‘I won’t mollycoddle the players. If I upset one or two, that’s the way it is...’
PORT Vale owner Carol Shanahan, director of football David Flitcroft and manager Darrell Clarke took part in an online fans’ forum, hosted by Supporters’
Club chairman Mark Porter on Thursday evening. Here are the key questions and answers from the meeting...
WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG TO TAKE THE DECISION TO PART COMPANY WITH JOHN ASKEY AND WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG TO APPOINT A NEW MANAGER?
Carol Shanahan: If you go back to the beginning of November, we were flying high and every indication we got as a board was that we had got everything right and everything was working.
When everything started to go wrong at the beginning of November… it takes quite a long time for you to recognise whether there is a problem of whether it is just a run of back luck.
Covid isn’t an excuse and I am not putting it forward as an excuse, but it is a factor. If you think back to Boxing Day for example, Tom Conlon found out on Boxing Day morning that he had Covid. That was the first we knew.
We wanted to back the manager and we did, but we got to the point by the beginning of January of saying we have to stop. It almost didn’t feel fair to just carry on and so we took a decision.
So, did we have a plan then? Well, no because we were backing the manager. In backing the manager you don’t start making a plan for the manager going.
After John left we then started to look at moving forward and to take that time were weren’t able to take when we first came in.
I took a decision that we needed to take the time to have a look at what Port Vale needed in the long term rather than, ‘we haven’t got a manager, quick, get a manager, tick a box, shut everybody up and then it will all be all right’.
That isn’t what I wanted to do. I wanted to have a plan and to take the time to go through it. That’s why it took a little longer than people wanted. Also we had Danny in there (Danny Pugh was interim manager) but then he got Covid.
At that time we didn’t know whether Danny going in to the end of the season would hold or not but then in discussions with
Danny and the board we decided we needed to really ramp up looking for a manager.
In retrospect it probably looks a long time. But at the time every single day we were doing something towards moving forward.
IF THE WORST THING HAPPENS (the club is relegated) WILL WE CHANGE BACK (get rid of the director of football)?
Carol Shanahan: No, I think a club going where we want to go needs a structure. I think the structure is right. We will be looking to prove it is right so the question becomes a moot point.
TO DAVID FLITCROFT – ARE YOU UNDER CONTRACT? IF SO, FOR HOW LONG AND ARE YOU INTERESTED IN MANAGING AGAIN?
I am under contract, yes, for a year. Managing again… as I have managed I have always been involved in developing people, players, staff.
This opportunity gives me the chance to do that and work with some fantastic people at boardroom level.
What I do know is I am loving this job, I am loving every part of it, and I want to give Darrell all the support I can. He is a fantastic guy, a top manager, and it is giving him that support he needs when he needs it, without smothering him. We have a great relationship.
But the important thing is if I enjoy being somewhere and I can see the vision – and the potential at this club is massive – then you don’t want to go anywhere.
Why would I want to go anywhere because this journey that we are on is incredibly exciting. It is something I am really enjoying.
TO DAVID FLITCROFT – PUTTING ASIDE YOUR LONG TERM PLANS AS DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL, WHAT ARE YOU PERSONALLY DOING IN THE SHORT TERM TO ENSURE OUR LEAGUE TWO SURVIVAL?
Initially we have made a couple of important decisions. We have brought in Daryl Taylor (ex-mansfield) who is a sports science and fitness coach.
He has played the game and understands the mentality of players. He understands how to get best out of them.
We have also taken on Andy Crosby who is now assisting Darrell (Clarke). That unconditional support that Carol and the board have always given the manager – we are extending that now to our new manager.
I think it’s really important that Darrell feels that support, that the players do. Again, it is in line with creating an elite performance environment that will serve us well, not only this season but on our path to success.
TO DAVID FLITCROFT - IT IS AN AWFUL SITUATION FOR CAROL AND THE BOARD AT THE MOMENT. THEY ARE FANTASTIC PEOPLE LIKE US WHO DESERVE BETTER. WHAT