JRC

Being realistic there is a group of clubs regularly pulling in 10000 plus crowds; then a large group of clubs in the same position as Exeter. We aren't going to buy our way into The Championship. Build, attract young up and coming players and maybe we can strike gold. I'm sure everyone would love us to sign Clarke-Harris but he's way above our budget.

Does he want to play or has he effectively retired? It would be a big ask to get up to league fitness for most 35 year olds.

He's an intelligent football player. First time I saw him he reminded me of a young Chris Shuker. Outside of centreforward, pacey winger and centrehalf I suspect he could play most positions pretty well. Tom Pett was a 10, then a winger, Simon Mills was an intelligent footballer who never played fullback prior to Vale. Outside of centrehalf, centreforward or pacey winger on the left or right of a front 3 I suspect he could play most positions pretty well. Good Vale teams of the past 55 years have always had intelligent footballers in them, probably because we have such a large pitch.

He's not really been injured much at Charlton - they just don't play him.

I think his problem at Charlton was they have played with a front 3, with two direct, fast wide players for quite a few years. He's just not that kind of player. He's a very good footballer who has played a lot as a left winger because he's predominantly left footed. Crewe and Burton tended to let him drift around quite a lot to influence the game. We never saw the best of Danny Whittaker because we pretty rigidly played him on the right wing. I'd like him at Vale but not if the plan is to play long diagonals for him to chase after, which is essentially what Charlton do with their 2 wide forwards. I also suspect Charlton would like to move Connor McGrandles on, who is another very good player in the wrong system. He was excellent for Cambridge, who looked to play the ball through him, rather than over him. A couple of years ago Charlton went through a phase of signing very good league 1 player; then trying to fit them into a predetermined style of play which didn't suit them. A well respected scout and former manager commented a couple of years ago that you had to be careful with Crewe players because they are coached to play football a certain way and can be very average when moved to more a conventional way of playing for many lower league teams. I suspect Kirk very much falls into that category.

Not sure he really has a natural position yet. At Salisbury he played on the left of a midfield 4. I thought his best game was at Ipswich, as you mentioned in central midfield. If one of 2 10s is his natural position he's probably 4th choice at the moment. My personal view is he'll probably make a career as a right wingback. His versatility is useful as you say; both to the club and the player, in terms of gaining experience. I think he'll definitely have a lower league career, if he's to go higher he needs to gain that football intelligence to read a game a couple of passes further ahead. He isn't going to get quicker and it's rare players develop quick feet in tight situations when older but many players develop football intelligence at his age.

Good move he needs to get game time above the youth team and can still train with our first team.

He's clearly got an offer somewhere, which could be us as it's close to his home. Don't remember him playing as a leftback but he always tracked back well when we played Crewe and was prepared to tackle. He's certainly an intelligent footballer. Not particularly quick but a very nice left foot.

Plant isn't wasted in that position as he is neither a clear first choice as one of the 2 10s or at right wingback. If we'd signed Hume Plant would have relatively little first team experience. Plant has decent pace (not express pace), runs aggressively (though often unsuccessfully) and is prepared to get stuck in. Against that his distribution is often wayward and he lacks the quick feet of someone like Chisslet or Arblaster. The argument is he is unsuited to the role as he is very one footed, which is his right foot. The positive is he's gained a lot more experience than he would have if a gap hadn't opened up for him to fill. He's also become a little more two footed over the course of this season, which will be good for him going forward.

The reason we didn't sign a leftback was we couldn't afford to match Denver Hume's Portsmouth wages and Portsmouth weren't prepared to give him a large enough payout to compensate him for the difference. Portsmouth probably should have got him off their budget as they've ended up paying all his wages for 4 months and not playing won't have increased interest in him during January. It remains to be seen if that deal gets resurrected. I don’t think Plant has done worse in that role than Benning normally did. Being left footed Benning would probably have made us a little more balanced.

He started one game and scored, got some time off the bench in other games.

Longelo and Tommy Leigh at Accrington are both good League 1 players. Tommy Leigh is in the last 6 months of his contract and was available in the summer for 200k. Can play as a striker or as a 10.

In his first league start yesterday he was really quite anonymous. He, his agent and some fans need to understand he's probably not as good currently as they think he is. He's a fantastic prospect, but probably not yet a starter in league 1. There is a big jump in intensity from any of the 3 cups he's played in.

