Port Vale have defended their decision-making around Darren Moore’s departure, with chief executive Matt Hancock insisting the club did not act too late despite the League One situation deteriorating.
Port Vale confirmed the dismissal of Darren Moore on 28 December, with the club rooted to the bottom of League One, seven points adrift of safety and winless in 12 league matches.
Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke, chief executive Matt Hancock said the board remained convinced they had given Moore every reasonable opportunity to turn the season around.
Hancock explained that Moore’s appointment in February 2024 was always viewed as a long-term project, rather than a short-term fix. Moore was handed a five-and-a-half-year contract and, despite failing to prevent relegation initially, he did guide Vale straight back to League One at the first attempt as League Two runners-up last season.
“The intention when Darren was recruited was that he would build a football structure and department that would set us up not just for the short term, but the medium term,” Hancock said. “We do not want to pull the trigger immediately on a manager. We want to give projects time, and we believed in what we were trying to build.”
However, Hancock admitted that patience eventually ran out as results failed to improve. A 1-0 home defeat to Peterborough United proved the tipping point, with the chief executive describing the performance as feeling like “Groundhog Day” after another promising start ended in defeat.
With Vale now 11 points from safety, albeit with two games in hand on 20th-placed Blackpool, the focus has shifted firmly to survival. The club moved quickly to appoint Jon Brady as Moore’s successor, with Hancock revealing Brady stood out clearly from a shortlist of five candidates.
“We only wanted a manager who genuinely saw Port Vale as their project,” Hancock said. “Jon absolutely fitted that. He sees this as an opportunity for growth, and he came across as someone who would connect with supporters through his style of play and his energy.”
Brady’s early tenure has produced mixed results. Cup victories in the FA Cup and Vertu Trophy provided an immediate lift, but his first League One outing ended in a 3-0 defeat away at Mansfield Town. Despite that setback, the Vale hierarchy remain confident that the change has been made with sufficient time left in the season.
Hancock pointed to the remaining half of the campaign, combined with the January transfer window, as reasons for optimism that Vale can still retain their League One status.
“Hindsight is always easy,” he added. “But we believe we gave Darren every chance, and we still have time to give this group the best possible opportunity to stay in the division.”
Port Vale now face a critical run of fixtures at Vale Park, starting with Exeter City this weekend before hosting AFC Wimbledon the following Tuesday, games that may define their survival hopes under new leadership.
Easy to look back
It is easy to look back and point the finger, and for most fans, Moore was sacked too late. A lot of teams did pull the trigger early in the season and have seen the rewards: Blackpool, Wycombe, Peterborough and Reading all spring to mind. Plymouth have done a bit better recently and they stuck with their manager, so there is no obvious fix.
It would be easy to say Vale should have changed sooner, but could they attract a Luke Williams, Ian Evatt or Michael Duff? Perhaps not, and clubs that stick with a boss at tough moments, like Exeter and Gary Caldwell, do see the rewards, sometimes.
The proof will be in the pudding come May, and in truth, Port Vale are likely to be relegated. The question is, could a new manager have done any better than Moore? It’s easy to speculate, but impossible to prove either way.