The club that i love

[Fosse69]

I know it is not a representative sample necessarily but I know 2 former long term season ticket holders who don't go any more and I don't think either of them have sky sports.

 

Sent from my XT1072 using the onevalefan mobile app

The bigger problem is fewer youngsters at the Vale, they would be the STs of the future. In the 50s the only way to see live football was to be there, apart from the Cup Final on the tele.

[mbycars]

The club that i love is still there and i still have hope of better times. I have seen some grim times in the sixties and seventies and so at the moment we aren't as bad as some people make out. A lot of younger fans came on board during the late eighties and nineties and they guage our team against those superb sides from the Rudge era. Our history says different though and we have always had to struggle. I will however never give up on the club that i followed for 55 years.

[whotobeakiller]

None of us know how much we were offering players, and nor do we know the mind-set of the players. We were hardly going to push the boat out when this is probably a patch-and-plaster solution for keeping us up.

 

Look at it this way; If Michael Brown makes a good fist of it between now and the end of April then optimism can quite rightly be high for next season. If Sheff U and Bolton bugger off upwards and Rotherham/Burton come down, it makes next year's league wide open.

 

What about Millwall? Doncaster look to be on the up again as well. Then there is Fleetwood and Peterborough, MK and Bradford...arguably bigger clubs in resource as much as size and support. Vale need a good 7,000 consistent gate and a consistent squad where there are hardly any loan signings to get anywhere near Promotion challengers in League One...sadly the way the team is being ran cannot see that happening anytime soon

[Bert Llewellyn]

Having digested the last few days i am left bemused and upset at my beloved club. I have watched some dross and been through the dark days, my dad took me in the early 70's and i have been ever since home and away.

The euphoria of Wembley, beating Stoke umpteen times,Boxing day 3-2 at Maine Road, Wycombe away celebration day.

Burnley 7-0 down after 49 minutes, 0-4 to Burton Albion, Enfield, Canvey Island etc.

 

In the space of a week we have gone from allegedly making a sizeable bid for Danny Rowe to signing Danny Pugh from a lower league club aged 34. We all have opinions, let us put aside the feelings on Grant, in the cold light of day we have sold 2 of our best players. Everyone knew a keeper was vital, a journeyman maybe , an old head ? I wish the new lad well but where has he been scouted? Celtic v Cowdenbeath under 23 is not a good yardstick. I hope he does well of course but it is a risky gamble, he is the same age as Boot.

Why are we obsessed with midfield, can anybody on here second guess this weekends starting 11 ? I for one do not see Eagles or Pugh playing hardly any role this season ( i may be wrong ) ,we now have Guy, De Freitas, Eagles, Pugh and i will class the QPR lads as midfield. On top of Thomas,Tavares, Amoros, Pereira, Shalaj,Mbamba,Kelly etc etc. Talk about options.

 

During any given season out of the 92 clubs, there are 4 Champions, 7 further promotion spots.

12 teams will get relegated and 69 will remain where they began the season.

 

I am not expecting Port Vale to walk the League or have any divine right to do anything. What i do want is something to hold onto , a hope, some optimism, why can't we be Burton Albion or Scunthorpe ?

 

The life is being sucked out of my club and fans are staying away, i will openly admit i am losing heart and am sure will get some abuse on here if people read my post. Trips to Bournemouth away for a night game, Sunderland away on a Sat after a night shift have never deterred me, this year i had to be dragged kicking and screaming to a local derby at Shrewsbury , and what for ? a dire 0-0 against an awful team with maybe one goal attempt.

 

I feel this weekend is absolutely pivotal to staying in this division. Posh are there for the taking, lost 5-1 at Bury, 2-0 at Oldham and 0-4 to Mk Dons in the last 3 games. I am struggling to find solace in any of the away games to be honest which makes our home games must win in my opinion.

 

I am sure i will get some vitriol and accused of being negative but the lifeblood of my team is slowly draining away, i actually suggested signings would be of the ilk of Theo or N'Guessian and was right, anyone suggesting Ajose, Leon Clarke, Luke Murphy etc was in cloud cuckoo land.

 

Come on Vale make me proud again and offer some light at the end of the tunnel.

