56 minutes ago, jeffers said:

Should have been Darnborough out and Foyle in, someone Brady has worked with and trusts. 🥺

Honestly go back to 2007/08 and the idea of fans wanting Foyle back would have seemed mad. So many blamed him for us losing our Lg1 status with dire signings, but now people look back and think he gave us a golden era of Lg1 stability! 

So Oakley & Fry have left and being replaced with a chief scout who is not the chief - that is the already existing Darnborough. 
The other change is that the academy scout and the admin girl are included in the new “group”. Along with some volunteers such as, ’m guessing Sproson, Yates, Legge? 
 

Not much of a change really.

Would we take Foyle as a DoF?? 

Chat GPT’s take on it

 

 

 

 

 In practical terms, this reads mostly like a restructuring announcement rather than a major overhaul.

The only concrete staffing changes actually confirmed are:

• Port Vale F.C. are creating a new “Chief Scout” role.
• A “Football Leadership Team” is being formalised.
• Two people are leaving:
  • Matt Oakley
  • Tom Fry

Everything else is mostly corporate/football-management language meaning:

• “we’ve reviewed how we operate”
• “we want departments communicating better”
• “we’re reorganising reporting lines”
• “we’re trying to improve recruitment and decision-making”

The “Football Leadership Team” section especially sounds like:

• existing senior staff being grouped into a more formal committee/decision-making structure,
• rather than several big new hires.

The wording:

“bringing together key areas of the football operation”

usually means:

• existing departments already existed,
• but now they’ll meet/work under a more unified structure.

Likewise:

“support from other key staff”

suggests the academy/admin people named are already employed and simply being included in the process.

The notable bit is probably the recruitment change:

• they appear to think scouting/recruitment needed improvement,
• hence appointing a Chief Scout and strengthening recruitment oversight under Lee Darnborough.

The “advisory and ambassadorial support” line is also football-club language for:

• bringing in experienced ex-players/executives in informal or part-time roles,
• often for credibility, mentoring, or fan relations,
• not necessarily operational control.

So stripped of PR language, the announcement is roughly:

“We reviewed the football side of the club. We’re reorganising internal leadership, improving scouting/recruitment structures, creating a more joined-up management group, possibly bringing in experienced advisors, and two existing staff members are leaving.”

That’s a much simpler summary of what they’re actually saying.

12 hours ago, werstayinup said:

Would we take Foyle as a DoF?? 

Can’t see a strong headed “Chief” willing to work as, in reality a non-chief taking the blame away from Darnborough, Hancock & co… 

Can’t see Foyle going for that 

Edited May 20May 20 by Valiant Haze

We’ve had no chief scout? Sorry are Hancock and co thick? Literally no clue what they are doing 

If Darnbrough is staying the very least we should be doing is putting him up in front of the camera to answer a few poignant questions - At the minute the Scarlet Pimpernel is above any judgement 

8 minutes ago, valiant_593 said:

We’ve had no chief scout? Sorry are Hancock and co thick? Literally no clue what they are doing 

Just been relying on Darnbrough's black book and Oakley's subscription to WyScout & TransferRoom, probably. 

Certainly explains the January transfer recruitment at any rate. 

Edited May 19May 19 by NW9Valiant

All that waffle could've been simplified and just put the fact we're having a new Chief Scout, two have left and two have stepped up.

The rest, especially those few paragraphs from Matt Hancock, tells us absolutely nothing? I've literally read what he's said multiple times, and still don't see what point he's made?

Edited May 19May 19 by The Evil Dead

16 minutes ago, The Evil Dead said:

All that waffle could've been simplified and just put the fact we're having a new Chief Scout, two have left and two have stepped up.

The rest, especially those few paragraphs from Matt Hancock, tells us absolutely nothing? I've literally read what he's said multiple times, and still don't see what point he's made?

Yep. If you've ever said through a corporate slide deck on 'vision', you'll know exactly what it is. 

Classic office powerpoint slide deck speak 😄 

3 hours ago, Walka003 said:

The decision to continue with the same recruitment team

"the club will appoint a Chief Scout within the recruitment department, overseen by Senior Head of Recruitment, Lee Darnborough. The Chief Scout will play a key role in identifying and evaluating talent as part of a strengthened recruitment process

This development also coincides with the establishment of a new Football Leadership Team, bringing together key areas of the football operation, with support from other key staff, including Head of Academy Danny Lloyd and Head of Football Administration Jess Frost. "

I would respectfully suggest that you and some others on OVF sometimes run on auto-criticise.

Let's dismiss the impact of the new Chief Scout before we even have the faintest idea who that new Chief Scout might be.

In fact let's pretend that this change is not even happening, and the club is just going to continue with the same recruitment team.

Just now, Alan Vit said:

"the club will appoint a Chief Scout within the recruitment department, overseen by Senior Head of Recruitment, Lee Darnborough. The Chief Scout will play a key role in identifying and evaluating talent as part of a strengthened recruitment process

This development also coincides with the establishment of a new Football Leadership Team, bringing together key areas of the football operation, with support from other key staff, including Head of Academy Danny Lloyd and Head of Football Administration Jess Frost. "

I would respectfully suggest that you and some others on OVF sometimes run on auto-criticise.

Let's dismiss the impact of the new Chief Scout before we even have the faintest idea who that new Chief Scout might be.

In fact let's pretend that this change is not even happening, and the club is just going to continue with the same recruitment team.

I have no interest in entering into any form of discussion with you. You've proven time and time again to be at best delusional and at worst a troll who's sole purpose is to cause issues on here.

Wasted effort and more meaningless words with Darnborough still running recruitment. 

Here we go 😂😂

 

Quote

“we are also actively pursuing additional advisory and ambassadorial support within the football department, with a view to providing trusted perspective and support to the club, and supporting players in understanding the identity and values of Port Vale.