Retained list

[LancyTony]

6 hours ago, Bob Newtonian said:

...how do you bring in 15 players who are better  than the players we ve released  without having any greater bargaining tools to attract them with than other league 2 clubs....

It's generally acknowledged that the squad was too big, by at least 5 players? So those don't need to be replaced, and their wages will go towards bringing in the better players we need. For the first time, "Quality, not quantity" looks like it could happen!

[darren1810]

7 hours ago, LancyTony said:

But Brown came to the Vale from a club just promoted to L1?

Exactly Lancy. I personally am disappointed to see Browny go, i think it's purely an age thing with him.

I was also sad to see Neal leave and Alnwick.

The king is dead long live the king.

[Joe B]

8 hours ago, Guitar Ray said:

Not forgetting our Recruitment Analyst, Tommy Johnson.  Over to you Tom.  No pressure.

Recruitment departments are never big names, but can make or break a manager. They can reverse the fortunes (for good and bad) of a club in one summer, if they nail/balls the signings. Clarke has gone all in on himself and his recruitment team to rebuild this entire squad from the ground up; if it goes wrong, his EFL career is in a bit of trouble. I admire the confidence in himself, and he must trust Flitcroft + the recruitment team to deliver.

Leicester's signings before they won the title (Mahrez, Kante etc) have transformed the club into perennial top 4 contenders. I'm not suggesting we see such a totemic shift, but it would be nice for a successful summer to really kick us on.

[Joe B]

Hoping that Robinson and Whithead are asked to find alternative employment today, and, as much as I quite like the both of them, wouldn't mind if the same was said to Burgess and Amoo (although wouldn't be too fussed if they're retained as squad players).

Would leave us with 8 players contracted, and I have a suspicion that Hurst may be loaned out (as he got a 2 year deal and probably needs a bit more development, being at an age where regular minutes are crucial and he's unlikely to be a first choice for us).

[ELDERBEZZA]

11 minutes ago, Joe B said:

Recruitment departments are never big names, but can make or break a manager. They can reverse the fortunes (for good and bad) of a club in one summer, if they nail/balls the signings. Clarke has gone all in on himself and his recruitment team to rebuild this entire squad from the ground up; if it goes wrong, his EFL career is in a bit of trouble. I admire the confidence in himself, and he must trust Flitcroft + the recruitment team to deliver.

Leicester's signings before they won the title (Mahrez, Kante etc) have transformed the club into perennial top 4 contenders. I'm not suggesting we see such a totemic shift, but it would be nice for a successful summer to really kick us on.

Spot on!By god ,don't we all deserve a bit of long term  stability and a bit of success.The summer recruitment and the next 12 months is massive for Vale and the Clarke journey.

[darren1810]

13 minutes ago, Joe B said:

Hoping that Robinson and Whithead are asked to find alternative employment today, and, as much as I quite like the both of them, wouldn't mind if the same was said to Burgess and Amoo (although wouldn't be too fussed if they're retained as squad players).

Would leave us with 8 players contracted, and I have a suspicion that Hurst may be loaned out (as he got a 2 year deal and probably needs a bit more development, being at an age where regular minutes are crucial and he's unlikely to be a first choice for us).

I agree entirely. I have a gut feeling we could be in for even bigger shocks today.

I can see Amoo, Whitehead, Burgess and Robinson definitely going.

I'll throw these out there too.

The enigma that is Jake Taylor, in reality at the moment a potentially disastrous 3 year deal given by the club, signed prior to Clarkes arrival and seemingly not fancied by Clarke ( granted he has been injured ) . Does he have a future here i wonder.

Also Legge, now Clarke basically said if i pick him he plays, let's be honest it was a great decision and Legge was immense. The rumoured triggering of a new deal we will see, wouldn't at all surprise me if he is also gone. Maybe legal technicalities over that who knows. Makes no sense to me to just keep Legge yet let others like Brisley who performed equally as well go.

My prediction and i'm bound to be wrong is that we will see 6 further exits or made available for transfer situations.

[Rampant Zebra]

In my biased opinion I am beginning to suspect that this is not about what is best for Port Vale Football Club, this is just about proving a point for Clarke. I think he is quick to take the credit for success but quick to blame others if it goes wrong. We will recruit players who are clever enough to say what they think he wants to hear.

