Carol Interview

[TJHValiant]

Running the vale like some family owned B&B won’t work. The interview gives the impression she has bought the club so her kids can have a go at running a business. 
 

I hate nepotism. If her kids are not good enough to be running Synectics why Vale? 
 

The only thing I can applaud from the interview is that it took place and Carol stood up to take account. 
 

Did I like the answers? No. Too much Flitcroft as a solution and not enough vision for the future. 

[Warren]

7 hours ago, Guitar Ray said:

Not so sure it’s worked to be honest.  For me the club, once it’s been decided to sack DC, should put the statement out giving the reasoning, Carol should then speak to the press to thank DC and, most importantly, urge fans to unite and back the team to the hilt for the last 4 games, and that should be enough.  Let the fans absorb the news and hope the bitter taste is sweetened by improved performances and League 1 survival.

The timing of the sacking strikes me as a knee jerk reaction, although admittedly I’ve no idea what conversations were had behind the scenes at the club.  The fact that Carol feels she needs to answer yet more questions on the same subject suggests that the original communication was extremely poor, and I think comments on here would also indicate that the interview wasn’t well received by a majority of fans.

I think the decision was well discussed within a relevant circle of contacts. Sunday is a day to take decisions but difficult to announce them. But most of all I think, to use a main tenant of stoic philosophy, the dismissal is virtuous so that it was the right one for the club and supporters' interests. Although DC must suffer, his contractual rights are likely to be respected and he will be helped through the turmoil, which is also virtuous. 

I think some players appeared to lose morale, down tools and engage in poor behaviour over the month before this event. DC had lost the dressing room. I don't like player power that is not warranted but there clearly was a disconnect with DC at a vital time. In coaching this appeared to be a decline in organisation of the team at freekicks and corners etc. and in some games lack of effort. We had gone from narrow defeats and unlucky losers to deserving absolutely nothing from games and even self harming. 

In business it is nearly always best to make small incremental changes and developments. Big change is to be avoided, and only used when a crisis exists. Our trajectory was towards relegation with little time to act justifying a big change

[darren1810]

9 hours ago, Brian Johnson said:

I have a issue with that AC being coaching the players that have been <ovf censored> since Christmas or should I say <ovf censored> since Burton Albion.

 

Very odd the Burton thing, we were that bad that he still had a further 5 games after that  If that was the straw that broke the camels back then surely he should have been sacked before the next game Pompey ?  Crosby would then have had 9 games. 

[connor hackett]

League one muscle memory is guff straight out of the Flitcroft book of guff.
Not expecting promotion, and saying we were caught with our pants down is more guff. Doesn't the DOF prepare for all eventualities? If not, what's the point of having one.
I would of much preferred an honest assessment, funds are low and its tough. I can get behind that, no problem.

[Warren]

7 minutes ago, connor hackett said:

League one muscle memory is guff straight out of the Flitcroft book of guff.
Not expecting promotion, and saying we were caught with our pants down is more guff. Doesn't the DOF prepare for all eventualities? If not, what's the point of having one.
I would of much preferred an honest assessment, funds are low and its tough. I can get behind that, no problem.

The point is that action can't be taken to prepare for life in L1 until promotion is secured. For example by way of signing / retaining players and paying the necessary higher wages and sign on fees. A team promoted via the playoffs is always under time pressure and has also lost opportunities to rivals consequently.

[MBE]

9 hours ago, Vale1995 said:

I think youll find most of us were ok with where we were before clarke got sacked hence no outcry for him be sacked. If this season was reversed everyone would of been buzzing to be in this position now after a bad start to the season. I think youll find people aren't happy because clarke has gone like carol does he had credit in the bank. If you think vale fans are twats for wanting honesty for whats gone on when we pay our hard earned money into the club aswell as carol then maybe your the <ovf censored>. Theres no club without carol but theres no club without us lot either

She explained why she sacked her. Results and performances not good enough. If we did nothing she felt we were going to get relegated. 

If you agree or not with the reasoning it doesn't matter but thats the honesty why he was sacked.

What did you want her to say? Darell wanted to leave, he had his head turned by Portsmouth. We wouldn't release him for interview until we agreed a compensation fee. We couldn't agree one so Darell was disillusioned and was really withdraw from the staff and squad.

You can only have honesty upto a point. You also have to consider there is a compensation and payoff which talks will be with the LMA which means both sides will have signed an NDA. 

All you can ask for is logic why a decision has been made. Now we know.

 

[darren1810]

2 minutes ago, MBE said:

She explained why she sacked her. Results and performances not good enough. If we did nothing she felt we were going to get relegated. 

