Tom Pope

[Loggerheads Sage]

6 hours ago, WV said:

Huge apologies PV, I didn't realise I wasn't allowed to voice my opinion unless it was positive. Perhaps you should have taken your own advice on matchday threads during the winter? 

 

Are women not allowed to go? 

Perhaps he didn't realise that he wasn't allowed to comment also?

[WV]

10 minutes ago, Loggerheads Sage said:

Perhaps he didn't realise that he wasn't allowed to comment also?

Never said he wasn’t? Just ironic the man who said the season was done every time we went a goal down is suggesting only positive comments are allowed on this particular thread. 

[andy jones]

WV etc. Without Pope keeping us in the football league all the fantastic progress at the club now would not have been possible.

You may like to consider that Pope's love of the club saw him stay on the pitch in a Micky Mouse competition trying to score an equaliser with a shattered shoulder that basically finished his career.

So yes, I agree, you should have the right to quote your views, of course you should. But nothing, absolutely nothing will stop me wanting to attend a testimonial for the man who affectively saved the Vale.

Oh, and a certain goal at the Ethiad. Did you celebrate that BTW?

But, as you say it's your decision what you want to do.

[Powerline]

1 hour ago, andy jones said:

WV etc. Without Pope keeping us in the football league all the fantastic progress at the club now would not have been possible.

You may like to consider that Pope's love of the club saw him stay on the pitch in a Micky Mouse competition trying to score an equaliser with a shattered shoulder that basically finished his career.

So yes, I agree, you should have the right to quote your views, of course you should. But nothing, absolutely nothing will stop me wanting to attend a testimonial for the man who affectively saved the Vale.

Oh, and a certain goal at the Ethiad. Did you celebrate that BTW?

But, as you say it's your decision what you want to do.

Just because Pope saved us as a player does not mean people have to eternally love him. I fully respect what he did for Vale and am thankful for it. At the same time, I think he’s an absolute tosspot as he’s demonstrated on numerous occasions. He brought the club into disrepute several times and continued to despite repeated warnings. And then made pretty poor comments about Flitcroft, Clarke and Conlon. So people are fully entitled to not pay for an event where the money all goes to him, when he’s probably better off than half of us anyway. For me he can also ‘do one’, as Phantom Lord nicely put it.

[Powerline]

I’d also add just because I won’t be going, I’m not trying to discourage people from doing so. If people feel that they want to pay tribute to what he did for Vale, then they’re perfectly entitled to do so, just as I am to not attend.

[fuzzyvalefan]

What means more to people. Years and years of graft hard work and quality. Almost singlehandedly getting us promoted and then basically keeping us in the football league for 3 years or one single interview when he was clearly still sore. Anyone who thinks the latter needs to give their head a wobble.

[MelbourneValiant]

Most of us criticised some player/manager/owner and been proved wrong at some point. You cannot question what Pope did for Vale, post war highest scorer I think, 2nd all time top scorer.

I would attend if I was there.

[philmpv]

I really don't buy this 'he kept us in the league' rubbish.

Trying to build a team around Pope and his very limited and diminishing abilities was, to a large degree, the reason that we struggled every season. He had to be the top dog and when he wasn't (Askey was the first to recognise that he wasn't the man to lead the line) he clearly caused issues behind the scenes.

Every striker who was brought in to challenge or potentially replace Pope fell quickly, and many were given little chance because of the pandering to Pope.

I posted a few years ago that Pope was part of the problem, not the solution, and was roundly derided on here. What do you know, the first season without him and trying to build a team around him, we go up, playing some of the best football in a decade.

Yes it's not all down to him. If we'd had the management and recruitment team with the abilities and vision that we have now back then, things may have been very different. Askey tried but just wasn't up to it and didn't have the support either.

In short, we've wasted 5 years, playing some of the worst football I've ever witnessed at VP, I believe, tying to build a team around Pope, just because he was Tom Pope. Nobody can say with any certainty what would have happened if we hadn't re-signed Pope but this season alone has shown how much better off we are without him.

