Who’s to blame?

[TEXAS]

1 hour ago, valefan16 said:

 

 but I thought "Why am I bothered?, if the club isn't?" thats the feeling I have, that they are not bothered that we are 5th bottom and nose diving, they've done little to turn it around or try to turn it around, there has been little to no communication for the fans at all anymore (the odd fans forum every 3-4 months isn't good enough), we all stayed up expecting the signing we were told we would get (Striker) for it just to not happen... no communication.

Something is massively wrong at the moment, no one knows what it is but something has to be very wrong and the longer it goes on, with no change, no communication the more rumours will develop and that is no good for anyone.

 

 

Great post and these points alone I feel reflect the feelings of a large number of fans right now. Nose diving rapidly towards relegation if the rot isn't stopped starting Tuesday !

[Brian Johnson]

6 minutes ago, Jacko51 said:

Are you sure you're talking about the hotel in the ground?  It's a Radisson with spas and posh rooms.  There is a Travelodge across the road from it.

@TJHValiant not sure on anything at the moment

[TJHValiant]

12 minutes ago, Brian Johnson said:

I wished that the travel lodge's that I stop in as like the Radisson at Blackpool's ground.

You must stop on some really posh Travel Lodges

I checked this, you’re right, it is a Radisson, but  can confidently say it wasn’t at the time going back to 2015 odd. Although I do agree Radisson are rather a step up from a Travelodge! 

[eh up nah]

1 hour ago, valefan16 said:

I have given myself 2 days to calm down and try and look at the events of the last 4-5 days objectively and here is my view on it...

The blame has to start at the very top but is also a collective, so many errors or failings are happening that its not just on one person. Since 5pm on January the 1st 2023 we have won 11 league games in 13 months, 5 of those in a month spell August/Sept, and 3 of them in a 3 week spell in December, that leaves 3 wins in the other 7-8 months of football played over the 2 seasons. That is dire in itself.

Everything done previously since the take over in 2019 is slowly undoing due to a lack of communication, lack of investment in the correct area's and we really run the risk of sitting here in 12 months time and being back slogging it out to scrape the 40-50 points we need to stay in the football league with how it is going with 4500 fans in the ground.

Lets be blunt here, V2001 came in as saviours but that went sour, as did Smurf for a while so we have been burnt as a fan base before, now I am not suggesting in any way Carol and Kevin are heading that same route, I dont believe for one minute that but just because you saved the club etc doesn't mean you should be beyond criticism and some fans still seem to have this "well they saved us so its ok" attitude. I am forever grateful to Carol and Kevin for saving us and for the great time's we've had 2021 into 2022 and the enjoyable first season 2019/20 but we can't hide from the here and now based on the past, we are regressing as a club massively, for some reason in January 2023 everything seems to have changed and I don't understand why?

Take out the two awful transfer windows in the two January's but the whole place comes across as apathetic and its rubbing off on the fans, you've long term loyal fans giving up almost on us, the whole atmosphere around the place from top to bottom including fans now seems apathetic, I was out walking in Derbyshire Saturday (not the best time to be stood on  rock overhanging a sheer drop checking the score I will be honest!) but I thought "Why am I bothered?, if the club isn't?" thats the feeling I have, that they are not bothered that we are 5th bottom and nose diving, they've done little to turn it around or try to turn it around, there has been little to no communication for the fans at all anymore (the odd fans forum every 3-4 months isn't good enough), we all stayed up expecting the signing we were told we would get (Striker) for it just to not happen... no communication.

Something is massively wrong at the moment, no one knows what it is but something has to be very wrong and the longer it goes on, with no change, no communication the more rumours will develop and that is no good for anyone.

Crosby is out his depth, Flitcroft has failed for a second transfer window in 3 and Carol and the board make the top decisions, its on all three, the players who by their apologies on social media clearly didn't feel they put enough in have to take some flack too. Things have to change and fast, if not there will be no "Championship Ready" no "7-8000 attendances, and we will be back welcoming 200 fans from Barrow and Harrogate rather than 3000 Wednesday and Derby fans.

