them,that's why i worry on who he would appoint next,as the next one will be a massive decision for him

 

If he appoints one of the three you mentioned earlier (Adams, Bodin or Cox) , it'll be an absolute ****ing disaster

[Santa]

I don't think you will get a manager to come without the room to bring players in, even just the loan market. A different manager would struggle with the same forward options. It's not like there are a great deal of underperfoming players in the side.

 

Normally a manager gets sacked and his replacement ends up getting the financial backing that the first bloke should have got in the first place.