Port Vale fan zone: Adams provides fans with renewed hope
With apologies to George Lucas.
In a galaxy, not so far away...
(Star Wars theme music kicks in)
Run the title screen: Port Vale Episode IV: A New Hope (episodes I, II and III also known as the Foyle, Sinnott and Glover Wars respectively).
Plot synopsis: The Hamil Road alliance has been blown apart by in-fighting and three incompetent generals.
Ageing Jedi Master Micky Adams assembles a rag-tag bunch of professional footballers to make a last-ditch assault on League Two.
Meanwhile Dark Lord of the Brit, Tony Pulis, surveys his kingdom of the Potteries from a seemingly impregnable fortress near the incinerator on the A500 – surrounded by fancy-Dan Premier League storm troopers.
Master Adams (help us, he will) is aided by unpredictable hot-shot pilot Marc Richards ("You know, sometimes I amaze even myself"), midfield enforcer Tommy Fraser (they'd better let this wookie win or he'll pull their arms off), C3PO Joe Anyon (they can rebuild him) and talented young Jedi Louis Dodds (the Force is strong with this one).
However, dark powers conspire against the rebels in the form of The Senate – also known as Vale's board of directors – who have their own mysterious agendas...
Back in the real world, I've gone and done it again – built up my hopes for the new campaign by falling back on the old mantra that 'things can only get better'.
The truth is, we've looked OK in pre-season games. Just OK. Solid, sharper, with a better shape and infinitely stronger in midfield thanks to the addition of Fraser(who I said we should make skipper after seeing him boss the midfield against Wolves).
Hell, we even left a man up the field against Wolves when they had a corner against us in the second half. I nearly fell off my seat. Does this mean Micky Adams is on the same planet as the rest of us – unlike the three previous incumbents?
The truth is, of course, friendlies will count for nothing come 3pm tomorrow and none of us know how the next nine months will unfold.
There is a good chance Adams may not even stay with us for very long. A decent start and , such is his pedigree, he could be snapped up by a managerless Championship club – but I guess the board knew that when they appointed him.
I am just happy to see some discipline restored to the dressing room and a no-nonsense gaffer who seems to advocate hard work.
Adams's appointment has served to paper over the cracks we all know are still there on the board.
The same old unpopular faces remain in the directors' box – the ones who have been ignoring the views of the majority of fans and did so much damage last season.
So long as they are in post, I can't see the club making any real progress.
Financially, we remain in a pickle. And without a decent cup run or the much talked-about Harlequin investment, Vale could well be in trouble come Christmas.
Why Harlequin's owners continue to drag their heels is a mystery to me. The board has bent over backwards in recent months to accommodate the wishes of our shirt sponsors – which is all they are.
The truth is the longer this saga goes on, the more I wonder about the motivations of the Basildon-based company.
If you believe the hype, a few hundred thousand pounds for the Vale is chicken feed for a multi-million pound property investment business – so why the delay?
If Harlequin are serious about taking the club forward, then they should do it sooner rather than later as the delay is doing the club no favours whatsoever.
The time to formulate a Plan B is fast running out. Strap yourselves in. I suspect we are in for another bumpy ride.
May the Force be with us.
Martin Tideswell is assistant editor of The Sentinel and a lifelong Vale fan. His views do not necessarily reflect those of The Sentinel
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