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. Some of you kindly contributed to our reverse fixture article and I wondered if some posters would like to take part by answering some different questions.
I wondered if up to three of you have a few minutes and would kindly offer your feelings on the game by answering the following few questions;
1. Tell us a bit about yourself & history as a fan?
2. How are your team doing (current form and in relation to the expectation of fans at the start of the season) and where do you think you will finish the season?
3. Who should we watch out for (one or more danger player/s)?
4. What are your thoughts on your manager?
5. Can you tell us up to 3 quirky things opposing fans might not know about your team?
6. Any views on the current Port Vale team & specific players?
7. Did you attend the reverse fixture earlier this season? If so what were your thoughts on the game?
8. Any views & memories of players / managers that have been involved with both teams and which Vale player past or present would you take for your team?
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/opposing-views-doncaster-h/To enable me to produce this in good time I need a reply by Wednesday and the report should appear on the website a day or two before our 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
Comments
Been a fan since I was a wee nipper, saw us in the 90s in the Nationwide Division 1, saw us go up, come down, go up again and had season tickets for 6 of those 7 straight seasons. Now I attend games, just nowhere near as regularly.
2. How are your team doing (current form and in relation to the expectation of fans at the start of the season) and where do you think you will finish the season?
Bloody awful I was hoping for us to be pushing for the Autos. Instead we're soon to be looking at the potential of League 2
3. Who should we watch out for (one or more danger player/s)?
Depends who plays, Holmes is the best we have... almost our only real threat... I suppose we also have the hot prospect of Ademola Lookman.
4. What are your thoughts on your manager?
He isn't our worst, but is definitely our worst since Dowie for me.
5. Can you tell us up to 3 quirky things opposing fans might not know about your team?
They're old. They're slow. They have no hope themselves.
6. Any views on the current Port Vale team & specific players?
I don't know anything of your lot. Maybe you could share?
7. Did you attend the reverse fixture earlier this season? If so what were your thoughts on the game?
Nope
8. Any views & memories of players / managers that have been involved with both teams and which Vale player past or present would you take for your team?
Nope, not off the top of my head
9. A score prediction (and potential scorers for both sides) and what do you expect the attendance to be?
6-1 Portvale, Lookman to score in the 80th
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?
Rose of Denmark was decent and away friendly last time I went there... couple of years ago.
Old git who first went to The Valley in 1963
2. How are your team doing (current form and in relation to the expectation of fans at the start of the season) and where do you think you will finish the season?
Hovering above the relegation zone. More or less in line with my expectations given our abysmal regime. I just hope we can stay up
3. Who should we watch out for (one or more danger player/s)?
Ademola Lookman if selected. Katrien Meire our CEO will probably wrap him in cotton wool for despatch in January though.
4. What are your thoughts on your manager?
He's not a manager. He takes instruction from the Regime.
5. Can you tell us up to 3 quirky things opposing fans might not know about your team?
We formed a political party to get back to The Valley
The ball burst during both our FA Cup final appearances in 1946 and 1947.
6. Any views on the current Port Vale team & specific players?
You seem to be doing OK either just in or flirting with the play off positions.
7. Did you attend the reverse fixture earlier this season? If so what were your thoughts on the game?
No
8. Any views & memories of players / managers that have been involved with both teams and which Vale player past or present would you take for your team?
Andy Jones is the name that immediately comes to mind. Welsh international forward for the younger readers.
9. A score prediction (and potential scorers for both sides) and what do you expect the attendance to be?
1-1 if we have a good day. Otherwise a comfortable victory for you. Lookman for us if he plays. 7,000 in the ground but announced at 10,000 plus.
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?
Antigallican is nearest the station and Rose of Denmark as mentioned above
If you were thinking of trying to do it again this season leave the new A. Jones (Alex our top scorer with 9) alone, Martin Paterson on the other hand is worth a £1 million and I will gladly deliver him personally
Good luck for the season after Saturday, we've been in a very similar scenario (with people who were actually supposed to be lifelong fans) and just came through it.
Reason why we are in League 1