Current Squad

[CambridgeDon]

Turner is 20 this month. If he ends up going out on loan that's the end of his time at the club. Its a big pre-season for him because he either makes it on to the bench as a minimum, or he's probably released at the end of the season. There's a lot of potential but its still not quite clear what his role is. Last season he probably could have done with at least half a season somewhere, but at 20 he's got to start delivering a little more than he has.

 

Think you're right about Turner. I watched him in our first game at Crawley, where he scored a very good goal, and then in our last at Cambridge when he came on as a sub. He showed good control and a fair bit of skill but it was particularly evident at Cambridge, where they had two strapping lads at the back, how easily he was knocked off the ball. They simply brushed him aside like a young lad. So yes, he has plenty of work to do in pre-season, particularly in the toughening up department. He could make it but it's over to him to make an early impact. He has a lot to do!

[Valiant62]

Goal scorer a big priority for me.

I think we’ve got a reasonable goalkeeper plus cover, defence could be a bit better but ok, solid and creative midfield without it being obvious which one/s will get ten goals. Up front Pope is it... a couple of chancers who might come good. Dennis would have been great but someone with a half decent cv, I’d sacrifice improving other areas for. That’s the sort of real world choices that will have to be made.

[maccapvfc]

Think you're right about Turner. I watched him in our first game at Crawley, where he scored a very good goal, and then in our last at Cambridge when he came on as a sub. He showed good control and a fair bit of skill but it was particularly evident at Cambridge, where they had two strapping lads at the back, how easily he was knocked off the ball. They simply brushed him aside like a young lad. So yes, he has plenty of work to do in pre-season, particularly in the toughening up department. He could make it but it's over to him to make an early impact. He has a lot to do!

 

 

I would wholey disagree that his time at the club is over if we decide to send him out on loan for 6-12 months. It gives him an opportunity to go out and add more first team experience which is what he needs. He can then be introduced to the first team if he proves himself. Strikers peak years are generally 25-27.

 

Look at Harness and Whitfield, both older 22 and 21 respectively, who came on loan to us and both offered new deals by their parent club. In Whitfield, he has been sent on loan to a club 3 divisions lower.

 

So I disagree that if he isn’t starting this year, that the club will turn their back (see what I did there)! We can’t have everything, we say we want proven goalscorers and then that turner needs to be starting this year if he is to stay at the club. If he is starting this year, the fans would soon be on his or the managers back because he’s unproven (mood generated from certain someone at thwork top no doubt) but that’s why I think he needs time lower down, a good 6-12 would allow him time to settle there and hopefully get plenty of goals. Being sent somewhere for a month isn’t worth while IMO.

[CambridgeDon]

I would wholey disagree that his time at the club is over if we decide to send him out on loan for 6-12 months. It gives him an opportunity to go out and add more first team experience which is what he needs. He can then be introduced to the first team if he proves himself. Strikers peak years are generally 25-27.

 

Look at Harness and Whitfield, both older 22 and 21 respectively, who came on loan to us and both offered new deals by their parent club. In Whitfield, he has been sent on loan to a club 3 divisions lower.

 

So I disagree that if he isn’t starting this year, that the club will turn their back (see what I did there)! We can’t have everything, we say we want proven goalscorers and then that turner needs to be starting this year if he is to stay at the club. If he is starting this year, the fans would soon be on his or the managers back because he’s unproven (mood generated from certain someone at thwork top no doubt) but that’s why I think he needs time lower down, a good 6-12 would allow him time to settle there and hopefully get plenty of goals. Being sent somewhere for a month isn’t worth while IMO.

 

I agree with most of that. My point was that he looked physically overwhelmed by the defenders he was up against at Cambridge, who are typical of what he can expect to face in L2. So he needs to toughen up. Some of that will come in time and some by playing regularly against more mature players. So I wouldn’t disagree that time on loan would do him good.

