Match Thread: Barrow v Port Vale

[valefan16]

15 minutes ago, mbycars said:

If i remember right the bottom four clubs in Division  4 had to apply for re-election to the league. All league clubs had a vote. Teams like Barrow and Workington struggled for votes because of their location. Crewe had to apply several times but because of their location and how easy it was to get there they always got back in.

Looked a relatively scenic location all be it a bit of a hovel around the immediate area from the camera angle with the sea behind.

[ClntonBoulton]

39 minutes ago, mbycars said:

If i remember right the bottom four clubs in Division  4 had to apply for re-election to the league. All league clubs had a vote. Teams like Barrow and Workington struggled for votes because of their location. Crewe had to apply several times but because of their location and how easy it was to get there they always got back in.

There was that horrible year when due to "financial irregularities" in 1968 we had to seek re-election. I was 10 and fearful that we might get kicked out.....still sends shivers....😳

[Fosse69]

35 minutes ago, valefan16 said:

Looked a relatively scenic location all be it a bit of a hovel around the immediate area from the camera angle with the sea behind.

Many years of neglect and struggle since Vale 1954 could only manage a draw in front of 7,000 spectators,( Record  crowd 16, 874)

[Paul6754]

36 minutes ago, ClntonBoulton said:

There was that horrible year when due to "financial irregularities" in 1968 we had to seek re-election. I was 10 and fearful that we might get kicked out.....still sends shivers....😳

Weren't Vale expelled from the EFL for illegal payments to players during Stan Mathews time in charge. Expulsion meant Vale had to apply for re-election irrespective of where we finished. I also remember being worried Vale might get kicked out of the league but thankfully Vale were re-elected.

[Fosse69]

17 minutes ago, Paul6754 said:

Weren't Vale expelled from the EFL for illegal payments to players during Stan Mathews time in charge. Expulsion meant Vale had to apply for re-election irrespective of where we finished. I also remember being worried Vale might get kicked out of the league but thankfully Vale were re-elected.

Yes we finished 18th, 2 seasons later finished 4th and promoted, having started with an unbeaten run of 16 matches. A target for DC ?

[LancyTony]

23 hours ago, philmpv said:

 

 

That's the point though isn't it. I've said before that we can't approach it like we have done before (that certain players who have been involved in 2 or 3 relegation battles are our 'first choice'). We need to seek to better each and every position, not just look to sign back up players that are on a par with what we have. With the new drive on proper recruitment, I really hope that we'll have a completely different approach. You say that we can't compare this team under JA with DC, but JA had us virtually in the play offs last season, which led to many (including myself) to trust that they would do the same again. That obviously didn't happen and went horribly wrong, so forgive me if I've lost trust in this group, particularly now that a lot of them are on their 3rd permanent manager, and their 4th manager if you include Pughs caretaker period. 5 of them are on their 5th! Just my opinion

 

Yes, some of them have battled relegation a couple of times...and flirted with the play-offs...but if you can't see that DC isn't JA - and, therefore, has a different approach - then there's no hope!

"...We need to seek to better each and every position..."??? You're seriously advocating to look for 11 new first-team players, and 5 or 6 back-up, of better quality than we already have? Where's the magic money tree? 

[philmpv]

Absolutely no need for a magic money tree. Simply a driven professional recruitment system that doesn't settle for largely average players. If we just accept that we can't do better in each position and just seek backup players then what's the point? Are you naive enough to think that there's not better than Smith, Gibbons, Conlon etc out there and available each summer? If that's the case, why do we struggle nearly every season, and why are we still stuck in L2, when plenty of other sides haven't (including those on smaller budgets)? Other teams in this division have performed much better than us, and the only constant in our team has been the nucleus that you seem to think we cant do better than. I'm not saying it's easy, at all, I just don't see the point in accepting that our 'key' players are the best that we can do. If you don't look to improve every position when recruiting, then we accept mediocrity. Aim high. It doesn't have to cost the earth, by any stretch.

