Evidence of poor club management

[SourceOfTheTrent]

Watching the L1 play off games reminded me of how poor our general club management has been for some time. I wonder if any other current L1 clubs had so many ex players on show as us, eg, Anyon, Craig Davies, Mark Marshall and, although injured, Alex Jones (off the top of my head). Just demonstrates the cost of not keeping your best players and building on them. Let's hope for new owners, a fresh start and an era of consistent improvement over time.

[Valiant in Brum]

Watching the L1 play off games reminded me of how poor our general club management has been for some time. I wonder if any other current L1 clubs had so many ex players on show as us, eg, Anyon, Craig Davies, Mark Marshall and, although injured, Alex Jones (off the top of my head). Just demonstrates the cost of not keeping your best players and building on them. Let's hope for new owners, a fresh start and an era of consistent improvement over time.

 

It has been like this for years I remember feeling like this for a number of years over the last 16/17 years. WE always see ex players in great positions. But we have never had an owner willing to pay that little bit extra to keep hold of players.

[TJHValiant]

There are plenty of our washed up players playing for Notts County, Tranmere and Shrewsbury if that makes anyone feel better.

 

However the Smurfwaite regime has been less about progressing the club and the more about watching the clownish attempts of the sad old fool try to make money out of a fan base that has no money.

[bookworm]

evidence of poor club management is in our relegation.

[Bycarsbill]

We're always have been (apart from a small window in time when Bill Bell was at the helm) and always will be, a selling club. Unless we get a 'sugar daddy' type owner, we surely will never generate enough revenue to be anything other?

[EricHamesis]

Not so much mismanagement as not enough money to keep those players, or a (sensible) refusal to pay what we can't afford.

[geosname]

Its always going to be difficult to keep players when you cut the budget

[gavcradd]

What's upsetting is that if we hadn't have signed Mbamba, we could have maybe kept Alex Jones. If we hadn't signed 3 goalkeepers, we might have been able to fund a striker. If we didn't have a squad of 40 lacking quality, we could have had a squad of 20 (+ a few youth players) including a little bit of quality.

 

The comment about Norman trying to make money out of a fan base that has no money is spot on.

[Rampant Zebra]

What is most dissappointing for me is that Mark Marshall asked to come back and Norman turned him down because he had had the temerity to leave. Half the commetary on Bradfords game against Fleetwood yesterday was the word "Marshall" they were really impressed with him.

[Wrex]

What is most dissappointing for me is that Mark Marshall asked to come back and Norman turned him down because he had had the temerity to leave. Half the commetary on Bradfords game against Fleetwood yesterday was the word "Marshall" they were really impressed with him.[/quote

 

Marshall was Bradford's Player of the Year this season. He could have been playing for us but he had the nerve to turn down the Smurth so naturally we could never get him back.

[mr.hobblesworth]

To be fair, few on here complained when Norman told Marshall that his contract offer had been withdrawn. He touted himself round every club going rather than remain at Vale and NS had to draw the line somewhere. I don't recall many on here expressing any disappointment with the decision.

 

I also doubt whether any amount of money would have tempted Alex Jones to stay. Blame Smurthwaite for that (if you must), not the wage offered.

 

Anyon and Davies left 7 years ago so I doun't see how Smurthwaite can be blamed for those. Anyon's departure in particular was mourned by no-one and he's spent much of the intervening years working his way back up through non-league clubs (and Crewe). Credit to him for that but to claim him as one of our better players is laughable.

[Trampilot]

Keeping or selling players always depends on a balance between investment on field and success achieved.

 

Under the Rudge golden years Vale were still a selling club but we managed to hold on to the top players for a little longer so their price went up. This money was then partly re-invested into the team to bolster, strengthen and redesign. Having a team in the Championship/Div1/Div2 meant that most players realised this might be as good as it gets for them in their career so they stayed. Others saw it as a platform to get into the top flight having made an impression at Vale. Had we had Ian Taylor as a Championship club then maybe he would have stayed longer than two seasons. As it happened he went from Moor Green to Sheffield Wednesday in 3 years. But that money was reinvested again to develop a team capable of holding their own in the Championship.

 

Currently, in the "we are where we are" position, players will not want to hang around if someone from L1 waves a bigger cheque at them. And why shouldnt they? It's a competitive market with limited resources.

 

Smurf made some poor decisions a year a go. The first one being the constructive dismissal of Rob Page. The message this sent out to supporters and players probably put the first nail in the coffin. I doubt Vale would have been relegated under Page with the same budget Bruno ended up with. Sure it might have been boring but mid table looks quite nice now doesn't it?!

 

Smurf admits to lacking football knowledge. He must have known this from day 1 but never sought a more experienced opinion.

[valeparklife]

What is most dissappointing for me is that Mark Marshall asked to come back and Norman turned him down because he had had the temerity to leave. Half the commetary on Bradfords game against Fleetwood yesterday was the word "Marshall" they were really impressed with him.

 

This still irks with me.

 

Norman seems to think a football club is like running a restaurant or something and when one of the chefs left he just thinks "I'll just get another chef in, probably on lower wages too" without realising that the chef was excellent and one of the reasons people ate there.

[bookworm]

What is most dissappointing for me is that Mark Marshall asked to come back and Norman turned him down because he had had the temerity to leave. Half the commetary on Bradfords game against Fleetwood yesterday was the word "Marshall" they were really impressed with him.[/quote

 

Marshall was Bradford's Player of the Year this season. He could have been playing for us but he had the nerve to turn down the Smurth so naturally we could never get him back.

Norman might be a successful business man but he admits to knowing sweet FA about football and logic and common sense don't register greatly with him because common sense should have told him that if it was such a money spinner signing unknown overseas players then selling them on for mega bucks it would have been done years ago.

[JOHNNYAITCH]

What's upsetting is that if we hadn't have signed Mbamba, we could have maybe kept Alex Jones. If we hadn't signed 3 goalkeepers, we might have been able to fund a striker. If we didn't have a squad of 40 lacking quality, we could have had a squad of 20 (+ a few youth players) including a little bit of quality.

 

The comment about Norman trying to make money out of a fan base that has no money is spot on.

 

What's also upsetting is that NS in his own way has thrown millions at the club and yet none of that appears to have gone on quality players..imagine if he'd invested it wisely..i.e on players