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Walka003

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I'm a bit concerned that people are pinning hopes on Rudgie "still having it" and finding a gem or two. He was at a rarified level for years and while he probably still has some contacts there is no way he has his nose to the non league trail in the same way as 20 years ago. His role is to offer Aspin support and mentoring (600 games in or not...) and I would expect Aspo to have a better idea of that level tbh.

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I'm a bit concerned that people are pinning hopes on Rudgie "still having it" and finding a gem or two. He was at a rarified level for years and while he probably still has some contacts there is no way he has his nose to the non league trail in the same way as 20 years ago. His role is to offer Aspin support and mentoring (600 games in or not...) and I would expect Aspo to have a better idea of that level tbh.

 

I think Rudge can provide wide experience from his times as director of football etc. One imagines he knows agents well and understands the back office changes needed at Port Vale. I think Aspin is best placed to tap non league players and to judge which development team players can go forward to the squad. I think a key thing here is to get the whole club pointing in one unified direction, appreciating that is a big ask. But the more committed Port Vale figures at the club the better.

 

I went to Tranmere's playoff game against Ebbsfleet on Saturday. It is obvious just being there that if Tranmere come up at Wembley next weekend they are in a much healthier state than Port Vale - let me call it mentally. There is firm fan base that isn't disgruntled with the owner and the whole atmosphere at the ground was better than at Vale Park. That needs to be turned round, there have been happy times at Vale Park. It is not all performance based, some of it is about stability and feeling valued as a fan etc.

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This is where the hard work starts and i'll be very surprised if our esteemed bleeder oops sorry leader supplies sufficient funding so as Aspin can build a competitive team something that we haven't had since Adams Pasha.

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Pugh made 31 league appearances and scored 2 goals for us. I think he has been one of our better players without anyone really noticing.

 

RZ, I don't know about one of our better players but he certainly was unfairly criticized at times. He played well at left back, apart from 15 mins at Accy in the 2nd half. In center midfield Pugh and Tonge together don't have the mobility but Pugh on his own at CM brings positional experience, nous, combative skills and a decent passing left foot. I'm OK with him being retained as he can play in a number of positions.

 

IMHO Tonge also has been unfairly criticized. He always makes himself available, takes responsibility, keeps the ball moving, puts himself about and gets around the pitch more than fans give him credit but speed off the mark isn't his forte. He reminds me of Peter Farrell who was a similar player and also a target of the boo boys. Tonge is solid but hasn't been as creative as I thought he would be but paired with a box to box midfielder will do a decent job for Vale next season.

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IMHO Tonge also has been unfairly criticized. He always makes himself available, takes responsibility, keeps the ball moving, puts himself about and gets around the pitch more than fans give him credit but speed off the mark isn't his forte...Tonge is solid but hasn't been as creative as I thought he would be but paired with a box to box midfielder will do a decent job for Vale next season.

 

Games must look a hell of a lot different watching from abroad on ifollow than they do in the flesh! (.....that's not buffering, its Tonge's actual pace!)

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You're right about them having a massive job to do and they'll know it which is why they've had to be so brutal with the youngsters. Some of those lads may get fixed up and eventually forge themselves decent careers and in the future we may well be in here saying 'why did we let such & such go?' However, the fact of the matter is the released youngsters are either not going to make it or are not ready yet and we're in such a mess they've had to go to create squad space / budget to assemble a side who won't struggle like this season.

Professional football is a harsh world.

 

Vale released Ray Kennedy who went on to play for Arsenal and England after he'd been converted from a centre back to a striker. Occasionally this happens, but the majority of youngsters clubs like Vale release don't do much thereafter.

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Whether folk like it or not Tonge and Pugh are still under contract for next season and Aspo had no choice or part in that. Also, for all their limitations they have been professional in their application and, no doubt, demonstrated behind the scenes why they have both had long high level careers. We know Aspo has appreciated their influence in the dressing room. They're just that bit too slow these days, especially as a CM pair, but can you imagine if we hadn't had them and we'd been stuck with Brown's other squad members in midfield such as Middleton & Reeves? We'd have been looking up at Chesterfield by now.

