January Transfers and Rumours

[Warren]

5 hours ago, JRC said:

If Uche is staying I think it's good news. Replacing him I'm this window would be very hard. He's also become an important part of how we play over the last few matches. It would be interesting to know whether it was all just media speculation or if someone decided to pull out of the deal. It would also be interesting to know Uche's position on the whole thing. I suspect he would have been a squad player at Charlton.  He'd earn more money as a squad player at Charlton than a starter at Vale. He's made some money from the game, maybe playing regular football is more important to him than 500 or 600 a week extra. 

As a footballer Uche is extremely limited. However,  in terms of just bullying defenders with sheer strength and power I can only think of Bob Newton, Kevin Campbell and Akinfenwe who were on a par with him. Wycombe showed you can build a successful team around a player with that kind of raw power. Akinfenwe was much better with the ball at his feet but way less mobile than Uche.

I deliberately focused on Akinfenwa once when I saw him. He did have good mobility! It was at one reasonable pace but he was up and down the pitch involved in attacking and defending. For a footballer, Akinfenwa was very strong with a rugby player body shape. He scored a lot of goals in the penalty box using that and was able to be far more mobile than that mode of rugby player. I don't see Uche as at his level - yet? If he adds more goals? Uche does have reasonable mobility once he gets moving. 

It is disjointed for Crosby to make the statement he did about Uche. Then a day later a move looks to be happening. Or is it? The position seems to be Uche will leave if he can get a longer contract on higher pay. Well there is a surprise - I'd do that!

It doesn't look like Port Vale want to over commit. I get that in the sense that Baylee Dipepa needs the opportunity to come through. Also Loft - if we get him fully fit and up to speed - could be as good as Uche in the big forward role. He needs to step up and show that. 

At a club of our size, budget management is very important. To climb the tree we can't do it by facing up to say Derby on budget. To close the gap requires bringing players through, playing them for a couple of years and receiving transfer fees when they are successful. 

Edited January 20 by Warren

[Brian Johnson]

7 minutes ago, ginginator said:

Well if you have broken your leg before, then it will not be the same as when you were born. When I was 5 I had no injuries, as you age things go wrong. How can you legislate for a freak injury that surgery has corrected. Some people are unlucky in all walks of life re health/fitness. 

Hopefully Jesse is able to sort injury issues out. If we wanted to buy a player in a contact sport that wont get injured, do they exist?

Back on topic I am sure we follow a procedure that Vale as a club adhere too. They wont say we take a risk  a player, due to insurance.

You have totally missed the point.

Why do players fail medicals at other clubs but get a pass at our's ?

That is a genuine question and one for the Flickers to answer on Thursday.

[valiant_593]

9 minutes ago, ginginator said:

Well if you have broken your leg before, then it will not be the same as when you were born. When I was 5 I had no injuries, as you age things go wrong. How can you legislate for a freak injury that surgery has corrected. Some people are unlucky in all walks of life re health/fitness. 

Hopefully Jesse is able to sort injury issues out. If we wanted to buy a player in a contact sport that wont get injured, do they exist?

Back on topic I am sure we follow a procedure that Vale as a club adhere too. They wont say we take a risk  a player, due to insurance.

Which players do we have out with freak injuries? Most have picked up injuries throughout their career. 

[Packmoor_vale]

There is going be some blokes making themselves look silly at this forum 

[werstayinup]

There are  just under a couple of weeks left of the window now so you would expect some new faces before Saturdays game,i can still see us bringing in another 4 players if Uche goes maybe others if anymore leave(Cass,Walters)

[Diego Maradona]

Again reading the Charlton forum, some on there suggest that Charlton were in for several strikers. One being Uche. However, according to them, they've landed more preferable strikers and so the Uche deal is off. Not necessarily due failing a fitness test.

[ginginator]

2 minutes ago, Brian Johnson said:

You have totally missed the point.

Why do players fail medicals at other clubs but get a pass at our's ?

That is a genuine question and one for the Flickers to answer on Thursday.

What I mean is if you are carrying an injury, like Garrity was would he pass a medical tomorrow. 2 months down the line he would. So Uche may have been okay when we signed him , but knackered after scoring the other week?

[Osh]

37 minutes ago, Trumpingtonvale said:

Deep Throat* strikes again Osh? Has your source said anything about Dan Gore signing today?

*Disclaimer - For clarity I mean Deep Throat in the Watergate Scandal context.  Not the alternative I was made aware of yesterday after an earlier post - what a sheltered life I’ve led.🍌🍆

 

TV (as in TrmpingtonVale NOT you're a transvestite) 

No he hasn't m8. Asked him that yesterday and he had nothing to say on it. 

[Warren]

4 minutes ago, Brian Johnson said:

You have totally missed the point.

Why do players fail medicals at other clubs but get a pass at our's ?

That is a genuine question and one for the Flickers to answer on Thursday.

We are prepared to take more risk. I think a medical is likely a medical. But once presented with the facts management decides whether to accept the risk or not. 

[dazzerjames]

7 minutes ago, Brian Johnson said:

Totally disagree.

It's not about the stats and the only manager to come out to say anything about Uche was the Charlton manager that's actually come out & said anything about him unless you can show me any other articles different.

Uche was a player that was about to get thrown out of the club until AC stumbled on a formation at half time against Barnsley to save his own bacon.

Uche's then gone on to have, what 2 & half decent games which for some reason made him a messiah amongst Vale fans, where before Barnsley he was useless.

When AC gets players back from injury & and one or two more additions in, then he is going to revert back to the possession football that we had been playing because that's the way that AC wants us to play & he's said many many times this season that is our ID & philosophy.

When he reverts back to that, then Uche will be useless again but with what I have seen with Uche already, it's not going to take a switch of formation to render him not very good again.

Fat lad from Stevenage (Evans) also singled him out and that was when he wasn’t in any sort of fitness or form. He now is 

[CAVALIER]

17 minutes ago, JRC said:

I very vaguely remember him but I was 5. I probably should have included Billy Whitehurst on my list. He was strong a very strong man. I don't think Leonard was that prolific infront of goal but I could be wrong.

He had one really good game v Bristol Rovers on our first(?) Sunday game and even then his shot went through the goalie’s legs. 13 games 1 goal. Good player though. 

[CAVALIER]

Maybe we should get Deeney in. People wanted him 6 months ago.

[ginginator]

9 minutes ago, valiant_593 said:

Which players do we have out with freak injuries? Most have picked up injuries throughout their career. 

Hence my post, if we just signed players that have never been injured, we would not have any. We got Uche in due to lack of forwards, knowing he was not 100% AC said that, hence he played short stints. Charlton may expect more for now, does not mean Uche cannot get fit, but may need longer than they want?

We have had enough crocks and yes as Brian said it is worth a ?

[JRC]

Just now, CAVALIER said:

He had one really good game v Bristol Rovers on our first(?) Sunday game and even then his shot went through the goalie’s legs. 13 games 1 goal. Good player though. 

What I quite like about Uche is he is a throwback to the 70s and early 80s. Football was a game of skill but with a higher level of brutality and physical confrontation.  Uche does show that it is still possible to be a physical player, stay on the right side of modern interpretation of the law and have a successful career. He's played more games than Wilson at Championship Level of above and more in the SPL. He may have been less effective 50 years ago because modern defenders just aren't used to the physicality he offers. 

[MBE]

1 hour ago, Osh said:

Hi didn't, did he...??  We took him knowing he was unfit. We've given him the time to get fit(ish) - well enough to terrify some defences in our league. 

Fitness and medical are 2 different things.

Edited January 20 by MBE