38 minutes ago, Howjy04 said:

I made a mistake on the age of Lomax ,sorry,but how many games has he played in the first team?The rest wasn’t.I hope you get the club you wish for(how many times has this been said in the past)As for making a childish comment.😂😂😂😂😂Do me a favour me owd fruit.Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Howjy, I totally get where you're coming from and your frustration, it's the hope that kills us. Since the last win events on the field have bordered on the cruel, we've lost by the odd goal, missed many chances, poor reffing decisions, been in every game etc, it's just been exasperating and Saturday was no different.

Add insult to injury, a player gets "Pinched" from us who's scored 1 goal in 7 games than can't stop scoring for his new club.

I don't know for certain what the answer is, whether it be a new manager, an influx of quality players or both but events on the pitch have to change and quickly.

9 minutes ago, Paul6754 said:

Howjy, I totally get where you're coming from and your frustration, it's the hope that kills us. Since the last win events on the field have bordered on the cruel, we've lost by the odd goal, missed many chances, poor reffing decisions, been in every game etc, it's just been exasperating and Saturday was no different.

Add insult to injury, a player gets "Pinched" from us who's scored 1 goal in 7 games than can't stop scoring for his new club.

I don't know for certain what the answer is, whether it be a new manager, an influx of quality players or both but events on the pitch have to change and quickly.

✊✊KTF.

10 hours ago, Howjy04 said:

 

Where have i ever stated I want a new owner??

9 hours ago, Howjy04 said:

Easily wound up by the looks of it.

Not at all but you love throwing these sort of comments around dont you

On 21/12/2025 at 17:25, Brian Johnson said:

Your just being thick per usual.

Not sure how you get on on life with how thick you are 

Why do you always have to resort to being personal?

This is a forum, everyone is entitled to opinions, regardless of what they are.

For the record, whilst we don’t know what negotiations were like for the Tolaj deal, I do agree that he and his agent insisted on the release clause to sign. No issues with how he left except the disappointment that he did.

Also, *you’re.

On 21/12/2025 at 17:18, eh up nah said:

But you're talking in hindsight mate.

At the time of the deal, nobody could guarantee what happen.

Everything has to be weighed up at the time

Other clubs in for him, wages being offered, bonuses, release clauses wanted on either side.

The club should rightly be taking a lot of stick for a lot of things at the moment but making a million pound profit on a non league punt that played a huge part in getting us up isn't one if them

Taloj scoring 15-20 goals for us this season instead of for Plymouth had we tied him into his original contract in a firmer way would undoubtedly have seen us in a much less perilous league position than we are now. And, the major thing you're overlooking is that having scored that many goals in League One (which he will do for Plymouth) how much more than £1.2 mill will he be worth then?  Whichever way you look at it from a business perspective, it wasn't  very clever. And, as a matter of interest it isn't just hindsight from me as I am on record at the time saying we should have been in a contractual position to be able to keep him.  Anyone with any football nous could see that Lorent is the sort of natural goalscorer that come around only very occasionally!

On 21/12/2025 at 18:00, JohnDoe said:

So were no other clubs in for Tolaj when we were then. I assume by your statements this must be the case, as i cant see how else we had such the upper hand in negotiations with him and his agent? 

Simples--we were outsmarted by Taloj and his agent.  As many people besides me have pointed out on here, we may have business-minded owners, but unfortunately we haven't got the football expertise at board level! 

7 minutes ago, Bycarsbill said:

Simples--we were outsmarted by Taloj and his agent.  As many people besides me have pointed out on here, we may have business-minded owners, but unfortunately we haven't got the football expertise at board level! 

Bill, do we know if we tried to negotiate a new contract at anytime.?

2 minutes ago, Bycarsbill said:

Simples--we were outsmarted by Taloj and his agent.  As many people besides me have pointed out on here, we may have business-minded owners, but unfortunately we haven't got the football expertise at board level! 

Jesus wept

So he also outsmarted Aldershot because we signed him by meeting his release clause. And i expect he will also outsmart Plymouth too. I assume haaland outsmarted dortmund by having a sell on clause too, despite it being the reason he went there. And semenyo is currently outsmarting Bournemouth. Totally not a normal clause put into contracts by players eager to progress higher. 