[valeparklife]

Just now, Rampant Zebra said:

In my biased opinion I am beginning to suspect that this is not about what is best for Port Vale Football Club, this is just about proving a point for Clarke. I think he is quick to take the credit for success but quick to blame others if it goes wrong. We will recruit players who are clever enough to say what they think he wants to hear.

I think that's another load of nonsense.

He's never taken any credit, always passes it on to the players. And what blame has he directed on to others?

Your vendetta against Clarke, who saved us from non-league oblivion, is bizarre.

[valiant_593]

41 minutes ago, Rampant Zebra said:

In my biased opinion I am beginning to suspect that this is not about what is best for Port Vale Football Club, this is just about proving a point for Clarke. I think he is quick to take the credit for success but quick to blame others if it goes wrong. We will recruit players who are clever enough to say what they think he wants to hear.

What a complete load of rubbish. It is a retained list. We have just had another awful season of course the majority were going to be released. I wouldn’t go on the internet today if I was you as more will be leaving. It’s called rebuilding, something that has needed to be done for years. Of course it’s the best thing for port vale we have been desperate for a clear out for some time !! 
 

Also watch his interviews he hasn’t taken any credit for wins he has always put that praise onto the players. I get you don’t like him (no idea why) but it’s getting embarrassing now. 

[osprey]

In or out?

Just shaking it all about

[Iron Curtain]

41 minutes ago, Rampant Zebra said:

In my biased opinion I am beginning to suspect that this is not about what is best for Port Vale Football Club, this is just about proving a point for Clarke. I think he is quick to take the credit for success but quick to blame others if it goes wrong. We will recruit players who are clever enough to say what they think he wants to hear.

I cant quite remember which camp you were in when it came time for a new manager.

Was it the "Askey should have stayed" camp or were you one of those that had a different preferred candidate?

[Rocky]

35 minutes ago, Rampant Zebra said:

In my biased opinion I am beginning to suspect that this is not about what is best for Port Vale Football Club, this is just about proving a point for Clarke. I think he is quick to take the credit for success but quick to blame others if it goes wrong. We will recruit players who are clever enough to say what they think he wants to hear.

 

I'm not going to go in as hard as others have but what I do think is he played players on Saturday to justify the cull, as one game isn't enough in my opinion to truly gauge whether the player is good enough for a successful campaign next season. DC knew weeks ago who he was releasing and he took the opportunity of having a match with nothing to play for. I know he said he always wants to win but that performance on Saturday is one of the worst I've ever seen as a Vale fan of over 30 years and I was wondering as I watched if the players had a feeling that no matter how well they played it was fruitless.

Your point on what is best for Port Vale. I truly believe he is hungry to win and succeed at any cost and if that means upsetting certain fans in the short term then so be it. The truth is the guy has come in and broken records 25+ years old. He's warranted a bit of trust from the fans that he knows what he's doing.

[Iron Curtain]

46 minutes ago, Rampant Zebra said:

In my biased opinion I am beginning to suspect that this is not about what is best for Port Vale Football Club, this is just about proving a point for Clarke. I think he is quick to take the credit for success but quick to blame others if it goes wrong. We will recruit players who are clever enough to say what they think he wants to hear.

 

4 minutes ago, Iron Curtain said:

I cant quite remember which camp you were in when it came time for a new manager.

Was it the "Askey should have stayed" camp or were you one of those that had a different preferred candidate?

Just had a look back... You wanted Askey to stay.

As you were.

[The Kalamazoo Kid]

39 minutes ago, valeparklife said:

And what blame has he directed on to others?

I thought during that first month or so (until he got his first win!) he was constantly making comments that seemed to be shifting the blame and digging at Askey (without actually saying as much) - about various things such as fitness levels being nowhere near good enough, the wrong make-up of the squad (too many midfield '8's, only one for the Joyce position), only having played 4-3-3 with no alternative.

To be fair though, he was completely right and most new managers almost certainly do similar when they take over a poorly performing team.

[Joe B]

4 minutes ago, The Kalamazoo Kid said:

I thought during that first month or so (until he got his first win!) he was constantly making comments that seemed to be shifting the blame and digging at Askey (without actually saying as much) - about various things such as fitness levels being nowhere near good enough, the wrong make-up of the squad (too many midfield '8's, only one for the Joyce position), only having played 4-3-3 with no alternative.

To be fair though, he was completely right and most new managers almost certainly do similar when they take over a poorly performing team.

His criticisms were fair and he's backed it up by blowing up the squad at the first opporunity.