Port Vale manager search: Pundit reacts to Gareth Ainsworth talk, Carol Shanahan message | OneFootball

Port Vale announced on Monday that they had sacked manager Andy Crosby after less than a year in charge.

Crosby joined the club in March 2021, arriving as Darrell Clarke’s assistant manager. He had spells as interim manager at the club before being given the managerial reins in April of last year after Clarke’s sacking.

Crosby managed to keep the club in League One last season, and then this campaign was a chance for the Valiants to climb further up the table.

That looked to be the case, as the club won five of their opening seven league games, seeing them go as high as second in the table.

But that has dramatically changed, with the Valiants winning just three of their last 20 league games.

Saturday’s 3-0 defeat was the final straw for the club, as relegation-bound Fleetwood Town eased to victory to leave Vale just outside the relegation zone. But the club has since played again without Crosby in charge, and a defeat to Leyton Orient plus other results have now seen the club drop into the relegation zone.

Port Vale are back in action again this Saturday, and it seems they are going to be without a manager, so here we decided to look at the latest in their manager search…

Academy trio in temporary charge

The Valiants announced on Tuesday, a day after Crosby’s sacking, that academy trio Will Ryder, Matt Done, and Danny Lloyd have been placed in interim charge of the club.

Crosby’s assistant manager has left the club, with first team coach David Dunn also departing following the dismissal.

This trio took charge of their first game on Tuesday, as the club were beaten 1-0 by Leyton Orient. Vale were beaten as Idris El Mizouni scored on the hour mark and that was enough to get over the line.

Director of football David Flitcroft shared a message when announcing the trio were placed in interim charge.

Flitcroft said, via BBC Sport: “I'd like to thank Will, Matt and Danny for assisting with first-team operations in this short period whilst we search for a permanent Port Vale manager.

"As a club, we are determined for the new appointment to match our long-standing values and long-term ambitions and will ensure the correct recruitment processes are followed throughout."

Carol Shanahan’s open message to Port Vale supporters

As whenever a manager is sacked from a club, there is a lot of ongoing speculation surrounding the club, meaning fans can be unsure of what the plans are going forward.

But Port Vale owner Carol Shanahan has been clear to try and share what is happening, with her revealing in an open letter that the club is currently interviewing candidates.

Shanahan doesn’t go on to name any names, but it’s a message to the club’s supporters that they are in the process of trying to find a replacement.

She wrote, via the club’s official website: “We are interviewing potential new managers at the moment, and they are looking to see if this is the sort of club that they want to join. When the new manager arrives, he will need the backing of the supporters, the board and the team to give him the best chance of being a success.

"We will learn from this, and we will grow from it as a football club and as a community.”

There has been no direct link between Port Vale and Gareth Ainsworth, but whenever a manager is out of work and a club needs a manager, rumours can start to arise.

Former England midfielder Carlton Palmer believes the former Wycombe Wanderers and QPR manager Gareth Ainsworth would be a fantastic appointment for Vale.

He told Football League World: “Port Vale parted company with their manager Andy Crosby on Monday after less than a year in the job.

“Gareth Ainsworth, for me, I'm surprised he's not been snapped up, but I know he had a disappointing time at Queens Park Rangers.

"I don't believe that was all down to Gareth Ainsworth, it was down to the financial situation at the club and the players he was able to bring in.

"But you can't argue with what Gareth has done with Wycombe Wanderers in League One, and therefore I think it would be a fantastic appointment.

"He spent 11 years at Wycombe, so he'd be loyal to the football club.

“He took them from League Two all the way to the Championship, so he might be tempted to return to management if the right opportunity was given, and the right backing.”