Spireites Q&A part one: We answer your Chesterfield questions on John Pemberton's contract, transfer targets and player contracts

In part one of what will be a regular feature our Spireites reporter Liam Norcliffe answers questions from Chesterfield fans.

Question from @bronj2000 on Twitter: When does John Pemberton’s current contract run out?

John Pemberton is now on a rolling contract until the end of the season.

When he initially took over from John Sheridan on January 2 he joined on a temporary basis with the expectation being that Chesterfield FC Community Trust would have completed a takeover of the club within six weeks.

This type of short-term contract made sense for all parties at the time because it meant the community trust could bring in someone else as manager if they wished to do so or negotiate a new deal with Pemberton.

It also suited Pemberton because it gave him the opportunity to walk away if he did not feel he could work with the new owners.

The takeover has dragged on for longer than expected and so on February 20 Pemberton signed until the end of the season after overseeing an upturn in results.

Question from @George_CFC_ on Twitter: What positions will Pemberton be focusing on when trying to sign players before next season?

The problem that Pemberton has at the moment is that because he is only in charge until the end of the season it is difficult for him to plan long-term.

With the takeover yet to be completed he does not know what the budget will be and whether he will be able to buy anyone or rely on loans or free transfers.

However, I do know he has been planning for next season because he does not want to be on the back foot if everything falls into place very quickly regarding the takeover and his position.

He is always out at matches and looking at players.

Another strong point about Pemberton is that he has a good reputation for working with young players which will work in Chesterfield’s favour.

He also has some good contacts within the game such as Sean Dyche at Burnley and Chris Wilder at Sheffield United as well as at his old clubs Crystal Palace, Bristol City and Nottingham Forest.

Pemberton wants a maximum squad of 20 next campaign which will include a couple of versatile players who can play in a number of positions.

He does not like a big squad because it is hard to keep everybody happy when they are not playing and manage training sessions.

Chesterfield have a lot of players out of contract at the end of the season so Pemberton will have to make additions all over the park.

Midfield has been a big problem for the Spireites this season and Pemberton does not think they keep hold of the ball well enough. Long-term he wants to play possession-based football so that will be an area he will aim to strengthen.

He will also look to boost his defensive options given the number of goals Chesterfield have conceded this season.

Pemberton would like to bring back Jordan Cropper on loan again. Dyche rates him highly but he is only 19 so a full season of men’s football will definitely help his development.

Pemberton thinks a lot of young defender Jamie Sharman so I would not be surprised if he becomes a first-team regular along with midfielder Regan Hutchinson as well.

Question from @oliverb67 on Twitter: Which non-Chesterfield players have impressed you most and should we try and sign them in the summer?

A couple of wingers and forwards have really caught my eye this season.

I was very impressed by Harrogate Town’s loan winger Jack Diamond when they won 4-3 at the Proact at the start of March.

He created three of Harrogate’s four goals from the left wing.

His blistering pace, direct dribbling and the ability to beat a man is not something I have seen much of at this level so far.

By all accounts the 20-year-old, on loan from Sunderland, was inconsistent at the beginning of his loan spell when he signed in September but he has been in superb form helping Harrogate to 11 wins in their last 14 matches.

Diamond has four goals and eight assists in total.

He would be a great addition to the Spireites but I would imagine Sunderland will want to take another look at him in pre-season and no doubt he will have other admirers in the EFL.

Another winger who impressed me was Hartlepool United’s Luke James.

The 25-year-old scored an excellent goal at the Proact in the 5-1 win for the visitors in November.

He controlled the ball first time with his left foot, carried the ball from just inside his own half and buried the ball into the bottom corner from a tight angle with his right foot to put Hartlepool 2-0 up.

He has already played in the Football League with Peterborough United but age is still on his side for him to work his way back up.

Notts County’s Enzio Boldewijn also looked the part as did Fylde’s pacey attacker Tom Walker.

In terms of strikers, Jack Redshaw ran the show for Halifax at The Shay in December with his pace and trickery and Charles Vernam, who was on loan from Grimsby Town, scored two goals for Chorley at the Proact in November. His first was particularly good with the way he controlled the ball first time in mid-air and then finished first time in the box.

He scored three goals in four games for Chorley before returning to his parent club.

Question from @spireiterunner on Twitter: If we are to continue with the season what will be the position of player contracts and loan players? And if the season does resume how will it affect the fitness of the players, pre-season and the start date for next season?

The coronavirus outbreak has thrown up a number of problems for clubs and player contracts is probably the biggest of the lot because a lot of contracts at non-league level expire at the end of April and it is highly likely the season is going to run beyond this point.

Some clubs won’t be able to afford to keep paying players into the summer months with no matchday revenue coming in.

Chesterfield are in a stronger position than most with regards to player contracts in that they all finish at the end of June.

Ashley Carson recently said that if the season was to run beyond June then it would be a “nightmare situation” because Chesterfield currently only have nine players in contract for the 2020/2021 season.

One suggestion is that clubs will have to arrange new deals for out of contract players on a week-to-week basis.

In terms of loans, deals for Ross Fitzsimons and Jordan Cropper finish at the end of April while Nathan Tyson and Matt Tootle have until the end of May which means they will have to agree with Burnley and Notts County to extend those deals if they want to.

With regards to fitness, all of the players have been given individual training programmes but Pemberton believes they will have to have a mini pre-season to get them fully up to speed for matches.

Nobody really knows how long we are going to be in limbo for but the likelihood is that the start date for next season will have to be put back back until around September.

There are many ideas floating around including having a shorter pre-season before the start of the next campaign and reducing the number of cup competitions so that next season does not overrun massively. But at the moment there are no concrete plans and everything is up in the air.