 

I’d start to be a bit concerned though if Aspo can’t sign up the strikers he wants and we end up relying on him because, to me (and others may disagree), he didn’t look like he could cope with the rough and tumble of L2 at this stage. Perhaps I’m wrong - I think Aspo has faith in him, so let’s hope he comes good. Can’t recall the last time we had a home grown out and out goalscorer.

[maccapvfc]

I agree with most of that. My point was that he looked physically overwhelmed by the defenders he was up against at Cambridge, who are typical of what he can expect to face in L2. So he needs to toughen up. Some of that will come in time and some by playing regularly against more mature players. So I wouldn’t disagree that time on loan would do him good.

 

I’d start to be a bit concerned though if Aspo can’t sign up the strikers he wants and we end up relying on him because, to me (and others may disagree), he didn’t look like he could cope with the rough and tumble of L2 at this stage. Perhaps I’m wrong - I think Aspo has faith in him, so let’s hope he comes good. Can’t recall the last time we had a home grown out and out goalscorer.

 

Sorry Cambridge don, my replay was supposed to be to JRC’s comments rather than yours 👍

 

I agree though, I do hope it works out for Turner at the Vale as it’s really good to see the club producing home grown players

[CJ Valiant]

Turner isn’t our player, no new contract signed as yet!! But I agree that if he stays, he needs 6 months on loan somewhere to gain the required strength, experience and goals to succeed in this league

[Warren]

Turner has played 42 times including sub appearances and scored 3 goals. So that is enough to make some observations. He is young and may still improve. He has been a squad player getting reasonable game time for age. When he has played it has been in attack or advanced midfield and so he does not look to be a solution to our goal scoring problem. On balance I think his potential warrants further time at Port Vale. If he is loaned out it should be to National League level where he would be an important player so it drives improvement by being central to the team's success. Otherwise he has enough experience to play for Port Vale if good enough to get in the team.

[Warren]

I just renewed 2 season tickets. So we are on the rollercoaster again!

[valeparklife]

Something I've always wondered is why we don't have closer links with the local non-league clubs and send players there on season long loans.

 

Newcastle Town would be ideal with Van Der Laan in charge there to send Turner, Calverley and Benns there on a season long loan.

 

They get 3 players who would surely be more than useful at that level. They could still train full time with us and also take part in their part-time sessions.

 

We get to develop our players playing regularly against men that want to win in games that matter. Pope's dad had him playing in a man's league when he was 14 which he said really toughened him up and prepared him for first team action. Nathan Smith developed 10 fold during his 44+ games at Torquay.

 

It's win-win for everyone.

[JRC]

Sorry Cambridge don, my replay was supposed to be to JRC’s comments rather than yours 👍

 

I agree though, I do hope it works out for Turner at the Vale as it’s really good to see the club producing home grown players

 

We are a 4th division club looking to have a maximum squad size of 24. If he isn't good enough to be on the bench this season (never said start) then he needs to move on to allow someone younger chance to develop. Whitfield is with a Premiership Club where 30 plus players in a squad are normal and wages for young players are minimal in terms of overall budget. I suspect Burton were already planning for division one when they gave Harness a new contract at Christmas. He's played quite a lot for them in division 1, so they must be fairly confident he'll be in their squad most games.

 

In the last 45 years I haven't seen a player come good at Vale who hasn't been a regular in the squad before the age of 21. There have been a few who've hung around past that age without making it and a few more who've been on the bench when everyone is fit at that age and worked their way in to a regular position. Non League football won't make him physically stronger, he's been a professional athlete for 4 years so he's had plenty of time to work on that, Morsy did a couple of hours after training every day, so you'd hope Turner had had the sense to do the same if it is an issue. It might toughen him up and give him some experience, but his two most recent loan moves to conference north teams ended with him becoming an unused sub after a few games. Hopefully he'll have kicked on over the summer as I think there is a player in there somewhere. But at some point he needs to show something more consistently next year for us to keep him. Sending him on loan costs the club a fair chunk of his wages, in the same way teams higher up pay most of their players wage when they come to us to gain experience, so there has to come a point when we move on. Strikers may peak at 25, but the vast majority who come through from youth teams in division one and two are at least regular substitutes somewhere between 20 and 21.

