Vale Facts

[ValeMadrid87]

I was bored and started to read wiki pages about Vale, just thought I'd copy and waste a few here, makes an interesting read

 

 

Port Vale F.C.

 

Port Vale

 

Full name Port Vale Football Club

Nickname(s) The Valiants

The Vale

The Valeites[1]

Founded 1876

Ground Vale Park

Burslem

Stoke-on-Trent

(Capacity: 19,052)

Chairman Mike Lloyd

Manager Micky Adams

League League Two

2010–11 League Two, 11th

Website Club home page

 

Home colours

 

Away colours

Current season

Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as the "Potteries derby". However, the last derby match took place on 10 February 2002 and with Stoke City in the Premier League, rivalry has increased between Port Vale and other local clubs, namely Burton Albion, Macclesfield Town, Shrewsbury Town, Walsall, Wrexham, and especially Crewe Alexandra.

 

Port Vale are one of the few English league clubs not to be named after a city or town. The name Port Vale exists on maps pre–dating the 1876 formation of the club, and is a reference to a valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal, associated with the city's pottery industry. They have played more seasons in the second tier of English football (41) than any other club who have never reached the top tier.

 

Possibly the club's most successful times have been in the 1950s, where they were FA Cup semi–finalists in 1954 and won numerous league titles. John Rudge was manager from 1983 to 1999 and steered the club through some of its best years, certainly in recent times. Under his leadership the club reached 8th in the second tier in the 1996–97 season and enjoyed cup glory and numerous promotion campaigns. Since his reign the club have declined; Bill Bratt's Valiant 2001 supporters group took the club out of administration in 2003 but failed to halt the club's slide down into the basement division of the Football League.

 

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Average home attendances from 1892–93 to 2009–10.

Vale get most of their support in the north of Stoke-on-Trent, with the football fans in the towns of Tunstall and Burslem being mostly Valiants. The club also enjoys support from fans scattered all over the city, and the local area in general. The club has a healthy rivalry with Stoke City, as City are based in the town of Stoke-upon-Trent, only a small percentage of residents in the town are Vale fans. Stoke City also tends to enjoy a higher support base in the city as a whole, especially in recent times when they have achieved promotion to the country's top division.

 

With 215,206 supporters turning out in 46 League Two games during the 2009–10 season, Vale attracted an average league attendance of 4,678.[25]

 

Famous fans

 

 

Williams at a concert in Vienna

The club's most famous fan is singer Robbie Williams, who was raised in Stoke-on-Trent. He is now a major shareholder, having, in February 2006, bought £240,000 of the £250,000 worth of available shares in the club. Castle Comfort Stairlifts, the club's sponsors, at the same time bought the remainder for £10,000.[26] For this investment, a restaurant at Vale Park is named after him.[27]

 

For the computer game FIFA 2000, he provided an original theme song with It's Only Us, on the condition that Port Vale were included in the game, which they were, and are located in the Rest of World section. This song was also featured on the only FIFA Soundtrack CD release by EMI.[28] In 2005 Williams founded Los Angeles Vale F.C., a Super Metro League team in the United States, named for Port Vale and based at his L.A. home. His best friend, TV presenter Jonathan Wilkes, is also a Vale fan.[29]

 

"Although I can't be at the Vale often, my investment is just to say that my heart is still there and I'm a huge supporter. I'm really excited about what we may be able to do with the club in the future." Robbie Williams speaking in 2006.

Another famous fan is darts legend Phil Taylor; Burslem born, The Power is a 15 time world champion of the sport.[30] The local Member of Parliament Joan Walley is also a supporter.[31] The singer Simon Webbe was signed up to the club's youth side as a teenager until a torn ligament at age seventeen put an end to any sporting ambitions. He remains a supporter of the club.[32] The noted children's illustrator and author Bob Wilson, a Stoke native,[33] is also a fan. His well–known Stanley Bagshaw series of books is set in an area based on Stoke, and the protagonist supports a thinly–disguised version of the Vale; even basing a book on their 1954 Cup run – albeit with a successful conclusion (Stanley Bagshaw and the short–sighted football trainer).[34] American-born artist Paine Proffitt has settled in the area and his largest series of vintage poster pieces focuses on his adopted club, Port Vale. England Ladies cricketer Danielle Wyatt comes from a family of Vale supporters. Many former players also still follow the club and attend games. Fans that have gone on to play for the club in recent times include Tom Pope and Ritchie Sutton.

 

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[Sting]

Sting thinks that you require urgent attention.

[ValeMadrid87]

Makes an interesting read, why you dissing

Me old man?

[ValeMadrid87]

Gareth Ainsworth, the club's most expensive signing and cause of £1.5 million profit within 13 months and 55 appearances.

