Kirk to stay or go?
On loan Josh Davison still has some unfinished business at Swindon Town as they kick off the play-off’s at home to Port Vale on Sunday. Davison has scored 9 goals since his move on loan in January.
One out on loan player that has returned however is Charlie Kirk. I didn’t see many grievances of Sandgaard’s signing of Kirk from Crewe in the summer, but he never settled in the smoke particularly following the death of his father.
His playing time was even less under Jackson, when he made just to substitute appearances before being jettisoned to Blackpool, a division higher.
He was a regular in the Tangerines match day squad where Neil Critchley obviously felt the left-sided 24-year had a lot more to offer. Kirk ended with 7 starts plus 2 sub appearances and 3 assists. He missed Blackpool’s last game with a knock.
Now he is back in SE7, although I expect physically he is back in Cheshire, decisions have to be made to whether we keep Kirk for the second season of his 4-year deal.
Blackpool had the option of signing Kirk for £500,000, effectively returning Sandgaard’s investment. Rich Cawley says that a move to Blackpool is still a distinct possibility, and I expect Blackpool will want to renegotiate the transaction.
Still, the question is do we keep him? I mean there is no manager to advise on whether Kirk fits into a system, or to judge whether he has the appetite and hunger to want to give it another go in South London., but is there something there worth persevering with?
Adkins wanted to play with wingers, but Kirk looked lost at the start of last season, and to me he looked more like an inside left than an out-and-out winger. Under Jackson he was effectively locked out of the team in his persistent 3-5-2.
Crewe Alexandra’s pacy Charlie Kirk dominating proceedings with an overlapping left back was never to be seen again.
Blackpool’s style suited him better and with rumours that they plan to flog Josh Bowler to Bournemouth, I suspect Critchley still has his eyes on Charlie boy. Just at a cheaper price!
Chicago Addick 
Kirk is one of the very few we have with a potential sell on value. He should be given the chance to increase that value next season under the right manager and playing system. TS would be very ill advised to sell him now at a cut price. That would smack of financial negligence to me – selling at a loss when a likely potential profit is there.
Of course Kirk must have the will to try again with us.
I am sure more than most he is keen to know the new manager and whether that fits.
I would love to see if Kirk can replicate his Crewe form with us given the chance.
Charlie Kirk is 24 and therefore fits the bill of young players who we can train up, extract some value from as a player and still sell on at a profit. In short he can help us get to where we want to be both as a team and financially.
It seems that Blackpool want to re-negotiate the deal probably understanding that he wants to stay up north and that maybe we don’t want him, so they are chancing their arm a bit. It might be a bit cheeky, but I doubt that they are making a profit so I can see where they are coming from.
Personally I’d retain him until a new manager is in place, they may well want his skill set and if they did he’d be the sort of skilful young player we’d want to sign.
If we could play him on the left and switch Corey Blackett-Taylor to the right then we have two good wingers at the club and strength in depth with DJ job-sharing on the right-flank and maybe Charles Clayden shadowing Kirk on the left. These players after all are already at the club.
Totally agreed SP – top post.
Agree with both of you.
Agree with H & SP, though disagree re CBT, as I wouldn’t swap him to the right as he has been superb on the left, it has really suited him on that side with playing his best football since arriving!
I liked Kirk when he was with Crewe and I thought that he was more of a left sided midfielder or No,10 than a winger. I noted his ability to play incisive forward passes rather than crosses. I hope he gets a chance to show what he can do before we take a cut price deal from Blackpool.