The Special One; Jose Mourinho, Port Vale, and a club on the brink

On the 8th May 2016, Port Vale capitulated to a 5-0 defeat at home to Walsall. Fans trudged out of the ground, understandably aggrieved but not without hope. The Valiants finished 12th, a solid return for young manager Rob Page in his first full season in charge. Several promising players had made the breakthrough, including talented young goalkeeper Jak Alnwick and prodigious centre half Remie Streete, with youth academy products such as Nathan Smith on the fringes of the first team. The 12th placed finish, along with a commendable exit on penalties in the League Cup away at West Brom, was achieved with no true ‘striker’, the diminutive AJ Leitch Smith filling the role for vast swathes of the season and finishing with a respectable but hardly outstanding 11 goals in 37. Uche Ikpeazu, Colin Daniel, JJ Hooper, and Louis Dodds supplemented Leitch-Smith, but he remained the top scorer. The sentiment amongst Vale faithful was a proven, experienced striker to lead this squad would have them pushing towards the top 6, and a return to the hallowed Championship which the club had been estranged from since the legendary days of John Rudge in the 1990s.

 

As the Vale fans made their way home, optimistic of their club’s future, none of them could have foreseen the catastrophic decline that has seen the club’s fortunes nosedive dramatically, and, within 18 months, have Vale battling relegation to non-league with what many fans deem one of the worst squads the club have had in living memory.

 

How could a club, with solid, mid-table attendances, a collection of bright young players supported by a very capable and experienced flock of League 1 professionals fall so far, so quickly? The building blocks were in place; a final push was all it would take to see the Vale challenge the top end of the division, continuing their impressive ascent that had occurred since their promotion from League 2 in 2013.

 

A number of reasons are to blame, on and off the pitch. Some are disparate, some intertwined. However, there is one common denominator in all of what has occurred at Vale Park since the fateful summer of 2016. The denominator is owner, Norman Smurthwaite.

 

Context is crucial. Smurthwaite, sometimes affectionately known as ‘Smurf’ by Vale fans, had taken the club over partway through the promotion season of 2012/13, which had seen the Vale start in administration. Micky Adams successfully built a team of freebies who were at the top end of the division, playing scintillating football and restoring hope to the beleaguered Vale fans who had recently been involved in an exhausting and divisive battle over the club’s ownership. The club still needed an owner, and Smurf and his business partner, Paul Wildes, paid £1.25m in November of 2012. In January, they added to the thin squad with crucial signings of big-name veterans who steered the club over the line. Throughout the season, Wildes became the spokesperson for the duo, pledging mass investment in the club and a new training hub to be built. The good times were back.

 

Promotion sealed, Vale took on League 1. Wildes departed mere weeks after the Vale’s success was confirmed, and Smurf took on solo ownership. No biggie; this was the moneyman, the rich businessman funding the ideas and vision articulated so effectively by Wildes.

 

An excellent first season finish of 9th was followed by the departure of Adams, who had a protracted contract saga with Smurf who was proving himself to struggle with the PR side of football so adeptly handled by Wildes prior. Early into their second season, promising young coach Rob Page was promoted to replace Adams, steered Vale to safety, and began to build a young team in order to compete the following season.

 

The third season concluded in the manner described at the top of this article; promising, optimistic, and looking to the future. Vale had a young squad and manager and simply needed Smurf to dip into his ‘sweetie jar’ (as he began to deem money he put into the club) to fund the last components of the side, as he had successfully done in the January of the promotion season.

 

Instead; the most tumultuous, damaging, and infamous summer in Port Vale history unfolded before the eyes of bewildered fans. Page departed for newly promoted Northampton, with many of the senior pros who were considering new contracts from the Vale departing with him. Dodds, Carl Dickinson, Richard Duffy amongst others left, depriving Vale of proven, if not spectacular, League 1 performers who could be trusted. What on earth had happened?

 

Smurf later revealed, via Twitter, his preferred method of communication, that he had lowered the playing budget in order to force Page to leave; Page would have to offer reduced salaries to his players, leading him to look elsewhere (Sixfields), and a mass turnover of players to occur. Smurf, delighted at his master plan, regaled fans on twitter with claims that it was Page’s assistant, Paul Bodin, who was the brain’s behind Vale’s success. Now, Smurf turned to appointing a new manager, and taking Port Vale on a new path he himself had led the club on.

