Shopping list

[SFBT]

I'm not thrilled by this development, but there may be positives.

Dodds and Pope go well together.

They know each others game.

In a largely solid and defensive looking midfield, with decent mobility, Dodds could provide some good linking play, something missing last season.

This is also a last hurrah for him, and possibly Pope.

It might just work.

[Erniemossrules]

Excellent signing. Just what our midfield needs.

And it's a loan remember so we've got him at minimal cost to ourselves. Really clever business by the Vale.

If we'd had him here last season we'd have finished half way up the league.

The signing of Dodds really brings home how desperate we are to sign players.He will be stopping some youngster with promise getting a place on the bench.

Are we so desperate we are signing non league bench warmers to make up the numbers.He was not a regular player 4 or 5 years ago and has declined since then.

If he was paying us to play he shouldn’t have been signed.

I am really disappointed with Aspin taking Dodds and after saying he wouldn’t sign him.

Just hope he isn’t Baldrick Brown in disguise signing players to make up the numbers.At least the happy clappers are happy now.

[werstayinup]

Not necessarily, I suppose it depends on who becomes available and when. If its a season long loan then it means we can obviously plan the whole season with him and he automatically ticks the box for a number ten.

 

Heres Dodds reveal video on the official site too:

 

 

Not impressed with the signing one bit but will back him in the Vale shirt,what i do like though are these reveal videos

[connor hackett]

Solid signing for the squad, welcome back Louis. As an attacking midfielder he’s a good addition, a boost on the pitch and dressing room.

[werstayinup]

Crap signings.

 

Another season of struggle awaits.

 

I agree on the signing bit BUT to say a season of struggle awaits is a bit silly,we have some decent signings that have come in and lets see who else comes in before we say things like that,only my opinion of course

[Guest]

Welcome Louis Dodds least you will get a game now as you better than Tonge Kay and Pugh put together .

As they dont have the legs do you .

We need strikers and if we dont get them we will finish probably just 2 places above where we finished this season .

Dodds can finish i will give him that however i see nothing in the final third what has me thinking wow we are going be a good watch unless Aspin does what he usually does and plays Pope all game every game even when he aint being fed which is regular .

We need 2 strikers one who can be unpredictably brilliant and a player like Naylor or Mcphee who us a poacher who can feed off Popes general play which is good in majority of games but not all and thats when you need a alternative .

Good luck to the Vale and hope the fans are seeing what can be achieved through hard work ,committment and effort and a bit of magic in the oppositions box and wide men who dont just pass the ball back to the full back and take on no responsibility and a centre half who plays like the manager and has Terry Butchers blood kind of heart and committment and not play like Pat Butcher and let shots go in leftright and centre .

UTV

[valiantsireno]

I agree on the signing bit BUT to say a season of struggle awaits is a bit silly,we have some decent signings that have come in and lets see who else comes in before we say things like that,only my opinion of course

 

Having read some of the posts on here today, anybody would think the transfer window had closed today. New signings will arrive and nobody knows who will join other than Aspin and those involved. Let’s see where we are come August 4th before we start pressing the panic button.

[blackdog]

The signing of Dodds really brings home how desperate we are to sign players.He will be stopping some youngster with promise getting a place on the bench.

Are we so desperate we are signing non league bench warmers to make up the numbers.He was not a regular player 4 or 5 years ago and has declined since then.

If he was paying us to play he shouldn’t have been signed.

I am really disappointed with Aspin taking Dodds and after saying he wouldn’t sign him.

Just hope he isn’t Baldrick Brown in disguise signing players to make up the numbers.At least the happy clappers are happy now.

 

You are blaming Brown and Aspin for poor desperate signings,who do you think the common denominator is? because by implication you are blaming John Rudge as well

[Port Vale Paul]

Not necessarily, I suppose it depends on who becomes available and when. If its a season long loan then it means we can obviously plan the whole season with him and he automatically ticks the box for a number ten.