In fact it was reported that there was interest in him from league 2 and league 1 clubs at the time when we signed him, which is why i assume you ignored what i asked and answered the irrelevant question in your head instead.

21 minutes ago, Bycarsbill said:

Taloj scoring 15-20 goals for us this season instead of for Plymouth had we tied him into his original contract in a firmer way would undoubtedly have seen us in a much less perilous league position than we are now. And, the major thing you're overlooking is that having scored that many goals in League One (which he will do for Plymouth) how much more than £1.2 mill will he be worth then?  Whichever way you look at it from a business perspective, it wasn't  very clever. And, as a matter of interest it isn't just hindsight from me as I am on record at the time saying we should have been in a contractual position to be able to keep him.  Anyone with any football nous could see that Lorent is the sort of natural goalscorer that come around only very occasionally!

Again, hindsight.

Yes, he went on to do exceptionally well for us.  But at the time of signing there was no guarantee of it.

Agreed, he was the type of striker we hadn't had in many a year. But again, we took a chance on him.

Any club that signed him at that time would have been taking a chance on him taking his non league form into the league.

With his record, there were undoubtedly other clubs looking at him.

Somebody else could've offered him more wages than we could, but we put a lower release clause in so that he could move on for more money if he did well.  Something along those lines.

If we didn't do it the way we did, he may well have never signed in the first place.

Then we'd have missed out on what he went on to do.

There would have been negotiating on both sides and in the end it worked out because we got him, he did really well and we went up.

Did we do the best we could with the money that did come in? That is another debate entirely.  We needed a striker, fast, that's for sure and we got one.  Plus george hall who looks a good prospect.  But that's a different debate entirely.

For me,its what vale should be doing.  Taking a punt on potential and hopefully making a good return and then finding the next one.

Its hindsight that is making the £1.2m look less appealing than it did 18 months ago.

But that's football.

If we all knew for sure how it all turns out, we'd all be very rich. 

That's the last time I'm going to explain re the tolaj deal.

1 hour ago, JohnDoe said:

Jesus wept

So he also outsmarted Aldershot because we signed him by meeting his release clause. And i expect he will also outsmart Plymouth too. I assume haaland outsmarted dortmund by having a sell on clause too, despite it being the reason he went there. And semenyo is currently outsmarting Bournemouth. Totally not a normal clause put into contracts by players eager to progress higher. 

In fact it was reported that there was interest in him from league 2 and league 1 clubs at the time when we signed him, which is why i assume you ignored what i asked and answered the irrelevant question in your head instead.

Called Player Power, Aspiring players have agents with career plans and release clauses in a competitive environment, for rapid movement up the pyramid. Exceptional  players move up fast until they reach their level.

3 minutes ago, Fosse69 said:

Called Player Power, Aspiring players have agents with career plans and release clauses in a competitive environment, for rapid movement up the pyramid. Exceptional  players move up fast until they reach their level.

Top scorer in the league! We were just a stepping stone. 

22 hours ago, WV said:

Why wasn’t he sacked? (Rudge) Maybe JR is in Carols ear letting her know what happened when he was given time to turn it around? 

Relegation to the 4th took over mid season in a worse state than now, much improved performance rest of the season.

Relegation to the 3rd due to Ray Walkers absence due to injury. Bounce back in first season delayed although 89 pts achieved, 

16 hours ago, Fosse69 said:

Called Player Power, Aspiring players have agents with career plans and release clauses in a competitive environment, for rapid movement up the pyramid. Exceptional  players move up fast until they reach their level.

Or if you listen to bill, we were duped and we could have demanded the contract we wanted and nothing else, and he wouldnt have gone elsewhere where they would have given him what he wanted. Totally unacceptable that his contract contained what multitudes of other players with huge potential have. 

On 20/12/2025 at 22:19, Howjy04 said:

I never backed Smurthwaite ,pirck.

You clearly have Port Vale seNILity then, 🔔end !

You and Iron Curtain had constant spats about it, with him labelling you as the Smurthwaite Defence League while you, oh so hilariously, called him Beef Curtain.

You seem to hate change so much - owners (eg Somuchweight), or managers (each in turn, at any point whatsoever) - that I expect your home, attire and lifestyle are firmly stuck in the 1950s!