Port Vale Forum Pre Match Interview / Report vrs Bolton

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

Hi,

I'm the pre-match reporter for the Port Vale Fans Forum One Vale Fan.

Part of my role is to contact fans of our forthcoming opponents to ask them a few questions and gain their views on the upcoming fixture between our sides in order to produce a report which we release on the site a couple of days prior to the game.

I wondered if one or more of you (up to a maximum of 3 due to space constraints) have a few minutes and would kindly be prepared to share a few views / your feelings on the game by answering the following few questions;

1. Tell us a bit about yourself & history as a fan?
2. How do you expect your team to do this season (including a forecast for a positional finish for the entire season)?
3. What are your thoughts on your manager and his signings this season & who should we watch out for (danger players)?
4. What are your thoughts on your board & off field club activities?
5. Can you tell us up to 3 quirky things opposing fans might not know about your team?
6. Our fans love to read opposing team’s forums and blogs, any recommendations on these for your team?
7. How do you expect Vale to do this season?
8. What is your team's most memorable game with Vale (good or bad reasons)?
9. A score prediction (and potential scorers for both sides) and what do you expect the attendance to be?
10. Finally can you pass on any decent recommendations for local ‘away friendly pubs’, eateries and the best places to park for our fans travelling to the game?


Please also feel free to include any other information you feel worthy and I will knock it into a report as per the example below regarding contribution from Doncaster fans from a game with them;
http://www.onevalefan.co.uk/2015/02/opp ... ncaster-h/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

To enable me to produce this in good time I need a reply by Thursday evening and the report will appear on our website prior to the fixture.

Please also let me know if you would like me to include your name on the article and if you are prepared to share one a photo of yourself we can utilise with the article.

Many thanks for your potential support in this matter.

Best Regards,



REP

[Worthy4England]

1. Tell us a bit about yourself & history as a fan? Err watching BWFC since the 70's. I'm 35.
2. How do you expect your team to do this season (including a forecast for a positional finish for the entire season)? Decent enough start after years of going the wrong way. Hopefully there in the mix at the end. Playoffs.
3. What are your thoughts on your manager and his signings this season & who should we watch out for (danger players)? Think he's doing what he was bought in to do. Signed a lot of 6' players. Has made us difficult to score against. Defensive signings have been pretty good, less so the attacking signings. Clough has grabbed 4 in his last couple of games, Spearing playing pretty solidly, don't waste two defenders marking Madine
4. What are your thoughts on your board & off field club activities? Bit difficult to judge at the moment. Spent so much of last season flirting with Administration (I was one of a few who didn't think we'd go into Admin) - so it's quiet Board-wise, which is actually an improvement. We don't know whether we're solvent or skint, but all the indications currently are that we're slowly turning round the financials.
5. Can you tell us up to 3 quirky things opposing fans might not know about your team? We don't like Wolves, either. We have "drummers", don't sit near them.
6. Our fans love to read opposing team’s forums and blogs, any recommendations on these for your team? This one's the best. If they want "Hello", they could try Lion of Vienna Suite...
7. How do you expect Vale to do this season? Started pretty well, but look like October's been tough, difficult to tell really, when you've been out of a Division for a while - upper mid table with maybe a push for play-offs given a decent run at the right time?
8. What is your team's most memorable game with Vale (good or bad reasons)? Probably the 4-2 in 1997. We were on a roll.
9. A score prediction (and potential scorers for both sides) and what do you expect the attendance to be? 13,000 - 2-0 Bolton (hopefully - we've not been great, performance-wise at home)
10. Finally can you pass on any decent recommendations for local ‘away friendly pubs’, eateries and the best places to park for our fans travelling to the game? Beehive - about 10 mins walk, has some parking, does food. Barnstormers on Lostock Lane ok too. Won't get into the pubs right next door to the ground they do a ticket check generally. Can park either at the stadium or on the Retail Park...dunno if they're still giving out tickets to non-shoppers on the retail park...