 

People may question why Smurf decided to take such drastic action, in such underhand ways, and then admit to it on social media. Smurf had had issues with Rob Page’s management following a 2nd round defeat of Exeter in the FA Cup. He considered sacking Page, put the club up for sale, and became disillusioned with things. He scrapped plans to sign the striker Vale so desperately needed, and promised to cut the budget for next season.

 

After his claims of budgetary manipulation were announced, Port Vale appointed hitherto unknown Portuguese manager Bruno Ribeiro, ushering in an influx of foreign players with no experience of English football (or professional football in any capacity). This was no ordinary appointment following the standard procedure of application and interview. Ribeiro’s appointment was the result of a phone call received by Smurf by the Special One, Jose Mourinho, urging Smurf to give his friend Ribeiro an opportunity (a tactic employed by Mourinho with his friends Carlos Carvahal and Aitor Karanka). Smurf couldn’t believe his luck, with Mourinho pledging loan players from his new club Man Utd. With little consideration of the implications of such as drastic and risky move, the plan was executed at lightning pace.

 

Smurf, delighted with his work, happily told fans that he had scouted the next sensation on YouTube, and predicted Carlos Saleiro, former Sporting Lisbon forward, would be League 1’s top scorer. 13 players were signed, 10 foreign, with one, Chris Mbamba, being signed for a fee from the Norwegian third tier. Amongst some fans alarm bells were ringing, but were happy to support this new, exciting venture. Saleiro didn’t complete pre-season, citing ‘home sickness’ as he returned to Portugal.

 

From the previous season, Streete, Smith, Alnwick, Ben Purkiss, and Anthony Grant were still under contract and were seen as crucial to assist this monumental transition. The Vale started very well; in the playoff places by November following a televised victory at MK Dons. Whilst Vale fans were ecstatic, this was a hollow position; largely reliant on the abnormal scoring form of loanee forward Alex Jones, and the heroics of sought-after Alnwick in the nets. On the whole, the Vale weren’t playing particularly well, dominating few games and nicking victories against the run of play.

 

Results began to fall apart. Influential Grant picked up a suspension and became disinterested as the fractured nature of the squad began to be exposed. The Vale plummeted to 17th, where on Boxing Day, following defeat to Walsall, Ribeiro resigned, with Smurf bemoaning the fact that he ‘felt a little bit hoodwinked’ by Ribeiro’s glowing references from the like of Mourinho, Karanka and Carvalhal. ‘Plan B’, threatened in pre-season if the Bruno experiment wasn’t bearing fruit, was enforced in order to preserve Vale’s League 1 status.

 

Plan B was utterly disastrous. Coach Michael Brown was made temporary manager; Grant, Alnwick, and Jones, the 3 top performers, all departed, making the club a tidy £250k. Veteran free agents such as Chris Eagles and Danny Pugh were signed alongside untested loanees to fill the gaping holes. Things only worsened.

 

Brown’s Vale defied expectation, in the most horrific manner. Lacking goals, a capable keeper, and creativity, Vale became one of the worst sides in the division. Despite victory Brown’s first game, only 4 more victories followed, and Vale went down with a whimper on the final day, with 1 goal in their final 8. The exciting new era, the gamble undertaken by Smurf, had ended in relegation. 3 years of solid, incremental work to build a young squad with potential was obliterated in one night; a phone call from the Special One tearing up the foundations of a proud League club and leaving it with a bloated, inadequate squad, a manager with 5 wins under his belt, and a decreasing, disillusioned fanbase.

 

Many thought Smurthwaite would sell; two viable investors from the Stoke area made bids and gained traction with the fanbase. Smurf stepped down as chairman, remained as owners, and handed the running of the club to Colin Garlick, the club secretary, and newly appointed chairman Tony Fradley, lifelong fan with 0 experience of running a football club. Smurf apologised for the consequences of his decisions, accepting responsibility. Ambiguity reigned; would he sell? If not, would he fund us? Smurf went quiet, and Vale, permanently appointing Brown, and messrs Fradley and Garlick attempted to cobble together a side capable of challenging League 2.

