There were two clear Port Vale positives from Jim Gannon's messy tenure | OneFootball

Jim Gannon's time as Port Vale boss was from a success, but there were two positives

When Port Vale supporters think back to Jim Gannon's brief tenure as the club's manager in early 2011, it's fair to say that there won't be many fond memories.

Gannon took over at Vale Park from Mickey Adams in January 2011, signing a deal until the summer of 2012 as he looked to win promotion from League Two to League One.

However, his time at the club was a short one, and while he's not remembered fondly by Port Vale supporters, he did two things which benefited the club massively in the future.

Gannon's time at Port Vale was certainly a messy one, and there were plenty of controversial moments despite his tenure lasting just over two months, and while he's still unpopular with supporters, he does deserve some credit for his role in unearthing two key players.

Tom Pope and Sam Morsy were clear positives from Jim Gannon's Port Vale tenure

In the January transfer window, Gannon moved to sign striker Tom Pope on loan from Rotherham United, and little did he know it, but Pope would go onto become a club legend at Vale Park over the next decade.

Pope, who was born and raised in Stoke, was a boyhood Port Vale supporter, but the one-month loan deal he signed at the end of January was the first time that he had played for the club.

The striker impressed during his month at the club, leading Gannon to fight "tooth and nail" to keep him at the club for longer, and he saw his deal extended.

While Gannon was long gone by the summer of 2011 when Pope arrived on a permanent basis, his decision to sign him on loan had set the wheels in motion for that permanent switch, and he's remembered as a club legend following two spells at Vale Park which saw him make 343 appearances, scoring 115 times.

Gannon can take the credit for bringing Pope to Port Vale, and he also played a hugely important role in the development of Sam Morsy.

While Morsy is now Ipswich Town's captain in the Premier League, he began his career with The Valiants, and under Gannon he was given more regular game time, scoring his first goal for the club in February 2011 under his reign.

The Egyptian international had gone from playing just 20 minutes all season prior to Gannon's arrival to becoming a regular starter, with his manager stating that he was a "really talented footballer", with his performances putting him in the window to sign a new two-year deal at the club in April 2011.

As an international footballer playing in the Premier League now, there's no doubt that Morsy is a quality footballer, but it was the controversial Gannon who spotted that and gave him a chance.

Who knows what the careers of Pope and Morsy would have looked like without that chance from Gannon, and while he's unpopular at Vale Park, he deserves credit for his role in developing the pair.

Jim Gannon's time at Port Vale didn't live up to expectations

Gannon had been brought in to try and reach the play-offs at the very minimum, but results were poor and he was unpopular around the club, leaving Port Vale no option but to part ways with him just two months after his appointment.

Just two weeks into his reign, club captain Tommy Fraser left by mutual consent as it appeared that not all was right at the club, and early results meant he came in for heavy criticism from supporters.

His time at the club was quickly becoming a farce, and he left the team bus after rowing with assistant manager Geoff Horsfield on a pre-match bus journey after a falling out. Poor results, coupled with bad man-managment skills saw Gannon leave the club just two months after being appointed, having the shortest reign in Port Vale history.