‘Everyone wants to see the club move forward. We’re all on the same page in that regard...’
DARREN Moore wants to see his players show “passion, drive and commitment” as Port Vale sign off their League One campaign at home to Cambridge United today.
Having not been able to make any sort of impact after taking over from Andy Crosby, collecting just nine points from a possible 48 as boss, the 50-year-old is desperate to give the fans a first win since March 29.
Then he will embark on meeting with players next week and start the process of rebuilding his squad for next season following the club’s relegation to League Two after last weekend’s defeat at Bolton Wanderers.
“I want to see passion, drive and commitment and we want to see players playing for the shirt and the badge,” said Moore.
“We want them illustrating what it means for them to play for Port Vale. We want the players to showcase that to the supporters.
“We won’t be doing a lap of honour at the end of the game. We will come out to the centre of the pitch and it’s our way of thanking the supporters, not so much the other way around.
“We will say, ‘thank you for your commitment, consistency and staying with us every step of the way’.
“It’s our appreciation to them.” Hopefully there will still be Vale fans left in the ground when that happens as many have departed long before the final whistle in recent matches.
The rebuild will come and Moore says he knows what’s required.
“When you are doing a rebuild, it’s never easy in all departments really, in terms of looking to strengthen in all areas and that is where the meetings and focus will be once this Saturday is done,” he explained.
“We are looking at all areas to improve.
“A lot of people will look at, and associate, on the pitch, because that’s ultimately what we see visually, where we can draw into comparison where the football club is at.
“Me being the manager I will lend my support in my particular department, in terms of making sure that’s aligned.
“But what we are doing is we have accepted as a football club the mistakes that have been made along the way and what we have to do as a football club is make sure some of those mistakes we made along the way, we
are not continuing to make them. That’s why there is a real break now making sure we are putting Port Vale Football Club first and foremost and making sure everything we do is for the benefit of the club.”
He added: “There’s many different departments. They have to align.
“You are a team, and when you do align you get that synergy and ultimately it moves towards the football pitch.
“Also looking at the dynamics on the pitch, the culture, the mentality, the discipline, all those kinds of aspects have to run in tandem really in terms of upward, motion, movement, in terms “of getting better and that’s where I’m driven.
I’m really driven to bring in those elements and keep that driving factor into this football club because that is all I’ve ever known and what I have adhered to really in terms of working really hard and giving maximum effort
to what we’re about in terms of going forward.
“Giving maximum effort is something we are looking to explore and we want to push.
“Everybody at Vale Park wants to see this football club move forward. There’s not one person who doesn’t want to see it move forward.
“We are all on the same page in terms of that.
“It’s me looking at all aspects of the club. And on the pitch trying to put a group together than can resonate with the fans.”
Moore says his track record lends itself to the task in hand and he reasoned: “When you look back at my managerial career it’s been taking difficult jobs and working hard at them in trying to turn them around.
“I don’t see this as being any different.
“I’m really committed to the football club and the supporters. I understand their passion and I understand what the badge is.
“I just want to bring a team and an ethos and a culture with the football club that the fans feel they can connect with.”
He concluded: “It’s very difficult to set an ethos and values coming so late in the season when the ethos and values have been set before.
“The biggest thing for Port Vale Football Club is a process will be put in place which will see this football club moving forward and that’s the main message. The football club needs an identity.
“It’s a process that takes time, work, energy and it takes a level of understanding from all departments moving forward and that’s the most important thing, really.
“For now it’s finishing off this season and all coming together as one.
“Yes there is the disappointment of this season and we have to put that behind us now, wipe the slate clean and look to move forward. In order to do that we need everybody together.”