[Bruce Rioja]

1. Tell us a bit about yourself & history as a fan? Been going since 74. Seen us play in all four divisions and Europe too. First away game was actually at your place in 83 ish. Me and two of my mates presented ourselves at Piccadilly Station. "Three returns to Port Vale please". "There's no such place". "There fecking well is, we're playing them this afternoon".
2. How do you expect your team to do this season (including a forecast for a positional finish for the entire season)? The way we're playing just now - play offs at least. The way we were playing a month ago - lucky to stay up.
3. What are your thoughts on your manager and his signings this season & who should we watch out for (danger players)? He seems to have stopped the rot. Signings have been hit and miss. Defensively we're looking fairly solid now, Beevers is excellent. Up front Parkinson's signings have been less effective. Henry has been absolute shite.
4. What are your thoughts on your board & off field club activities? It's all gone very quiet, which I for one am very happy about
5. Can you tell us up to 3 quirky things opposing fans might not know about your team? Apparently we have the only ground in which the teams turn out onto the pitch via separate tunnels. The wind always blows into the away end, so wrap up. Ricardo Gardner is the only ever player to have managed to kick a ball that's landed outside of the stadium
6. Our fans love to read opposing team’s forums and blogs, any recommendations on these for your team? You're on it
7. How do you expect Vale to do this season? Who knows? If you're much like us then you can be playing like the Dog & Duck one minute and 70's Liverpool the next.
8. What is your team's most memorable game with Vale (good or bad reasons)? First ever away game, as mentioned. Your violent types took a dislike to us and it's the only time in my life that I've seen mounted police in the stands. Also at your place Per Frandsen and Michael Johansen making their debuts. I also recall a night match at Burnden in the mid 80's that finished 0-0. It remains to this day the best 0-0 draw that I've ever seen
9. A score prediction (and potential scorers for both sides) and what do you expect the attendance to be? We haven't conceded in five games, and we aren't great up front. I'll be more than happy if we can nick it 1-0
10. Finally can you pass on any decent recommendations for local ‘away friendly pubs’, eateries and the best places to park for our fans travelling to the game? The Beehive. Carry on past the stadium and when you get to the roundabout it's right in front of you. You can get a nosebag in there as well

[Harry Genshaw]

1. Tell us a bit about yourself & history as a fan? First went around the mid 70s. Season ticket until 2005. Now I only go when I can get sorted for cheap tickets
2. How do you expect your team to do this season (including a forecast for a positional finish for the entire season)?
I expected us to struggle. Anything above halfway is a bonus
3. What are your thoughts on your manager and his signings this season & who should we watch out for (danger players)?
Good reputation at this level and as good as we could have hoped for. He's made a decent start. Zach Clough is probably our main threat. Beevers & Howard aside, his signings have so far failed to excite
4. What are your thoughts on your board & off field club activities?
I'm bored of it all to be honest. We're skint. As long as we've still got a team..
5. Can you tell us up to 3 quirky things opposing fans might not know about your team?
We once conceded 5 goals in 7 minutes in a league cup tie at Notts County . We haven't won at Gigg Lane for 2 days. We are the one and only Wanderers
6. Our fans love to read opposing team’s forums and blogs, any recommendations on these for your team? No
7. How do you expect Vale to do this season?
I'm ashamed to say I don't know a great deal about you these days compared to when our paths crossed more frequently in the 80s and 90s. Looks like you've made a decent start
8. What is your team's most memorable game with Vale (good or bad reasons)?
I remember a 2-1 win at your place in 83 when we'd started the season quite well. Robbie Earle scoring a late equalizer for you at Burnden was a particularly hefty kick in the goolies that I remember.
9. A score prediction (and potential scorers for both sides) and what do you expect the attendance to be? 1-0 win for us hopefully. 14,000
10. Finally can you pass on any decent recommendations for local ‘away friendly pubs’, eateries and the best places to park for our fans travelling to the game? As above. The pies are alright inside but you'd better off nipping into Tesco or Subway on the retail park

[TANGODANCER]

Don't go enough to comment on current affairs, but for what it's worth I'll throw in that the late-great Nat Lofthouse went in goal one game...and saved a penalty. Oh. and one guy landed on Burnden Park Pitch by parachute during a night cup game against Arsenal.... It's the truth, I was there

[Bruce Rioja]

And Bernie Slaven chose Port Vale over us, the c*nt.

