What happened over Richards?

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

Exactly. At best, we tried our hardest, offered competitive wages, but proven goalscorers still didn't come to the club. Why?

 

At worst, and more likely the truth, Smurthwaite has been a cheapskate again, and instead of throwing money at 1 or 2 quality additions, we've ended up with 6 kids with very little experience. Certainly not the kind of experience needed in the battle we're facing over the next 3 and a bit months.

 

Sounds like we did our best according to Sproson.

[Santa]

Sounds like we did our best according to Sproson.

Not over the past few seasons we haven't. Since Smurthwaite boasted about he could replace Pope on half the wages. It's the one area where our recruitment has been an unmitigated disaster. There's no way we'd attract a player of Pope's standard if he wasn't local and didn't have an affinity to the club.

 

You can't undo years in neglect in such a short space of time.

[Family Stand Terrier]

Sounds like we did our best according to Sproson.

 

Sproson referred to loan deals for Strikers where we were apparently prepared to stump up a good portion of their wage.

 

I don't for one minute think we tried hard enough to get Rico. The opposite. We were lazy, no excuses.

 

I asked the question in my previous post, why? Why if we tried our hardest and offered decent wages, did we lose out?

 

It's not rocket science, it's been obvious for years. Since Smurf treated Page and a squad of L1 players the disgusting way that he did, our reputation has plummeted.

 

The last time we got relegated we spent a whole transfer window with a caretaker manager and failed to attract the quality we needed to stay up. 2 years later we've spent a transfer window with a manager constantly a game away from the sack. He eventually went the day before it shut, and we're back without a manager again. Will Smurthwaite ever learn from past mistakes?

 

The club is being ran so unprofessionally it's beyond a joke. However the whole saga is dressed up, he's failed yet again.

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

Not over the past few seasons we haven't. Since Smurthwaite boasted about he could replace Pope on half the wages. It's the one area where our recruitment has been an unmitigated disaster. There's no way we'd attract a player of Pope's standard if he wasn't local and didn't have an affinity to the club.

 

You can't undo years in neglect in such a short space of time.

 

To be fair he did replace Pope’s goals that season with AJLS. The thing he’s always failed with and it’s the root cause of our problems is appointing a decent manager since Micky left. His four appointments have been an unmitigated disaster.

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

Sproson referred to loan deals for Strikers where we were apparently prepared to stump up a good portion of their wage.

 

I don't for one minute think we tried hard enough to get Rico. The opposite. We were lazy, no excuses.

 

I asked the question in my previous post, why? Why if we tried our hardest and offered decent wages, did we lose out?

 

It's not rocket science, it's been obvious for years. Since Smurf treated Page and a squad of L1 players the disgusting way that he did, our reputation has plummeted.

 

The last time we got relegated we spent a whole transfer window with a caretaker manager and failed to attract the quality we needed to stay up. 2 years later we've spent a transfer window with a manager constantly a game away from the sack. He eventually went the day before it shut, and we're back without a manager again. Will Smurthwaite ever learn from past mistakes?

 

The club is being ran so unprofessionally it's beyond a joke. However the whole saga is dressed up, he's failed yet again.

 

It’s about the quality of the managerial appointments for me, since Micky we haven’t had a decent one let alone a good one. The players have largely taken the **** out of all 4 since, why do you think they want Pugh? #easystreet

[Erniemossrules]

Sproson referred to loan deals for Strikers where we were apparently prepared to stump up a good portion of their wage.

 

I don't for one minute think we tried hard enough to get Rico. The opposite. We were lazy, no excuses.

 

I asked the question in my previous post, why? Why if we tried our hardest and offered decent wages, did we lose out?

 

It's not rocket science, it's been obvious for years. Since Smurf treated Page and a squad of L1 players the disgusting way that he did, our reputation has plummeted.

 

The last time we got relegated we spent a whole transfer window with a caretaker manager and failed to attract the quality we needed to stay up. 2 years later we've spent a transfer window with a manager constantly a game away from the sack. He eventually went the day before it shut, and we're back without a manager again. Will Smurthwaite ever learn from past mistakes?

