Retained list

[Fosse69]

13 minutes ago, dishydave said:

Nobody's saying Hurst is ready for the league yet especially me as I don't rate him at all but we need to give these young lads more time instead of expecting them to hit the ground running other clubs manage to develop players like Hurst and I think it's about time we start so let's see how he gets on

Which is the point of all the coaches.

[soothsayer]

27 minutes ago, PV1973 said:

Isn’t that what I said about Amoo, whitehead and Robinson in the post you quoted?

My point about hurst is that Clarke has just given him a 2 year deal.
 

In general though there’s some incredibly harsh some posts about hurst here. I bet he started the season with the aim of hoping to get some appearances under his belt, he’s done that and gone and earned himself a new deal in the process. That’s a good season of progress in any players book who’s new to pro football. As usual some posters just don’t understand the word progress and seem to think every player that puts the shirt on is going to be ready for pro football. Some people are just unrealistic. 

As I said earlier, Clarke sees the players most days in training and if he thinks there’s a player in there (Hurst) I’m prepared to back him. However he looks too lightweight to me but perhaps I’m wrong. 
What we don’t need is Ryan Lloyd mk2 who had a number of seasons at the club and didn’t make it.

[Vale1995]

2 hours ago, robf said:

I haven't said he should be first choice. I haven't said he's promotion level. My point was disagreeing with the statement he "hasn't pushed on" - what is going from the fringes of the squad to being a member of the squad and challenging if it isn't pushing on?

He's clearly a work in progress, yes, and he shouldn't be first choice right now, but I personally can see why the manager thinks he has potential and is worth keeping. I also thought he had an OK game on Saturday too.

I think the only reason he got into the team was due to how bad we are. If we had anyone witha slight bit of quality in that position he wouldnt of come anywhere near the side

[Vale1995]

Saw nothing from hurst to suggest he can cut it in the league apart from effort just reminds me of a ryan lloyd type of player 

[Properman]

35 minutes ago, PV1973 said:

Isn’t that what I said about Amoo, whitehead and Robinson in the post you quoted?

My point about hurst is that Clarke has just given him a 2 year deal.
 

In general though there’s some incredibly harsh some posts about hurst here. I bet he started the season with the aim of hoping to get some appearances under his belt, he’s done that and gone and earned himself a new deal in the process. That’s a good season of progress in any players book who’s new to pro football. As usual some posters just don’t understand the word progress and seem to think every player that puts the shirt on is going to be ready for pro football. Some people are just unrealistic. 

That is what I was on about in my last post. If Clarke thinks they are good enough he will give them a decent contract. One year deals are no use at all if you are a seasoned pro, it means you are going at the end, and would they give it all?

[Conrad]

57 minutes ago, Jacko51 said:

Has Popey done any of his coaching badges?

In Scrimmies, yes.

ps, this was intended as a joke, again, not knocking a Vale legend.

[Properman]

7 minutes ago, Conrad said:

In Scrimmies, yes.

ps, this was intended as a joke, again, not knocking a Vale legend.

He has not been in scrimes last 7 months, been shut. Saw in sentimental looking for new landlord lol

[Howjy04]

2 hours ago, Wrex said:

He may have just been referring to weight / fitness issues. He definitely said players would be receiving "fatness tests"!

Thanks for the confirmation Wrex.I think he said he’d be handing out fines after the fatness tests on Tuesday.

[Quebec_Valiant]

Just now, Howjy04 said:

Thanks for the confirmation Wrex.I think he said he’d be handing out fines after the fatness tests on Tuesday.

He said they'd be giving targets for players to work on over the summer and if they didn't hit them then the players would be hit in the pocket.

He also said he didn't think that it would come to that.

 

[ValeCW]

14 hours ago, Guitar Ray said:

All scared, which is pretty damn scared, or really only just a tiny bit scared?

To make it easier for me to visualise, on an Alton Towers scale would you say you were at the Smiler scared end of the spectrum or closer to being just Something Special Sensory Garden scared?  I'll be honest here and say that Sensory Garden scare the sh17 out of me.