 

A majority of the foreign legion were paid off, departing with a decent amount of cash and a relegation on their CV; likeable midfielder Anthony De Freitas and steady, but long-term injured, defender Kjell Knops remained. Experience was drafted; legend Tom Pope, lower league stalwarts Anthony Kay, Michael Tonge, Tyrone Barnett and Cristian Montano were signed. Brown and his staff were confident; “put your money on us”, roared coach Chris Morgan. This gamble was as ill-advised as Smurfwaite’s the summer prior.

 

Despite an opening day win, Vale quickly fell into the relegation places of the basement tier, and Brown was sacked.


The squad, too large, old, and lacking quality, wasn’t good enough. Brown didn’t have the qualities of a manager, and, 15 months after Smurthwaite decided to gamble with the club that meant so much to so many fans, Vale were facing non-league football for the first time in their existence. Smurf returned to the fold saying that he would now head the search for the 4th manager in 15 months.

 

Club legend Neil Aspin was appointed, supported by aforementioned legend John Rudge as a footballing advisor. Smurf basked in the commendations of fans, and Aspin and Rudge got to work in order to salvage a degree of competency from the shambles they’d been left.

 

Up until Christmas, Aspin had worked near-miracles. Inconsistent form culminated in a scarcely believable December; unbeaten, with victories over promotion contenders Coventry and Luton. Pope was back to his best, the defence had regained confidence, and Aspin had assembled an effective unit from the disastrous squad assembled by Brown.

 

Vale fans began to get excited; they were flying up the table and in fantastic form. A good window would, at the very least, secure their previously precarious League status, and maybe even fuel a second half of the season ascent, similar to the one achieved by Exeter the season before.

 

As I write this, in mid February, Aspin’s good work has fallen apart. Popular and competent left back Gavin Gunning departed for Forest Green; Tom Anderson was recalled by Burnley, and inconsistent but impressive left-sided player Tyler Denton was sent back to Leeds. De Freitas and expensive summer mistake Lawrie Wilson were paid off. Nothing too worrying, but reinforcements with experience were needed.

 

However, despite Smurf promising Vale fans that Aspin would be backed in January, the signings failed to live up to expectations. Four loanees with very little league experience and two players from non-league were signed, for little outlay. Aspin admitted the budget was ‘probably lower’ at the end of the window than it was at the start. Ricky Miller and Louis Dodds, targets of Aspin, had moved to divisional rivals. Smurf had failed to deliver once more.

 

Port Vale face a real battle to retain their football league status, thus far undisturbed for their entire existence. 18 months ago, the fans were dreaming of playoff challengers and a foray into the Championship; now, they hope the ragtag squad assembled by a combination of Brown, Aspin, and Ribeiro can bundle home enough points to keep the Valiants above 23rd. It has been a truly astounding reversal in fortune for the Staffordshire club.

 

However, this isn’t down to misfortune; this was the risk undertaken by Norman Smurthwaite on the fateful summer night in 2016, when he decided an unproven manager supplemented by a legion of inexperienced foreign players would be an adequate replacement for a very solid League 1 squad and manager. Smurthwaite has withdrawn further from the club; the £250k made from Alnwick and Grant has never been seen in terms of investment, and £2m+ made from a sell-on clause relating to the £9m transfer of Jordan Hugill has been pledged by Smurf, in a private message to a fan, to ‘fulfill the shortfall’ in the club’s finances.

 

Smurthwaite undertook a monumental decision last summer; controversially removing Rob Page as manager, making derogatory comments about him in the press, and then making one of the most damaging single decisions a football chairman has made in recent years. He refuses to sell to popular bidders to the club, notably Synectics Solutions, as he believes he should receive the £3m he has invested into the club back, as well as his initial £1.25m he bought the club for.

 

This is despite the regression of the club in his tenure; Vale have lower attendances now than when Smurf took over, a squad of less-quality, a worsened reputation in football due to the manner in which Page departed.

 

It is depressing times for the club. Port Vale are in limbo; a Chairman uninterested, both in investing in the club and selling it to someone who has plans to invest. Aspin and Rudge will work with what they have, but the fanbase, tired after years of underperformance and inadequate ownership, are at their lowest point, drifting away from a football club that gave them so much hope merely 18 months ago.

words Joe Baker, Port Vale fan

Twitter: @joebaker97