[LeverEnd]

The one game I remember was a 1 all draw at Vale Park in 1994. I remember the away end having a corrugated tin wall at the back of the stand which was great for hammering on a making a racket. I also remember being offering a bus to the station by the local constabulary, which was a ruse to drive us round the ring road for 45 min until the fans had dispersed. A terrified copper who looked like he'd not started shaving was trying to placate the increasingly irate fans and inadvertently managed it when someone nicked his helmet and it got chucked around the bus to much hilarity.
I don't remember who scored but do remember that the 'nominal fee' for this magical mystery tour was 10p more than the local bus I'd taken from the station to the ground (I was a student!).

[Bruce Rioja]

And another thing. It's a 17 mile uphill walk from Longport Station to Burslem

[Harry Genshaw]

And Bernie Slaven chose Port Vale over us, the c*nt.

And Ron Futcher did too!

[Bruce Rioja]

And Bernie Slaven chose Port Vale over us, the c*nt.

And Ron Futcher did too!

Well he can feck off too then. I'm actually really struggling to think of anyone who has played for both clubs.

[Harry Genshaw]

And Bernie Slaven chose Port Vale over us, the c*nt.

And Ron Futcher did too!

Well he can feck off too then. I'm actually really struggling to think of anyone who has played for both clubs.

Phil Neal tried to sign Futcher and got upset when he opted for Vale instead and had a good moan to Gordon Sharrock who duly printed it. Cue Futcher getting dogs abuse when he next came to Burnden in a cup game and then scored the bloody winner for em

[Burnden Paddock]

And Bernie Slaven chose Port Vale over us, the c*nt.

And Ron Futcher did too!

Well he can feck off too then. I'm actually really struggling to think of anyone who has played for both clubs.

Ray Deakin.

[Bruce Rioja]

And Bernie Slaven chose Port Vale over us, the c*nt.

And Ron Futcher did too!

Well he can feck off too then. I'm actually really struggling to think of anyone who has played for both clubs.

Phil Neal tried to sign Futcher and got upset when he opted for Vale instead and had a good moan to Gordon Sharrock who duly printed it. Cue Futcher getting dogs abuse when he next came to Burnden in a cup game and then scored the bloody winner for em

Ah yes, I remember it now. I also remember Stoke fans cheering Julian Darby's winner for us against Stoke because it meant that we'd go second at Vale's expense. Strange bunch.

[Harry Genshaw]

And Bernie Slaven chose Port Vale over us, the c*nt.

And Ron Futcher did too!

Well he can feck off too then. I'm actually really struggling to think of anyone who has played for both clubs.

Ray Deakin.

There's just something so typically Bolton Wanderers. We couldn't attract Futcher or Slaven but we tempted Ray bloody Deakin away from the bright lights of Burslem. Rest in peace and all that but he was bloomin hopeless

[Bruce Rioja]

There's just something so typically Bolton Wanderers. We couldn't attract Futcher or Slaven but we tempted Ray bloody Deakin away from the bright lights of Burslem. Rest in peace and all that but he was bloomin hopeless

Absolutely tragic what happened to him, but yes, as poor a player as you'll see. I didn't know he'd ever played for PV.

[bw@bw]

I remember 1973 at Port Vale.
Around Easter. Ground Packed
Confirmed our promotion - prevented Vale's
Gordon Lee's Vale one of the dirtiest teams I ever saw
Roy Greaves and timewasting ballboy falling out - we equalised very late.

Then much more fallout after the match

Memory not all gone - largely verified by The wonders of google...
http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/fans-pou ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Their final home game of the season was a 2–2 draw with champions Bolton Wanderers, in which 'frenzied scenes' included police dogs separating the two sets of fans at the Bycars End, two attempted pitch invasions, and the referee kicked to the ground at the final whistle.[1]"

[Andy Waller]

And another thing. It's a 17 mile uphill walk from Longport Station to Burslem

And to put the the tin hat on it, you're walking all that way to Burslem...

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

Three cracking replies thanks all! The article should be on our site today or tomorrow morning!

Sorry about Bernie and Ron, though they did rather well for us, as for Stoke **** em

[Bruce Rioja]

Any chance of your view of the game, REP? Hope you had a decent afternoon at our place (not withstanding the result). What was your view of Ameobi taking the ball out of play for the second goal? Was very impressed by your boy Nathan Smith today, by the way.

[officer_dibble]

Quite prehistoric how the neanderthal men banged the hoarding at the bottom of the stand im anger I thought.