mr.hobblesworth

How many loans is that now?

Feels weird knowing that we used to rely on ceefax and clubcall on deadline day.

No, but you'd think that a huge club like Liverpool would have a forensic knowledge of one of their promising young player's condition. They would know if it was suitable for him to go out and play, and know if he wasn't in any condition to go out on loan.

Not passing the buck but how could one of the biggest clubs in the world try to palm off an injured asset to a league club? Doesn't make sense, so am thinking that we either discovered something Liverpool weren't aware of (which is unlikely) or something has happened to him since he got here. Very strange whatever has happened.

Talking of Southampton, they've recalled Thierry Small from his loan at St Mirren as he'd only made 6 appearances since August. Doesn't seem to have a particularly auspicious career ahead of him.

Even when Clarke was fit, he wasn't being played.

I guess you have to gamble if you're going to try and land successful younger players but, yeah, you're right. I think Cass would be a much better player now if he'd been given the opportunities and second chances that Balmer had. I'm not party to rumours but I've never heard anything negative about the way Lewis conducts himself, it seems a shame for him to be discarded like this.

What's happened with Cass? Thought the reason we'd not been using him is that he had somewhere lined up, in which case I expected he'd be gone early doors. I feel incredibly sorry for him tbh. Not half as bad as some make out, especially considering how he's only used sporadically.

Manchester United fans are the biggest bunch of <ovf censored> going. Imagine choosing a team to gloryhunt and then them being as irrelevant as MU are these days.

That might not be true, his contract could stipulate that he can talk to other clubs and it could be his agent hawking him around.

Apparently, we might be getting Dan Gore on loan?

Not sure if anyone's posted this...

Huh? What's that about?

Maybe, but saying "Carol will cash in every opportunity she gets" is unfair. She's not Smurthwaite. I'm not necessarily blaming Flitcroft either, I clearly stated this might all be out of Vale's hands.

I don't think that's particularly true. Hope not anyway.

I agree, which is why it might be better not having someone announce our transfer philosophy and then having to bin it off later in the season.

You'd think that having made the decision to get goals from midfield due to the price of decent strikers, we'd do everything we can to keep a player we got for nothing who can facilitate goals from Garrity, Chislett etc. But no, Charlton/ Wycombe want our man and we might get, ooh, 50 thousand pounds. Having said that, this may all be down to terms in Uche's contract and a busy agent, so possibly out of our hands.

Despite all the bluster from DF back in the day, we seem to have become a very reactive club. Not saying that's entirely bad, we were clearly hamstrung by a rigid formation and style, but it's frustrating when we're letting other clubs dictate our business in the transfer window.

erm...

Nice of us to pay wages to a half-fit player so he can get himself set up with another club once he's not knackered after 20 minutes. Very charitable. Then again, how are we expected to compete with the wages that a club like Wycombe <ovf censored> Wanderers are offering. They don't seem to be hampered by the market prices for strikers/ the exorbitant prices in the January transfer window.

We can't keep using that excuse though, it was wheeled out in the summer.

Dan Gore! Dan Gore! High Voltage!

It does seem that the thing about us not bringing in loan players to develop for other clubs is in the bin now.

And? Do you genuinely believe that a top 4 premiership side, a club with aspirations to be one of the best and biggest in the world, would give one of their 4 CB positions to a player on the basis of him playing well in league one for 4 months?

Utter bilge.