 

Heres Dodds reveal video on the official site too:

 

I will counter that with anybody who is available will be available at this time of the year in that they have been released. Unless you put a big offer in and it releases them from contract, n that isn't going to happen in our case. The management team know the budget and they would have a short list of target players they would have been after within the budget. Surely once you have exhausted that list n all else fails last resort would be loanies. I'm sure I read that Aspo stated much the same that loans would be last in his recruitment plan.

[JRC]

The signing of Dodds really brings home how desperate we are to sign players.He will be stopping some youngster with promise getting a place on the bench.

Are we so desperate we are signing non league bench warmers to make up the numbers.He was not a regular player 4 or 5 years ago and has declined since then.

If he was paying us to play he shouldn’t have been signed.

I am really disappointed with Aspin taking Dodds and after saying he wouldn’t sign him.

Just hope he isn’t Baldrick Brown in disguise signing players to make up the numbers.At least the happy clappers are happy now.

 

He never said he wouldn't sign him he said he wasn't a priority and he was looking at other options at the time. What seems to have changed is Chesterfield are paying part of his wage. Wages were the issue when Aspin tried to sign him during January.

[Warren]

Excellent signing Louis Dodds. It continues the promising signings so far.

[Port Vale Paul]

Thats not quite true at all.

 

He was fairly pivotal in our promotion season. The games in which we made big spenders Rotherham and Fleetwood look silly he was crucial. He scored 8 goals for us in League 1.

 

He ended up playing centre mid for us, in the games we clinched promotion.

 

Is he a massive signing? No. Is he going to seal a play off place? No.

 

Is he a proven player with hundreds of games and a track record of chipping in with 8 goals, creativity, versatility, and good character, which can only be a net positive at the club? Yes.

What you have just explained then Hagrid is no different than Tonge, Pugh or Kay then or is it.

[Class personified]

I'm not thrilled by this development, but there may be positives.

Dodds and Pope go well together.

They know each others game.

In a largely solid and defensive looking midfield, with decent mobility, Dodds could provide some good linking play, something missing last season.

This is also a last hurrah for him, and possibly Pope.

It might just work.

 

You could be right SFBT. This is a difficult one to call. I’ve always like Doddsy. He’s an honest footballer but I’ve got a feeling that this smacks of desperation after failing to get any of our original targets. I pray I am wrong but I still feel we need another couple of recognised forwards to support Pope.

[Bald Eagle]

When a club gets relegated they usually try and keep hold of their best players or they sell them to generate funds.

 

The fact that Chesterfield are allowing Dodds to leave on loan says everything.

 

Like I've said, we are in for another season of struggle.

 

Suppose we have around £1m of transfer funds in the bank though eh?

 

Or they get rid of higher earners. Maybe paid over the odds in January as they were desperate for signings

[JRC]

I will counter that with anybody who is available will be available at this time of the year in that they have been released. Unless you put a big offer in and it releases them from contract, n that isn't going to happen in our case. The management team know the budget and they would have a short list of target players they would have been after within the budget. Surely once you have exhausted that list n all else fails last resort would be loanies. I'm sure I read that Aspo stated much the same that loans would be last in his recruitment plan.

 

In the interview he did but he also said it was because the parent club normally wanted to keep young players around for preseason, which is normally the case. This is a different scenario. Dodds was never going to do much in a Martin Allen team because of the way he plays. Dodds knows it, Marin Allen knows it. Dodds got given a good contract we wouldn't match at Chesterfield so it makes sense for them to cut their loses and part fund him playing somewhere else. Dodds is certainly earning more than he's worth on his current contract and wouldn't voluntarily move further from home for the same money on a loan or less money on a permanent contract. So it seems they've offered him to us on favourable terms and we've said yes. There was something in the offing when Aspin talked about possibly bringing in an extra midfielder if someone became available.

 

This has more John Rudge than Chairman I think. Fergerson always said he dreaded Rudge phoning because he was always after a lot without paying for it. We'll never know how badly Aspin wanted Dodds but we'd have ended paying a lot more of his wages if he'd ever let on he did want him.