| Port Vale Forum Pre Match Interview / Report vrs Colchester 19:21 - Dec 17 with 1400 views | Robbie_Earles_Perm |
Hi,
You may know 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.
I wondered if one or more of you (up to a maximum of 3 due to space constraints) have a few minutes and would kindly be prepared to share a few views / your feelings on the game by answering the following few questions;
1. Tell us a bit about yourself & history as a fan?
2. How do you expect your team to do this season (including a forecast for a positional finish for the entire season)?
3. What are your thoughts on your manager and his signings this season & who should we watch out for (danger players)?
4. What are your thoughts on your board & off field club activities?
5. Can you tell us up to 3 quirky things opposing fans might not know about your team?
6. Our fans love to read opposing team’s forums and blogs, any recommendations on these for your team?
7. How do you expect Vale to do this season?
8. What is your team's most memorable game with Vale (good or bad reasons)?
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 will appear on our website prior to the 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
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| Port Vale Forum Pre Match Interview / Report vrs Colchester on 11:16 - Dec 20 with 1329 views | Robbie_Earles_Perm |
Anybody like to help out and take part? | | | |
| Port Vale Forum Pre Match Interview / Report vrs Colchester on 13:05 - Dec 20 with 1320 views | wessex_exile |
| Port Vale Forum Pre Match Interview / Report vrs Colchester on 11:16 - Dec 20 by Robbie_Earles_Perm |
Anybody like to help out and take part? |
Alright chap - I've done this before, but happy to have another go.
1. Tell us a bit about yourself & history as a fan?
I've been following the U's since 1972, when we were a typical yo-yo lower league side - mostly Division 4, interspersed with occasional brief spells in Division 3. Obviously in more recent years we've yo-yo'd even further, down to the Conference and up to the heady heights of the Championship. Since '81 I've been an exile, until 1990 in Bradford (Uni and then work), and since then down in the West Country, but still get to 10-12 games most seasons.
2. How do you expect your team to do this season (including a forecast for a positional finish for the entire season)?
Despite our atrocious away form last season, and a very long run of poor results, we still managed to finish one place out of the play-offs. This season, the play-offs must be our minimum expectation, but we should be aiming for automatic promotion.
3. What are your thoughts on your manager and his signings this season & who should we watch out for (danger players)?
John McGreal is steadily developing as a manager, from a slightly ropey start, and I think we have a very good prospect for the short-term future. Sometimes his substitutions leave us scratching our heads, but at the moment I can't fault the results. On paper, Sammie Szmodics is clearly one of our main threats, but don't let his goals fool you - the hard-working Mandron is every bit a danger. As for signings, five players on transfer deadline day smacked a bit of panic buying, but one or two have worked out very well (and others not well at all).
4. What are your thoughts on your board & off field club activities?
Robbie Cowling is the Marmite chairman to U's fans - personally I think he is an excellent chairman, if on occasions prone to shoot from the lip. He is very clear that he wants to invest in our Academy (CAT 2 status), to help Colchester United prepare for long-term financial security, and 4+ starters each week are usually Academy products and/or youth players.
5. Can you tell us up to 3 quirky things opposing fans might not know about your team?
We were the first team to go out the FA Cup without conceding a goal in open play.
Despite some thinking otherwise, we were not formed out of the amateur side Colchester Town, and actually briefly shared Layer Rd with them.
Although not as 'tasty' as it used to be, one of our fiercest rivalries is with Wycombe Wanderers - only 125 miles away by road.
6. Our fans love to read opposing team’s forums and blogs, any recommendations on these for your team?
Here, and the official message-board is okay too ( http://www.cu-fcchat.com/)
7. How do you expect Vale to do this season?
I expected you to do better than you are at the moment, and be one of the teams challenging for promotion, but as we discovered last season, this is a tough league to get out of. On present form, I expect you to have a season of consolidation and finish upper mid-table.
8. What is your team's most memorable game with Vale (good or bad reasons)?
From a personal perspective, my first trip to Vale Park was 2016, so that's memorable - it was a good trip, met some interesting locals, great pub (The Bull's Head), but the least said about the result the better. I guess you chaps putting 8 past us in one season (2003/04) is fairly memorable for all the wrong reasons as well.
9. A score prediction (and potential scorers for both sides) and what do you expect the attendance to be?
I predict a tight game, with the U's winning 1-0 (Szmodics to score). Last Saturday before Christmas will mean the crowd will be down - 3,128.
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?
There are no pubs and eateries near the ground at the moment, other than a McDonalds next to the P&R, the usual concourse fare and some burger vans. The Half Butt in Great Horkesley is a nice pub, and if you come by train, the Norfolk and Victoria are good pubs too (not sure if either are home fans only?). The Bricklayers used to be home fans only, but by all accounts is to be avoided these days. The shuttle buses for the ground leave from Bruff Close, right next to the train station. There is parking at the ground, but you have to book ahead, and by all accounts it's a nightmare to get out of after the match. Best bet for parking is the P&R on the north side of the A12, which is only a 5 minute walk from the ground. |  |
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| Port Vale Forum Pre Match Interview / Report vrs Colchester on 13:23 - Dec 20 with 1316 views | Robbie_Earles_Perm |
Top class responses thanks again Wessex.
Room for another couple of contributions if anyone else would like to partake. | | | |
| Port Vale Forum Pre Match Interview / Report vrs Colchester on 18:07 - Dec 20 with 1291 views | gerry_us |
We are going to make your hair "curl" this Saturday REP  |  | | |
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