Vale poised to act

An unnamed Championship club are keen to sign Sam Collins and Billy Paynter and, while Foyle appreciates that bigger clubs are bound to be interested in his best players, he is furious about the way the approach was made. He told the club's official website: "Last week, Port Vale received a derisory offer from a Championship club for the services of Billy Paynter and Sam Collins. We've spoken to the players and they are fully aware of the situation. "It has caused a bit of unrest at the club, largely due to the agents totally misinforming our players and not giving them the right details. "Billy and Sam are totally committed to the club, but we understand their ambition to play at a higher level. "Unless the club receives an offer which shows the true reflection of their ability, as far as I am concerned the matter is now closed." However, Vale vice-chairman Dave Smith is keen to take action against the agents involved. "We believe an illegal approach has been made by agents to two of our senior players, in a bid to persuade them to leave the club," he said. "We've taken advice at the highest level from football authorities to discuss the matter with the players concerned. "We're now considering making an official complaint in the strongest terms to the Football Association. This type of illegal behaviour unsettles players and disrupts preparations for games."