League 2 preparation

[ginginator]

6 hours ago, TJHValiant said:

To an extent you need to make a stand and show a contract means something. If you keep applying the let them go approach every time a bid comes in, clubs will just make low offers knowing 9/10 a players wish will be granted. 

Thats why you need a good manager, JR bought at the best price he could, values for buying went up as we moved up the leagues for the club.  But he let players go he thought he could replace, if they wanted a move. May be an ageing player etc. Contract obviously is a back up for a player and the club. 

I like the youth side of things, but sometimes you need a Tim Parkin. 

If we do end up in LG 2, then I would say all the players must look at themselves and hard choices need to be made. Once your in the last chance saloon, then you have to prove, that you have learnt your lessons.

[TEXAS]

11 hours ago, Nippy Naylor said:

Yeah gotta get rid of the dead wood 

It's a no brainer , even if they have to pay up contracts ,we can rebuild with more commited players for the long term 

Agreed, the only problem I have is that I don't trust the current "recruitment team" to find the replacements.

[bomber]

We need some character and steel in the team. A lot of relegated teams struggle! We need to get rid of the loosing mentality and quick. I do think we will struggle to get back up.

[Nippy Naylor]

38 minutes ago, bomber said:

We need some character and steel in the team. A lot of relegated teams struggle! We need to get rid of the loosing mentality and quick. I do think we will struggle to get back up.

Depends on who we recruit and who's doing the recruitment hopefully it's not Fraudcroft otherwise we're up shyte creek without a paddle, Up the Vale &. KTF 

[Splodger]

10 hours ago, valiant steve said:

Woz was quality. Whoever only offered him one year was an absolute numpty! 

And wozza would put more effort into 90 minutes football than Massey puts in all season 😬

[Playa Amodores]

21 hours ago, werstayinup said:

if we are looking at loan players then i liked the look of Forde the other night on loan from watford

Wer, TBH, I wish that we’d move away from the loan business model. Apart from Alfie&Ollie has it benefited us.?

[Playa Amodores]

15 hours ago, valiant steve said:

Woz was quality. Whoever only offered him one year was an absolute numpty! 

Her & him

[1]

On the plus side League 2 looks the weakest it has been for years next season, as it stands (assuming the top 4 go up and bottom 2 go down, L1 relegation, NL ^ etc.) Obviously it will look a little bit different, but even if we can't offload everyone we'd want, some tweaks and consolidation could see us midtable, with a decent crack at it in 25/26.

The alternative is play in a very competitive L1 with no-hopers replaced with serious hitters, and clubs of similar sizes swapping at the top. A season against that without being able to make sweeping changes could be a very long season.

[1]

Can anyone recommend a sturdy helmet with visor for the Crewe, Swindon and Walsall away games?

Edited April 17 by 1

[bomber]

The chances of us coming back up is very remote! Probably more chance of going out of the league! We will need a season to build a half decent and balanced squad, I think we need to prepare for a few seasons of mid table mediocrity at best. We don't seem to learn from our mistakes which is so frustrating. We have got nowhere being league one ready. We have never really been at the races.

[PV1973]

2 ways of looking at it. Build a strong squad with league one experience (but pay more money in wages) to have a crack at coming straight back up or build a solid league two squad with players of that level and don’t pay as much. 

Edited April 17 by PV1973

[1]

Ojo, Sang, Yak, Smith, Grant, Lowe, Loft, Jones, Debrah are all under contract.

That's the biggest stumbling block, repurposing as many of those squad places and wages as possible.

I really believe the main causes for the substandard, bizarre recruitment have been removed. We haven't seen a transfer window since this fundamental change. This responsibility being in the hands of other people will surely lead to Massey, Uche, Wilson, Weir, Lopata, Mighten etc. being replaced with players who are not only better, but also playing in a league below.

Add to that some decent young players who can now really kick on and develop with less pressure.

I imagine it will be a 2 year job at least though.

