“A heartfelt apology” – Port Vale chair issues statement after relegation
Port Vale chair Carol Shanahan has issued a statement which begins with a “heartfelt apology” and says she is “truly sorry” for the club’s relegation from League One.
Shanahan also says she has faith in manager Darren Moore, that a full review of the season is underway and that communication with fans needs to improve.
The full statement reads:
To all Port Vale supporters,
As a proud co-owner of the club, I felt it was important for me to address you directly following our relegation from Sky Bet League One, and would like to start this message with a heartfelt apology.
It’s clear that results this season haven’t come close to matching the support you’ve shown us, and for that, I am truly sorry. As I have said only recently, I’ve made mistakes in my time here and won’t always get things right, and that has certainly been the case this season. Unfortunately, and put simply, results have not been good enough.
On a personal level, I share the same disappointment and sadness that I know you will all be feeling today. I’ve made no secret of my love for this club and this community, and ultimately, I’m accountable for ensuring that both are represented in the right way on your behalf. Your backing deserves more, and you have my commitment that we will work to put things right – both on and off the pitch – at the earliest opportunity.
As you will have heard in Matt Hancock’s recent club interview, we will be reviewing all areas of the club throughout this next period, and some of that work – in areas such as ticketing and supporter engagement among many others – is already well underway. We know we need to listen to and communicate with you more than we have in the past, and moving forward there will be much greater supporter involvement. We need to rebuild, and I’m determined to ensure that rebuild includes you.
However, what happens on the pitch has always been, and will continue to be, the priority.
I strongly believe that in Darren Moore, we have the right person to lead our development in terms of football operations and, despite our relegation, we will ensure he and his team are given the resources needed to carry that out this summer and beyond.
I know Darren shares my view that pride in the badge should be non-negotiable when it comes to Port Vale, and together we’re absolutely determined to bring success back to this club.
As I said at the start of this letter, I’m proud to be the Owner of Port Vale, and proud to represent our supporters and the wider Burslem community. Securing promotion to League One two years ago was one of the highlights of my life, and I know we can do it again.
Thank you, from all of us, for your ongoing support – together we’ll make sure your club gets back to where it deserves to be.
Carol
Cookie
20th April 2024 @ 9:46 pm
Bit like shutting the stable door as Shergar runs down the high street ridden by lord lucan. If we had got a striker in January window as we desperately needed then “the rebuild ” would potentially be in league 1. I hope that the necessary funds are made available to strengthen all areas of the team to ensure non league oblivion is not the conversation in 12 months time. Time will tell.
John cooper
20th April 2024 @ 10:05 pm
All the vale fans who were crowing we will be playing stoke next season have gone very quiet, it will take a lot of money and planning to stop us dropping even further don’t think Moore is the answer either the owners must be mad to give him a 5 YEAR contract he’s laughing all the way to the bank.
Richard
20th April 2024 @ 10:13 pm
It’s too late to apologise the damage is done something should of been done along time ago now we are back in the crap league 2 thanks alot
Lev Myatt
20th April 2024 @ 11:02 pm
In the 1960’s my family donated money to the “100 club” to keep football alive at Port Vale. Carol Shanahan and her family have done the same be it in a more substantial manner.
I am certain that they will have learnt a lot in the time they have been in control, the highs and lows. Given support, I am sure Vale will revamp, grow and climb the football pyramid.
Let’s all celebrate what has been achieved so far and work together to achieve.
Antony Hall
20th April 2024 @ 11:29 pm
Stoke fan here, well said Carol and I sincerely hope you take port vale straight back up again next year and your faith in Darren is justified. Local Football achievement helps businesses in the City.