At the moment the general fan is being let down... and thats not something I expected in this regime, we have portaloo's, no communication... dont forget the real fan, the one thats been coming 50 years, or travels up every week from London, Cambridge, Leicestershire etc, they are your bread and butter and without them there is no Port Vale Football Club regardless of how nice the corporate facilities are and how good the youth players are. Lets wake up from this sleepwalk we are on and get the club back that we had in 2022.

 

Perfectly put

Exactly how I feel

[TJHValiant]

28 minutes ago, Brian Johnson said:

Whats our average attendance?

It was hitting the 7-8k mark until recently. Although I don’t really see how having a half empty stadium costs much more. 

[Brian Johnson]

2 minutes ago, TJHValiant said:

It was hitting the 7-8k mark until recently. Although I don’t really see how having a half empty stadium costs much more. 

The stadium is too big for a club our size

[Nippy Naylor]

1 hour ago, valefan16 said:

I have given myself 2 days to calm down and try and look at the events of the last 4-5 days objectively and here is my view on it...

The blame has to start at the very top but is also a collective, so many errors or failings are happening that its not just on one person. Since 5pm on January the 1st 2023 we have won 11 league games in 13 months, 5 of those in a month spell August/Sept, and 3 of them in a 3 week spell in December, that leaves 3 wins in the other 7-8 months of football played over the 2 seasons. That is dire in itself.

Everything done previously since the take over in 2019 is slowly undoing due to a lack of communication, lack of investment in the correct area's and we really run the risk of sitting here in 12 months time and being back slogging it out to scrape the 40-50 points we need to stay in the football league with how it is going with 4500 fans in the ground.

Lets be blunt here, V2001 came in as saviours but that went sour, as did Smurf for a while so we have been burnt as a fan base before, now I am not suggesting in any way Carol and Kevin are heading that same route, I dont believe for one minute that but just because you saved the club etc doesn't mean you should be beyond criticism and some fans still seem to have this "well they saved us so its ok" attitude. I am forever grateful to Carol and Kevin for saving us and for the great time's we've had 2021 into 2022 and the enjoyable first season 2019/20 but we can't hide from the here and now based on the past, we are regressing as a club massively, for some reason in January 2023 everything seems to have changed and I don't understand why?

Take out the two awful transfer windows in the two January's but the whole place comes across as apathetic and its rubbing off on the fans, you've long term loyal fans giving up almost on us, the whole atmosphere around the place from top to bottom including fans now seems apathetic, I was out walking in Derbyshire Saturday (not the best time to be stood on  rock overhanging a sheer drop checking the score I will be honest!) but I thought "Why am I bothered?, if the club isn't?" thats the feeling I have, that they are not bothered that we are 5th bottom and nose diving, they've done little to turn it around or try to turn it around, there has been little to no communication for the fans at all anymore (the odd fans forum every 3-4 months isn't good enough), we all stayed up expecting the signing we were told we would get (Striker) for it just to not happen... no communication.

Something is massively wrong at the moment, no one knows what it is but something has to be very wrong and the longer it goes on, with no change, no communication the more rumours will develop and that is no good for anyone.

Crosby is out his depth, Flitcroft has failed for a second transfer window in 3 and Carol and the board make the top decisions, its on all three, the players who by their apologies on social media clearly didn't feel they put enough in have to take some flack too. Things have to change and fast, if not there will be no "Championship Ready" no "7-8000 attendances, and we will be back welcoming 200 fans from Barrow and Harrogate rather than 3000 Wednesday and Derby fans.

At the moment the general fan is being let down... and thats not something I expected in this regime, we have portaloo's, no communication... dont forget the real fan, the one thats been coming 50 years, or travels up every week from London, Cambridge, Leicestershire etc, they are your bread and butter and without them there is no Port Vale Football Club regardless of how nice the corporate facilities are and how good the youth players are. Lets wake up from this sleepwalk we are on and get the club back that we had in 2022. 