[TJHValiant]

Disappointed that we lost out on Christian Dennis. More so when you read the quote from Smurf:

 

He said: "Chesterfield put a price on him, we met 90 per cent of the price, but we wouldn't meet the wage demands of the player which would have made him, historically, one of the highest paid players in the last 15 years. So, Neil said no.

 

He states “we wouldn’t meet the wage demands and then claims Neil said “No”. Which is it?

 

Frankly I am staggered that Aspin would turn down the chance to sign a proven, decent player.

 

Especially as the spoken of alternatives are all non league cast offs.

 

Our goals scoring rate last season, Pope aside was appalling.

[Jacob_123]

Disappointed that we lost out on Christian Dennis. More so when you read the quote from Smurf:

 

He said: "Chesterfield put a price on him, we met 90 per cent of the price, but we wouldn't meet the wage demands of the player which would have made him, historically, one of the highest paid players in the last 15 years. So, Neil said no.

 

He states “we wouldn’t meet the wage demands and then claims Neil said “No”. Which is it?

 

Frankly I am staggered that Aspin would turn down the chance to sign a proven, decent player.

 

Especially as the spoken of alternatives are all non league cast offs.

 

Our goals scoring rate last season, Pope aside was appalling.

 

You know so much about him that you can’t even spell his name correctly.

[JRC]

Disappointed that we lost out on Christian Dennis. More so when you read the quote from Smurf:

 

He said: "Chesterfield put a price on him, we met 90 per cent of the price, but we wouldn't meet the wage demands of the player which would have made him, historically, one of the highest paid players in the last 15 years. So, Neil said no.

 

He states “we wouldn’t meet the wage demands and then claims Neil said “No”. Which is it?

 

Frankly I am staggered that Aspin would turn down the chance to sign a proven, decent player.

 

Especially as the spoken of alternatives are all non league cast offs.

 

Our goals scoring rate last season, Pope aside was appalling.

 

It could well be that with our budget it would have been Dennis and nobody else. Part of managing at our level is squeezing as much as possible from the money available. It's the way at nearly every club.

[pjg1876]

Disappointed that we lost out on Christian Dennis. More so when you read the quote from Smurf:

 

He said: "Chesterfield put a price on him, we met 90 per cent of the price, but we wouldn't meet the wage demands of the player which would have made him, historically, one of the highest paid players in the last 15 years. So, Neil said no.

 

He states “we wouldn’t meet the wage demands and then claims Neil said “No”. Which is it?

 

Frankly I am staggered that Aspin would turn down the chance to sign a proven, decent player.

 

Especially as the spoken of alternatives are all non league cast offs.

 

Our goals scoring rate last season, Pope aside was appalling.

 

Paying him more than Pope would have probably had an adverse effect on the whole team. He’s had one good season so not worth that risk in my opinion.

[JRC]

Something I've always wondered is why we don't have closer links with the local non-league clubs and send players there on season long loans.

 

Newcastle Town would be ideal with Van Der Laan in charge there to send Turner, Calverley and Benns there on a season long loan.

 

They get 3 players who would surely be more than useful at that level. They could still train full time with us and also take part in their part-time sessions.

 

We get to develop our players playing regularly against men that want to win in games that matter. Pope's dad had him playing in a man's league when he was 14 which he said really toughened him up and prepared him for first team action. Nathan Smith developed 10 fold during his 44+ games at Torquay.

 

It's win-win for everyone.

 

We do send players out locally, most first year pros go somewhere. One of the issues is the club they go to have to feel they are better than they have. A few have gone out and not got a lot of games. Van der Laan will only play Benns if he's an upgrade on what he has. Quite a few young players we've released at 19 or 20 have failed at Newcastle Town the following season.