Ross W Scadding
20th April 2024 @ 11:42 pm
I believe that CAROL and PORT VALE will get it right in the end. It has been a very hard season for everyone connected with PORT VALE players, staff, and supporters
I have full confidence in Darren Moore to turn things around .We need to start rebuilding after the final game.Carol and Kevin believe passionately in the club. We need to get behind everyone at the club Owners, Manager, staff player’s and supporters SUPPORT THE VALE
Kenneth Wilshaw
21st April 2024 @ 12:14 am
Thank you from me as a life long supporter in your honesty and frankness and your support for Darren Moore who I believe can make this club and it’s supporters proud again. As for a director of football, it is my opinion and perhaps others too that Darren Moore should be allowed to manage his own recruitment, subject to the club’s financial constraints. I like others have had highs and lows this season but will be back next season as Port Vale is and always will be my team. I must put on record that I put pen to paper 6 weeks into the season stating that we’d be struggling this season I was told politely to “Give my head a wobble” by some supporters but this was the opinion of numerous supporters around me, so I have to ask the question if I and others can see what’s happening why can’t management.
Next season will be another journey for me but even after this dreadful season I’ll be back supporting the team I love.
Respectfully Yours Kenneth Wilshaw
Robin of Ilfracombe
21st April 2024 @ 7:06 am
Myself and many Exeter fans share your disappointment in what was inevitable relegation having come up to League One together a couple of years ago and been around the same place in the table until January when we turned things around. There is nothing better than a club with passionate owners (fan owned in our case) striving for the best both on and off the pitch. The silence from Carol, with the exception of a badly worded letter supporting DF, is not the way to motivate players, staff, fans etc. Our Chairman of ‘The Trust ‘ was down at the training ground every day towards the end of our 2 points from 13 games run that in every other club would have resulted in the manger being sacked. Openness and honestly about what was needed to collectively bring about survival resulted in a team that you all saw last week when we turned the game around with 4 second half goals as you capitulated. I hope Carol gets this right, engages with you all and has the finances to support the management team. It’s not all about money when nobody cares, as evidenced from a club to the south of you, it’s about collectively coming together and everyone having pride in the badge. Good luck to you all.
SPLODGER
21st April 2024 @ 8:16 am
oh carol its a pity you ignored the supporters worries about the club last october,we could all see what was happening on the pitch but you blindly let it carry on.all the hard work you put into the club getting promoted has disapeared within two awful seasons in division1.its going to be a long hard slog to get out of division 2 and youve lost the trust of many new supporters who wont be renewing season tickets for next season,championship ready was a pipe dream sold to you by fraudcroft and you fell for it hook line and sinker
Christopher Lawton
21st April 2024 @ 9:45 am
She’s got no clue what she’s doing if she spent less effort in the community and more on the playing side we would not be in this position we are a football club. It great help the community and the work we do but I’d personally take leauge one status over a community award all focus needs to be on the real issues of poor transfers and communication with the fans this all started from the playoff final. The removal of fans from the bycars end was a mistake. The toilet situation is ridiculous but at least we have a nice score board and a draining system and a new turnstile f#####g joke flitcroft should also have been removed sooner and a manager brought in at the start of the season not using Andy Crosby as a scape goat I felt so upset as a fan that we have not been listened to time and time again
Vale fan
21st April 2024 @ 1:20 pm
Christopher Lawton, bang on.There are fans that will not return to support the Vale now ,nor will they sell as many shirts, I suggest they sell the shiny new score board and the turnstile and repair the toilets, yes it’s sarcasm, but I am still in shock that Carol would not listen,while fraudcroft, played on his PC at DOF and nearly killed the Vale, listen to the supporters Carol not the fraudcrofts, the supporters are are your only true line of defence and Knowledge as for Darren Moore, I’m sorry I don’t think he will do Vale any good in the long run.UTV
Samuel Brotherton
21st April 2024 @ 1:57 pm
Yes Darren Moore is the right man for the job but we have got to get rid of the players who think they can play football
The problem this season vale can’t defend,John Rudge got it right to good
Wingers,big centre forward,Porter and Co in midfield,led by Aspin and Glover
At the back perfect.thats what Darren needs leaders in all positions.
Good luck vale for next season.
