The 2010–11 season was Port Vale's 99th season of football in the Football League, and third successive season in League Two. Vale enjoyed a solid start to the campaign, looking like good prospects for promotion. However Micky Adams left the club in December to take charge of Sheffield United, leaving the promotion push to be finished by new man Jim Gannon. Gannon's traumatic reign ended after just two months; his exit confirmed after players, staff and fans turned against him. Vale exited the FA Cup at the Third Round, and left both the League Cup and the League Trophy at the Second Round. In the background, numerous groups and individuals expressed their willingness to purchase the club. The board turned away these investors – to the anger of some fans, who formed a 'Black and Gold' campaign demanding that the club be sold.

The turbulence of Gannon's reign, typified by a bust-up on a pre-match journey that became known as 'busgate', and the boardroom battle between multi-millionaire Water World owner Mo Chaudry and Bill Bratt's Valiant 2001 led some to call the season a 'soap opera farce'. At the end of the campaign Micky Adams returned as manager, giving fans cause for optimism following a highly disappointing season.

Before the start of the season there was speculation that manager Micky Adams would be approached by his former employers at Championship side Leicester City, having impressed in his position at Port Vale. Adams continued to make his mark at Vale though, releasing nine players, and signing Sean Rigg,Stuart Tomlinson,Justin Richards,Ritchie Sutton and Gary Roberts.Lewis Haldane was rushed into hospital after being bitten by an insect during a training session, forcing him to miss the first half of the season. Adams drafted in Reading winger Abdulai Bell-Baggie as a loan replacement for Haldane, and after an initial one-month period then replaced Bell-Baggie with Milton Keynes Dons loanee Jemal Johnson.

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