Match Thread: Cheltenham Town v Port Vale

[Hagrid]

I’ve never said I’m in the know I’ve said I have the ability to listen to Aspin on the radio and that was what he said a week or so before Gunnings contract negotiations went south. He said they were looking at extending until the summer and they would reassess the squad then

 

 

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Just accept that Smurf didn't back Aspin adequately considering the wonders he'd worked in December. A partner for Pope, a replacement LB, a keeper, and another CM, and we'd be well on the way to safety as we speak.

[Mattholl]

Just accept that Smurf didn't back Aspin adequately considering the wonders he'd worked in December. A partner for Pope, a replacement LB, a keeper, and another CM, and we'd be well on the way to safety as we speak.

 

Answer me this question - could Aspin have signed a left back, centre midfielder (he signed Hannant) and a striker in January? Bearing in mind he’s signed 6 players. If not why could he have budget available for 6 players but not the three you mention in your opinion?

 

 

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[werstayinup]

Answer me this question - could Aspin have signed a left back, centre midfielder (he signed Hannant) and a striker in January? Bearing in mind he’s signed 6 players. If not why could he have budget available for 6 players but not the three you mention in your opinion?

 

 

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To be fair he has said that the players came for little money and my guess is a forward would cost a lot in wages or fees

[Marge56]

Do you think we strengthened in the January window or weakened? Do you think we strengthened or weakened in the summer? Do you think we strengthened in the last January window (Jan 17)? Do you think we strengthened the summer prior (Summer 16)?

 

We've gotten progressively weaker and weaker with each passing window, despite having 3 managers in that time with very contrasting recruiting styles (Bruno's foreigners, Brown's old chums, Aspo's non league and young lads). From O'Connor and Grant to Kay and Tonge. From Neal and Alnwick to Lainton and Boot. From Dicko to Pugh. From Marshall to Montano. From Alex Jones to Donovan Wilson. 18 months.

 

Despite all of this, we keep getting weaker. There's one denominator to all this; the man funding the transfers, paying the wages, setting the budget, appointing the CEO and secretaries, forming relationships with agents, managers, players, coaches, slagging off former managers.

 

Either 3 coaches in a row have ballsed up transfers horrendously, despite having different scouts, coaches, and contacts, in a bizarre coincidence never before seen in football which has seen a side 12th in League 1 go to 7 points clear of non league in exactly 18 months, or the one constant that has been present throughout all of this, Mr Smurthwaite, is to blame.

 

I know what sounds more likely. This is a bloke who has communicated with the ghost of Bill Bell. A man convinced Carlos Saleiro, 0 apps 0 goals, would top score in League 1. A man who willingly paid money for Mbamba and Cicilia. A man seen wearing the scarf of our opponents the day we played them. A man who watched players youtube highlight clips before agreeing to sign them. A man who Micky Adams has admitted knows 'little about football', but still decides he'll sign Achille Campion and JJ Hooper on behalf of the management. A man who admits to manipulating the first team budget so Rob Page leaves, takes a few digs at him after he's gone on Twitter, and replaces him and his entire squad who depart with him due to the lowered budget out of a catalogue. Question any of this matey, I'll find the tweets (lacking grammar, in full caps, with repeated references to sweety jars, amidst banning the local press and telling fans to play in the motorway)

 

You might think I have an agenda; I'm just gutted the first success I've tasted as a Vale fan was obliterated in one swift balmy summer by a clown with too much red wine in his system and little consideration of the consequences of his actions. There's a real chance we'll be in non league for the first time ever in 6 months and your concern is taking potshots at fans.

 

God knows why I've engaged with you mate. Feels good to let it all out more than anything. We are well and truly in shambles, our existence in the balance, and the only reassuring and constant thing is there will always be a clown on OVF for me to take my frustration out on. Up the Vale.

Brilliant post !!

 

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[Hagrid]

Answer me this question - could Aspin have signed a left back, centre midfielder (he signed Hannant) and a striker in January? Bearing in mind he’s signed 6 players. If not why could he have budget available for 6 players but not the three you mention in your opinion?

 

 

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I imagine he signed the players he did as the budget (and club reputation) dictated thats all he could do. As people mentioned, only 2 started yesterday; Jules, Wilson, Angus, Howe, WBA lad didn't. He either wanted these players and he's ballsed up, or he didn't want them massively, they were back ups and bargain bucket buys dictated by a reduced budget, and he just wanted numbers through the door

 

The players we've signed are on a pittance; one lad was semi-pro and cost us 0, one lad was at Gateshead, the rest are loans and young lads who will be on very little and possibly subsidised by their parent clubs.