I agree with that. We play possession based football as did Bolton. We don't seem able to up the pace as Bolton can, when an opportunity makes itself available. Bolton's second goal was excellent because 3 players saw where the opportunity was, we just don't do that. We are one paced for 90 minutes. Too much of our "good" play is 50 metres from goal. It looks nice but teams set their defensive shape while we are doing it.

The bigger issue is Bolton want to get Declan John off the wage bill, as he's a high earner. It would be similar to the failed Denver Hulme deal, where Bolton will probably need to part compensate him for taking a pay cut.

Sang has improved, while Clark and Plant are good options at RWB. Gibbons can do a job on the left; although he doesn't answer the lack of a proper LWB who can cross with his left. If we'd signed Gibbo we'd still be overloaded with right footed wingbacks. At least Grant might be back and hopefully fit for the rest of the month. What we desperately need is someone left footed to play LWB.

Nobody can sign him until January as he was contracted to a US club when the transfer window closed.

He's actually 7 months younger than Plant ... he's 6 months older than Walters.

Robbie Earle was a striker or winger at youth level. Debrah was a centreforward. Alfie Devine played as a defensive midfielder for most of his age group football. Jason Lowe started as a centrehalf, moved into midfield, then played at rightback at Bolton and quite often at Salford. Now he's back where he started. A lot of players end up finding a new position after they've fully developed I'm there late teens/early 20s. Personally I think Plant will probably be a RWB. At Salisbury he did play left midfield during his loan; so something close to LWB second half of last season. He's got tremendous stamina whereas his pace is only good rather than electric. He's more a 400m rather than 100m runner; so naturally suited to getting up and down the pitch. Russell Bromage was similar in terms of stamina and pace, making the journey from left wing to leftback.

Just before he got injured last season he had a run of 4 or 5 games in the middle of a 3 when he was very good. He had a nightmare at Barnsley but was pretty solid after. Despite being left footed his better performances seem to be when played more centrally.

Some non contract players can pretty much come in and play. Some take an age. Will Atkinson came in and started a game 4 days later I believe. Someone like Uche takes an age, I suspect in part because he's the type of guy who can look at a Mars Bar and put on a kilo. My view on the loan system is clubs make a choice over squad sizes under the rules. We have gone for a bit more quality and an lower number of players. Other clubs have got larger squads. We knew the risks when we did that. It benefits us when everyone is fit .... clearly doesn't when we have injuries.

So it looks like Lowe will be missing for some games. What chance we bring in a couple more non contract players next week? Now desperately short on bodies; with games stacking up. Bringing in a couple would help, even on 2 month contracts. We must be considering bringing McDermott back.

Walters looks a good prospect but there is a long way to go if he is to have a good career. It will be interesting to see how he looks when he plays a league game, which I suspect he will towards the end of the season if we are safely in midtable. Age wise there isn't much between him and McDermott. McDermott is relatively young for his age group, Walters relatively old for his. Plant is the old man of the group as he is (just) 19. McDermott and Walters are closer in age than McDermott and Plant. They'll all develop at different rates and all 3 will have a period of poor form, whether they make it or not. Hopefully the crowd won't be on their backs when they do. I would say that Walters is ahead of where James Plant was at this time last season. Plant and Walters are almost exactly 12 months apart. If Walters can make the progress Plant made over the last 12 months he'll be a very useful player.

It's in the rules for the competition - although we would have to get the consent of Rochdale. That shouldn't be hard as we can just recall him.

He's a completely different type of midfield player to Walters so I'm not really sure either is behind or ahead of the other. Many things make a successful footballer. None of the three is perfect; or anywhere close to being worth a million. When compared to the other 2 McDermott posses a better first touch, relatively 2 footed (Plant has shown some progress with his left) and his preferred foot is his left; which is a significant advantage in terms of making it. Left footed players are over represented in the professional game, compared to the general population. Plant has obviously made the most progress, although personally I currently don't see him as a Premiership player in waiting. I could see his doing OK in The Championship in a couple of years. There's just a little bit of quality and composure on the ball which both Arblaster and Devine have which mark them out as elite; rather than merely good players. I don't see a lot, or any others, McDermott is currently behind, apart from Plant. That's not to say McDermott will make the grade, most promising 18 year old players don't, sadly.