Players are on holiday – complaining about lack of new signings now is ridiculous
OVF editor Rob Fielding is bemused by some complaints about the club’s lack of new arrivals.
Rob Fielding writes…
I simply can’t understand why some fans are up in arms about the club’s “lack” of summer additions. In many respects, we’ve done more business early this summer (last time I checked we had added Tom Pope, agreed a new contract with Danny Pugh, “signed” another new player who is yet to be announced (according to the CEO) and added a string of youth team graduates) than this time during the previous two pre-seasons.
It’s entirely understandable that there will now be a lull of a few weeks before any more new faces are added. It’s because of one simple fact – nearly every professional footballer is on holiday right now…
However, it’s entirely understandable that there will now be a lull of a few weeks before any more new faces are added. It’s because of one simple fact – nearly every professional footballer is on holiday right now.
I don’t expect this means that Michael Brown et al have been sitting in deckchairs doing nothing. I suspect deals have already been done (and one clearly has) but the club can’t announce them due to the simple logistical fact that players are more likely to be in Florida or Spain than available for photos on the Vale Park pitch.
I’m definitely a “glass half-full” person than some of the complainers. This time last summer we didn’t even have a manager in place and the summer signings appeared unplanned, arriving en masse late in the summer.
Look at the difference this summer… Vale have acted quickly and decisively. Norman Smurthwaite has handed the reigns to Colin Garlick who in turn quickly appointed Michael Brown, allowing the new man plenty of time to pick his targets. I suspect Brown knew before the end of the season that the job was his and this has given him plenty of time to plan his transfer activity.
I am sure that if Vale announce a clutch of newcomers in a couple of weeks then the mood will change overnight but in the meantime it seems patience is something in short supply for some fans. But take a look around – virtually no-one is signing players at this holiday time. The BBC transfer page shows THREE signings across the whole Football League yesterday and just SEVEN the previous day.
It doesn’t mean clubs like Vale haven’t got deals planned or even (in the case of our unnamed signing) completed and just waiting to be formally announced. It’s just the wrong time to announce them.
The time to panic over Vale’s squad (or lack of it) will be in late July not early June. Some fans need to learn to understand that football players need holidays too and show a little more patience at this time of year.