Yes, some of them have battled relegation a couple of times...and flirted with the play-offs...but if you can't see that DC isn't JA - and, therefore, has a different approach - then there's no hope!
"...We need to seek to better each and every position..."??? You're seriously advocating to look for 11 new first-team players, and 5 or 6 back-up, of better quality than we already have? Where's the magic money tree? 

[LancyTony]

16 minutes ago, philmpv said:

Absolutely no need for a magic money tree. Simply a driven professional recruitment system that doesn't settle for largely average players. If we just accept that we can't do better in each position and just seek backup players then what's the point? Are you naive enough to think that there's not better than Smith, Gibbons, Conlon etc out there and available each summer? If that's the case, why do we struggle nearly every season, and why are we still stuck in L2, when plenty of other sides haven't (including those on smaller budgets)? Other teams in this division have performed much better than us, and the only constant in our team has been the nucleus that you seem to think we cant do better than. I'm not saying it's easy, at all, I just don't see the point in accepting that our 'key' players are the best that we can do. If you don't look to improve every position when recruiting, then we accept mediocrity. Aim high. It doesn't have to cost the earth, by any stretch.

I think you're the naive one! Imagining that it will cost us nowt to replace up to 16 players??? And I'm really surprised at your "targets" - Smith, Gibbons and Conlon? Smith has been almost back to his best when he had transfer rumours about a move. Gibbo has been desperately unlucky with injuries, otherwise he is one of our best; and Conlon?????...seriously - you're targeting Conlon? Who, at his current rate of development...and if we manage to keep him for another season...will be our next 7-figure sale!

Aim high - indeed - but stay on this planet! 

[Jacko51]

Back to the game.  Does anyone know if something had gone on between the teams - it all seemed very niggly right from the kick off?

[Fosse69]

1 hour ago, Jacko51 said:

Back to the game.  Does anyone know if something had gone on between the teams - it all seemed very niggly right from the kick off?

Maybe they were on edge, a win would have made them safe, they were not to know Grimsby and Southend were to lose either which has eased their situation.  But that cannot justify their attitude, as always the referee fails to clamp down on it early. DC has not mentioned it, I assume his yellow card was the consequence of his response to on field behaviour.

[valefan16]

12 hours ago, Jacko51 said:

Back to the game.  Does anyone know if something had gone on between the teams - it all seemed very niggly right from the kick off?

Assume Quigley had a chip over the Vale and his spell here and the early elbow just set the tone.

Tried to bully us probably thinking back to how weak we were boxing day but forgot to take into account we are DC's Port Vale and able to dish it back.

[mbycars]

17 hours ago, valefan16 said:

Looked a relatively scenic location all be it a bit of a hovel around the immediate area from the camera angle with the sea behind.

By location i meant in the back of beyond, long distances to travel for the southern teams and not easy to get to.

[PV1973]

13 hours ago, LancyTony said:

I think you're the naive one! Imagining that it will cost us nowt to replace up to 16 players??? And I'm really surprised at your "targets" - Smith, Gibbons and Conlon? Smith has been almost back to his best when he had transfer rumours about a move. Gibbo has been desperately unlucky with injuries, otherwise he is one of our best; and Conlon?????...seriously - you're targeting Conlon? Who, at his current rate of development...and if we manage to keep him for another season...will be our next 7-figure sale!

Aim high - indeed - but stay on this planet! 

I see the point that we need to look at better players when we we can. But the cost issue of having 2 players in each position vying for one shirt is unrealistic I feel. But those 3 players mentioned are IMO the least of our worries. The problem has been building a squad around those better players, say a core or Brown, Smith, Gibbo, Worrall, Conlon, Rodney, even Manny would have have been in that bracket and to look at replacing the ageing players like Pope, Joyce and Legge. Askey wasnt been able to do it. He supplemented the squad with players that were worse and when the better players were injured or hit a bad patch then we struggled.