 

With high earners like Wilson and ADF gone, Gunning gone, I imagine your lord Smurf has cut the budget this window, at a time when Aspo deserved and the club needed a bigger one.

 

We get weaker and weaker every single window, losing good players and reducing them with inadequate ones, to the point where the squad currently has around 5 players good enough for League 2, compared to the 15 good enough for League 1 18 months ago.

 

Do you genuinely believe what you say or are you getting a kick winding me up?

[Mattholl]

Do you think we strengthened in the January window or weakened? Do you think we strengthened or weakened in the summer? Do you think we strengthened in the last January window (Jan 17)? Do you think we strengthened the summer prior (Summer 16)?

 

We've gotten progressively weaker and weaker with each passing window, despite having 3 managers in that time with very contrasting recruiting styles (Bruno's foreigners, Brown's old chums, Aspo's non league and young lads). From O'Connor and Grant to Kay and Tonge. From Neal and Alnwick to Lainton and Boot. From Dicko to Pugh. From Marshall to Montano. From Alex Jones to Donovan Wilson. 18 months.

 

Despite all of this, we keep getting weaker. There's one denominator to all this; the man funding the transfers, paying the wages, setting the budget, appointing the CEO and secretaries, forming relationships with agents, managers, players, coaches, slagging off former managers.

 

Either 3 coaches in a row have ballsed up transfers horrendously, despite having different scouts, coaches, and contacts, in a bizarre coincidence never before seen in football which has seen a side 12th in League 1 go to 7 points clear of non league in exactly 18 months, or the one constant that has been present throughout all of this, Mr Smurthwaite, is to blame.

 

I know what sounds more likely. This is a bloke who has communicated with the ghost of Bill Bell. A man convinced Carlos Saleiro, 0 apps 0 goals, would top score in League 1. A man who willingly paid money for Mbamba and Cicilia. A man seen wearing the scarf of our opponents the day we played them. A man who watched players youtube highlight clips before agreeing to sign them. A man who Micky Adams has admitted knows 'little about football', but still decides he'll sign Achille Campion and JJ Hooper on behalf of the management. A man who admits to manipulating the first team budget so Rob Page leaves, takes a few digs at him after he's gone on Twitter, and replaces him and his entire squad who depart with him due to the lowered budget out of a catalogue. Question any of this matey, I'll find the tweets (lacking grammar, in full caps, with repeated references to sweety jars, amidst banning the local press and telling fans to play in the motorway)

 

You might think I have an agenda; I'm just gutted the first success I've tasted as a Vale fan was obliterated in one swift balmy summer by a clown with too much red wine in his system and little consideration of the consequences of his actions. There's a real chance we'll be in non league for the first time ever in 6 months and your concern is taking potshots at fans.

 

God knows why I've engaged with you mate. Feels good to let it all out more than anything. We are well and truly in shambles, our existence in the balance, and the only reassuring and constant thing is there will always be a clown on OVF for me to take my frustration out on. Up the Vale.

 

The issue you are ignoring whether you like to admit it or not is that money isn’t just he main factor here.

 

Jones- money and bigger club

Marshall- money and bigger club

Alnwick- money and massive club

Grant- money, bigger club and awful attitude

 

It’s not just a case of us paying more money we can’t give these players the opportunities they can get elsewhere. These clubs are better prospects than we are plain and simple.

 

Is Smurf to blame for the debacle with Bruno’s foreign imports, absolutely! Is he to blame for browns balls ups, partly but so is brown and Garlick too. Is he to blame for this window. No he’s not, Gunning and Anderson are no great loss and we’ve signed 6 players this window. Aspin has picked them and like Brown, Bruno and Page he has to be held to account if these coming in havent had a positive impact on the team. He could have signed non if he didn’t feel they improved us and we certainly didn’t need to pad the squad out at all

 

 

 

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[Hagrid]

The issue you are ignoring whether you like to admit it or not is that money isn’t just he main factor here.

 

Jones- money and bigger club

Marshall- money and bigger club

Alnwick- money and massive club

Grant- money, bigger club and awful attitude

 

It’s not just a case of us paying more money we can’t give these players the opportunities they can get elsewhere. These clubs are better prospects than we are plain and simple.