Ian Mountford
21st April 2024 @ 8:38 pm
Problem solved then. Although we owe the Shanahan’s so much at no point during the season didn’t any alarm bells ring Carol? Every decision you made last season was the wrong one. What chance did Crosby or any other manager have with the squad that was put together by Flitcroft, we can talk all day about the recruitment, no goal scoring forwards, inexperienced and untried academy lads it was ridiculous. The ticket office being closed, a lot of Vale’s ageing fan base don’t have access to the internet, but you don’t care. No toilets all season on the Railway Paddock, you’ve not cared. Prices in the club shop have increased due to Puma, this is a poor ares Carol. You are to me just totally focused on the corporate side of the business, which I understand, but all Vale fans deserve the same respect. The sacking of Crosby was scandalous, what help did he get? Yet you bring in another manager with an even worse record, if Moore fails to win the Cambridge game his record will be 5 wins in 40 games, come on ! With relegation so much has been thrown away most importantly the increase in the fan base, the £3.4 million loss is unbelievable and will only increase next season due to the club’s reluctance to invest when it was so obviously needed.
Man in the Pub
21st April 2024 @ 10:48 pm
Errors get made and hopefully we learn from them. However some mistakes don’t need to be made. We were almost relegated the previous season with the lack of a goalscoring striker a massive Red flag. Fans concerns were wrongly ignored and Carols support was given to an individual that the majority on OVF could see was driving us foot down on the pedal to a road crash. You need to listen to people who have the Vales best interests at heart and it needed a delegation of fans to convince you of the obvious fact that the Emperor really had no clothes. That is the lesson Carol needs to learn.
Craig
22nd April 2024 @ 9:41 am
This would make a great new TV series of traitors everyone stabbing everyone else in the back ,it’s all down to those who ware the shirt on match day if you don’t get 100% out of every player on the day week week out it’s going to be inevitable for more of the same next season .Get rid of all the dead wood replace it with abit of talent and move on.I hear the women’s team are doing well take a leaf out of there book.
FROM A STOKE FAN.
Peter Grocott
22nd April 2024 @ 11:27 am
We’ve won 23 out of 91 in league one games ,it speaks volumes about the player recruitment
Basil
22nd April 2024 @ 2:05 pm
Lessons failed to be learnt and as a result league two beckons!
bouldie
22nd April 2024 @ 2:46 pm
Flitcroft I’m in Tenerife and sat next to Barnsley fan told me when flitcroft was at Barnsley he told the board at the time sell John stones to Everton it’s pinching money ,3millon mmmmm august2016 Everton sold him man city for 47,5millon pounds with add -on my advise to him as a second hand football director keep away from Barnsley area as. You might get a Barnsley chop and it won’t be a lamb one
Me
22nd April 2024 @ 4:01 pm
Can’t she go as well as Moore ,5 year contract FFS,unbelievable.
Paul S
22nd April 2024 @ 4:36 pm
As a Reading fan I’m sad at your relegation, when we played you in August you played us off the park and I thought you were a decent outfit. The way your fans conducted themselves at our place during the abandoned game was amazing, and I know loads of Reading fans that have a real soft spot for Vale now. Be careful what you wish for with owners as yours at least sounds sincere and communicates with you. Our scumbag owner as well as trying to run us into the ground has not spoken, communicated or approached us in any way for the 7 years of his disastrous reign. Her heart at least appears in the right place. Good luck vale from all at RFC
Paul Rose.
22nd April 2024 @ 9:14 pm
I’ll start with the negatives Moore is not the answer, giving him a contract which must be the longest in the whole of the football league was and is a major mistake.His record for Vale is shocking,if he had any sense of honour he should apologise and resign.Now the plus points, you are a top lady and so many clubs would welcome you with open arms, Take a deep breath and go again with the enthusiasm you have it will rub off hopefully on your playing staff.Good luck for the forthcoming season.
Goza
24th April 2024 @ 10:19 pm
Not sure you will see this Carol but…
Darren Moore is not the man
Ainsworth was the man.
Difference smart dressed smart talking v rough and ready sleeves rolled up, passion.
Get it wrong this time and it could be the end and it will be on your epitaph as the person who destroyed PVFC..
Absolutely NO Confidence
You had the man and sacked him.