[Devongone]

Are we utterly mental?

Okay Banks isn't suspended now, but with Oyeleke out and Dobra having missed games, relying on Clarke's fitness seems a bit foolhardy in view of his record, good player that he is. How many midfielders do we have that we think are better than Whelan?

Yes, he'll get games he wouldn't have had, but we might lose points we would have won ........ and if we don't think he's decent how come we signed him twice?

[Dancingwilldoit]

Whelan flatters to deceive. Akinola is miles better and where do we play Cooper?
We have a surplus of midfielders and strikers.
I think it's a good move for us and him. Whelan is unlikely to get game time with us anytime soon.
If he could defend then it might be a stranger move.

[SaltergateBorn]

I`m inclined to agree with you, Dancing. I really don`t think he`s likely to get much of a look-in at our place now, given the strength in depth we have in midfield. He`s another one I think is likely to be moving on soon.

I take your point, Dev, about us having signed him twice but (I may be wrong here) I think that we re-signed him before Cookie arrived. I also seem to recall that he was quite critical of Whelan`s decision-making in the play-off game at Solihull and that one game may have cooked his goose (sorry) at our place.

[Devongone]

Whelan was Cook's first signing. He can play anywhere in midfield. Yesterday he played deeper for Aldershot, was very good and they did win 5-1.

Whelan's major fault is trying to win free kicks by simulation. He should just get on with it and stay on his feet. And stop thinking about ref'ing the game just cos he went to Millfield.

As to our surplus ..... Asante is injured, Tshimanga is injured, we don't seem to trust Gyasi, Rowe is on the coast, Uchegbulam, who caused Jeff Steeling enormous pronunciation problems when scoring, is a really a wide man. So we've got Quigley. If we've got a surfeit of anything, it isn't Lampreys, it is potential full backs. Sheckleford and Clements are nowhere near a game, Miller can play there, so can Cooper, and Maguire has played left back a lot and Jo Cook is a very spare centre back ......

Akinola OUGHT to be better than Whelan. If he isn't then his Arsenal prospects are way below zero. But Akinola proved terminally fragile in his last loan, whilst Whelan is mostly up for a game at the drop of a hat .... and that's what you need in the National League.

Oldaker better than Whelan? No one would have said so until this season. I still wouldn't.

[spireitematt]

I wonder if you are all reading too much into it. It's a 1 month loan which to me suggests getting his fitness up and some minutes on the pitch.

[SaltergateBorn]

Us, Matt? Read too much into things? That`s never happened before!

[Devongone]

Whelan didn't look much like he needed his fitness levels upping when playing for Aldershot.

If we can't up a player's fitness without sending him back towards the South Coast what is all that training they do about?

The words butcher's, fit as, and a dog struggle to form a phrase. Whelan certainly won't be a Chesterfield player in the New Year (unless more injuries hit and we are really forced to bring him back in ........) He's not drowning, he knows he's waving goodbye.

[Devongone]

Clearly my words have been intercepted and mangled by a malign Russian hacker. What I intended to say was that Oldaker is a more reliable player than Whelan who sometimes comes through with a dramatic late goal, whereas Whelan occasionally gets himself into hot water with the ref' at a crucial moment in the game.

[Dancingwilldoit]

Not only does he bathe in the same hot water, he does it on his own for at least 25 mins before the end of the game

[SaltergateBorn]

I wonder who`ll be paying his wages for the next 3 weeks.