League Link-Ups

The importance of networking and making club connections, especially within the local community has never been as beneficial for lower league teams as it is under the new financial fair play rules. Teams within League One and Two have far more to gain by opening their doors to the local teams which play around them.

This of course means clubs will have to put aside rivalry for the betterment of their own development if they struggle to bring in that additional quality.

Notts have actually been making their own progress in this department this year, whilst the club has actively put into place methods of balancing their financial outgoings by reducing agent fee's with their deals. This allows a club like Notts County to open their doors and to become a club whereby teams can trust Notts with their upcoming players. Shaun Derry has said himself that it is a good way of reducing unnecessary costs at the football club by working with local sides, the likes of Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Birmingham City and Derby County to name a few.

Locally based players will not have the cost of apartments, hotels and other fee's which come attached to signing players who have to settle a way from their home.

Becoming trusted by managers, whilst working on that reputation offers Notts a platform which they can work off. It promotes the club in an efficient and effective way which means once trusted with youngsters, clubs may trust Notts with their out of form players.

Of course it puts Notts in a situation where by free players might become interested in seeking the exact same opportunity, so it serves more purpose to be patience about signing young players on short term loan deals, as this enables Notts to really forge themselves within the transfer market.

The difficulties of balancing expectations, along with establishing a strong squad for promotion is a difficult game, especially when budgets don't permit a lot of movement.

This is where the abilities of being a good neighbour comes into it, it allows teams just like Notts to gain that extra special quality to bulk up their existing squad. It doesn't always mean the arrival of an established head, or a player with a known name. sometimes it means taking a gamble on youngsters eager to make that step up who are below that radar.

Who had heard of Callum McGregor or Jack Grealish before they arrived at Meadow Lane last season? Their hard work put themselves on the map, it opened the door to them to their respected clubs first team.

The same principles can be applied to this seasons loan players such as Reece Brown, Louis Laing, Stephen Mclaughlin, Michael Petrasso, Jake Cassidy and Zeli Ismail.

Louis Laing has that opportunity to prove himself at Forest, whereas Stephen McLaughlin will be in contention for the first team with both players being required under the embargo the club have found themselves under.

Michael Petrasso will possibly be loaned out to a Championship side, with Jake Cassidy and Zeli Ismail potentially ending up back on loan with a team lower than that.

Yet it does show the openness of Notts to work along side locally based teams, especially now that Alefe Santos and Kwame Thomas arrive at Meadow Lane, it is for Notts to show that they can look after them, make use of their talents and perhaps further doors will be unlocked with time.

Aided with the ability to produce young talent of our own, the budget in future seasons might be balanced out with a mix of players offering a vast variety of skills which can be used by Shaun Derry.

It's likely until Notts have a few good seasons, whereby crowds increase largely and with the addition of any possible cup runs that things may be different but even under those circumstances the ability to be trusted with loan players is of vast importance to the club.

You have to make use of every opportunity available in order to overcome the difficulties attached and really, we can consider ourselves lucky to already have the widening net under our current manager.

We have made a lot of ground this season and the way it's going, I see no reason why in the future we can't replicate a mix of aspects the likes of Walsall (youngsters), Peterborough (non league signings) and of course Swindon (parent club, i.e Spurs) have made in order for ourselves to progress.

Really you have to make sure that the club is doing all in which it can, I honestly believe Notts are. Whether you agree or not, this leads to a discussion which I openly encourage.