 

[Nippy Naylor]

Amen to that 👍 The majority of the fan base are all on the same page as you mate 

[Bede]

2 hours ago, valefan16 said:

I have given myself 2 days to calm down and try and look at the events of the last 4-5 days objectively and here is my view on it...

The blame has to start at the very top but is also a collective, so many errors or failings are happening that its not just on one person. Since 5pm on January the 1st 2023 we have won 11 league games in 13 months, 5 of those in a month spell August/Sept, and 3 of them in a 3 week spell in December, that leaves 3 wins in the other 7-8 months of football played over the 2 seasons. That is dire in itself.

Everything done previously since the take over in 2019 is slowly undoing due to a lack of communication, lack of investment in the correct area's and we really run the risk of sitting here in 12 months time and being back slogging it out to scrape the 40-50 points we need to stay in the football league with how it is going with 4500 fans in the ground.

Lets be blunt here, V2001 came in as saviours but that went sour, as did Smurf for a while so we have been burnt as a fan base before, now I am not suggesting in any way Carol and Kevin are heading that same route, I dont believe for one minute that but just because you saved the club etc doesn't mean you should be beyond criticism and some fans still seem to have this "well they saved us so its ok" attitude. I am forever grateful to Carol and Kevin for saving us and for the great time's we've had 2021 into 2022 and the enjoyable first season 2019/20 but we can't hide from the here and now based on the past, we are regressing as a club massively, for some reason in January 2023 everything seems to have changed and I don't understand why?

Take out the two awful transfer windows in the two January's but the whole place comes across as apathetic and its rubbing off on the fans, you've long term loyal fans giving up almost on us, the whole atmosphere around the place from top to bottom including fans now seems apathetic, I was out walking in Derbyshire Saturday (not the best time to be stood on  rock overhanging a sheer drop checking the score I will be honest!) but I thought "Why am I bothered?, if the club isn't?" thats the feeling I have, that they are not bothered that we are 5th bottom and nose diving, they've done little to turn it around or try to turn it around, there has been little to no communication for the fans at all anymore (the odd fans forum every 3-4 months isn't good enough), we all stayed up expecting the signing we were told we would get (Striker) for it just to not happen... no communication.

Something is massively wrong at the moment, no one knows what it is but something has to be very wrong and the longer it goes on, with no change, no communication the more rumours will develop and that is no good for anyone.

Crosby is out his depth, Flitcroft has failed for a second transfer window in 3 and Carol and the board make the top decisions, its on all three, the players who by their apologies on social media clearly didn't feel they put enough in have to take some flack too. Things have to change and fast, if not there will be no "Championship Ready" no "7-8000 attendances, and we will be back welcoming 200 fans from Barrow and Harrogate rather than 3000 Wednesday and Derby fans.

At the moment the general fan is being let down... and thats not something I expected in this regime, we have portaloo's, no communication... dont forget the real fan, the one thats been coming 50 years, or travels up every week from London, Cambridge, Leicestershire etc, they are your bread and butter and without them there is no Port Vale Football Club regardless of how nice the corporate facilities are and how good the youth players are. Lets wake up from this sleepwalk we are on and get the club back that we had in 2022.

 

That's a fabulous post.

[valefan16]

2 minutes ago, Nippy Naylor said:

Amen to that 👍 The majority of the fan base are all on the same page as you mate 

Just feel an "inconvenience" at the moment as a fan and that should never be the case. Will rattle up the M1/A50 after work tomorrow hoping things start to change though! As we all care, I don't expect good times all the time, if your a Vale fan your not signing up for that when you choose us as your team but at the least to see us trying to be better even if it doesn't come off but at the moment I just feel like an inconvenience where we only get spoken to when they have to.

