Values, not injuries or results, driving Jack's January recruitment search

Jack Lester is determined to ensure Chesterfield's January recruitment policy is driven by his long-term vision for the club.
Picture Andrew Roe/AHPIX LTD, Football, EFL Sky Bet League Two, Chesterfield FC v Luton Town, Proact Stadium, 13/01/18, K.O 3pm

Chesterfield's Drew Talbot

Andrew Roe>>>>>>>07826527594Picture Andrew Roe/AHPIX LTD, Football, EFL Sky Bet League Two, Chesterfield FC v Luton Town, Proact Stadium, 13/01/18, K.O 3pm

Chesterfield's Drew Talbot

Andrew Roe>>>>>>>07826527594
Picture Andrew Roe/AHPIX LTD, Football, EFL Sky Bet League Two, Chesterfield FC v Luton Town, Proact Stadium, 13/01/18, K.O 3pm Chesterfield's Drew Talbot Andrew Roe>>>>>>>07826527594

The Spireites manager admits that it would be easy to become led by injuries and sign players as a knee jerk reaction to current form.

But he insists the club won’t lose sight of the goals and team ethos he set when he first arrived in the Proact dugout.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Addressing the panic that had begun to rise among supporters during the six game winless run, a streak that was ended by Saturday’s fine win over Luton, he said: “ Ithink it’s natural, everyone is entitled to their feelings.

“I’m not going to base my feelings of prosperity and the vision of what we have for January on that, though.

“You can get affected, it’s been a tough time in terms of results but we can’t get down about it and start changing what we think going forward.

“We carry on what we’re doing, we believe in what we’re doing, we’ve shown very recently that what we’re doing is the right thing to do when we went on that wonderful run.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

For Lester, the character of the players he brings in this month is key.

There’s no shortage of options for the Town gaffer, who has lost several players to injury in recent weeks, but it’s more a case of searching for the right ones rather than the first available ones.

“We’re working hard to bring in the right character of player, there’s plenty of players who want to come here but for the wrong reasons,” he said.

“We’re having to avoid that.

“With the injuries we’ve had it would be very easy to jump at the first thing that comes up.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With Chesterfield still in a relegation dog fight, albeit now out of the drop zone thanks to that victory at the weekend over the League Two leaders, the need to pick up results quickly can also cloud minds in the transfer window.

That’s something Lester won’t permit at the Proact.

“We could go and get three players in for Saturday, but I don’t think that’s the right thing, it’s not all about Saturday,” he said.

“If I had the view point that it was all about Saturday, I would go and make rash decisions, coaching staff would make rash decisions on signings.

“There are people available we could get in now but we’re working hard to get the right type that fits the model we spoke about when we first got into the job.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I don’t want to lose sight of that, in fact we won’t lose sight of that.”

Although the Spireites have already had a busy month, bringing in five players, sending one on loan and releasing another, there’s more work for Lester and co to do.

He admits it could go right to the wire, especially when deals can rest on so many variables.

“I don’t know, we’d like to get all our targets in today, of course.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“But there’s competition, there’s things to sort out, it’s not plain sailing. It’s almost like a housing chain, that’s how it works a little bit.

“It might go down to the last day, it happens all the time that someone signs somewhere and it triggers a domino rally of everyone else moving and changing.

“I don’t know what will happen, I know what we’re after.”