Port Vale

[Burberry]

New manager soon, David Flitcroft

 

[Parchpea]

Like most Fleetwood fans I was expecting an onslaught but it didnt come until the last 10 mins despite Port Vales huddle before 2nd half KO.

On that alone I can understand change is required at Vale, you can be really poor but at least go out all guns blazing.

Good luck next season.

 

[valefan16]

Like most Fleetwood fans I was expecting an onslaught but it didnt come until the last 10 mins despite Port Vales huddle before 2nd half KO.

On that alone I can understand change is required at Vale, you can be really poor but at least go out all guns blazing.

Good luck next season.

Was planned to be like that, we knew if we came out all guns we'd get beaten as the attack is so blunt so was planned as at Walsall to keep it tight then throw Remie up front and go for it.

Didn't help with JJ getting crocked so early and our subs being used up but Brown will get the gig I expect. Not heard about Flitcroft.

 

[Posh Red]

You can have Luke Williams, he's a great coach you know

 

[markpvfc]

I think it'll be a long time before we're back in this division. More likely to have a double relegation and a spell in non-league.

 

[Dan Phillips]

I think it'll be a long time before we're back in this division. More likely to have a double relegation and a spell in non-league.

Don't be so ridiculous.

 

[valefan16]

Don't be so ridiculous.

Don't get why such negativity when no one knows who will own, manage or play for us yet!

 

[Dan Phillips]

Don't get why such negativity when no one knows who will own, manage or play for us yet!

I'm not naive enough to believe it's not possible for us to struggle again as nobody, as you rightly pointed out, has the slightest clue what shape our squad will be in a couple of weeks in regards to players staying or leaving and what budget will be available. However, there's not a chance in hell we will go down again. Unbelievable to suggest that. I'll bet a £50 donation to this forum that we will not get relegated from the Football League next spring. No chance.

 

[CrazyImp]

I'm not naive enough to believe it's not possible for us to struggle again as nobody, as you rightly pointed out, has the slightest clue what shape our squad will be in a couple of weeks in regards to players staying or leaving and what budget will be available. However, there's not a chance in hell we will go down again. Unbelievable to suggest that. I'll bet a £50 donation to this forum that we will not get relegated from the Football League next spring. No chance.

Bet the Tranmere fans thought that before their double relegation as well. Similar sized club.

 

[Indian Dan]

See Smurf has gone

 

[ThisTinpotLeague]

Interesting statement from him too. Said he "clearly seriously damaged the club"!

 

[Buxton Vale]

See Smurf has gone

He has not gone, he's just hiding behind a "puppet" chairman. Nothing changes until we are sold.

 

[PuB]

So is he retaining ownership (for now) and appointing a new chairman? I understand he's divided the clubs various assets in to separate companies, which might put off a potential buyer.

 

[valefan16]

So is he retaining ownership (for now) and appointing a new chairman? I understand he's divided the clubs various assets in to separate companies, which might put off a potential buyer.

As bits come out during the day the jigsaw appears to come together as:

Smurf has stepped down as chairman and won't be involved again until announcing sale of club.

CEO Colin Garlick to oversee club affairs (ex Rochdale CEO) seems a decent man and footballing experience.

Lifelong fan Tony Fradley new chairman (seems more representative than hands on) has put money in club on various occasions and is a lifetime president at the club.

Fradley has tonight said Smurf will still put funding in until sale so a budget has been set to try and make a swift return.

Local success story Synetics (business owned by Vale fans) want the club... Smurf wants 6 million to recoup losses but no one would pay it... fans choice as seem to have funding and acumen to make us a better run and better funded club.

Smurf has separated the ground from the club... all be it this has been known for years.

All in all Smurfs at least gone from the front line and the key decisions hopefully will be purely down to Garlick who has the knowledge and experience to make proper football decisions in comparison to Smurf.

Budget seems to be there to compete which up until the last hour was a major concern and apparently the manager will be happy with it so we will see. Smurf needs to sell though and be realistic about his price. He can't really put it in administration or he will lose a lot of money so selling and making some back surely makes sense. Maybe he is waiting to see if Smith is to be sold to cash in on that first who knows.

 

[Buxton Vale]

Announcement this afternoon expected to be the manager. It will be Brown. Bad decision after bad decision.

 

[F!RTHY]

£6m?

Wow, sure we only sold our club to the new owners last summer for £4.5m - completely debt free.

 

[valefan16]

Announcement this afternoon expected to be the manager. It will be Brown. Bad decision after bad decision.

Need stability at this time and he was massively held back with the issues and mess he inherited. Has my support but will have no excuses next season if he struggles to have us challenging the top 7.

 

[valefan16]

£6m?

Wow, sure we only sold our club to the new owners last summer for £4.5m - completely debt free.

We would be debt free if someone paid £6 Million as the debt is the loans owed to Smurthwaite but no one will pay that. £2.5-£3 million is more realistic (including Vale Park).

One option will be for someone to buy the club and rent the ground so he makes it back that way but far far from ideal.

 

[King Kev]

Vale's ownership reminds me of ours a bit, our debt is to our chairman who allegedly writes off our losses every season. Doubt anyone would want to buy us though if he ever decided to pack it in.

How do Vale fans rate Smurf as a whole? Seems a tad eccentric but sounds like his heart has always been in the right place. Also was he not a key figure in helping get you out of admin?

PS Burbery chats shite, don't listen to him.

 

[valefan16]

Vale's ownership reminds me of ours a bit, our debt is to our chairman who allegedly writes off our losses every season. Doubt anyone would want to buy us though if he ever decided to pack it in.