Not scared then. Just hoping my 2nd fave player, Legge stays.

[JRC]

3 hours ago, robf said:

Gosh, I think that's incredibly harsh. "Hasn't pushed on enough" - he made his league debut in DECEMBER! I would say he's done a lot of "pushing on" this season - going from outside of the squad to a regular squad member for a start and I would expect a rookie to be somewhat inconsistent as he adapts to a new level. 

I would imagine next season will be the time we will expect him to push on, not after just thirteen League starts.

I thought he did OK on Saturday (he did hit the bar with a screamer) and there were others who had far worse games than him - and those performances came from players who have far more League experience than him too.

 

Rob I fully agree. I do think he looked a little better when he first got into the side than in his more recent appearances. 

There is a critcism he is lightweight but a couple of times on Saturday he held off Perch better than any Vale player. There was an issue in one game recently where one right wingback certainly did manage to push him around a bit. I think he might have more of an issue against smaller players as he seems to have developed a pretty good technique against the really big guys.

The fact he is pretty much two footed is a big bonus for him. I believe he has a great attitude. I'm still not 100% convinced the club are sure where he should play. Personally I'm not 100% convinced he has the real pace to be a winger or a wingback. He's clearly not a centrehalf. He came to the club as a midfield player, played mainly at leftback but also in midfield,  as a 10 and a winger at BPA. In some ways there are parallels with Andy Porter at a similar age who filled in gaps in the team and, certainly, I wondered if he would quite make it. He is quicker and his distribution is better than Porter's when he first got into the side. He hasn't got the same crunching tackle, but will put a foot in and young Porter would probably have been sent off every game if he played now. I assume Clark has looked at all that and decided there is something there worth working with.

First full season

Porter p 16 g 1

Hurst p26 g 2

Hurst is a few months older than Porter at the same stage BUT Porter had played a handful of league games in the 2 previous seasons. I think people tend to think Hurst is older than he is; he turned 21 during the season.

With him getting a 2 year deal I wonder if the club might be looking at half a season in the national league next season, maybe with a recall clause. I think a run of games at that level is probably better than 15 or 16 substitute appearance and 4 or 5 starts. They also need to decide on his best position, although Clark's comments when he signed his contract told me that was probably decided.

[Fosse69]

1 hour ago, Howjy04 said:

Thanks for the confirmation Wrex.I think he said he’d be handing out fines after the fatness tests on Tuesday.

Anyone who has put fat on during a season deserves fining, maybe an exception if a long period injured and unable to walk. The targets for the return to training  I would expect to be set on Tuesday as well.

[The man in the pub]

Tell a player what he wants to hear when you release him or tell him the truth, which might actually do him some good at his next club. Clarke believes in the truth , you werent good enough because .......   and if you always do what you have always done you will always get what you have always got.

A favourite of mine would be to point out that very, very few players who get released by the Vale then go on to do better things. There is a reason for that, and that reason sits firmly with the player.

[PV1973]

12 minutes ago, Fosse69 said:

Anyone who has put fat on during a season deserves fining, maybe an exception if a long period injured and unable to walk. The targets for the return to training  I would expect to be set on Tuesday as well.

This happens every preseason and is nothing new at all. They have all the players data for their weight and previous fitness stats so they have to come back within a certain percentage of those figures. They are also given a preseason training programme too which is designed to build up their fitness steadily to the first week back in July. 

[andy jones]

whenever Pope comes on we immediately start playing higher up the pitch.

no one else in our squad has that ability.

Our biggest problem for some years now has been a failure to replace Pope.

It's easy to say he is past it. he has suffered from a long injury that he hasn't yet recovered full fitness from.

In fact how many players would have played on with that injury like he did?

Kevin Ellison still did us at Newport and Pope is the best option we have to come on at the death and do the same for us.

Anyway if DC let's him go he shouldn't be surprised when a lightning bolt shoots down from.the heavens and turns him to dust!

Old Sage wunner be happy.

RIP Mike.