Tom Pope Testimonial?

[Joe B]

Would be a good curtain raiser for the new season. Restrictions lifted, sunny day, feel-good atmosphere for our first proper return to VP with a few recent heroes on show.

Pubs and club shop would make a mint, new shirts will be sold out, get some deals going for 10 game tickets etc.

Would give the fans the opportunity to properly send off Tom and generate the buzz.

[tommytunstall]

Tom in my many years of watching the Vale you are up their with the best, thanks for many memories, I will never forget your goal at the Etihad.

You are a true Vale legend 

[Ian bradbury]

Yes give him a good one against man city at least you know he will score.

I would like to see him kept on at the club in a coaching role perhaps with the youth set up.

[Doha]

3 hours ago, Joe B said:

Would be a good curtain raiser for the new season. Restrictions lifted, sunny day, feel-good atmosphere for our first proper return to VP with a few recent heroes on show.

Pubs and club shop would make a mint, new shirts will be sold out, get some deals going for 10 game tickets etc.

Would give the fans the opportunity to properly send off Tom and generate the buzz.

Spot on. Pre season game, open day, coincide with launch of home shirt, ample opportunity to sell loads of stock or lease space to food and beer trucks outside, Pope signed shirts, left over man city scarf stock etc on sale in the club shop. 

Trifecta of testimonial for TP, £££, and long awaited fan engagement at a proper match.

[JohnJames]

If Pope gets a new contract. He wouldn’t be able to play.

[Doha]

Why not? It's not a formalised FA fixture. You could come on against Newcastle Town in July if Clarke so wished. 

[hamilboy]

13 hours ago, eh up nah said:

An absolute non decision. 

Tom is a Vale legend of the highest order.

 

First of all i thank him for his effort and never say die attitude he gave to port vale football club over the years but to say that he is a vale legend of the highest order is way over the top.Nobody will ever come anywhere near what Roy Sproson means to us older fans this man played 837 games could have left the vale anytime in his pomp over the 20 years he played but he did not. When he did retire he shared his testimonial with Sellwyn Whalley the man was a absolute god while i was growing up afraid tom his not and never will be in the same bracket.Before you say but he is the post war record goal scorer just imagine how many goals Andy Jones would have scored if he had stayed at the vale for 10 years.I would go as far to say that tom comes way down the list of centre forwards that have worn the vale shirt that i have seen but there is no one to compere with Sproey to my generation of vale fans and never will be .

[mbycars]

46 minutes ago, Doha said:

Spot on. Pre season game, open day, coincide with launch of home shirt, ample opportunity to sell loads of stock or lease space to food and beer trucks outside, Pope signed shirts, left over man city scarf stock etc on sale in the club shop. 

Trifecta of testimonial for TP, £££, and long awaited fan engagement at a proper match.

It would depend on if Tom gets a contract elsewhere and whether that club allows Tom to play. They wouldn't want him to get injured playing in a testimonial at his previous club. Would love this to happen though. I would definitely attend to say goodbye and show my appreciation to a true legend of PVFC.

[JohnJames]

1 hour ago, Doha said:

Why not? It's not a formalised FA fixture. You could come on against Newcastle Town in July if Clarke so wished. 

Depends whether his new club want to risk an injury to him and his dodgy shoulder

[eh up nah]

2 hours ago, hamilboy said:

First of all i thank him for his effort and never say die attitude he gave to port vale football club over the years but to say that he is a vale legend of the highest order is way over the top.Nobody will ever come anywhere near what Roy Sproson means to us older fans this man played 837 games could have left the vale anytime in his pomp over the 20 years he played but he did not. When he did retire he shared his testimonial with Sellwyn Whalley the man was a absolute god while i was growing up afraid tom his not and never will be in the same bracket.Before you say but he is the post war record goal scorer just imagine how many goals Andy Jones would have scored if he had stayed at the vale for 10 years.I would go as far to say that tom comes way down the list of centre forwards that have worn the vale shirt that i have seen but there is no one to compere with Sproey to my generation of vale fans and never will be .

Don't disagree at all with what you say about the other lads in your post. Genuine legends of the Vale all of them.

I can see the point about how many goals AJ would have got had he stayed 10 years.  He didn't though, did he?

In terms of Vale in my lifetime (I started going in 1990, aged eight) then he's got to be up there at the top table.

Granted, I've seen many a finer footballer grace the Vale Park turf in my time but for what he gave for the shirt, the number of goals he scored, the part he played in a promotion winning side, the fact he's one of us (not everything, I know, but it definitely adds to the cult status) just all adds to it for me.

We probably still disagree but my opinion is his contribution to the teams he's been in warrants it.

[Wrex]

2 hours ago, hamilboy said:

Before you say but he is the post war record goal scorer just imagine how many goals Andy Jones would have scored if he had stayed at the vale for 10 years.

I imagine Harry Kane would have broken the record had he spent the last ten years. But he didn't and neither did Jones. Jones did actually come back on loan in 1989 and wasn't that impressive. Pope scored more goals for Port Vale than Jones did for his entire Football League career. Pope scored more goals at Vale Park then Jones did home and away at Vale. Really don't see what point you're trying to make here.

[hamilboy]

12 minutes ago, eh up nah said:

Don't disagree at all with what you say about the other lads in your post. Genuine legends of the Vale all of them.

I can see the point about how many goals AJ would have got had he stayed 10 years.  He didn't though, did he?

In terms of Vale in my lifetime (I started going in 1990, aged eight) then he's got to be up there at the top table.

Granted, I've seen many a finer footballer grace the Vale Park turf in my time but for what he gave for the shirt, the number of goals he scored, the part he played in a promotion winning side, the fact he's one of us (not everything, I know, but it definitely adds to the cult status) just all adds to it for me.

We probably still disagree but my opinion is his contribution to the teams he's been in warrants it.

After all we are all vale though we are different generations let us hope for a brighter future so that we can both cheer on our beloved club pvfc

[bycars rob]

Popey has been brilliant for us but will have been decently  rewarded for his efforts and he had his benefit when he went for the silly money Bury offered him.

[MelbourneValiant]

Technically it should be for ten years straight service,  but this is a rare exception. Post war record scorer, home grown player, a Vale fan, part of a promotion winning team, the list is endless. If not a testimonial then at least a ten minute cameo in a pre-season friendly. He deserves a fitting send off and a chance to say goodbye to the fans and the fans deserve to belt out 'Feed the Pope' one last time.

 

[eh up nah]

8 minutes ago, hamilboy said:

After all we are all vale though we are different generations let us hope for a brighter future so that we can both cheer on our beloved club pvfc

Definitely