If you agree or not with the reasoning it doesn't matter but thats the honesty why he was sacked.

What did you want her to say? Darell wanted to leave, he had his head turned by Portsmouth. We wouldn't release him for interview until we agreed a compensation fee. We couldn't agree one so Darell was disillusioned and was really withdraw from the staff and squad.

You can only have honesty upto a point. You also have to consider there is a compensation and payoff which talks will be with the LMA which means both sides will have signed an NDA. 

All you can ask for is logic why a decision has been made. Now we know.

 

She never actually mentioned any of the Portsmouth stuff though.

This is pure conjecture until actually confirmed by Vale, Clarke or Portsmouth. None of which will happen. 

Also surely Crosby would of joined him. Vale or Portsmouth = No Brainer 

[mr.hobblesworth]

16 minutes ago, connor hackett said:

League one muscle memory is guff straight out of the Flitcroft book of guff.
Not expecting promotion, and saying we were caught with our pants down is more guff. Doesn't the DOF prepare for all eventualities? If not, what's the point of having one.
I would of much preferred an honest assessment, funds are low and its tough. I can get behind that, no problem.

Yeah. We got promoted to League One of the EFL, not the champions league. There were obvious requirements from January last year that the person in charge of recruitment didn't effectively address. Identifying a decent goalkeeper or ensuring we have a decent, balanced squad doesn't require League One muscle memory, whatever that's supposed to be. Also, wtf has the Robbie Williams concert got to do with anything?

[darren1810]

3 minutes ago, mr.hobblesworth said:

Yeah. We got promoted to League One of the EFL, not the champions league. There were obvious requirements from January last year that the person in charge of recruitment didn't effectively address. Identifying a decent goalkeeper or ensuring we have a decent, balanced squad doesn't require League One muscle memory, whatever that's supposed to be. Also, wtf has the Robbie Williams concert got to do with anything?

Perhaps Coventry will blame this summers Arctic Monkeys gig at their ground if they miss out on the play  offs for The Championship.  🤣

[robf]

The thing I took from the interview was that the reasoning given was poor performances and lack of discipline. She argues (rightly) that those two are the manager's responsibility.

However, there was no recognition of the problems a poor January window brought - and presumably that was because that's not the manager's responsibility but rather that of the DoF!

For me, we had a window where we clearly needed forward replacements as soon as the window opened (not bringing in an injured forward on the final day) and where if we lost a seasoned left-footed defender we shouldn't be replacing him with a rookie teenager on loan. Neither of those things were the manager's responsibility but arguably weakened his hand as second-half of the season he had a side which didn't threaten to score (until some forwards were fit) and which was leakier at the back. With a side weakened upfront and at the back is it any wonder our performances dipped? 

[Alfie1962]

The team is in free fall, the football was mostly rubbish. If it was the right decision remains to be seen. Thanks for the memories DC.

[Warren]

20 minutes ago, mr.hobblesworth said:

Yeah. We got promoted to League One of the EFL, not the champions league. There were obvious requirements from January last year that the person in charge of recruitment didn't effectively address. Identifying a decent goalkeeper or ensuring we have a decent, balanced squad doesn't require League One muscle memory, whatever that's supposed to be. Also, wtf has the Robbie Williams concert got to do with anything?

I'm worried that Stevens was considered a suitable signing. I consider that to be poor judgement and a big mistake. The most significant of all signings and releases in 2022/23. Our previous goalkeeper signings were also poor including the giant and the kung fu master. 

[Rampant Zebra]

40 minutes ago, darren1810 said:

She never actually mentioned any of the Portsmouth stuff though.

This is pure conjecture until actually confirmed by Vale, Clarke or Portsmouth. None of which will happen. 

Also surely Crosby would of joined him. Vale or Portsmouth = No Brainer 

I am not sure AC and DC are an item from the coaching perspective. 

[darren1810]

3 minutes ago, Rampant Zebra said:

I am not sure AC and DC are an item from the coaching perspective. 

Didn't seem to clash and on the face of it appeared to have a good relationship ? 

[Rampant Zebra]

17 minutes ago, Warren said:

I'm worried that Stevens was considered a suitable signing. I consider that to be poor judgement and a big mistake. The most significant of all signings and releases in 2022/23. Our previous goalkeeper signings were also poor including the giant and the kung fu master. 

I suspect that Scott Brown may have had influence in our inability to sign a decent keeper. I believe that he wasn't happy about the way he was treated when he left so probably told his goalkeeping mates about it from his perspective.