Source: FOOTYMAD
I Don't Want To Live This Life (Anymore)
[Just quoting that song by The Ramones.] It's a dog's life at Vale Park these days...read on... Don't worry, I don't want to "top" myself; things aren't that bad. But at Vale they are. This isn't the same club I've supported all these decades. It's just ... not fun anymore. Everyone to do with the club is pulling in different directions: The directors, the fans, the players, the management, the behind-the-scenes staff, the bloke in the dog's outfit...! The fans blame the directors, the manager blames the players, and Boomer blames it on...well, he might as well blame it on the boogie. Things are that ridiculous at Vale Park these days. We used to laugh at Stoke fans as their club pulled in all directions. They turned into a farce when the fans wanted Coates out, then Coates hired Chris Kamara & then the Icelandic consortium sacked Tony Pulis. Stoke didn't recover until everyone stopped pulling against each other. At Vale we continue to squabble like a bunch of kids ("It all his fault!" "Well, he started it!"). Some supporters think the board are to blame, refusing to acknowledge that most club boards are much worse. Other supporters think it's the manager who's at fault. Here they may have a point. Not a day seems to go by when Jim Gannon hasn't had a bust-up with someone or other. The latest barney on the team coach with Geoff Horsfield is as laughable as it gets, and proves my point that things at Vale really have gone to the dogs. The Daily Mail claim that Gannon complained about Horsfield by letter (after Horsfield had a day off for "family" reasons), & that Horsfield was shown the letter as he was getting on the coach (why?). Gannon only lasted till Hilton Park services before getting off, allegedly calling his lawyer to pick him up. I think he'll find a taxi would have been cheaper. Horsfield then got off at the next services - well, Warwick has a Starbucks & a Waitrose, whereas Hilton is Burger King & Costa. As this was supposedly on instructions from "above", we can only assume that the club forked out for his return journey. But the players are the best part of the equation. Whenever Gannon's in the middle of some sort of civil war, the players suddenly produce the goods on the pitch. This time it's a 2-1 win at Aldershot. Long may the war continue, I say. What I can't understand is why the fans - particularly the protestors - can't see the REAL villain in all this: yes, it's Micky Adams. Ok, so he was tempted away by his dream job, so can we blame him? YES, WE BLOODY WELL CAN. You don't agree? Well, I'd predicted he would leave to a former red & white employer, particularly as Pulis was hinting he might retire soon. Would Vale fans have been so gracious if his "dream job" turned out to be at Stoke?! Not bleedin likely. Nor should they be. We all remember Lou Macari dumping Stoke for his dream job at Celtic. It was a disaster all round, particularly for poor Lou, whose life was ruined by the experience. Well, it looks like it's happening to Adams - no wins and 8 defeats in 12 games so far for United. I'm not sympathetic. He dumped us for someone else - that's his problem. Actually, his real problem is that his next game's away at Portsmouth, and I don't rate his chances of even getting as far as Hilton Park.