Highest home attendance 49,768: vs Aston Villa, 20 February 1960, FA Cup (Round 5)

Highest home gate receipts £170,349: vs Everton, 14 February 1996, FA Cup (Round 4)

Largest league win 9–1: vs Chesterfield, 24 September 1932, Second Division

Heaviest league defeat 0–10: vs Sheffield United, 10 December 1892, Second Division[35]

Largest cup win 7–1: vs Irthlingborough Town, 12 January 1907, FA Cup (Round 1)

Most capped player Chris Birchall: 23, Trinidad and Tobago

Most League appearances Roy Sproson: 761, 1950–1972

Most appearances in all competitions Roy Sproson: 842, 1950–1972

Most League goals Wilf Kirkham: 154, 1923–1933

Most goals in all competitions Wilf Kirkham: 164, 1923–1933

Most goals in a season Wilf Kirkham: 38, 1926–27 (Second Division)

Highest transfer fee paid £500,000: Gareth Ainsworth from Lincoln City, 11 September 1997

Highest transfer fee received £2,000,000: Gareth Ainsworth to Wimbledon, 29 October 1998

Highest Football League finishes

 

Pre War:

 

1930–31: Football League Second Division (second tier) 5th

Post War:

 

1996–97: Football League First Division (second tier) 8th

*

Best Cup runs

 

FA Cup

 

Semi Finalists: 1954

League Cup

 

Round 4: 2007

[ValeMadrid87]

Before joining the Football League, the club started its existence at The Meadows in Limekiln Lane, Longport – now Scott Lidgett Road.[22] A basic ground, the club moved on in 1881.

 

The club's second ground was Westport Meadows, where they played for three years.[22] An area prone to flooding, today Westport Lake now lies where the ground once stood.[22]

 

In 1884, the club moved to its third ground, they stayed at Burslem Football and Athletic ground for just two years.[22] Located close to Burslem railway station, the club took the area's name.[22] The first match was a 6–0 win over Everton in a friendly, though the club would also host FA Cup matches for the first time at the ground.[22] Proved to be inadequate, the club moved on to the Athletic Ground.[22]

 

Athletic Ground

 

Main article: Athletic Ground (Cobridge)

Located opposite the church on Waterloo Road, directly on the Hanley and Burslem tram line, it played host to the club for 27 years, including twelve Football League seasons.[3] It was named due to the fact that it also hosted athletics.

 

The Old Recreation Ground

 

Main article: The Old Recreation Ground

The Rec was Vale's home from 1913 to 1950. The Old Recreation Ground was located in Hanley and stood on what is now the multi–storey car park for the Potteries Shopping Centre. The club endured hard financial times during World War II, and sold the ground to the council, who were reluctant to allow the club to rent it back.[23]

 

Vale Park

 

Main article: Vale Park

 

Vale Park, Port Vale's home ground since 1950.

Vale Park has been Port Vale's home ground since 1950; it is located on Hamil Road, opposite Burslem Park. Originally planned to be as massive as an 80,000 capacity stadium,[24] the development was known as the "The Wembley of the North". However the £50,000 project opened at a capacity of 40,000 (360 seated) – still highly ambitious. The capacity was increased to a sell-out 49,768 for an FA Cup tie with Aston Villa in 1960. However over the years more seats were installed at the expense of standing room, and the stadium became a all-seater venue following the Taylor Report, published in 1990. Fans stood for the last time on Lorne Street at the end of the 1997–98 season. With a decline in attendances following John Rudge's departure corresponding with a halt in work on the now half-finished Lorne Street stand, the current capacity is only an estimate of 19,052 – though the stadium has rarely come close to half-full in the 21st century.

[ValeMadrid87]

Previous Chairmen

 

Name Nationality Years

Edward Oliver English 1885–1897

Robert Audley English 1897–1907

Sam Bennion English 1908–1911

J.H.Edwards 1911–1913

Frank Huntbach English 1913–1921

Sampson Walker 1921–1926

Frank Huntbach English 1926–1940

Tom Flint 1940–1946

William Holdcroft English 1946–1952

*

Name Nationality Years

Fred Burgess English 1952–1958

Jake Bloom English 1958–1959

Fred Burgess English 1959–1960

Jake Bloom English 1960–1961

Joe Machin 1961–1963

Tom Talbot 1963–1965

Fred Pinfold 1965–1968

Arthur McPherson English 1968–1970

Mark Singer English 1970–1971

*

Name Nationality Years

Graham Bourne 1971–1972

Mark Singer English 1972–1977

Arthur McPherson English 1977–1980

Don Ratcliffe English 1980–1982

Jim Lloyd English 1982–1987

Bill Bell English 1987–2003

Bill Bratt English 2003–2011

Mike Lloyd English 2011–present

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[Guppy 4 England]

Admin close thread, what a waste of bandwidth

[nezzer]

I was bored and started to read wiki pages about Vale, just thought I'd copy and waste a few here, makes an interesting read

 

Not how I would've described it

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

Think someone has hacked his account, can be the only explanation for rambling on about the bleeding obvious!

[Portly Vale]

Copyright this is. Your gonne get fooked.

[Caz or caz123]

I'm sure if anyone is desparate to read more they could possibly visit the wiki page themselves.