tales from the paddock

Jon Brady

  • The Wilful Disintegration of Port Vale FC

    Has there ever been a group of footballers less interested in doing their job than the ones we watched in that second half at Stevenage? They’ve checked out. Utterly. No interest in achieving anything, no urgency, no pride. Just a… Continue reading

    The Wilful Disintegration of Port Vale FC

  • Paulo Tavares, Cognitive Dissonance, and Port Vale FC

    I’d like to pull on your coat for a minute and tell you a story. It’s about Cognitive Dissonance and Confirmation Bias – those psychological mechanisms that allow us to overlook reality and follow our own narrative. It’s about those… Continue reading

    Paulo Tavares, Cognitive Dissonance, and Port Vale FC

  • Port Vale: The Final Roll of the Dice

    The transfer window has slammed shut. This is it. This is this. So, in comes Andre Gray (Andre fucking Gray! I know, it’s crackers!), two young lads from Everton, the lad from Workington whom Brady worked with at Northampton and,… Continue reading

    Port Vale: The Final Roll of the Dice

  • Become the Beast: Jon Brady and the Machiavellian Playbook

    Safety sits eleven points above us – and it’s a huge, jagged mountain to climb. And Jon Brady? He’s the man with his boots on, head down, ready to scale it. Ready to lead the way. Twentieth place in League… Continue reading

    Become the Beast: Jon Brady and the Machiavellian Playbook

  • Port Vale: Ball Number Four

    Tonight the balls will rattle in the bowl and the ghosts of giant-killings will lean in close, because the FA Cup 4th round draw is upon us and Vale are still breathing. Skin in the game, knuckles scraped, after a… Continue reading

    Port Vale: Ball Number Four