[Shropshire_Valiant]

I think Chesterfield will be dangerous they've been too good for the NL this season(also Cook's a good manager and I think they have a bit of coin behind them?) otherwise you wouldn't think any of those who look like being involved with the playoffs to be any particular great shakes in League Two? Perhaps aside from a bit of momentum that normally comes from a confident promoted side.  I'd love to see Gateshead or Halifax come up as I've never been to either ground(or seen Vale play either for that matter) but the London clubs Barnet, Bromley look the form sides in there. 

Altrincham for the size of club have had a cracking season.  A nice easy one on the tram from Manchester if they made it, although I suspect their away allocation won't be particularly big having been to Moss Road before for a friendly.  Shouldn't forget Solihull either, that would be another new ground/team.  Can't say I've ever looked at what their ground is like for the potential of league football.

[Emile]

It's been a few months since I last engaged with our community here, and I wanted to share why. Supporting our club had begun to feel like a toxic endeavour, and I needed some distance.

Relegation isn't the end of the world for me. While none of us want it to happen, it's a reality of football. We watch for the highs and lows, understanding that success isn't guaranteed. Accepting this fact has made it easier for me to cope with the possibility of relegation.

The turning point for me was the dark cloud that settled over the club last January. Something shifted then, likely due to the club overspending beyond its means, as evidenced by the recent £3.4 million losses. While scaling back was necessary, the subsequent decisions, like removing Colin and sacking a manager for struggling with a depleted squad, felt misguided. Clarke's ability to keep us afloat last season speaks volumes about his managerial prowess. If he had to leave, we needed a replacement with a strong vision for the team.

Unfortunately, the departure of key figures led to chaos on the footballing side. Last year's preseason was a disaster, culminating in a humiliating defeat on the opening day. Concerns about the quality of signings were brushed aside, with dissenting voices labelled as negative.

I held hope that Darren Moore could turn things around, but his tenure has been underwhelming. His interviews offer little insight, and his inability to galvanize the team has been disappointing.

However, I'm optimistic about the future under Matt Hancock's leadership. Whether Moore stays or goes, we need a manager who exudes passion and takes responsibility. Another 'yes man' won't cut it. A thorough overhaul is required, starting with releasing out-of-contract players, sending back the loans, and trying to get rid of some of the contracted players who won't cut it in League Two.

Losing key players like Garrity and Ojo is a possibility, but it's essential to revitalize the team regardless. League Two offers a chance for renewal, even if immediate promotion isn't guaranteed. My hope is for a club we can be proud of again, even if it means settling for mid-table mediocrity next season.

While the road ahead may be challenging, I'm hopeful that with the right leadership and fan support, we can reclaim our pride in being Vale fans once more. See you in August

 

[Shropshire_Valiant]

6 minutes ago, 1 said:

Ojo, Sang, Yak, Smith, Grant, Lowe, Loft, Jones, Debrah are all under contract.

That's the biggest stumbling block, repurposing as many of those squad places and wages as possible.

I really believe the main causes for the substandard, bizarre recruitment have been removed. We haven't seen a transfer window since this fundamental change. This responsibility being in the hands of other people will surely lead to Massey, Uche, Wilson, Weir, Lopata, Mighten etc. being replaced with players who are not only better, but also playing in a league below.

Add to that some decent young players who can now really kick on and develop with less pressure.

I imagine it will be a 2 year job at least though.

Agree with most of that.  Crimes that list of 9 is concerning!  I'd honestly hope to not see a good 6 of those in a Vale shirt again after this season but that's probably asking too much? I'd say pay off or move on Sang, Grant, Lowe and Jones for starters.

Age probably saves Debrah as he could improve? I think there's something there with him but at times he looks like Bambi on ice as well.   Problem is that also leaves Smith and Yak, in terms of revamping a failing defence is that too many to give us any great scope for change?🤔 I'm not a great fan of Smith but he is experienced and was half decent in League Two in our promotion season.

That leaves Ojo who on ability should be decent in league two(but has looked largely disinterested since Crosby and is probably one of our higher earners) and the much maligned Lofty lad who we are probably going to have to persevere with even if it's only a back up striker if that area of the team can also have a revamp!