 

Great post and the blame for the position comes back to Smurf's doorstep. I'm not talking about the money he puts in or doesn't put it but about the total lack of strategy and long term planning. By his own admission he knows sweet FA about running a football club but he is wasting thousands of pounds by knee jerk decisions such as Bruno.

 

Get a chief executive who knows what he or she are doing and give them the power to do the job without interference and we might, maybe, turn a corner.

 

The remainder of this season will probably be tough but hopefully we will survive and stay in this league. Some of the signings/loanees might be a godsend (fingers crossed) but I worry about the longer term under Smurf's ownership I really do

[Fosse69]

Great post and the blame for the position comes back to Smurf's doorstep. I'm not talking about the money he puts in or doesn't put it but about the total lack of strategy and long term planning. By his own admission he knows sweet FA about running a football club but he is wasting thousands of pounds by knee jerk decisions such as Bruno.

 

Get a chief executive who knows what he or she are doing and give them the power to do the job without interference and we might, maybe, turn a corner.

 

The remainder of this season will probably be tough but hopefully we will survive and stay in this league. Some of the signings/loanees might be a godsend (fingers crossed) but I worry about the longer term under Smurf's ownership I really do

Unfair to load everything onto Brown, and the scout (Name mentioned recently), how much power has the Lodey replacement/CEO (From Rochdale) got? Would a consultant Director of Football help?

[Bert Llewellyn]

Unfair to load everything onto Brown, and the scout (Name mentioned recently), how much power has the Lodey replacement/CEO (From Rochdale) got? Would a consultant Director of Football help?

 

Personally I don't blame MB or anyone else apart from Smurf. I just hope that MB can turn water into wine and deliver.

 

That said, I will be there on Saturday and next season etc as it's in my DNA and that's what our owner has to remember but NOT take for granted.

[LancyTony]

Wasn't disagreeing with us beating them one boxing day. It was the 3-2 score I was referring to. The score was 1-0. Foyle header from a corner. Remember it well.

 

Sent from my D6603 using the onevalefan mobile app

 

I think that was the win that caused 1,000 City fans to try to break down the door to the club, after the game, to get to the boardroom? It was funny, me and my two kids, walking past and completely being ignored despite our Vale scarves and shirts!

[Fosse69]

Personally I don't blame MB or anyone else apart from Smurf. I just hope that MB can turn water into wine and deliver.

 

That said, I will be there on Saturday and next season etc as it's in my DNA and that's what our owner has to remember but NOT take for granted.

Sorry, I did not mean it that way, more of Brown having to deal with all the football matters. I will be there too assuming the pitch is OK and the A50 is flowing.

[Howjy04]

Pass me the Sertraline.🙄

[Bert Llewellyn]

Pass me the Sertraline.

 

Very constructive contribution

[TheSage]

The deeper issue here, of course, is that if several long standing supporters are feeling taken for granted (if not a ride) then there is little hope in attracting the stay aways or armchair experts.

 

Let's be honest, this season has been a complete write off which many predicted way back in July. Our best hope now is to stave off relegation and start all over again in the summer but if you've paid your £300-£500 this season you've been short changed and led down the garden path by a chairman and a manager who hadn't got a clue about what was needed to progress at our level.

 

Thankfully, Brown appears to know more about football than those two put together and multiplied by one hundred and I can finally see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, despite not having a great transfer deadline day. Brown gets my undivided support as he did when he plays and I just hope we can stay up, he can turn it around next season and we can stop fans leaving in droves.

[Valiant Haze]

Is Smurf on holiday?

 

£350K is a good tanks worth of fuel.

[Howjy04]

Very constructive contribution

 

As opposed to slagging the owner off.Got it!

[Howjy04]

The main reason for the slump in attendances is due to too much televised football on TV. Sky will ruin football for the lower leagues and local supporters.

 

Paul,how many extra fans do you think we'd get through the gates at VP if there was NO Sky TV?Ive got Sky,wouldn't dream of missing a Vale home game to watch a game on TV.Football fans ,all over the world,pay to watch Sky matches.I'm not advocating scrapping it as it serves it's purpose but it's the fans who provide the funds.

[Guppy 4 England]

It's raining outside, this is obviously smurfs fault. In fact it's a sign we will be relegated. I wish he would sell to one of those billionaire investors waiting on the car park, in the rain.