So, whilst in an ideal world we could thank Tonge and Pugh for their contribution and replace them with younger, quality players that option isn't available so let's hope Aspo can recruit some players who will significantly improve our midfield and allow Tonge and Pugh to pass on their experience on the training ground and become more like the squad players they should be, coming in as and when needed and probably being much more effective because they're not playing 90 minutes every week at an age when many players have retired.

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Vale released Ray Kennedy who went on to play for Arsenal and England after he'd been converted from a centre back to a striker. Occasionally this happens, but the majority of youngsters clubs like Vale release don't do much thereafter.
True and I had him in mind when I made the comment but I wasn't thinking of these lads becoming future double winners I was thinking of some of them possibly becoming decent L1 or 2 players but pointing out that even if that happens we can't afford to keep them and see because the squad is in such desperate need of emergency surgery right now.
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if as PV1973 says PUGH and TONGE are millionaires they should be paying Vale to play

 

That could be the way forward😄

Surprised Smurf hasn't already done it.

We could have a team of millionaire's at zero cost!

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RZ, I don't know about one of our better players but he certainly was unfairly criticized at times. He played well at left back, apart from 15 mins at Accy in the 2nd half. In center midfield Pugh and Tonge together don't have the mobility but Pugh on his own at CM brings positional experience, nous, combative skills and a decent passing left foot. I'm OK with him being retained as he can play in a number of positions.

 

IMHO Tonge also has been unfairly criticized. He always makes himself available, takes responsibility, keeps the ball moving, puts himself about and gets around the pitch more than fans give him credit but speed off the mark isn't his forte. He reminds me of Peter Farrell who was a similar player and also a target of the boo boys. Tonge is solid but hasn't been as creative as I thought he would be but paired with a box to box midfielder will do a decent job for Vale next season.

I agree on Pugh and I don't think hes had that bad a season either, hes certainly the more mobile of the oldies and does a lot of good work in getting about the midfield to break up play and I like that he keeps it simple when hes got the ball and is willing to do the dirty work for the side. Hes also been one of the few midfielders to get past our forwards and create himself a chance in the box. Hes been found wanting on a few occassions, but not as bad as some like to think IMO and as with many other players it doesn't take long for our fans to over react and turn when a few passes go astray. But I think the amount of stick I've heard him get from fans at the games for being ex-Stoke could well be another factor too.

 

Tonges biggest problem this season has been more mobile oppositon players leaving him floundering. I think when we get the ball he can keep it well and bring others in to the game, thats his strength, maybe he'd be more benefitted by having a mobile player alongside him, along with a decent number ten to try and pick out with more options out wide maybe? But I could never fault his effort or committment and using him in saturday and tuesday games was never ideal, but he still put it in. At times he looked like the older player who knows what he wants to do yet his body couldn't respond in time. I have no problem with either of them being retained and I still think they can bring sometine to us, just not necessarily week in week out. But as already mentioned, if players like Middleton, Regis or Reeves had stepped up then we wouldn't have seen so much of Tonge or Pugh. Like it or not they've both played a part in helping us get safe.

 

True or not, but most likely they are earning more £s per hour for kicking a ball compared to the average wage earner standing on the terraces on match days.

The same is probably true for most professional footballers in league 2.

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Aspin has done what he can with his hands fairly tied.

 

I've been incredibly frustrated with the Tonge/Pugh midfield axis of woe this season, and it'll definitely impact the number of matches I go to next season if either of them are first choices. Pugh with someone mobile next to him might be ok, but I'm afraid Tonge is just too old. However, I can't imagine he's on a great deal - he was released by Stevenage after all (which raises another question - should we really be signing 34-year olds when they get released by Stevenage!?). If money is not a big deal to them nd they find themselves not playing regular football, surely they would want to join a club that will?

 

On a side note, who signed Howe? We paid a fee for a guy who has looked pretty poor on his few appearances and now finds himself on the transfer list. Someone got that one very, very wrong.

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