It's So Depressing For Ambitious Vale fans

[PVFC764]

O S I think this might interest you if you haven't already read it.A very good read and like yourself to the point. http://tbrfootball.com/shock-as-rob-page-joins-northampton-where-do-manager-less-vale-go-from-here/

 

 

Very good read and sums it up really. Only at Vale could this happen year in year out.

 

What will Smurf do next - will he appoint an experienced manager quickly or sit back till it is too late and we have to field the under 16's.

[Family Stand Terrier]

Theres so much wrong with that post its difficult where to start. Clearly you didnt go to Exeter. Budget cuts....did you not read the FFP rules? It was stated in the press our budget was 1.6m , go and check the rest of the league. In a league table of budgets it would put us top ten. No debt???? It doesnt take a genius to realise that from day one we had debt, it started when Smurf paid off the creditors from V2001 when he purchased the club.

 

This "atrocious" chairman put the money in which took us from near the bottom of league two to a top half finish this season. I dont agree with his PR / Twitter etc. but to criticise the money hes put in is unbelievable. I would quite happily let the devil own the club if we kept having money thrown at us.

 

Brainwashed G4E. No point repeating myself, you've made your mind up and won't budge.

[cheshirevaliant]

Theres so much wrong with that post its difficult where to start. Clearly you didnt go to Exeter. Budget cuts....did you not read the FFP rules? It was stated in the press our budget was 1.6m , go and check the rest of the league. In a league table of budgets it would put us top ten. No debt???? It doesnt take a genius to realise that from day one we had debt, it started when Smurf paid off the creditors from V2001 when he purchased the club.

 

This "atrocious" chairman put the money in which took us from near the bottom of league two to a top half finish this season. I dont agree with his PR / Twitter etc. but to criticise the money hes put in is unbelievable. I would quite happily let the devil own the club if we kept having money thrown at us.

 

Where is this "league table of budgets"? Do you have a link?

 

Also, by "near the bottom of League 2", try second in League 2, which is the position we were in when him and Wildes took over.

[NellyTheValiant]

Where is this "league table of budgets"? Do you have a link?

 

Also, by "near the bottom of League 2", try second in League 2, which is the position we were in when him and Wildes took over.

 

How about this http://www.budgerigarsociety.com/home/showing-sub-menu/2015-cc-league-tables-2/

[Jacko51]

Tom Pope's take on affairs.

 

http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Tom-Pope-Big-pay-cuts-lead-leaving-Port-Vale/story-29298503-detail/story.html

[Michael]

Tom Pope's take on affairs.

 

http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Tom-Pope-Big-pay-cuts-lead-leaving-Port-Vale/story-29298503-detail/story.html

 

I think Pope has hit the nail on the head here, Vale are in serious trouble and Rob Page knew it and desperately wanted out and Northampton was the best offer he had (although possibly hoped for better) and I think the out of contract players have got their agents trying to find them other clubs but if they can't find that move they will sign with Vale to bring a wage in, I have respect for the fans already committed to season tickets but don't envy you one bit, it's gonna be bad.

[Michael]

We all need to go to church this Sunday morning and pray.

Currently we are in a real mess.

Out of the blue the manager - who has improved the team and got us close to the play-offs has gone. He'll take his staff with him (and possibly some of the players).

We currently have only about 4 decent players under contract. The rest have mainly been offered wage cuts and will go.

It's slap bang in the middle of the time when clubs are looking to recruit and offering players deals. We have no manager currently.

I don't deny the financial input of the Chairman and its importance to the Club, but for 6-8 months now - until very recently - we've had quite a few public spats and PR disasters, many of which have already been mentioned above but perhaps most significantly include slashing the wage budget, which can't be good for the players and certainly does nothing to inspire the fans.

 

Page has gone for a better paid job, on a longer contract, with a bigger budget, working for a Chairman who doesn't undermine him in public, and doesn't pull the rug from under him for next season with his budget cuts.

 

Just as we begin to build a head of steam and a bit of longed-for stability...puff... it all goes up in smoke and we are back to square one.

 

We'll get a new manager and new players but many of our better players will leave and with a reduced budget we'll find it ever harder to compete. Our new man won't know the Club, he won't know the players and he'll find it very difficult to get us ready for the new season.

 

As many have said before, I don't mind players or managers leaving for bigger clubs, but this is a real body blow, make no mistake about it.

 

History shows us that finding a good manager is a risky business and we've got it wrong more than we have right in the past 50 years. Lee, Rudgie, Adams at first. I can't think of many more very successful ones. I could list 7-8 easily who have been truly abysmal - from Butler to Sinnott, from Glover to Gannon, Foyle to Smith.

The chances are we'll end up with a turnip.

 

Those who are pleased to see the back of Page, you have got what you wished for. But if you are concerned about the Club's future then, as I say, praying is probably the best thing to do.

 

Brilliant post

[smithie]

I really don't think this has anything to do with "fans" who wanted Page gone. I never heard any grief towards him from the terraces, and I don't count a handful of people on the internet who don't attend matches as being in any way relevant to his departure.

