By Chris Hornsby

The newest question on every Vale fan’s lips is: “who’s next in line for this thankless task?” and the only problem is, according to the local press, it is the two men that nobody, including the board, wants to get the job: Mr. Porter & Mr. Glover.

Martin 'disco pants' Foyle; Port Vale legend

Now I’m not saying that every Vale fan doesn’t adore these two men for what they have done in the past as players but we have been here before people, appointing those we all fell in love with on the terraces (lest we forget our very own ‘Mr. disco pants’ himself Martin Foyle above), albeit someone with little or no management experience or previous success in coaching. And sadly it didn’t work. 

Sadder still, it seems to me that Messrs Glover & Porter would do us no better.

The hardest thing in all of this is that; with the departure of (the gallant) Lee Sinnott still fresh in our minds, after another demoralizing loss away to Gillingham on Saturday, and let’s not forget our bitter enemy sneering at us from the dizzy-heights of the Premiership, we are back to square one.

Rory Delap's misiles heap more misery on The Vale

As was the case a few years ago, again we have no manager, no confidence from the fans that this will be a decent season, and a squad of players that look far too young and inexperienced to even be considered capable of kicking ourselves out from League 2 obscurity. Not in the direction we were hoping in any case. 

Obviously, I don’t mean every player, but 90% in my opinion just don’t measure up!!!!

Has this season been lost already? I’m not entirely sure. Unfortunately Mr. Sinnott did have to go, as I am sure everybody will agree, though I was sorry to see this happen. Nevertheless, after a 4-1 humiliating home defeat against a team which many now consider our nearest local rivals (Macclesfield Town for those of you who weren’t sure) and the subsequent volatile fans protests to the board that followed the game, then I am afraid that the writing was on the wall for Mr. Sinnott. 

Sinnott turned sour after early promise for Vale

He seemed a man of great integrity; a man with admirable ambition, and his talk of fighting our way out from the depths of this division certainly fitted the criteria for what this club really needed. Then on those many occasions during the games we found ourselves trailing against so-called lesser sides, he was never found jumping up and down on the touchline as you might’ve expected, but instead; sitting listlessly in the dugout, arms folded, with the weary look of a lost man, seemingly out of his depth.

Now with the latest board statement confirming that the club cannot afford to bring in a manager from the (scary) outside, then we are back to our first question: who’s next for this presumably thankless task?

With only 1 win in 4 home games and an average of a point a game from 7 thus far, who can rescue our season and be our saviour? As most of you who neither know nor care, I ask myself, who indeed?

My beloved Vale Park

As I await the answer to be revealed and I hope and pray for 3 points from somewhere, all I can do is do as I’ve always done; shut my eyes, raise my arms and give one more resounding battle cry: COME ON VALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!