Friendly: Torquay v Nike Academy 2pm - 4/9/12

very true but also we are not aware of what the wage demands are from these players to come down to a back water (footballing wise) like Torquay. Byron Anthony may be a good player, but if he is being unrealistic with his demands and our small budget, something has to give.

We are all guessing and at the end of the day we must trust the manager to make the right decisions

I tend to spend time each day watching BBC News 24 until it eventually does my head in. I'm not sure if it's the repetitiveness or the breathless coverage of the occasional "breaking news" story that ultimately amounts to nothing much.

There are times when football forums are similar. Something happens, we're not sure of its significance but we rush to analyse. The Byron Anthony story this week appears to fit this category.

Traillists come and go in football. It was ever thus and Jon is surely correct in saying that we - just like every other club - fail to offer contracts to the overwhelming majority. The difference now is that the process is more transparent and open to scrutiny. The club organises a development game; the media officer needs to base a story around it. We need an angle to discuss. Four players on trial makes for a good story. So be it.

But what is the significance of the "breaking news" story that we won't be taking out interest in Anthony further? Probably very little if we go through the season strong in central defence. Or if there's another defender in the pipeline who we happen to sign in the next fortnight. Yet, turn the story around and - let's assume - Anthony goes to somewhere like Cheltenham and has a storming season whilst we leak goals like a sieve. Ah, that one will run and run. But if we have an iffy season and Anthony only ends up at Bath City, what's the angle then?

The argument that he should have been strongly considered because of his experience appears a compelling one. Yet, unfortunately. it's one I've heard from people in recent years when I've been banging my head against the wall trying to get jobs: "I'm really surprised you didn't get it. With your experience they should have gobbled you up!" Well, yes, no, maybe. Perhaps I've got thirty years experience in the same area of work because I've just about been good enough to survive? Thirty years of doing the minimum and taking the money? Actually I'd like to think I've contributed rather more than that but, however I spin the CV and the interview spiel, I can't quite hide the fact that there hasn't been enough variety during those thirty years. Consequently somebody with a third of my experience may have been able to offer more diversity and greater achievement during their time to date.

Now I'm not saying it's the same with football but I think we can overplay the value of experience. Potential is important: I may do a better job than you on day one but you may be outstripping me by day 100. I may have been around a bit but I'm sure I've picked up the odd bad habit and complacency may have slipped in here and there. You may only be 80% as good as me - if it's possible to measure these things - but, what with your potential, willingness to learn, adaptability and relative cheapness - you may prove to be the better bet. You may also fit the team more than I.

Again, not all of that is relevant to football. Yet, for all the HR stuff about points scores and robust fairness, that's the reality of selection. What's more, the criteria may change week to week, game to game. And, like the supposedly transparent HR feedback process, it's highly unlikely that anybody is going to tell you the complete story.

So, at the moment, I'm not sure if the signing of - for example - Tom Cruise and the non-signing of Byron Anthony are big negatives in Martin Ling's profit and loss account. All I hope is that the development of Kirtys McKenzie proves to be a positive. As ever, we'll see in due course and the debate has been interesting. But, like News 24, there will be something else along shortly, even if it's only the weather.

Presumably McG didnt think he offered that much either or he wouldnt have been released ?

Anyone bored by the toing and froing between me and Junior Brucie (aka James) on this thread will be pleased to know we had a nice friendly chat yesterday. I have explained to him that I am right and he is wrong.

I have also now handed over Barty's huge pile of WSC magazines, so he'll be too busy reading those to whinge on here for a few months.

I was two hundred miles away at the time but, yes, that's how I saw the chat between Jon and Jon, er, I mean James.