[bookworm]

players managers and coaches all move around the football scene so page moving clubs is no big deal, may be a blessing in disguise, who knows, I don't have crystal balls do you.

[mr.hobblesworth]

I really don't think this has anything to do with "fans" who wanted Page gone. I never heard any grief towards him from the terraces, and I don't count a handful of people on the internet who don't attend matches as being in any way relevant to his departure.

 

I largely agree with you but I do wonder if the skewed anti-Page feelings on here contributed to the general lack of respect that Norman Smurthwaute showed Rob. Even though he doesn't log on here any more, I bet he still reads it and would have got a fairly unrepresentitive snapshot of the fans' thoughts on the manager.

 

Generally (and there were a couple of notable exceptions), the people that wanted him gone came across as trolls, agenda-ridden bitter stayaways or angry thicko idiots; I just hope everyone unites behind the next manager but I won't hold my breath.

[butt lane vale fan]

Taken from the Dodds thread and my current views.

Mate I get on with Smurf and think he has done one hell of a lot of good things, however what is currently happening to us. First we lose Pope, fair dos I can handle losing one player who we had got the best out of. However we then lose Page to a club no bigger than us and now talk of Dodds going Shrewsbury.

Add to this the fact the background team struggle to get a budget to market Season Tickets. The fact Smurf does everything he can to wind the Media up, instead of using it to good effect to build bridges. The fact the catering is as bad as ever. The fact you go into the Paddock and can't even hear the bloody tannoy system and the fact the pr out of the club is nothing short of abysmal.

Fans keep saying we have to live within FFP rules, well how the hell do these other sides get around it. Please don't give me this crap your happy little Port Vale can't compete with a side averaging 2500 anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I fully appreciate everything Smurf has done and the money he has put in, but for gods sake Norman, we were a couple of players short of a play off side this season, so why the hell are you throwing all your God damm toys out the Pram.

Yes I appreciate he can't keep throwing tons of money in, but again, I'm asking for us to compete with sides the same size of us and to show some ambition. I'm not bloody asking for the same budget as Sheffield United. And has he ever thought a Championship Port Vale will get him a far bigger return on his investment, than a League 2 Port Vale which is where we will end up once all his bloody toys have been thrown out if he continues on this pattern of self destruct.

Smurf, thanks for everything you have done, but please look at what is happening and what you are doing. Do you really think the current path your taking will help boost attendances. At the end of the Day I haven't got a problem with you being our chairman I fact I like your passion, however there comes a time where the club is bigger than the man. So either put up and show some ambition and give us a budget that competes, again we were only 2 players short of the play offs last season. However if you can't do that either bring some help and investment in along side yourself. Or please sell the club to a party with the means to take us forward.

[geosname]

I am all for a sustainable business model at vale, its the only way to avoid the ups and downs of administration and extinction.

Having said that simply cutting the outgoings isnt the answer on its own. If you dont try to increase the income whilst cutting the outgoings you end up cutting everything until there is nothing left to cut... I know its not quite that simple but thats the essence of it.

Its public knowledge that things are being cut at vale but I dont see any serious attempt to increase income. There seems to be very little attempt to get fans through the gate and little opportunity for them to spend when they do... Getting fans in....everything seems geared towards the ST holders [im not knocking them] who have already paid their money to be there, everyone else has to jump hurdles of inconvenience... In the ground... the only way to get more money from the fans seems to be the catering, or should I say the lack of it, sold out before half time? whats that all about? People queuing up to give you money and you cant take it?

Every club gets a bit of bad publicity from time to time but vale are the exact opposite, occasionally they get a bit of good publicity but inevitably fail to capitalise on it.

Am I depressed?... certainly not, disappointed perhaps that the promise of leaving administration hasnt lived up to expectation, bewildered why the simple things that could help are ignored and amused that the captain of the ship seems to be able to get his foot in his mouth whilst having his head up his ass.... but after almost 60 years of following vale... not depressed.

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

What an absolute waste of band width.

 

What restraints? One of the largest budgets in the league last season, which is being cut because of our short fallings? Burton and Walsall have done alright on smaller budgets than ours probably will be this season.

 

Its funny that a rookie like Micky Adams worked with our chairman for almost 2 seasons.

 

The only issue with everyone is that Smurf said he was going to sack page after Exeter, if you had been there im pretty sure you would have felt the same.

 

Great post.

[old sage]

Can you enlighten me REP because if you can see any good out of losing our manager and possibly a few of our best players then you are a different planet to me once again.

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

Can you enlighten me REP because if you can see any good out of losing our manager and possibly a few of our best players then you are a different planet to me once again.

 

Thankfully Owd ;)

 

If we replace him with the right man who has the right mentality I don't see the loss.

 

In terms of the players I wouldn't be heartbroken if any of them left. I'd be disappointed if O'Connor (but we all know the reason why he may anyway) and Andoh did but to be honest the rest are average at best and we should be aspiring for more than that.

 

Honestly the main player I am disappointed to lose is Neal and Page made that decision.

 

Let's see who Page really rates from a group of players who are still behind where they were 2 years ago. Cobblers to offer which of our out of contract players deals?