Opinion: departures prompt doubts and arrivals spark hope during controversial Port Vale transfer window

Rob Fielding says the club’s dealings during the transfer window have prompted controversy at times. Here’s his views on the club’s window activity.

Rob Fielding writes…

If you can forgive the football pun, this is an opinion piece of two halves… it seems logical to address the players who left during the window first, then, in part two look at those coming in.

Part One – exits prompt concern over loss of experience and quality

It’s fair to say that the exits of several of the eight players to leave the Valiants in the window have prompted concern. To pick just three… supporters will wonder if the goal scoring ability of Devante Cole will be missed (spoiler alert – probably), whether Jesse Debrah would be a better defensive option than the January arrivals and whether Mitch Clark’s surging runs down the right would be an asset.

However, as I have said elsewhere, Vale’s awful League position at the start of the window will not have helped. Players only have a short career and if other clubs make an approach then (as Brady said of Cole) “heads can turn.” The Vale boss has made it clear that he only wants players who want to play and fight for the Valiants, so it’s understandable if in-demand players like Cole are allowed to leave.

There’s also a subtext to this of course – it can also be argued that Vale cleared the decks to save on some expensive wages and to free up funds and squad places for a summer rebuild. It’s probably true that Curtis and Cole were two of the club’s more saleable assets. The “glass half-full” approach suggests that if Vale’s hopes of staying up are slim then it’s time to look beyond this season and plan for the next season with a smaller, leaner squad. That’s not much consolation for the paying fans who are committed to watching the remaining games of the season.

Whatever reason it was – players wanting to go and/or long-term planning, it’s certainly gone down like a lead balloon for some fans…

Whatever reason it was – players wanting to go and/or long-term planning, it’s certainly gone down like a lead balloon for some fans. I can see why they have those concerns but personally I think it’s very difficult to “force” a player to stay, regardless of his contract length, if he wants to leave. I guess there’s also a question of whether some wanted to leave in the first place – certainly Ruari Paton, as an example, also appeared to be fully committed to Burslem.

Part Two – a leaner and better shaped team?

So, to the new guys. I think I can understand the logic of the additions. Firstly, to fans who suggested the club merely went out and got in established players to boost their relegation chances, I would remind them that is considerably easier said than done. If you are a professional footballer with quality are you going to up roots (including your family and kids) and go to a team seemingly heading for League Two. If you’ve got alternative offers with better placed League One teams, the answer is probably no. So, for that reason, it was always highly unlikely that Vale could bring in established performers.

Some may argue (and they may have a case) that if you know that then don’t get rid of your established players but I think there’s another reason for the “clear out.” I think in some cases, the players did not fit the system Jon Brady wanted to play. He saw Ruari Paton as a number ten, for instance, but Ben Garrity will fill that role now. I see Mitch Clark more as a wingback (and his defensive ability was shown to be deficient during the loss to Mansfield) and I think Brady wants “proper” full-backs. Hence, Clark  goes (with everyone’s best wishes I suspect) and the Vale have Kyle John (probably the most natural right-back) in that role.

I think that wish for full-backs played its part in another signing. Elijah Campbell is a centre-half or left-back and in that second role he potentially offers more defensive security than Jaheim Headley or Liam Gordon. And while one of the loan signings addresses the issue of having a dedicated left-back another signing addresses another defensive issue. Tyler Magloire, by all accounts, is a pretty fast bloke and so, when matchfit, would provide pace at the back.

So, two signings address specific defensive issues – Campbell is a left-back option as well as left-footed cover for Connor Hall in the middle and Magloire provides pace. How about the others?

Well, again I think they are self-explanatory. We’ve already seen that Ethon Archer is tricky on the flanks while the hopes are that Martin Sherif and Andre Gray, although at different stages of their career, provide firepower.

It remains to be seen how several of these new signings actually perform, but in terms of getting his squad in better shape you can see Brady’s logic. He’s trimmed the numbers while getting rid of players who don’t fit his chosen formation and bringing in players that do…

It remains to be seen how several of these new signings actually perform, but in terms of getting his squad in better shape you can see Brady’s logic. He’s trimmed the numbers while getting rid of players who don’t fit his chosen formation and bringing in players that do. He’s also hopefully left with a fully committed squad who will fight for League One survival.

It’s still a remarkably tough task to escape relegation but let’s hope the new guys gel quickly, that Vale can put together a run of form and mount a great escape with Brady’s reworked team. If he manages it, he’ll deserve all the praise that would come his way!

What do you think? Reasonable or a load of rubbish? Post your comments below.