 

The club is being ran so unprofessionally it's beyond a joke. However the whole saga is dressed up, he's failed yet again.

 

No he still is deluded and thinks he is a successful businessman.He also thinks he can play Football Manager with our club and we will worship him.

[Family Stand Terrier]

It’s about the quality of the managerial appointments for me' date=' since Micky we haven’t had a decent one let alone a good one. The players have largely taken the **** out of all 4 since, why do you think they want Pugh? #easystreet[/quote']

 

The managerial appointments epitomise his approach, cheap easy options. He got lucky with Page, as he was already at the club so was hardly an ambitious target. Page created a steady squad that whilst not exciting, got the club steady in L1. AJLS was on a downward spiral and Page brought him on leaps and bounds whilst paying him peanuts. When it came to rewarding his goals with a decent contract, we couldn't compete, and he was part of the suicidal sqauad cull that began our rapid demise.

 

Pope only came back as he's a Vale fan and Bury paid off his contract.

 

When was the last time we were in for a proven player, competing against other clubs for a signature, and got our man? Under Smurthwaite, it just doesn't happen. We're constantly feeding off scraps; loans, non league, foreign 5th div players, free agents. We'll end up where we deserve to end up. Non league, as that's how the club operates.

[Rampant Zebra]

Sad thing is that we identified and developed AJLS, Marshall, Jones and Knott and then gave them away because we wouldn't pay a decent rate for them despite knowing their abilities in our team.

[Mario]

The managerial appointments epitomise his approach, cheap easy options. He got lucky with Page, as he was already at the club so was hardly an ambitious target. Page created a steady squad that whilst not exciting, got the club steady in L1. AJLS was on a downward spiral and Page brought him on leaps and bounds whilst paying him peanuts. When it came to rewarding his goals with a decent contract, we couldn't compete, and he was part of the suicidal sqauad cull that began our rapid demise.

 

Pope only came back as he's a Vale fan and Bury paid off his contract.

 

When was the last time we were in for a proven player, competing against other clubs for a signature, and got our man? Under Smurthwaite, it just doesn't happen. We're constantly feeding off scraps; loans, non league, foreign 5th div players, free agents. We'll end up where we deserve to end up. Non league, as that's how the club operates.

 

This is the problem some say he's no businessman I would argue he is, he hasn't accrued his wealth by being stupid a good business man will cut costs and streamline his operation to maximise profit,but that doesn't work in football and he treats the people who work for him managers,players etc as stock and if he can cut the cost of his stock he will do,like I say that dont work in sport and he won't listen.

 

On his behalf the mistake he's made is thinking that he can turn a football club into a profit making machine, he probably thought if I can get a player for nowt and sell him for a million it's happy days,he's in too deep now and his ego won't allow him to ask for help,because he knows help means spending his money and his default setting is too make it, not spending it.

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

Sad thing is that we identified and developed AJLS, Marshall, Jones and Knott and then gave them away because we wouldn't pay a decent rate for them despite knowing their abilities in our team.

 

The last 3 simply moved up the ladder to a bigger team, that will always happen unless you are Real Madrid or Barcelona and has always happened to us.

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

When was the last time we were in for a proven player, competing against other clubs for a signature, and got our man?

 

When we had Micky and before that JR. it’s all about the manager, would you sign for Page, Bruno, Brown or Aspin if you had an alternative?

[toyahw]

would you sign for Page' date=' Bruno, Brown or Aspin if you had an alternative?[/quote'] To Mr Smurthwaite's Port Vale, no.

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

To Mr Smurthwaite's Port Vale, no.

 

Who have they managed since to stop players signing for other teams?

 

The manager is the key figure in any club and an experienced one is what the owner and fans alike should want.

[Rampant Zebra]

The last 3 simply moved up the ladder to a bigger team' date=' that will always happen unless you are Real Madrid or Barcelona and has always happened to us.[/quote']

 

Marshall wanted to come back when his better offer fell through and Norman turned him away. Height of stupidity or what?

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

Marshall wanted to come back when his better offer fell through and Norman turned him away. Height of stupidity or what?

 

I’d have taken him back in a heartbeat but the budget had been spent by that point.

 

There is no such thing as loyalty in football.