No Rush For Signings- Adams

Despite being told that there was an urgent need for Micky Adams` directorship to go through as Vale were falling behind their League Two rivals in the transfer market, it now appears that there is no rush for new signings after all. This is symptomatic of the mixed messages and double speak that have come out of Vale Park over the last few months. From a purely footballing perspective, it`s clear that the squad needs strengthening. Although Adams, in hindsight, worked miracles taking this group of players into the automatic promotion spots by Christmas, the spectacular decline after his departure highlighted the many weaknesses in the squad. Notably, any back up plan should an injury to Marc Richards occur. Can the Vale boss reproduce the Midas touch on his return? By aligning himself with a deeply unpopular regime, should the season start badly, then the former Brighton man may come to regret his decision to return.

On the face of things, League Two looks set to be a much more difficult proposition next term. Relegated sides Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town are among the bookies favourites for an immediate return. New Rovers boss Paul Buckle, having guided Torquay United, surprisingly, to the play offs last season, has already splashed the cash on Shrewsbury Town striker Matt Harrold. Last season`s Conference Champions, Crawley Town, are sure to be strong, while sides such as Northampton Town are investing heavily. At least Vale will not be the only club in crisis. That award will surely go to Plymouth Argyle who are in all sorts of financial problems and face the very real prospect of losing Home Park as a result of a mystery property consortium`s attempts to take over the club. With the chances of Vale actually paying a fee for a player bordering on impossible, Adams will need to use all his persuasive powers to tempt players to the Potteries. A striker would seem a priority. The partnership of the Richards ‘twins` was a key component in Vale`s excellent form over the first half of the season, but the injury to Marc in January and the loss of form suffered by Justin had a huge bearing on Vale`s slump. The lack of goals needs to be addressed. As does the lack of creativity in midfield. That particular conundrum seemed to be solved by the arrival of Gary Roberts, but he was one of many to fade away. How much that was to do with off the field issues and how much to do with a loss of confidence stemming from the departure of Adams and the arrival of Jim Gannon remains to be seen. Roberts is still awaiting the offer of a new contract.

Another issue affecting squad recruitment will be an accurate account of season ticket sales. CEO Perry Deakin has claimed that over 3,000 have now been sold, but that number (if accurate) is still well down on last season`s tally of 4,400. With Adams still hopeful of adding four or five faces before the start of the new campaign, it will be interesting to see how this pans out. If only for some investment eh…