Quote Originally Posted by Magpies1959 View Post
Having JOB in the sort of form he is in, is in my view buying us some time for Ed Francis and Frank Vincent. In Francis' case it is enabling to play less minutes and learn from the sidelines, and in Vincent's case, it is taking pressure off his return from injury. I am hopeful both these players will play their part in us having a very successful season.
A good point, which raises a related further point.

Some fans seem to be quite critical of Ed Francis already, which again is harsh considering that he's a young player in the early stages of integrating into the team. I wouldn't say he has played badly in any of his appearances so far. Perhaps a truer observation is that he hasn't set the world alight so far, perhaps being one of those a little too willing to play safe passes rather than seeking to impose himself and be creative. Yes, we will need to see more from him in due course, but it's far too soon to be overly critical. Some new signings make an immediate impact while others take time to bed in, and he would appear to fit the latter description.