New Signing?

[rsb]

Can we buy a player that we have on loan from there parent club before is loan is up like Alex jones or Sam hart or do we have to wait till the transfer window reopens in january

[sbilli]

The Scandinavian leagues are close to end. So there wil be manu out of contract Scandinavians around for the next few months.

[Marge56]

Last tweet I saw from Smurf, he was asking for a Tree Surgeon, so make of that what you will!

 

Dead wood ?

[PVTony]

We do need a clinical finisher to work alongside Alex Jones, but we need a different tactic to get the ball to him before the 8 or 10 of the opposing teams players drop back to pack the defence.

[Fosse69]

Rob's pretty much made my point there. It's not about us losing existing fans, it's the next generation that are coming through. To answer your question though of why I'm a Vale fan, the answer is one simply down to timing and proximity. In 86 I was 3, living off High Lane. Stoke were Division 2 (now the Championship) averaging 9000. My Dad didn't support Vale or Stoke, he wasn't really into football. We were shopping at Normid and I mithered my Dad to take me after seeing the lights on one Saturday in the middle of Winter. I got wrapped up, he took me the Vale and it coincided with us having one of our best spells in recent memory. I lived through the glory years and became a life long fan. Imagine my circumstances today. 3 years old desperate to go football with a Dad who doesn't support Vale or Stoke. Pay £22 take me the Vale or a few quid more to watch Premier League. I'd have probably had free shirts thrown at me and a class full of Stoke supporting friends influencing me too. We'd have the TV on watching match of the day and my dad would probably say they're only up the road. That's probably happening a lot more than you think. 20 years ago when I was at High School at Haywood the majority of us were vale fans with the odd Stoke fan. My girl goes to Packmoor Primary and I honestly haven't seen one Vale shirt amongst all of the kids that go there. They're all Stoke, with the odd Barcelona and Man U shirt ofcourse.

 

These are the effects we're seeing after 8 years of Stoke in the Prem, imagine after another 10 years. Unfortunately our owners either haven't had the intelligence to think this far ahead, or simply haven't cared enough to attempt to do something about it.

Very good summary of our situation, but in all honesty what could we have done, and more importantly what can we do in the future? On the field is the first priority to change the view of the club, but as you explain the competition for the next generation is tough, very tough if they stay up there. A great cup run and promotion challenge would help, but that is down to the luck of the draw and avoiding pitfalls, budgets help but not at the risk of administration. 3 points on Saturday and the 3rd round will be a start.

[Mattholl]

No, but the worry is that the Vale crowd is an ageing one and therefore fans do sadly get too old to turn up and or pass away.

 

Normally there would be an influx of young, new supporters to replace them but I think the worry is that we have lost young fans, in particular, due to Stoke's rise into the PL. That results in the Vale fanbase declining.

 

So, it's not a case of losing "staunch" Vale fans but it's potential new fans, who have yet to commit to either club, who are more likely to be attracted to top-flight football, especially as Stoke do a load of promotions specifically aimed at attracting young kids to go.

 

If Stoke are attracting more youngsters and making them into loyal Stoke fans then there's much less new blood coming into Vale. With Stoke spending nine years in the PL we may have lost the majority of a generation to them by now.

 

Clearly there are other factors - the cost of games, working hours, location, other commitments, unemployment, apathy, quality of football on offer, dis-satisfaction with the club etc (I don't personally agree with all those reasons but others may) - that people will use as reasons not to go to games, but I think Stoke's PL standing and the attraction it has to youngsters has slowly been eroding our fanbase.

 

p.s. is there anyone on here who first became a Vale fan in the last nine years when Stoke have been a PL side? I bet the vast majority were fans before that.

 

Whilst I don't think Vale are losing fans to Stoke, they are losing fans to the premier league sides regionally. Ive took flack for years on here but i openly admit i was a utd fan before i started to going to vale. As the price of Vale sneaked up i started looking at Utd and I can afford to go. My membership there means I can purchase a ticket onto my membership card at home and watch for £35 a game (watched southampton, man city games this season for £35)I get discount on Europa league games and i get offers from travel companies selling tickets too. Tonight 3 of us are going in the 100 club suite, with open bar for £30 a ticket. Travel up there will cost us £10 between three of us to get to altrincham and £2 return on the metro to old trafford.

