Retained list

[MBE]

2 hours ago, Rocky said:

I aren't saying Lee Hughes was the greatest striker that Port Vale ever had, or questioned why he left. If you are going to defend your statements may I suggest adding some balance to your opinions because your comments are really embarrassing.

 

Just checking though, you're not Tom Pope are you?

Just ignore the <ovf censored> fan.

[Guitar Ray]

2 hours ago, andy jones said:

Whilst having seen all the above strikers except Kirkham there is no doubt they were class footballers. But when it came to actually scoring goals I would say Foyle in what is now the Championship is the one I would compare as a finisher to Pope's record season.

When it comes to scoring vital goals I would say Tom Pope's goals that kept us in the Football League were fundamentally the most vital  to the club?

For pure pleasure Pope's Ethiad goal is possibly the one that gave me the most pleasure as goals by the other strikers were scored at a time when we were in the glory years whereas Tom's Ethiad moment was an oasis in a desert of dross.

Even this last season Pope's ability to hold & control a football, see a pass, always meant we played further up the pitch when he came on.

I can understand his critics saying his best years are behind him, of course they are, but we are looking to get out of the 4th division for God's sake and I am sure his next club will play to his strengths and play it simple. Stick it up at the back post and he will either score or put it on a plate. Like he did for the lad at Bury who scored a hatful.

They are big boots to fill and I wish DF and DC the best of luck trying to do that.

 

Time must have either dimmed your memory or mine. As I remember it, the cup goals back in the 80’s / 90’s, and certainly our goals when we first started playing the Sh1te again on a regular basis, were way past a fairly meaningless but fun day out in Manc.

The rest of what you say is correct, but the question now is has Tom still got the ability to actually be at the back post consistently when the ball arrives.  In part he’s handicapped by the size of the Vale Park pitch, which demands more athleticism from a player than many of the pitches in our division.  Unless we bring the lines in again.

[LancyTony]

8 hours ago, Doha said:

 Press reports were true

2 years with an option on a  3rd

Good luck to him.

 

 

Good luck Monty - I hope you get to play more games than you did with us?

[andy jones]

Guitar Ray.  As I said the other goals including the equalisers away at both Liverpool clubs were in the Rudge era when we had numerous special goals to celebrate. We went the Ethiad hoping to keep it below 7 and after 29 minutes when losing 1-0 we played a triangle of passes in our own box, moved the ball out to Monty at left back, he made progress down the left and after a switch to the right seconds later a superb move climaxed with an equally superb header and league 2 Port "Struggling" Vale were level against the mighty Man City.

I can assure you that as that ball hit the back of the net that game was far from meaningless.

As I put in my post this was at a time when Vale was a desert of dross and whatever came later in the game at that very moment Tom Pope had created a bloody magnificent Oasis in that seemingly never ending dross. 

whereas the other goals you mentioned were half expected that equaliser at the Ethiad was from another planet.

Anyway, as you say we all have personal favourites and I am sure we can both agree we need to get out of this footballing desert and return to the days of having the S hite as our rabbits again.

Up the Vale

[Valiant62]

Glad Monty has got fixed up, I’ll remember his time at Vale fondly.

[Paul6754]

Me too, South American flair and exhilarating one moment, makes yer year your hair out the next. Best of luck Monty.

[ValeCW]

5 hours ago, valiant_593 said:

Is Clarke still taking us down? 

to Wembley ?. No. We will go up automatically.

[JohnJames]

2 hours ago, andy jones said:

Guitar Ray.  As I said the other goals including the equalisers away at both Liverpool clubs were in the Rudge era when we had numerous special goals to celebrate. We went the Ethiad hoping to keep it below 7 and after 29 minutes when losing 1-0 we played a triangle of passes in our own box, moved the ball out to Monty at left back, he made progress down the left and after a switch to the right seconds later a superb move climaxed with an equally superb header and league 2 Port "Struggling" Vale were level against the mighty Man City.

I can assure you that as that ball hit the back of the net that game was far from meaningless.

As I put in my post this was at a time when Vale was a desert of dross and whatever came later in the game at that very moment Tom Pope had created a bloody magnificent Oasis in that seemingly never ending dross. 

whereas the other goals you mentioned were half expected that equaliser at the Ethiad was from another planet.

Anyway, as you say we all have personal favourites and I am sure we can both agree we need to get out of this footballing desert and return to the days of having the S hite as our rabbits again.

Up the Vale

Never tire of this from an apparently <ovf censored> team with <ovf censored> players

 

[darren1810]

The greatest mental has to be Everton away in injury time surely.

[philmpv]

The greatest mental has to be Everton away in injury time surely.

Remember that well. It was nuts! It's either that one or Lee Mills' last gasp equaliser in front of the Bycars. Happy days!

[JohnJames]

1 hour ago, darren1810 said:

The greatest mental has to be Everton away in injury time surely.

Spurs in 1988 or Brighton to go up to Div 1 for us old blokes

[hamilboy]

12 hours ago, Guitar Ray said:

I guess everyone has their own memories but as much as I enjoyed that goal at the Etihad there are plenty more above it on my list.  Sorry to hear you got thrown out by the way.

1975 fa cup grantham away Derek Brownbill scoring a last minute equaliser vale fans on the pitch linesman flag up ref give it as a goal don't think he dare do anything else great day out even in thatcher country.

[JRC]

Walker's goal against Spurs. Not only saved Rudge's job but also really marked the start of our ascent to what we know call The Championship. 

[mr.hobblesworth]

3 hours ago, darren1810 said:

The greatest mental has to be Everton away in injury time surely.

Corden's equaliser against Arsenal for me.

[Santa]

For me it was Bernie Slaven at Blackpool.