Will Popey stay ?

[Trentham Lakes Valiant]

I hope he stays at Vale but Millwall are watching

 

I was talking to someone last week who had seen Popey's dad. Supposedly he is on £900/week atm but Leeds and Wolves are talking £4-5k/week. His dad (who is a massive Vale fan) thinks he'd be daft not to go but Popey has supposedly said he will stay if he gets £1500/week. Don't shoot me down; it's just what I heard.

[Fosse69]

Get him on a good contract so that silly money can be sought. I do not want him to leave, but after promotion, he may have to consider his career. It could be like Andy Jones, a big transfer fee which could be used to strenghten the team like Rudgie did. Popey can then say he put the Vale in L1 and made a fortune for us. I would prefer him to stay, but business is business.

[GrattyVale]

Look at Richards, moved from vale for the lure of more money. Look where that's got him, an injury and 1 goal all season!

I can't see a die hard vale fan like pope moving away, especially now with his family commitments and with how much support there is from the fan base.

[markpvfc]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I bet Micky is wishing he'd given Pope longer than a 1 year contract in the summer.

[Memphis]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I bet Micky is wishing he'd given Pope longer than a 1 year contract in the summer.

 

Did he do anything last season to suggest he deserved anything more than 12 months?

[Mcphee4Scotland]

The lure of a greater pay packet and of course a higher level of Football is always going to be tempting for anyone. Can't really compare Richards scenario with Popey because IF Pope was to join another club, it wouldn't be a side-wards move to a fellow League 2 club Chesterfield like what Rico did; it would probably be to a high-end League 1, maybe even a Championship club.

 

Personally I can't see Popey leaving in January. In the Summer, maybe. But he's got unfinished business to be seeing to first and that's firing the club he loves and cares about to back to where they belong and a 1st Vale promotion in the best part of two decades!

[markpvfc]

Did he do anything last season to suggest he deserved anything more than 12 months?

 

No, thats why I said hindsight is a wonderful thing. Had Micky known he was going to score for fun like this then he'd have offered him a 2 or 3 year deal.

[tonyh]

Look at Richards, moved from vale for the lure of more money. Look where that's got him, an injury and 1 goal all season!

He's secured his future (or should have).

If we paid Pope £1500 a week, he wouldn't get much saved by the time he packs up and I don't expect he'll have a career in coaching.

As John Rudge used to say, "sell when they are playing well". On 4k a week, he would have reasonable savings, but it wouldn't last him the rest of his lifetime.

The main worry is that we wouldn't get promoted without him.

[TheSage]

I think he'll stay.

He's Vale through and through and with the right package he'll stay.

 

I don't think he possesses the pace to play at a higher level, though I'll get shot down for this.

Scoring against poor teams in Div 2 is a bit different than facing Championship teams. There is a big gulf.

 

Having said that, a player who is scoring goals in shed-loads like he is will obviously court serious attention.

 

The difference is that Popey is a Vale fan, as we are, and money although great isn't necessarily the be all and end all.

And how many have left us for greener pastures only to fall flat on their faces? Constantine and McPhee spring to mind.

[vale in the blood]

popeys been elsewhere and hated it.

hes now got a little un and settled dwn.family around him and playin for his side.

i just dnt see him upsetting all that,i see wildes offering improved term in new year...and him staying.

sure popey said in paper he would stay here for his career.

[johnjeffersfanclub]

I'd love him to stay he's been incredible, but, I don't think Tom should be looking to his Rotherham experience and limiting himself to league two. You're a long time not playing and playing at the highest level has to be his goal, after all he will only have regrets if he doesn't.

 

What would be a mistake is to jump up to the Championship without going to League 2. Hopefully he will manage that with us.

 

I've been in a similar position before with cricket, and ultimately the thought of not pushing yourself can make you feel like a coward, so you take the leap of faith. It depends what kind of guy he is I guess. Like I said, hope he stays.

[Samwelo]

Probably irrelevant, but if it was me, as a Vale fan, if they offered a decent wage I'd love to finish my career at the team I love.

[bayernoatcake]

If someone offered You the best part of a million quid for him (I'm basing that on the current mental prices and not knowing his contract status) You'd be mad to turn that down imo. It's good money for a bloke who has hit a purple patch. And if that money is reinvested well, he wouldn't be missed. It's the only way clubs below the Premier League can be run in a prudent financial manner imo. Sell big when You can and reinvest.

[Mellor!]

Offer him a good wage and he'll stay. I think it's as simple as that.

[markpvfc]

If someone offered You the best part of a million quid for him (I'm basing that on the current mental prices and not knowing his contract status) You'd be mad to turn that down imo. It's good money for a bloke who has hit a purple patch. And if that money is reinvested well, he wouldn't be missed. It's the only way clubs below the Premier League can be run in a prudent financial manner imo. Sell big when You can and reinvest.

 

His contract is up in the summer so I doubt anybody will offer us enough to make selling him in January worth while. We might as well keep him until the summer and hope he can guide us to promotion even if he then left on a free transfer.