 

When I got the Vale i have to queue up for ages to get a ticket in the cold and rain or go down there to buy prior to the game, its £22.50 to get in when the game is likely to be a poor standard, with **** poor food that will be sold out by half time or baked to death and massively over priced. If i buy a match ticket, pie, choc bar and a pint in the ground im looking at about £29 quid for league 1 football. For £42 I can have a ticket to watch the best football in the country live, with good food (pie, pint cobra and crisps or choc for £7 which again are 2 for £12 the more you buy the cheaper it gets), watch the tv build up whilst I eat my food. The experience isn't even comparable when you add in the atmosphere.

 

Just out of my group of friends I know of 4 Vale fans who have got bored with shocking service and **** poor amenities whilst watching dross football. They now go to watch utd or city one has a city season ticket. All four of us probably attend vale a couple of times a month but not every game like we used to. Will i take my son to the vale? possibly hes been once, will I make him go, no he will get the choice of who he follows but again look at it from a kids perspective, the family stand at the vale looks like borstal and the premier league clubs have free balloons, sponsors giving kids free things when they go in and create some theatre about the experience of going (costs the clubs nothing to allow these companies to come in , in fact they charge). Will he pick the rusty seats and mossed up chewing gum coated steps of vale or the theatre of the bigger clubs?

 

This is where our fans are going they either wont pay the money or if they can afford it they wont sit on bird **** encrusted seats at £22.50 a game with a rock for a pie and drinking a £3.50 bottle of carling in the rain

[valefan16]

Can we buy a player that we have on loan from there parent club before is loan is up like Alex jones or Sam hart or do we have to wait till the transfer window reopens in january

 

In theory we could agree a deal which would be official on Jan 1st.

[MattW]

Dead wood ?

 

Any player signing for us would have to have been out of contract when the transfer window closed. Any other signings couldn't play till January.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mattholl]

could it be a play on words and be Grant signing a new deal?

[For Us All]

Dead wood ?

 

Is that a reference to the terrible three who left us for Shrewsbury or even perhaps the trio at Notts County?

[For Us All]

Last tweet I saw from Smurf, he was asking for a Tree Surgeon, so make of that what you will!

 

Does he want Oaky back from Notts?

[fairportnick]

If you

I want the vale to win every match they play in have done since 1954 but reading smurfs tweet i will say to him now keep your money to yourself because the supporters of my club do not deserve success the few that turn up week in week out deserve all the credit anyone can give.But the rest of them who make excuses not to go i would say you have got the club you deserve i am fed up to the back teeth of these so called fans who keep moaning on here week in week out and most probably never set foot on the ground.We have never been blessed with big gates but we have always have that hardcore which like me is getting older and older i will keep going till my last breath there is no one on this site or in this country that wants vale to succeed more than me but i will tell you now smurf these so called vale fans who do not go are not worth it keep your money for yourself and tell them to swivel and thats polite.

If you were in charge the club would be in admin in a matter of weeks.

[hamilboy]

If you

If you were in charge the club would be in admin in a matter of weeks.

 

Correct and who would you blame me or the people who dont attend i sit in a stadium with thousands of empty seats all around i sit and watch some so called hardcore supporters of my club screaming abuse at thousands of empty seats at the hamil end instead trying to fill the seats in the bycars to get behind the players out on the pitch.

[Rampant Zebra]

Last tweet I saw from Smurf, he was asking for a Tree Surgeon, so make of that what you will!

 

I thought he was hoping to get some tree work done at "mates rates" or preferably free.

[Guppy 4 England]

If you

If you were in charge the club would be in admin in a matter of weeks.

 

Hardly. We seem to be doing ok without these "fans" turning up.