 

Is Smurf to blame for the debacle with Bruno’s foreign imports, absolutely! Is he to blame for browns balls ups, partly but so is brown and Garlick too. Is he to blame for this window. No he’s not, Gunning and Anderson are no great loss and we’ve signed 6 players this window. Aspin has picked them and like Brown, Bruno and Page he has to be held to account if these coming in havent had a positive impact on the team. He could have signed non if he didn’t feel they improved us and we certainly didn’t need to pad the squad out at all

 

 

 

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Aspo has said the wage budget is smaller now than it was at the start of the window.

 

Is that backing a manager in your eyes?

[Hagrid]

Is offering a player Aspo wanted to keep a deal which leaves him unpaid for 2 months and unable to seek other employment backing a manager?

 

Is leaving Aspo with a weakened squad backing a manager?

 

Is Aspo bringing in 7 players with around 30-40 League appearances between them backing a manager?

[Mattholl]

I imagine he signed the players he did as the budget (and club reputation) dictated thats all he could do. As people mentioned, only 2 started yesterday; Jules, Wilson, Angus, Howe, WBA lad didn't. He either wanted these players and he's ballsed up, or he didn't want them massively, they were back ups and bargain bucket buys dictated by a reduced budget, and he just wanted numbers through the door

 

The players we've signed are on a pittance; one lad was semi-pro and cost us 0, one lad was at Gateshead, the rest are loans and young lads who will be on very little and possibly subsidised by their parent clubs.

 

With high earners like Wilson and ADF gone, Gunning gone, I imagine your lord Smurf has cut the budget this window, at a time when Aspo deserved and the club needed a bigger one.

 

We get weaker and weaker every single window, losing good players and reducing them with inadequate ones, to the point where the squad currently has around 5 players good enough for League 2, compared to the 15 good enough for League 1 18 months ago.

 

Do you genuinely believe what you say or are you getting a kick winding me up?

 

Am I winding you up? Firstly as you have said 2 high earners have gone.....hence why we have signed 6 players. You talk about Aspin signing back ups....he himself said the squad needed trimming as there was too many players so why sign back ups at the same time????? Smurf is partly to blame I don’t doubt that or swerve that. However we have appointed 3 people with a background and experience of high level professional football in Bruno, Brown and Aspin they are happy to take a wage for being a specialist and have been given funds to change the playing personnel drastically especially during the summer window. Fans like you moaned when smurf was getting involved in being in players and then now he lets the managers do it he’s still to blame.

 

Aspin I feel sorry for because he carrying Browns poor decisions from this summer. Let’s be honest our squad from this summer allocates too much money to players that haven’t really performed for what was needed in Lainton, Wilson, Kay, Davis, Montano, Pugh. When these folks were signed on paper we must all admit we were happy and though they were decent and of the right calibre.....but they have failed and that’s not the owners fault. Would Aspin have signed all these...I doubt it but they probably take up half his budget and don’t play.

 

I agree on previous windows we have got weaker, this window not at all we lost one young lad who is no better than what has been replaced with in Anderson and Gunning who has just hit a bit of consistency. Hannant is good signing and we are yet to see the rest come to fruition. If they arent good enough then the owner must ask the manager why he signed them, not the other way round

 

 

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[Mattholl]

Is offering a player Aspo wanted to keep a deal which leaves him unpaid for 2 months and unable to seek other employment backing a manager?

 

Is leaving Aspo with a weakened squad backing a manager?

 

Is Aspo bringing in 7 players with around 30-40 League appearances between them backing a manager?

 

No proof at all about the deal leaving him unpaid so let’s not go there.

 

How is a squad losing 2 and gaining 6 weakening the squad

 

Aspo could have brought in 2-3 players on larger wages instead of 6 that’s his choice.

 

 

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[Mattholl]

Aspo has said the wage budget is smaller now than it was at the start of the window.

 

Is that backing a manager in your eyes?

 

Please show me the quote or explain where Aspin said the budget is smaller

 

 

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[Hagrid]

Please show me the quote or explain where Aspin said the budget is smaller

 

 

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Check the 'this sums it up' thread.

[werstayinup]

Please show me the quote or explain where Aspin said the budget is smaller

 

 

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He told Mike at the sentinel

[Mattholl]

He told Mike at the sentinel

 

Which is written in which paper article?

 

 

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[Mattholl]

Check the 'this sums it up' thread.

 

Disappointing to read and indefensible from the owner if true. I would then question Aspins decision making. You have X amount of budget available and need to bring in players. Angus, Howe, Hannant, Lad from Shrews all cost us a wage doubtful WBA lad and Wolves lad do. So if you need a LB and CM why spend wages on Shrews lad, Angus and Howe?????? Surely you combine those and bring in an LB???