I suspect that at our level, thinks like geography have a greater impact on players' decisions than they do in the higher leagues, where they earn enough money to not worry too much about location, travelling etc.

In Ellis' case I suspect the offer of remaining in the Football League, and remaining closer to where he probably lives in the North-West would have been a big factor. If Barrow offered him the same or even slightly less money than us, then those other two factors would probably still have been persuasive.

In Reeves' case I should think he was tempted by another shot at the Football League, which we know was always in his mind because he included a clause in his contract to that effect. He also might still have a base down South, or a preference for living down there, bearing in mind he originates from the London area and spent all of his career playing for southern-based clubs until his (largely unhappy) move to Bradford in 2017.

I don't know what persuaded Miller to go to Chesterfield. Maybe they simply did offer him more than we did under our wage structure, or maybe there were other factors. I think it's a strange move on his part, because his career had been drifting until he seemed to be re-energised by Ian Burchnall's style of play, where he probably would have continued to be a key player. Now he has to trust that Chesterfield's playing style will suit him, bearing in mind he didn't look anything special in his early appearances for us under Neal Ardley.

I haven't heard anything to suggest there's a culture at Notts County that deters players from signing, in fact quite the opposite. The team spirit seems good, the manager seems to be good with the players, and the owners seem to behave in an exemplary fashion, supporting the football professionals with an exceptional level of recruitment information and good facilities, but not interfering at team selection or dressing room level.

I suspect that the owners, working with the manager, have a clear idea of the value of each existing player and potential new recruit, and they stick to those limits when deciding what they will pay. This is made easier if you have a massive database of alternative options, meaning you don't fixate on any one player and don't need to break the bank to sign him, as we maybe did with the likes of Enzio under Alan Hardy.

We'll lose out on some players, but we'll get other good ones like Kyle Cameron, and above all, we'll hopefully keep the club's finances in good shape while being competitive on the field. There seems to be a control and a stability to what we do now that wasn't always there in the past.