 

 

[Guitar Ray]

The sad thing is that for the want of a few players, which we’ve had ample time to sign, the wheels have come off.  For all his failings I still believe Crosby would’ve had us higher up the league if a) we had a balanced, adaptable squad, and b) had a better run with injuries.  Nobody would’ve minded too much not being in the play offs, the toilet situation a minor blip, the lack of comms, perceived or otherwise, wouldn’t have mattered.  Fans weren’t expecting the earth, just to see on improvements on the pitch.  How hard was it for the powers that be to see this?

[Guest]

2 hours ago, valefan16 said:

I have given myself 2 days to calm down and try and look at the events of the last 4-5 days objectively and here is my view on it...

The blame has to start at the very top but is also a collective, so many errors or failings are happening that its not just on one person. Since 5pm on January the 1st 2023 we have won 11 league games in 13 months, 5 of those in a month spell August/Sept, and 3 of them in a 3 week spell in December, that leaves 3 wins in the other 7-8 months of football played over the 2 seasons. That is dire in itself.

Everything done previously since the take over in 2019 is slowly undoing due to a lack of communication, lack of investment in the correct area's and we really run the risk of sitting here in 12 months time and being back slogging it out to scrape the 40-50 points we need to stay in the football league with how it is going with 4500 fans in the ground.

Lets be blunt here, V2001 came in as saviours but that went sour, as did Smurf for a while so we have been burnt as a fan base before, now I am not suggesting in any way Carol and Kevin are heading that same route, I dont believe for one minute that but just because you saved the club etc doesn't mean you should be beyond criticism and some fans still seem to have this "well they saved us so its ok" attitude. I am forever grateful to Carol and Kevin for saving us and for the great time's we've had 2021 into 2022 and the enjoyable first season 2019/20 but we can't hide from the here and now based on the past, we are regressing as a club massively, for some reason in January 2023 everything seems to have changed and I don't understand why?

Take out the two awful transfer windows in the two January's but the whole place comes across as apathetic and its rubbing off on the fans, you've long term loyal fans giving up almost on us, the whole atmosphere around the place from top to bottom including fans now seems apathetic, I was out walking in Derbyshire Saturday (not the best time to be stood on  rock overhanging a sheer drop checking the score I will be honest!) but I thought "Why am I bothered?, if the club isn't?" thats the feeling I have, that they are not bothered that we are 5th bottom and nose diving, they've done little to turn it around or try to turn it around, there has been little to no communication for the fans at all anymore (the odd fans forum every 3-4 months isn't good enough), we all stayed up expecting the signing we were told we would get (Striker) for it just to not happen... no communication.

Something is massively wrong at the moment, no one knows what it is but something has to be very wrong and the longer it goes on, with no change, no communication the more rumours will develop and that is no good for anyone.

Crosby is out his depth, Flitcroft has failed for a second transfer window in 3 and Carol and the board make the top decisions, its on all three, the players who by their apologies on social media clearly didn't feel they put enough in have to take some flack too. Things have to change and fast, if not there will be no "Championship Ready" no "7-8000 attendances, and we will be back welcoming 200 fans from Barrow and Harrogate rather than 3000 Wednesday and Derby fans.

At the moment the general fan is being let down... and thats not something I expected in this regime, we have portaloo's, no communication... dont forget the real fan, the one thats been coming 50 years, or travels up every week from London, Cambridge, Leicestershire etc, they are your bread and butter and without them there is no Port Vale Football Club regardless of how nice the corporate facilities are and how good the youth players are. Lets wake up from this sleepwalk we are on and get the club back that we had in 2022.

 

Thats the best post I've ever read .

Spot on with everything 👌. 

 

[bomber]

There is one thing for certain you can't alienate the fans. We have been very poor since Christmas 22 a few bright spots here and there but generally very very poor showings. We need to get all the fans on board as soon as. We need some passion from the players. For heavens sake give us some hope something to shout for.

[ollyandpatch]

Take this with a pinch of salt but I spoke with an ex director from the early 80s today who claims that Crosby had almost no input in any of our signings. Flickcroft said who he wanted and Kevin Shanahan sorted the finance. !

[Vital Spark]

What is it with this club and it’s perpetual ability to mess things up, both on and off the pitch.