So, if you hadn't already guessed, I won't be attending any testimonial. I've wasted enough money watching Pope over the past few years and funded his wage which he openly admitted to taking to go out on the p155 when he was supposed to be ensuring that he was ready to play on a Saturday.

[Powerline]

8 hours ago, fuzzyvalefan said:

What means more to people. Years and years of graft hard work and quality. Almost singlehandedly getting us promoted and then basically keeping us in the football league for 3 years or one single interview when he was clearly still sore. Anyone who thinks the latter needs to give their head a wobble.

It’s not just the interview though. There’s loads of stuff he’s done. And in addition to that, I thought he was a knob even before all this. If you want to go that’s fine, hope you enjoy. But people are entitled to not want to pay money to a man who’s clearly proven he’s a total arse.

[wotsyobeef]

Had some very good times watching Tom paly football, especially the promotion season where everything he touched turned to Gold.

People praising his character should listen to the interviews where he states that he doesn't give a F about being reprimanded by the FA for his twitter comments and would never change, all prior to him getting multiple fines and then a big ban which nearly cost us football league status. You may also want to watch this video:

10 years service is usually required for a testimonial as a gift to the player for their honourable service. Should a player who didn't give 10 years service, brought the club into disrepute with comments on social media and then bad mouthed former colleagues, the management team and current players be given one? I'm not so sure, everyone is however free to make their own mind up.

[jimbo57]

13 hours ago, andy jones said:

WV etc. Without Pope keeping us in the football league all the fantastic progress at the club now would not have been possible.

You may like to consider that Pope's love of the club saw him stay on the pitch in a Micky Mouse competition trying to score an equaliser with a shattered shoulder that basically finished his career.

So yes, I agree, you should have the right to quote your views, of course you should. But nothing, absolutely nothing will stop me wanting to attend a testimonial for the man who affectively saved the Vale.

Oh, and a certain goal at the Ethiad. Did you celebrate that BTW?

But, as you say it's your decision what you want to do.

Can't agree more. I'll be there, as will other  family Vale fans.

[Howjy04]

Just got promoted and people are still talking about this waster.Not fit to lace Wilson’s boots.

[Mellor!]

Seen some of the merch the club will be selling for the testimonial. It's really smart 

[Packmoor_vale]

15 hours ago, WV said:

Never said he wasn’t? Just ironic the man who said the season was done every time we went a goal down is suggesting only positive comments are allowed on this particular thread. 

If your referring to me you are so wrong Im usually pulling other people for it 

[Dr Delgado]

It’s so unfortunate that wisdom doesn’t necessarily follow talent. Tom Pope clearly had talent as a lower league footballer, his heading ability was at times unplayable in league 2, I also think that his passing abilities were never praised enough. He has achieved things for my club that I could only dream of. But had he added wisdom to his talent he may still be playing league football now, maybe if he had replaced Benson & Hedges with yoga, his Bass with carrot juice and Twitter for mindfulness, who knows.

There are and always have been sports people with a higher profile than Tom Pope who lack wisdom, look at Becker, Rooney, Best, Giggs, Tyson, Gascogne, lance Armstrong, the list is endless. (I accept that a couple in the list maybe down to unfortunate addiction issues).

I can fully appreciate that whenever Tom Pope put on a Vale shirt he gave 100%. What I would question is, had his effort off the pitch been like Alan Shearer’s, whereby  he trained hard, ate right, drank as a treat and not as a lifestyle then I think he would have done even better. 

I accept that his goals helped to keep us in the league but so did Ben Whitfield’s and everyone  else who chipped in that season. Nobody can single handedly carry any team of eleven.

I probably would have gone to a testimonial for him this time last year but now I’m not so sure, I think a bit of humility, class and respect would do Tom the world of good.