How do Vale fans rate Smurf as a whole? Seems a tad eccentric but sounds like his heart has always been in the right place. Also was he not a key figure in helping get you out of admin?

PS Burbery chats shite, don't listen to him.

He is not the most popular man in Burslem put it that way.

I think to a degree his heart is in the right place but his lack of experience in football has been shown up massively as have his lack of PR skills.

 

[Buxton Vale]

Vale's ownership reminds me of ours a bit, our debt is to our chairman who allegedly writes off our losses every season. Doubt anyone would want to buy us though if he ever decided to pack it in.

How do Vale fans rate Smurf as a whole? Seems a tad eccentric but sounds like his heart has always been in the right place. Also was he not a key figure in helping get you out of admin?

PS Burbery chats shite, don't listen to him.

Heart is in the right place, but unfortunately his brain isn't.

 

[Buxton Vale]

Need stability at this time and he was massively held back with the issues and mess he inherited. Has my support but will have no excuses next season if he struggles to have us challenging the top 7.

We could have got an experienced manager in to steady the ship, instead we keep Brown who took us down with football far worse than the page era. It's an opportunity missed.

 

[The Reverend Skyblue]

Smurf is a Cov fan so he clearly does have some mental issues

 

[valefan16]

Smurf is a Cov fan so he clearly does have some mental issues

He says he is a boyhood Cov fan but on the flip side I am sure he said he wasn't into football before buying us!

 

[mozzavale]

Vale's ownership reminds me of ours a bit, our debt is to our chairman who allegedly writes off our losses every season. Doubt anyone would want to buy us though if he ever decided to pack it in.

How do Vale fans rate Smurf as a whole? Seems a tad eccentric but sounds like his heart has always been in the right place. Also was he not a key figure in helping get you out of admin?

PS Burbery chats shite, don't listen to him.

He's either; incredibly incompetent, or incredibly deceitful.

He currently owns; the club, the shop and the ground...all separately. When he bought the club they were all in for £1.25m. Yes he brought us out of admin, at the time as CEO whilst Paul Wildes was the Chairman who faced up to the fans. Wildes was brilliant, generated so much positivity during the promotion campaign. Easy to do while the team are going well, but I doubt very much Smurf could replicate it.

Smurf got fed up of Wildes taking all of the plaudits so Wildes left in May 13 and Smurf took over. Since then; we've had 4 different managers, the fan base is divided, attendances are dwindling, we've gone back to L2, and we're in £3.7m debt.

He failed to learn from past failures, and very quickly began to make enemies. Fans, the police, the local media, top players, Managers, agents, sponsors, potential buyers etc...all have been treated appallingly. Our reputation in the footballing world is in tatters, so any decent player or Manager wouldn't come anywhere near the club whilst Smurf was in charge. Now the s**t has hit the fan, he's ran away and left some bumbling idiot as Chairman who looks like the alien in Men in Black with cockroaches up his sleeve.

He's incompetent when it comes to running a football club, the above proves that. There have been so many times when his actions and words show he's thick when it comes to making money for the club. It's been PR disaster after PR disaster. However, he's played a blinder when it comes to protecting his investment. It's highly unlikely he'll be paid the £6m he wants for the club...get real. He's basically added his loans (mistakes) to the value of the club. He owns the shop and the ground. He could sell the club separately and make money from renting the ground and shop back to the club, put his feet up and let the new Chairman take all the flak. That's where I think he's been shown up as being quite devious.

Yet still, some people would support him. When you probe them, you usually find that they've been benefitting from his ownership in some way. Either having work thrown their way, getting invites to the hospitality, and I'm also aware he told a few people to stick money on Bruno becoming Manager in the summer, making them all a fair bit of money.

We now have a local company, Synectics, who are perfect for taking us over. They are wealthy, they're growing, they're profitable, they're Vale fans...and they're interested in buying us. I've heard that a statement from them is imminent. I just hope that they get the club for the best price possible. I'd rather they spent their money on the club itself, rather than into Smurfs pocket through the purchase of the club.

We're at one of our lowest ebbs, yet there is real hope that our future is bright. A lot rests on Smurf. Fingers crossed he thinks about the club for once, rather than himself.

 

[Indian Dan]

I'm beginning to wonder if Smurf and Power are twins separated at birth.

Most of our fans consider him incompetent but unsure if he is actually raping the club as he goes. His unique selling point was he was the first ex player to become an owner, thereby knowing better than most. Well, that has been blown out of the water.

His previous history points to a bloke who leaves behind broken businesses whilst doing very nicely for himself - 13 out of 17 businesses have folded including one football club (Rushden and Diamonds) under his tenure. How on earth he made enough money to warrant becoming a Swiss tax exile I don't know, but being photographed with a famous(ish) career criminal does make you wonder.

 

[Buxton Vale]

Remie Streete has left today. We will get a fee for him, but its still bad news if not unexpected.

 

[valefan16]

Remie Streete has left today. We will get a fee for him, but its still bad news if not unexpected.

If as rumoured Bikey has signed then it's not the end of the world.

 

[kieran_vale]

Remie Streete has left today. We will get a fee for him, but its still bad news if not unexpected.

We are of course assuming we have offered him a contract on the same terms to get a fee. Of course it would not be like Vale at all to be so incompetent not to do that.....

 

[Buxton Vale]

We are of course assuming we have offered him a contract on the same terms to get a fee. Of course it would not be like Vale at all to be so incompetent not to do that.....

Guess what..............no new terms were offered