Football Season Guide

Port Vale have made some good progress under Rob Page last season, as they established themselves as a solid home side and were near the play-off places for the majority of the season, only to eventually come up short. However, the Vale have endured an incredibly turbulent summer, which saw them lose their manager Rob Page, who joined Northampton, and bring in Bruno Ribeiro, who previously coached a number of sides in Portugal and, for a brief spell, Bulgarian champions Ludogorets. Moreover, the Vale have undergone a remarkable squad overhaul, which saw thirteen players leave and as many join the club. Ribeiro has been rather optimistic in his pre-season interviews, stating that his goal is to guide the Vale to the Championship and that he will not hesitate to bring in new players, should he deem it necessary. The thing that catches the eye regarding his transfer policy is that he has brought in a number of players from around Europe, none of which have any experience of playing in League One, or in England, for that matter. After such an unorthodox summer of transfer activity and with a lot of unknown players in their squad, Port Vale's actual strength and chances going into the new season are all but impossible to judge.