Neil's Notes

Argyle Director of Football Neil Dewsnip writes to supporters to update on January transfer window activity, young player development and working with an eye to the future…

I know some of you were surprised by just how quickly all of our January business was done, bringing in five players in the first nine days of the window. In some ways I was surprised too, because things do not always go so smoothly. However, our foresight and planning meant we were a very long way down the road when January came around.

We spent months planning for what we wanted to do next so that that plan was evolving nonstop. We have regular meetings, which usually include me, Steven Schumacher and our Head of Recruitment Jimmy Dickinson, as well as CEO Andrew Parkinson and Club Secretary Zac Newton, who keep an eye on things from a financial perspective.

A few days ago, can you believe, we started our summer planning, which is interesting in itself, as much as anything because do not yet know which division we will be competing in.

We haven't got the biggest budget in the league, we know that, so we have to perform in a smarter way off the pitch.

The players that we've brought in recently are not just players for this season. We certainly hope they will be effective this season, of course, but it is also about being able to play next season if we are in the Sky Bet Championship. We believe that they can handle that standard, and if we are still in League One, then they will all be right to the forefront of helping us hopefully get promoted next year.

It means our squad is very capable, and also has a fair amount of depth.

I am sure everyone remembers the MK Dons game at the end of last season, when we lost and did not make the play-offs.

The debrief that we all had as a football department after that was focused on the fact that we probably hit a wall with four or five games to go. The lads had given us everything that they could. It wasn't about a lack of quality; it was about the quantity of quality.

That was a learning curve. Now, here we are top of the league in January, and that lesson was very much to the fore. We needed a bigger quantity of quality – which I think we have attained.

This now brings Steven a real managerial issue, one that he has not hit before in his experience as manager of Argyle. All of a sudden, he is faced with 26 senior players who could all get in the starting 11 if they were fit. That is fantastic for the quantity of quality, but not great for Steven, who has to say to several people each week: ‘Sorry, you are not starting’ or ‘Sorry, you are not in our squad’.  That takes some skilful management.

We have a group of professional players here who are all really good types, and they all want to play. They're all team players, they all want to contribute to the Argyle cause. In the process of not picking some of them, Steven does so with a heavy heart, but it is the kind of issue which will make him not just a good manager, but a very good manager.

He will make some great decisions. In your career, and in life, you make some less than great decisions along the way, but you always come out the other side having learned something. Steven is always learning and will be an incredibly talented manager one day.

The squad growing as it has may mean that, for our younger players, including those under-18s who have contributed significantly in the Papa Johns Trophy and in other competitions, chances in the first team may be a little more limited for the remainder of the season. That is not to say, though, that Steven would be frightened to put one or two in ahead of seniors if he feels it appropriate.

Many of our young players are at a crucial stage of their development now, because they have had a taste of the first team. Having a taste, though, does not mean you have cracked it. Now you have to roll up your sleeves and go again.

Players tend to enjoy their first taste and that lasts for a brief period of time. It is normal to then go back to Academy football and continue to develop. Then, when they get another taste, that next chance, that is when they really need to make an impact. That is the opportunity to say: ‘I’m ready – pick me.’ They have all that still to come.

Part of our planning for next season, and for the longer-term future, focuses on contracts. It's an ongoing discussion. It's something that we take incredibly seriously and is part of that planning process that I referred to earlier on.

For the young players in particular, we are watching to see if they are making the progress that we hope they can. For them, the division we are in next season is less important. We are making decisions based on potential, not necessarily what they can give next week, or even next year.

We will have a plan for each individual. The plan can be straight from the Under-18s and into the first team. It may be from the Under-18 teams to a loan opportunity elsewhere, and then back to the first team. Everyone is different, and we consider everything for every player.

Thank you to all of you for the support you give to the club, to the management, and to the players. We are getting to the point where everything is magnified that little bit more, and when it matters a whole lot more. Let’s hope to continue to enjoy it as we have done so far. Rest assured everyone is doing their level best to bring success to Argyle, both now and in the future.

Neil Dewsnip is sponsored by Argyle USA